Local Democrat slams GOP challenger for claiming he’s a ‘pedophile’


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David Sparks, the Clayton Democrat running against State Rep. Jeff Rezabek, R-Clayton, says the Ohio Republican Party is putting him in personal danger with a new mailed campaign ad that Sparks says implies he is a pedophile.

“I’m really upset that I’m being painted as a pedophile. It’s over the top. I’m afraid for my safety now,” said Sparks. “You know what society does to people they think are into kids.”

The race is in one of the most competitive districts in Ohio. The 43rd state House district includes parts of Englewood, Clayton, Trotwood, western Montgomery County and all of Preble County. Rezabek won the seat in 2014 after defeating former Democratic state Rep. Roland Winburn.

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Unlike most state House districts, the 43rd District is pretty evenly split among Democrats and Republicans. According to the partisan political index, the district is 50.5 percent Democratic to 49.5 percent Republican.

Sparks, owner of a web development company called Buzzwad, said he is not a pedophile and the video referenced in the ad was one of many videos he put out that were meant to be humorous and educational.

The mailed ad references a 2015 video from the online David Sparks Show, where Sparks, now 48, advocates against defunding Planned Parenthood. In the video he sings a song about putting his hand on a 14-year-old girl’s breast when he was 14 and how much he enjoyed it and that it made him want to have sex with a girl. He goes on to say that is the way teenagers think and because of that it is a mistake for the state legislature to stop funding Planned Parenthood.

Earlier this month Sparks and Rezabek held a forum in Preble County where Rezabek said he stood up to his party and voted against defunding Planned Parenthood.

Sparks said the party is sensationalizing and distorting his views, while not talking about issues such as raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour or eliminating public funding for charter schools.

“Its just typical of their campaign tactics where they don’t want to address the issues,” said Mark Owens, Montgomery County Democratic Party chairman. “They want to sensationalize and distort. It’s just a sad reflection on politics.”

Brittany Warner, spokeswoman for the Ohio Republican Party, disputed Sparks’ characterization of the ad.

“Those are his words, not what the mailer says. The mailer says that his self-made videos are offensive, creepy and vulgar,” Warner said. “This is a middle-aged man talking online about being intimate with a teenage girl. It’s sickening.”

‘Dirtiest political ad that I can imagine’

Sparks, who was an alternate delegate for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention, said well-funded Republicans are working hard to beat him because they fear that his grassroots campaign will unseat Rezabek. Sparks called the mailer “the dirtiest political ad that I can imagine.”

The new mailer says, "David Sparks: Repulsive, Offensive, Creepy. Sparks went online and recorded a song about young girls. The lyrics are so vulgar, they can't be repeated." It also says, "Politician singing about young girls?" and urges people to see the video at CreepyDave.com and to vote against him on Nov. 8.

Sparks is running against first-term legislator Rezabek, a Dayton attorney who said people who look at the video can come to their own conclusions. Rezabek said he is running a positive campaign and isn’t responsible for the mailed ad, which was paid for by the Ohio Republican Party.

“I received it in my mail yesterday with everybody else. I didn’t have any involvement, was not aware of it, don’t approve of it. These are the distractions that happen with campaigns,” Rezabek said.

Rezabek however did take part in a press conference in late August where Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges criticized Sparks for his videos. Rezabek said he was there to tout his accomplishments in the legislature, which he said the media ignores.

“I want to talk about good things that we’ve accomplished in the last 22 months,” Rezabek said.

Warner confirmed that Rezabek was not consulted about the ad.

“This piece was paid for by the Ohio Republican Party. And candidates sometimes do not have knowledge of all mail pieces that are being sent by the party,” Warner said.

Republicans also go after Sparks on financial issues

Sparks also faces a complaint filed by Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee (OHROC) with the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee. The complaint says he failed to properly disclose debts, including a civil court judgment against him for accepting payment on a certificate of deposit that was not his. Sparks said that debt information is outdated and he’s filed paperwork to correct court records.

Brad Miller, spokesman for OHROC, said that Sparks failure to pay sales tax and his acceptance of money from the bank that was not his are a reflection of his fitness for office.

“That’s definitely a big red flag,” Miller said. “All of that adds up to a candidate that we think is unfit for serving in public office.”

Sparks said some of the $5,523 in tax liens listed in the JLEC complaint were errors by the state but that he does still owe on one, which Montgomery County Court records show totals $1,032.

In 2001 Fifth Third Bank mistakenly gave Sparks $25,814.58 for a certificate of deposit that was not his, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records. When the mistake was discovered Sparks refused to return the money - which he said he had spent - prompting the bank to successfully sue him in Montgomery County. In 2002 Sparks was ordered to repay the money but ultimately the debt was discharged in 2010 after he filed for bankruptcy.

“I was accused of zero wrongdoing. I did nothing dishonest,” Sparks said. “I was led to believe by the bank it was all mine.”

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