CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Mayor Luke Feeney publicly released his response to U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno on Monday, saying the senator’s letter “incorrectly attributed another person’s comments to me” and disputing Moreno’s claims that Feeney has not reached out to his office and that city staff have come under fair criticism.
Feeney said he received Moreno’s letter by email over the weekend and is sharing his response publicly after inquiries from several media outlets.
The exchange follows Moreno’s Oct. 31 letter, in which the senator defended U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, called Feeney’s earlier press-conference remarks a “cheap political attack on Senator Husted one week before an election,” and wrote that Feeney had “not once reached out” as the senators worked on the future of Chillicothe’s former paper mill. Husted faces former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in Tuesday’s general election.
“I was disappointed by Senator Moreno’s letter as it incorrectly attributed another person’s comments to me,” Feeney wrote.
Feeney said what he did say was that as lieutenant governor, Husted “was a central figure in the First Energy bribery scandal and now our electric bills are through the roof,” that gas and diesel prices “are out of control because of the Iran war” and that Husted “has voted to continue that war,” and he pointed to Brown’s record on Chillicothe, including his efforts to save the Chillicothe VA.
“I stand by all of those statements,” Feeney wrote.
On Moreno’s claim that Feeney has not reached out, the mayor wrote that he has had “regular phone conversations, text messages, emails and meetings with his staff over the past year and a half,” and he called Moreno’s criticisms of city staff “just unfounded.”
Feeney also credited Moreno’s work on the mill: “I’ve actually appreciated Senator Moreno’s efforts to bring jobs back to Chillicothe.”
Moreno’s letter said a recruited buyer has restored 210 jobs at the mill site at wages equal to or greater than workers earned before, disputed Feeney’s statement that only one in ten jobs has been restored, and said paper production is expected to resume by the end of the year.
“I’m not interested in trading personal accusations. My focus is on delivering results for Chillicothe,” Feeney wrote. “Sherrod Brown has always fought for the hardworking people in this community and has the record to show it. I’ll continue working with anyone, regardless of party, who shares that kind of commitment.”
This article is based on the public statement issued by Mayor Luke Feeney on Monday, November 2, 2026, and on J News Network’s earlier reporting on Senator Moreno’s letter. The mill dispute is part of J News Network’s ongoing Fallout Files investigation into the former Chillicothe paper mill.
