Josh Mandel to finally speak to Akron Press Club.

For months, Ohio treasurer Josh "The Empty Suit" Mandel has said he's "too busy" to speak to the Akron Press Club. He's taken a lot of flak for his elusiveness, including from me. It's hard to imagine what he is "too busy" doing, since he doesn't seem too engaged in learning about the functions of the office of treasurer, a job he was unqualified for when he was elected. It seemed inescapable to conclude that out-of-state fundraising trips for his U.S. Senate campaign were the source of his "too busy-ness," indicating that he expects to base his campaign more on giant blasts of paid smear advertising than on offering strong credentials and ideas to the voting public.

Given all the bad coverage, Mandel has caved:

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/01/josh_mandel_to_appear_at...

He'll be speaking to the group on March 1. I wonder if he'll say anything of substance. So far he has never publicly articulated enough fleshed-out positions on enough issues to fill even an hour-long presentation. Hopefully he's not classless enough to try to fill his time with specious attacks on Senator Sherrod Brown (who spoke to the group in January), whom he wants to replace.

The event takes place at 11:45 a.m. at the Martin University Center on the University of Akron campus. It's $15 for members, $20 for non-members, which includes lunch. RSVP by Tuesday February 28. To make reservations, go here:

http://www.akronpressclub.org/201201/josh-mandel-accepts-press-club-invi...