Car dealers from Ohio and around the country descended on Capitol Hill this morning to lobby against widespread dealership closures resulting from the Chrysler and General Motors' bankruptcies.

Local auto dealer Alan Spitzer, who is losing several Chrysler and GM franchises, said dealership closures throughout Ohio will cost more than 8,500 jobs.

"It doesn't take a Harvard MBA to figure out that if McDonald's wants to sell more hamburgers, they don't close their restaurants," Michelle Primm of Cascade Auto Group in Cuyahoga Falls told a Capitol Hill press conference.

Copley Township Democratic Rep. Betty Sutton said 47 Chrysler dealerships and 79 GM dealerships in Ohio would be shuttered.

"This is about jobs and it's about fairness," Sutton said at the press conference.

The dealers want legislation to restore franchise agreements that were canceled by auto makers or killed during their bankruptcy proceedings. Passage would let them bargain with manufacturers to stay open, or negotiate closure terms under franchise laws in their states.

The ailing auto makers say the dealer closures will reduce their corporate support costs and make their remaining vendors more profitable.

"The reorganization under the guidance of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court necessitated that tough, painful business decisions be made, including reducing the number of manufacturing facilities,employees and dealers," said a statement from Chrysler. "These decisions were not taken lightly, nor were they made irrationally. The opinion of the Court that approved Chrysler's motion to reject certain dealer agreements affirmed the necessity of reducing the size of the company's dealer network and the rationale used to determine what dealer contracts were rejected."

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote later this week on a spending bill that includes an amendment by Bainbridge GOP Rep. Steve LaTourette to restore the dealer franchises. A majority of House of Representatives members have cosponsored legislation to accomplish that goal, and LaTourette says he's seeking Senate backers for the measure.

Even if his bill doesn't become law, LaTourette says he'd be happy if his effort prods auto makers to settle with aggrieved dealers.

"These people should come to the table and they should fix the wrong that was done," LaTourette said.