SpringfieldNewsSun.com

MANSFIELD — As a Democratic challenger with little political experience taking on an incumbent in a largely Republican district, Mike Carroll knew from the beginning he had his work cut out for him.

"It's just a hard hill to climb," he said.

But when no one else decided to run against incumbent Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, Carroll decided he needed to get the issues he cared about most to the forefront of the election.

Carroll is running for the 4th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A steel worker at AK Steel for more than 20 years, the Mansfield native is largely running on a platform to rewrite trade agreements he believes are unfair, and to promote research into alternative energy sources.

Carroll would be an excellent candidate largely because of his work ethic, said Ron Davis, who has worked with Carroll in the United Steel Workers local 169 Union for more than 20 years.

Besides putting in long hours, Carrol is bright enough to figure out complex issues quickly, Davis said.

The economy, Carroll said, is the most pressing issue facing voters right now. With high unemployment rates and "fewer and fewer" manufacturing jobs available, Carroll said trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement need to be looked at more closely.

"I'm for fair trade," he said. "What we have now is not."

If the United States wants to rely less on foreign oil, he said, there must also be more investment in new energy sources, including wind, a topic that will directly impact Champaign County. Everpower Renewables, a New York-based company, is planning a large-scale wind project along the eastern side of the county. While Carroll did not know the specifics of that proposal, he argued that every technology available must be utilize to create energy.

"To go into the future, we have to embrace these technologies," he said.

Carroll also is proposing a sort of "Manhattan Project" in order to provide research for alternative energy. The Manhattan project was a massive research project that led to creation of the atomic bomb.

In Carroll's vision, the government would provide funding for scientists to come together and focus on ways to resolve energy problems.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.