Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
FREMONT, OH – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) visited Great Lakes Community Action Partnership in downtown Fremont to discuss infrastructure needs with local government leaders and advocates. Brown discussed his support of the American Jobs Plan, which would make historic, much-needed investments in improving our nation’s infrastructure, including affordable housing, school facilities, manufacturing and skills training, and more – all while creating good-paying American jobs.
“Communities across Ohio are struggling to afford expensive – yet vital – repairs to outdated infrastructure. We can rebuild American infrastructure by putting Ohioans to work at good-paying jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. This is an investment in the Ohio towns, neighborhoods, and homes that have been overlooked by Washington and Wall Street for too long,” said Brown.
Brown was joined by Danny Sanchez, Mayor of Fremont; Ruthann House, Executive Director, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP); Chris Liebold, Fremont City Council Ward 4; Beth Hannam, Executive Director, Sandusky County Economic Development; Ken Frost, Safety Service Director, City of Fremont; Chari Mullen, Diversity & Inclusion Director, City of Fremont; Kristin Woodall, Community Development Director, GLCAP; Bob Gross, Economic Development Director, City of Fremont; and Dr. Regina Vincent Williams, President, Fremont NAACP.
“Having adequate infrastructure resources for roads, water, bridges, housing, parks, etc. is what it is going to take to stop families from moving out of the state of Ohio. It’s going to take a local, state and federal bipartisan effort to address these needs,” said Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez.
“We appreciate Senator Brown’s commitment to infrastructure initiatives that strengthen our communities and benefit the people we serve. The various programs and services GLCAP provides—early childhood education, workforce development, housing development, senior services, housing rehabilitation and repair, energy efficiency programs, transportation, and our community development work in small, rural communities—are vital to the success of these initiatives. Through a multitude of partnerships, we help people and communities grow and thrive. Addressing the nation’s infrastructure needs is ultimately about helping people. Senator Brown understands this, and we thank him for his work and support,” said Ruthann House, Executive Director of GLCAP.
“A scheduled meeting with Senator Brown here in Fremont shows his commitment to the people of Sandusky County. I hope his commitment sets an example for other elected officials to do the same. The NAACP welcomes community partnerships, conversations, fellowship and follow-up. Together we must fight voter apathy, voter suppression, and any other Modern Day Jim Crow tactics,” said Dr. Regina Vincent-Williams, President of the Fremont Unit of the NAACP (3217).
Communities around Ohio need bold infrastructure investments to reach their full economic potential. Brown is pushing for investment in Ohio communities that would:
- Fix highways, rebuild bridges, and upgrade ports, airports and transit systems
- Deliver clean drinking water, a renewed electric grid, and high-speed broadband to all Americans
- Revitalize manufacturing, secure U.S. supply chains, invest in R&D, and train Americans for the jobs of the future
- Create good-quality jobs that pay prevailing wages in safe and healthy workplaces while ensuring workers have a free and fair choice to organize, join a union, and bargain collectively with their employers
- Solidify the infrastructure of our care economy by creating jobs and raising wages and benefits for essential home care workers, the majority of whom are women of color
Brown believes we should pay for these critical investments by ensuring this country’s largest corporations pay their fair share in taxes and are encouraged to create jobs here at home. A recent study found that 91 Fortune 500 companies paid $0 in federal taxes on U.S. income in 2018, and that the average corporation paid just 8 percent in taxes. Brown has been pushing for major corporations to pay their fair share for years, and believes they should be encouraged to invest in workers here in the U.S rather than shifting jobs and production overseas.
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