MANSFELD — The Richland County Democratic Party recently presented four major annual awards during the Joseph H. Mudra Legacy Dinner at the Life Celebration Center.
Awards were presented to:
— Brandon Polak, Emily Campbell Brown Young Democrat of the Year.
— John Makley, 2022 Democrat of the Year.
— Venita Shoulders, John J. Rinehart Lifetime Achievement.
— Garland Gates, special award for 50 years of service in City of Shelby government and the Richland County Democratic Party.
The party hosted 200 guests at the annual dinner at 129 S. Main St., which featured keynote speaker Kenneth W. Cooper, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The dinner is named in honor of Joseph Mudra, the former longtime local Democratic Party chair who died in March 2021. Mudra was the longest-running leader of the local party.
Cooper spoke about the importance of organized labor when it comes to protecting middle-class families that he said have been under attack for decades.
Cooper also praised President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and other members of Congress for passing the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Bill.
He said the law will create thousands of good-paying jobs for middle class families and “finally tackle our failing infrastructure.”
Cooper is a graduate of Mansfield Senior High School who rose from his boyhood home on Belmont Avenue to become the leader of an international union that represents about 775,000 workers.
