Pro-GOP letter found in McDonald's paychecks

CANTON, Ohio - The owner of several McDonald’s franchises in Canton is apologizing for slipping Republican campaign material in his employees' paychecks.

In a statement, Paul Siegfried said, “Distributing this communication was an error of judgment on my part. Please know it was never my intention to offend anyone.”

The letter to employees, written on company letterhead, said in part, “If the right people are elected we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above our present levels. If others are elected we will not.”

The letter went on to state, “The following candidates are the ones we believe will help our business move forward,” listing John Kasich for Governor, Rob Portman for Senate and Jim Renacci for Congress.

A Renacci campaign flyer was also included in the paychecks. A lawyer provided this copy of the complete insert: http://bit.ly/d37BNB

A McDonald’s employee who did not want to be identified gave the materials to Canton attorney Allen Schulman.

In a letter asking Canton Law Director Joe Martuccio to investigate, Mr. Schulman wrote, “This is an outrageous attack on one of the most fundamental rights our citizens enjoy – the right to vote for the candidate of his/her choice without economic fear or threat."

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern has called for an investigation on the voter intimidation from Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero.

Redfern said "These practices have no place in our political process and our leaders have a responsibility to speak out against them. The regional manager for the Canton McDonald's denounced the behavior. It's time for our Republican friends to do the same.”