From Sen. Schiavoni:

Dear Vindicator,

I first want to express that I am not writing to cry or complain about Todd Franko taking a shot at me in this Sunday’s column “Collective Thoughts of a Taxpayer”.  As an elected official I expect to be criticized from time to time and have come to accept that fact; however, I do not enjoy being labeled something that I’m not. 

The reason for this letter is to point out that the conclusions Mr. Franko made about me in his column are untrue and unwarranted.  “Hagan, Gains, Schiavoni and the gang can grandstand all they want.  They cannot cash the checks they want to write-and they know it,” Mr. Franko stated.  Number one- I have no gang affiliation.  Number two- I am not a grandstander.  Just to be sure, I looked the word up in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and found out that “to grandstand” means “to play or act so as to impress onlookers”.  I clearly have not been grandstanding for the past three weeks.  On the contrary, I dedicated my life to learning everything that I could about the history of Ohio’s collective bargaining system because I knew how important this issue was going to be to my constituents.  Every day, my staff and I have made it our number one priority to help concerned citizens understand the pending legislation and explain to them how it will affect their lives.  I have listened very carefully to more than twenty five hours of testimony as the ranking Democrat on the insurance, commerce, and labor committee asking questions of nearly every witness.  I have been invited to multiple events by concerned citizens and interested parties to explain the bill and have done interviews with national media outlets.  In every presentation and interview, I have been 100 percent truthful with my explanations and have spoken from the heart.  I have not been playing, acting or trying to impress onlookers.  So call me what you want, but please do not call me something that I am not.

                                                                                                            Sincerely,

                                                                                                            Joe Schiavoni