Scioto County Forum

By Eric Minamyer

I promise to be forthright and honest.

My opening remarks for the Scioto County forum were as follows:

"The 11 candidates here before you tonight fall into three categories, professional politicians, neophytes and me. I say this because I have never earned my living as a politician but yet I have 16 years elected office experience serving my community.

Let me tell you what I will and will not do as your Congressman.

I will not use my influence to help a girlfriend find a job as a lobbyist.

I will not write hundreds of overdrafts on the House Bank knowing they will be honored solely because the rules of that bank were written by the members of Congress to allow them to write overdrafts without penalty or fear of prosecution.

I will not vote for the highest income tax increase in Ohio history and claim to be a conservative.

I will not so dogmatically alienate my colleagues and the leadership of the House to render myself ineffective in representing the citizens of this district.

I will represent you honestly and with integrity. With me, what you see is what you get.

I am a self-made man, having put myself through college and law school and serving in uniform for three decades.

I will use the leadership I learned as a senior naval office in the war on terrorism to bring our troops home safe.

I will work for the betterment of the second district as I have always done in my 16 years in office.

As a father and grandfather, I will protect our families and the values we all hold dear.

I will keep faith with those who paid into social security for a lifetime and protect their benefits.

I will support lower taxes and a balanced budget.

You will have in Eric Minamyer a Congressman of whom you can be proud.

I love my country and just like in the war I will serve her with my life and with all my might.

God Bless America."

I promise to be forthright. Issues such as residency are not nearly as important as why someone would distort when one bought a condo. If I had purchased a condo in April 2005, I would not say I bought it within the last two years. While literally correct, this type of statement is misleading.

Likewise if my children were adopted I would say so and not mislead people into thinking my wife was the natural mother. That would just be silly. Besides adoption is a good and honorable thing.

Similarly I would not use a negative campaign less than a year after I denounced the practice.

At West Point I lived under the honor code: "I will not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do." As a lawyer I was taught to listen carefully. I urge all voters to do so in this election.