What’s wrong with a ‘regular guy’?

sI have a question for Kyle Melinn: Just what’s wrong with a public official who is just a “regular guy”? (City Pulse, Oct. 9.)

Melinn castigates Curtis Hertel for recent TV ads that show him doing “regular guy” things like mowing the lawn and drinking a beer. According to Melinn, this is proof that Hertel has “tossed his extensive and impressive resumé into the burn pile.” Hogwash!

One of the main reasons that many — including me — support Curtis Hertel for the 7th Congressional District seat is he is that regular guy. He knows well the kitchen-table issues that all of us “regular” people deal with daily because he deals with them too. Have you heard Curtis talk about how he must be an optimist because of his four children? Have you seen how meaningfully he engages with voters at informal meet-the-candidate house parties? His status as a regular guy makes Hertel relatable, not “gimmicky.”

Melinn is correct that being a good politician takes a special person — the kind who is willing to work across partisan lines to get things done. That’s the kind of hard, gritty work that Curtis Hertel has always excelled at. Curtis has proven that he has the experience, skills and track record to earn our votes and represent us in Congress.

One last point: Melinn states that Tom Barrett was “arguably the chamber’s most conservative senator during his tenure” in the Michigan legislature. It would be far more accurate to describe Barrett as a consistently rigid partisan who reliably hewed to his far-right ideology, even when it meant voting against projects that benefited this community. Tom Barrett has neither the skill nor the temperament to represent our district in Congress.