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Thanks to Dennis Plank of the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club for this excellent letter to the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/2010/04/the_ohio_house_needs_tom_bullo.html

The Ohio House needs Tom Bullock's fresh ideas
By Other Voices
April 09, 2010, 4:01AM

I am a Sierra Club member and resident of Ohio House District 13. I was very disappointed in The Plain Dealer's endorsement of Nickie Antonio over Tom Bullock (Saturday). The endorsement made it fairly clear that you thought Bullock was more open to fresh ideas than Antonio, but that you support her because she is older and has spent more time in elected office. This is especially disappointing, as this newspaper has in the past taken up the mantra of "reform" by urging the adoption of Issue 6.

I'm not actually convinced that Issue 6 really got to the heart of the leadership problems our region has faced, but I am quite certain that one such problem that does need to be cured is the wait-your-turn mentality common in this region, which The Plain Dealer seemingly endorses. It is time our region stopped holding back qualified and energetic candidates simply because they have not put in a certain amount of time in the local political structure. Time in office does not necessarily translate to success in that, or any other, office. Sometimes, it is quite the opposite, and fresh ideas and insights can be just what the system needs to perform more ably.

The Sierra Club endorsed Bullock because it was impressed by his knowledge of the issues and the leadership he was prepared to take in the Statehouse to make a change on these issues. That seems to be consistent with his attitude and approach on the other issues that will be important to voters in my district, such as growing jobs and bettering education. It's unfortunate that The Plain Dealer seems more interested in keeping track of the age of a candidate or his years in elected office than the fresh ideas or strong work ethic he would bring to the legislature.

Dennis Plank, Cleveland
Plank is co-chairman of the Northeast Ohio Sierra Group Conservation Committee.