Brady blasts Ferrell's work ethic

Brady lit into Erie County commissioner Tom Ferrell, a Democrat, after hearing Ferrell make some bold statements at a candidate's forum Wednesday at Sandusky High School.Ferrell praised his own work ethic."Being a county commissioner is a seven-day-a-week job, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Ferrell said at the forum.Said Brady: "For him to say that is absolutely laughable. I have been up to the county commissioner's office more than 60 times, and I have only seen him in his office once."Brady's entire campaign centers on two key criticisms of Ferrell's performance in the past 24 years: job dedication and fiscal responsibility."He has zero work ethic," Brady said. "You absolutely cannot be a county commissioner in this day and age and not show up for work."Ferrell says he's not a commissioner who just sits up in an office and conducts meetings."There are those people who are called 'Ivory Tower commissioners' and don't do anything all day long," Ferrell has told the Register. "What takes them 10 hours to do takes me 10 minutes to do because I know how the county should operate."Brady clearly disagrees.If Ferrell knew how the county should function, the area's 77,000 taxpayers wouldn't be buried under $104 million in debt, Brady said."What is not funny is that the taxpayers in this county are paying him over $50,000, and he is mailing it in," said Brady, a longtime Sandusky-based business owner. "There is no one in this county who believes a commissioner's job — that pays over $50,000 a year — is a part-time position."Brady also bashed Ferrell for allowing other county employees to ghostwrite e-mails on his behalf, without telling the recipient about who is actually sending the message."The incumbent's inability, or unwillingness, to embrace fundamental technology puts both him and this county at a disadvantage in providing effective government to our residents," Brady said.Ferrell has said he doesn't have the password to his county computer."If I have commissioner business and I went to send an email, (commission clerk Carolyn Hauenstein) sends it out," Ferrell has said previously. The CandidatesErie County voters can cast ballots in two separate Erie County commissioner races Nov. 6: • Race 1: Erie County commissioner Pat Shenigo, a Democrat, versus Edison and Margaretta schools treasurer Jude Hammond, a Republican. • Race 2: Erie County commissioner Tom Ferrell, a Democrat; versus Huron auctioneer Steve Kraus, a Republican; Sandusky businessman Dick Brady, an Independent; and Huron city councilman Brad Hartung, an Independent. Ferrell