Politics brought a taste of Hollywood to an Akron union hall Thursday, for the re-election campaign of Senator Sherrod Brown.

Helping pack in about 150 people at the Tri-County Regional Labor Council was a fictional TV president - actor Martin Sheen, who played the role on the popular show "The West Wing".

In Akron, the Dayton native's role was throwing his support behind Senator Brown, calling him one of his heroes.

"Well, there's very few people with the courage and commitment that Senator Brown has displayed, his whole time in the Senate and in the House before that," Sheen commented to reporters outside the hall. "So, I'm drawn towards these great sources of nourishment in these very difficult times."

And Senator Brown pointed to Sheen's long-time activism towards Democratic causes, such as organizing a union, then leading a caddy strike, as a 14 year-old caddy at a Dayton country club.

"He has devoted so much of his life to, as from the days at the Dayton country club literally as a caddy, to what he's done to help people that have less advantage," Senator Brown told reporters, "And that's really the way he's lived his life, that's why I'm glad he's here."

Brown's November opponent, Republican state treasurer Josh Mandel, wasn't impressed.

In a statement, Mandel's campaign called Sheen "one of the most radical of all the Hollywood elites" and pointed to the actor's past statements on the Iraq war.

Sheen called the Mandel statement about him "slander" and says he's already talking to his lawyers.

Ohio communities, including Akron, facing the staggering costs of upgrading their old sewer systems to meet stringent new EPA clean water standards would get federal help in paying the bill if the newly introduced Clean Water Affordability Act is approved by Congress.

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio officially introduced the bill today and then talked to reporters in a conference call on how it would help cities pay for the separation of combined sewer systems, without placing the burden on sewer and water customers.

" This legislation would matter short term and long term for Akron's water system. We work with the mayor often on this and will continue to," said Brown.

Brown says there are 81 cities and other communities in Ohio facing the cost of updating their sewer systems and the cost would be split between the feds paying 75% of the costs and local governments 25%.

 " These communities and their local rate payers shouldn't have to go after the fixes alone. That's why the Clean Water Affordability Act is important. It will protect local rate payers, lead to cleaner water and promote economic development. The bill will help CSO communities develop an infrastructure plan that works best for local communities. It would invest almost $2 billion to be distributed over the next five years through a grant program for financially distressed communities," said Brown.

This is the second attempt to get the Clean water Affordability Act approved. It failed to get enough votes from Congress in its first attempt a few years ago.

Akron has been working with the federal and state Environmental Protection Agencies on a plan to separate and renovate its combined sewer overflow systems at a cost of $522-million.

About 30 percent of Akron’s sewer system in the city and 13 suburbs has combined sewers that have to be separated to meet the new EPA clean water standards.

Ohio's senior U.S. Senator paid a visit to Akron on Friday, and touched on a number of familiar themes...and some recent controversy.

Senator Sherrod Brown told the Akron Press Club that trade policy with China should be reformed, and that unique resources in Akron are being tapped to help in the continuing effort to rebuild the area's job base.  Akron, he says, does it right.

"In Akron, we know what's right and we know how to make things better, in so many ways," Brown told the Press Club. "Folks like Russ Pry and Mayor Plusquellic, major institutions like the Austen BioInnovation Institute (and) the Akron Global Business Accelerator have worked together to promote economic opportunity."

Turning to recent headlines, Senator Brown said President Obama had "no choice" but to use a recess appointment to name former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as the nation's new consumer watchdog.  He said that big bank oversight wasn't the problem that the new agency headed by Cordray needed to get into gear immediately to address.

"It's not banks that are the biggest problems in a lot of this," Brown said, "Payday lenders, private student loan companies and all that...they couldn't regulate those...they could regulate the banks but not the 'non-banks' until there was a confirmed director in place.  That's the law.  So I think the president had no choice."

Senate Republicans have pushed back on the president's recess appointment of Cordray, though their objections are mainly with the new agency itself...and not specifically involving the former Ohio Attorney General.

Brown says he understands both sides of the "fracking" debate, saying he's been "neither a strong supporter of fracking, or a vocal opponent" of the process. He says Ohioans should be assured jobs from the process...and environmental protections should also be assured....though he says state goverments will have more oversight of the process, he wants to keep an eye on it at the Senate.

"My job as a senator is to make sure that we address as much of that as we can," Brown said, "both formally in terms of legislation, and informally in terms of working with these companies and working with community colleges so they can hire Ohioans who have been trained to do this work."

And in a humorous shot at his expected November opponent, Brown - answering an audience member's question - said he would "know the major differences" between himself and Republican Josh Mandel..."if he would come to the Akron Press Club and speak here."

Mandel has not accepted the club's numerous invitations to become a speaker, citing scheduling and other concerns.

Senator Brown pointed out that outside groups have already started running "$3 million worth" of television ads against him...ten months before he'll face voters in this year's general election.