The following letter was published in The NorthEast Independent and The Standard Times on October 16, 2008

Ehrhardt there to represent town

To the editor:

Representative Larry Ehrhardt certainly gets my vote for re-election.

I have known Larry since he joined us in fighting the container port many years ago. A Navy veteran and retired business executive, he brought a lot of valuable experience and energy to that struggle.

During his four years in office he has shown tireless dedication to the job and has earned a reputation among his colleagues in the House as someone who actually does his homework and reads legislation before voting on it. When he stands up to speak, people listen to what he says even though they may disagree.

Representative Ehrhardt is rated among the top 10% of House members by the nonpartisan Common Cause organization. The record shows he is fully in step with the platform of Operation Clean Government. A recent review of the House Journal shows he had the fourth highest participation rate – missing only 25 of 981 votes. (The average of all 75 members was 177 missed.) He has one of the best attendance records for the committees on which he serves and is known for asking a lot of tough questions.

North Kingstown voters in District 32  are fortunate to have a representative who has proven how hard he will work on their behalf while asking nothing in return. I urge my fellow citizens to join me in voting for him on November 4.

John (Jay) O’Brien
North Kingstown, RI