A Selfish Vote for Jack?

So who is this guy Jack Schron, and why are you supporting him?

That’s a question I’ve been asked a lot lately by friends and work associates, who, frankly, are skeptical about politics, even at the local level.

Well, here’s my answer.

I’m voting for Jack Schron for entirely selfish reasons.

Politics aside, Cuyahoga County is at a fork in the road.

After decades of gradual decline and stagnation, Cuyahoga County’s economy is finally showing signs of real growth.  But whether or not that growth continues and expands countywide will depend largely upon who leads the county government.  Will Cuyahoga County continue to be a place from which our kids flee in search of greener pastures?  Or will it reinvent itself into a place that they want to continue to call home for themselves an their own children?

Greater Cleveland’s renewal will not be driven by the “same old-same old” cadre of career politicians who presided over the exodus of thousands of good paying jobs and the families they supported.  It will take leadership that understands that free enterprise lifts people out of poverty and grows the middle class.  And It will take leadership that knows how government can partner with the private sector to grow locally owned businesses and  draw new businesses to the county.

Jack Schron’s resume makes him uniquely qualified to step into that kind of leadership role as county executive.  After several tours of duty in the US Army, he grew a small family business into an American success story.  And he did it in what was once a blighted, inner city Cleveland neighborhood, hiring hundreds of local employees along the way.

Schron then went on to found Tooling U, the nation’s largest on-line manufacturing educational school - program that partners with schools like Max Hayes High School in Cleveland where young people can learn a skilled manufacturing trade.  Schron as long understood that companies that actually make something are a key to good jobs and a region’s prosperity.

Schron’s terms as a school board member and board president, plus his four years on county council have prepared him well for the job of county exec.  But, he’s not the product of a party political machine.  He understands the real meaning of public service.

Most importantly, Jack Schron’s a good and decent man who wants to do this job for the right reasons.  In his private life he has quietly and without fanfare made substantial philanthropic contributions.  What’s more he’s a man of good will.  That’s one reason why he has so much bipartisan support.

When you add it all up, Jack Schron is just the best man for the job.

So why does that matter to me?

Someday my wife and I want to have grandchildren.  And we don’t want to have to drive to South Carolina or fly to Oregon to see them.  One important thing that we can do to keep our kids and their kids nearby is to make Cuyahoga County a better place t live.

I think electing Jack Schron county executive will be a good start.