April 28, 2010, 8:45PM
 Todd Sharkey
AKRON —As he faces five other Republicans in the May 4 primary race for the right to run for the 13th U.S. Congressional District seat, one issue has driven both Todd Sharkey’s campaign and his very decision to enter the race.
“The number one issue is jobs,” Sharkey said, noting that the “10-point plan” at toddsharkey.com also addresses key items such as energy independence, balancing the budget, health care reform, choice in education and the sanctity of life.
“A number of my friends are out of work, and some have been for a long time. Yet we are making no inroads. As I address in my 10 points, we need to get back to basics.”
A Michigan native who has lived in Akron for the past 17 years, Sharkey, 42, is married with four children. A graduate of Purdue University, Sharkey has worked in the Bureau of Engineering for the city of city of Akron and for Goodyear.
He is currently employed by The Chapel as an IT manager, is the chairman of the boards of the Ohio Region CSB Ministries and the Christian Educators Co-op, as well as a leader in The Chapel’s Brigade program, which ministers to fathers, young men, and boys.
Though his 13th District run is his first foray into politics, Sharkey said his political interest has always been on the national level. Apart from his thought that his lack of political experience would bring a fresh perspective to the office, Sharkey said his broad experience in the public, private and non-profit arenas makes him stand out from the competition in a number of ways.
“People are concerned with government in general and its overreaching, so we thought this would be a good time to get out there,” he said. “But what really sets me apart is that in the leadership roles I have had, I have had to do more with less and manage projects on a limited budget. Even while I was with the city of Akron I was known as that kind of person.”
Beyond his fiscal frugality, Sharkey said, is his insistence on independently researching each issue that would come before him as a Congressman.
“I’m not just one to jump in,” he said. “We have to be cognizant, with each issue, of the money spent and be able to determine what is Constitutional and how this helps the country and the 13th district. In fact, I don’t really trust things like the CBC, because they have been wrong so often. I would do my own research and be transparent myself. My constituents would know exactly why I voted for or against a particular bill.”
While the large field of Republican candidates makes for somewhat of a challenging first-time run, Sharkey complimented his campaign volunteers and said giving voters more choices is ultimately beneficial.
“Not having enough choices has been the problem in the past,” he said. “Voters need to do their own research, but the big thing to keep in mind is that I will stand behind the Constitution and focus again on the needs of the middle class. We have to get government off the backs of business so we can get jobs back. The sense I have gotten is that people are fed up that they can’t get anybody to listen to them.”
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