To the Editor:

The campaigns are getting heated, the ads getting meaner. But there are things that those ads don’t say that deserve attention for the voting public. And for one of Ohio’s most important races, the one for governor, there has been almost no information shared. At all.

Mike DeWine has been involved in politics in Ohio for decades, and until recently, he’s been able to slide into various public offices sort of under the radar. But he has made some news, much of it overshadowed by the pandemic, and some of it not pretty. His involvement in a bribery scandal following a deal with Ohio Edison has been shrouded by coverage of the pandemic, but the Governor has been less than transparent about his role. Maybe that’s why he refuses to debate his challenger, former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley.

Ms. Whaley had praised DeWine after they stood together after the shocking shooting in Dayton that killed nine people (including the shooter) and wounded 17 others. That day, he promised that he would work with local and state officials to strengthen gun laws in order to prevent such a horrendous act from happening again.

But while Nan waited for DeWine to honor those and other promises, she managed to weather the storms (literally!) of a destructive tornado, a visit from the KuKluxKlan, as well as the shooting. She triumphed in those cases by listening to her constituents and living with them in a traditional old home in a proud but changing neighborhood, while Mike DeWine moves between the Governor’s mansion and his own million dollar estate.

But we want to know all of it. Statistics show that 84% of Ohioans believe that candidates must debate in order for voters to compare policies, personalities, and their stand on the issues. In a democracy, voters need to hear from the candidates in order to make informed choices at the ballot box. Nan has welcomed the opportunity to debate Gov. DeWine, and he has refused repeatedly. Which makes us wonder what he is so afraid to reveal before voting day.

Julie Horn

Akron