U.S. SENATOR BROWN: OUT MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF NATIONALLY; MEANWHILE HIS UNIONTOWN, OHIO CONSTITUENT IS LEFT OUT IN THE COLD -- AT LEAST UNTIL HIS 2012 REELECTION BID?

Back on December 15, 2009, the SCPR wrote (CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BLOG) how Uniontown citizen Chris Borello (president of the Concerned Citizens of Lake Township - CCLT) was hopeful to get United States Senator Sherrod Brown and Congressman John Boccieri (both Democrats and Boccieri representing Stark County in the U.S. House) to take up her cause of getting the Industrial Excess Landfill cleaned up (or, at least neutralized).

The SCPR's impression is that Borello has completely given up on Boccieri.  But she has been holding out hope that Senator Sherrod Brown would help her group out.

For Brown is a "bleeding heart liberal," if there ever was one.  He shows shades of Congressman Dennis Kucinich (a populist/left-wing Democrat from Cleveland).   Accordingly, Brown tries to portray himself as a huge supporter of environmental stewardship.

Here is a list of Brown office press releases which show his leftist/populist tendencies:

Here is Brown on the national political talk show "Hardball" in response to a Chris Matthews question as to whom should pay for the oil spill occurring now in the Gulf of Mexico, to wit:

I think the issue is the law has to compel this company, which made a mistake and which has a history of violating OSHA rules—we can talk about that in a second, what happened in Texas City, Texas, five years ago and what hasn‘t happened since with OSHA rules and environmental rules.

And it was—you know, the last decade, Chris, as you know, has been a question of the oil industry and Wall Street and others staying a step ahead of the sheriff.  And the sheriff hasn‘t really been on the beat with the Bush administration on environment or on worker safety rules.  That‘s why this is a different day, and we‘ve got to make sure that they do what they are supposed to do under the law.

But, it may be, that Borello is beginning to realize that Uniontown and the IEL is not a big enough political fish for Senator Brown.

Yes, Brown is a "green" senator, but only when the public relations is high grade.

Is Hardball or any other national political speak show about to have Brown on talking about the IEL and getting an Environmental Protection Agency clean up of the Uniontown site?

Of course not!

So Borello can forget Brown doing anything for CCLT on what is known also as being the "Uniontown Dump."

In fact, Borello tells the SCPR that a Brown staffer is telling her that they (Brown staffers) cannot even get the EPA to converse with them on the IEL issue.

So what is Brown's office going to do about the EPA's incommunicado on the IEL matter?

Apparently, nothing.

The staffer leaves it at "EPA will not answer us!"

To repeat:  It is obvious that to the SCPR that Senator Brown is not interested in the Uniontown IEL and Chris Borello and her CCLT fellow members can forget getting any attention to their cause for the time being.

Perhaps, in two years he will listen and maybe push the EPA to at least address the Borello group concerns one more time.

Why in two years?

Well, Brown will be up for reelection.

For a guy like Brown, who obviously basks in the national spotlight, the only hope for locals like Borello to get an ear is the periodic (every six years in the case of the U.S. Senate) need to finesse local voters into reelecting them.

Otherwise, Brown has more important fish to fry, no?

TRACKING OUR LEGISLAGTORS SERIES: SENATORS VOINOVICH & BROWN - HOW MUCH DO THEY SPEND ON STAFF? READ LETTER BROWN SENT TO US EPA ON UNIONTOWN IEL

Republican Senator George Voinovich is paid a salary of $174,000 each year for serving as one of Ohio's two U.S. Senator. Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown is paid the same amount.

Each is entitled to "expense" money to staff their offices to do the administrative work of being a senator.

As is evident from the graphic that leads this post, Brown gets about $78,000 more a year for his office operations.

The question becomes: Are Ohioans (including Stark Countians) getting their monies worth?

Over $5 million a year should provide able resources for Voinovich and Brown to be responsive to the needs of their constituents.

See the complete list of how each senator spends your money on staff by clicking here.

Why the question?

Recently the SCPR ran into a situation involving Chris Borello of the Concerned Citizens of Lake Township (CCLT) who was not having her inquires answered by Senator Brown's office. Borello has worked tirelessly since the early 1980s to get a proper remediation of hazardous materials dumped at a site abutting Cleveland Avenue about a mile south of the center of town. The site is known as the Industrial Excess Landfill (IEL).

The SCPR contacted Brown's office asking why a constituent would not be responded to by the Senator.

Perhaps, the SCPR inquiry was helpful. Shortly after the inquiry, Senator Brown's office has been in touch with Stark Countian Borello and has contacted U.S. EPA head administrator Lisa Jackson and asked for answers that CCLT has not been able to get.

One of the primary missions of the SCPR is to ensure that elected officials who serve Stark Countians are responsive to the needs and inquiries of Stark County citizens.

See the actual Brown letter in the video below.