22
Mar
The deal that’s holding Cuyahoga County hostage
By The Anonymous Poster (identity withheld at the poster’s request)
There’s a heap of political trouble brewing in the blue state of Cuyahoga at that county’s board of elections, but the real problem has more to do with Columbus politics than it does with losing votes on election day.
It seems that all of the problems surrounding Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s request for the resignations from the members of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is connected to 
the 24th Ohio State Senate seat currently occupied by Robert F. Spada of North Royalton. Senator Spada is among the individuals being considered for the job of Director at the Cuyahoga County board and it’s the question of who will replace him in the legislature that’s causing the problem.
Beginning way back in December politicos and other interested parties began their deathwatch over Cuyahoga County Elections Board Director Michael Vu’s imminent departure. Republican jobseekers believing that the board’s president, Ohio GOP Chairman Robert Bennett, would be the ultimate appointing authority began meeting with Bennett to discuss the soon to be available slot. Bennett, a politician of the old-time variety, smelled an opportunity and began the process of manipulating the situation to his (and his party’s) best advantage.
Enter term-limited State Senator Bob Spada who will be unable to seek re-election in 2008 and former State Representative and Secretary of State candidate Jim Trakas of Independence.
Apparently Bennett (who abhors inter-party primaries) convinced Trakas to drop his bid in last May’s primary for the Republican party nomination in the Secretary of State’s race in exchange for Bennett’s commitment to help Trakas run for the Spada seat when it became available. As with all things political this commitment included financial backing to the tune of about $200,000 and because of the GOP’s statewide electoral thumping in November, Bennett’s been having trouble raising money for the party (much less the out-of-office Trakas).
Bennett thought he had a golden opportunity to make lemonade out of the lemons that he had on his hands with the board of elections job and defending an open senate seat in a left-moving district. He would take the bookish Spada (who has an accounting background) and move him into the elections job – who better than an accountant to count the votes? At the same time he would put Trakas into Spada’s vacant seat. The trade-off for Trakas would be that he could have the seat and run as an incumbent, but he would have to tear up Chairman Bennett’s marker for the money.
Unfortunately for Bennett he ran into a few bumps in the road on his way to the lemonade stand.
The first obstacle to this master plan was State Representative Tom Patton. Patton whose 18th State House seat occupies the southwest portion of Spada’s 24th Senate District has his own designs on the senate. One of Patton’s biggest supporters is industrialist and big-time Bush backer Edward Crawford. When Crawford got wind of the Chairman’s plans for the Trakas/Spada switch he made his displeasure known to Bennett and some of those to whom Bennett owes allegiance in Washington. If Bennett went through with the plan, he could forget about Crawford’s checkbook.
The next hurdle for Bennett was the body in Columbus that would ultimately have the responsibility of confirming Spada’s replacement – the Ohio Senate Republican caucus. Many of the caucus’ members are former colleagues of Trakas from his time in the State House of Representatives. Trakas made few friends by setting his own agenda instead of walking lock step with the lieutenants of then Uber Leader Larry Householder. Even though Householder went back home to Perry County in disgrace, his powerbase of southern Ohio confederates remains and they have no interest in serving with Trakas.
The third problem that Bennett faces is the new Secretary of State Democrat Jennifer Brunner. She’s not interested in Bennett’s games and actually established guidelines for the hiring of Board of Elections directors specifically with the idea in mind of stopping Bennett’s plans. It’s not an accident that she moved to have the search process for Vu’s replacement held open (even though Spada was in the mix) because no candidate presented themselves that would trump Bennett’s choice.
The final brick in the wall that blocks Bennett’s plan was played this past Sunday when Brunner requested the resignations of all of the Cuyahoga County Election Board’s members. Bennett would have less ability to control the process if he’s not the Board president.
The deal’s not dead though. As this post goes to publication there is an active offensive occurring that involves using the upcoming GOP Deputy Chairman’s election as the 
bargaining chip. The deal would involve Bennett getting the Senate caucus to agree to the Trakas appointment in exchange for Bennett’s support (whether public or private) of State Senator Kevin DeWine as his new heir apparent. At the same time, Bennett would agree to resign from the county board in exchange for Brunner’s commitment to support Spada’s appointment as Director and to not interfere with the installation of Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chairman Robert Frost as Bennett’s replacement on the county board.
The only hurdle that remains is the situation with Ed Crawford and Tom Patton. Rumors are swirling that to appease the political financier, Bennett may offer his support to Crawford’s as yet undecided chosen horse in the race for the Ohio House speakership in 2009 (should the GOP be able to hold the House in the next election cycle).
This Anonymous Poster is a former legislative aide at the statehouse in Columbus and currently works as a government affairs representative. He can be reached through the Silent Majority here.
[...] options « The deal that’s holding Cuyahoga County hostage 22 Mar [...]
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:37 am[...] The Thursday March 22, 2007 Silent Majority post “The Deal That’s Holding Cuyahoga County Hostage“ was provided to us by an individual who asked to be listed as “Anonymous”. Because of the sensitive nature of our content we do occasionally post items from anonymous contributors. While the writer’s statements are assertions that seem plausible and were confirmed by independent sources, they are solely the views of the writer and should not necessarily be construed as that of Wendell Robinson. [...]
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:45 amFirst of all, PAtton for Speaker doesn’t even come close to passing the laugh test. Second, Bennett has no power to promise or enforce a House election for speaker or a Senate appointment to a vacancy.
Second, Patton’s got serious ethical problems.
Third, Josh Mandel will be selected by the Senate if the seat comes open. And he won’t be challenged in a primary.
Fourth, Patton has been threatening to run as a Democrat if he doesn’t get the appointment. That kills him.
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:10 pmHey I just post the stuff…
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:58 pmBut I don’t think there was anything said about Patton becoming speaker.
I do tend to agree with your third point.
It gets a little off topic but…
All card carrying members of the GOP in Ohio, should be screaming for Bob and Sally to step down and stop his ego inflating lawsuit.
Bennett SHOULD be removed from the board, for ignorance, incompetence and arrogance.
If this man had an inkling of best interest for our party, he would have NEVER allowed himself to be put in this position to have a democrat trying to force him from the board.
Had Bennett truly been the “Leader” he proclaims to be, he would have taken the reins on this prior to the November election.
Vu would have been fired, Bennett would have stepped down as chairman of the board to have a republican appointed executive director.
After a new executive director was chosen, Bennett & Sally would have then stepped down from the board demanding the two (2) democrats do the same.
This could have been done under the auspices of turning over a new leaf and a new beginning in Cuyahoga County.
Something like…. In the best interest of the board and to restore confidence in the voting process for area residents…. we feel this can only be done with a clean slate.
This opportunity could then be used this to get two (2) area republicans on the board.
Ideally, ones that would be younger, good party members, could use the extra name recognition to eventually run for countywide office. Not the same old retread names we always hear.
In the last election, didn’t the dems and may republicans just say the current power structure of republicans is broken and we don’t want them anymore?
So is he the insightful leader the party wants us to believe he is or were deals made prior to November’s election to keep Vu because of loyalty’s from past romances at the board?
Sally wants us to believe she is the smartest person at the board of elections. Great- her wisdom led us to be one of the two worst county board of elections in the United States.
Most of the area party hacks and suck ups are screaming foul over the call for a new board after the recent convictions at the board.
These convictions and the “He said, she said” with Mason’s office could be removed from the equation of Brunner’s request of the board being removed and there is still enough of a case to have them step down.
This failure to admit fault, to be a man and and take responsibility will continue to cast our paty in bad a light.
Is Brunner playing politics? I am sure she is. But that does not excuse the continued failures at the board before she was elected SOS.
So, does the party exist to fuel & soothe Bennett’s bloated ego?
So to change the image that the GOP in Ohio is nothing more than partisan hacks and politics, this partisan hack needs to be told – Sit Down, Shut Up & don’t screw the party up anymore during your last term as State Chair.
KING
March 24th, 2007 at 3:55 pmKen
You are a good friend, but you are off base on this one. This isn’t in anyway about Bennett’s ego.
There is a political agenda here and it has to be fought out on that basis.
I’m sure we will have a chance to discuss it later.
Take care.
Dave
March 26th, 2007 at 1:52 amSorry, King, my laptop keys are sticking.
Dave
March 26th, 2007 at 1:53 am[...] That was the subject line this past weekend in an email from a frequent reader of WendellRobinson.com offerings. What the reader was referring to was a post we put up mid-last week on the Silent Majority titled “The Deal that’s Holding Cuyahoga County Hostage,” and she couldn’t understand why I decided that the piece which came to us from an anonymous source was worthy of publication. I’ll let the reader speak for herself: How can you who recently ran under as the Republican candidate for county commissioner think it’s proper to print such a thing? Have you no shame? Whatever happened to party loyalty? It’s obvious that there’s no truth to the story or the writer would have put their name on it. It’s bad enough that you put that on your site, what’s worse is that I’ve two copies of it e-mailed to me from other parts of the country. You’re not only hurting us locally, you’re exposing our dirty laundry to a national audience. You should apologize to your readers and to Sally and Bob. [...]
March 26th, 2007 at 6:54 am[...] By Jill Miller Zimon (from Writes Likes She Talks) I don’t know what Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner listens to in her car or at any other time, but strains of Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down ran through my head as I wrote up my notes from her semi-impromptu press conference last week at the City Club of Cleveland. Ohio Republican Party Chair Bob Bennett’s Tom Petty tune would probably be more like Don’t Come Around Here No More, except I’m fairly confident that it’s going to be him who won’t be coming around here no more, and there seem to be no shortage of folks who are just fine with that (hey, that’s a pretty impressive array of Ohio’s NEO political pundits asking for Bennett to do the right thing). [...]
March 26th, 2007 at 7:29 amYou know I respect your knowledge, views, longtime service to our party and candor. But my friend, I do not think we will agree on this one.
I am sure this is about politics. At times doing what’s right, is more important than politics.
Restoring faith in the voting process should be of the utmost importance to both parties. Placing politics above the integrity of the voting process is something I can never be a part of.
Of course Brunhilda is making this political, we gave her a wide open shot at us. I find it extremely disturbing Bob Bennett would choose this as a political battleground.
In my opinion, even if we had a leg to stand on, this would be a battle that could not be won. Our time to fight this battle was quite sometime ago.
We have allowed Brunner to take the lead and we are following playing catch up. While I doubt it, Bennett may have success in the courts, but what does that win us? Ok – Bob and Sally stay on the board – then what?
The only alternative at this point to come out on top would be to win the legal battle, to prove a point, and then step down from the board. Problem is because of this battle, any replacement candidates for Bob & Sally will come under extreme scrutiny and just begs for more political grandstanding from the dems.
We missed our chance to win this on a political level. Our chance to do this was prior to the November elections.
Vu should have been removed at that time; instead Bob & Sally pushed to KEEP Vu. We allowed internal party politics to dictate our actions, which were in direct conflict with what was in our best interest.
We should be turning the attention to the failures of the democrats in this area, the waste, the corruption, the incompetence at the county and city levels. To me, this is more important than Bob staying on as Chair for the BOE.
As I commented earlier, the party allowed ourselves to be placed in this position. Instead of showing political acumen, we showed partisan politics and blunders. Dave, the signs could not have been any brighter that change was desperately needed.
And we missed it!
King
March 27th, 2007 at 12:12 pmThe above is in response to Dave H
March 27th, 2007 at 12:13 pmJosh Mandel is not ready for the Senate, a bit fast on thr trigger there aren’t we? He needs to learn how to work the phones in the House before we make him Governor. He is going to do great things, but not yet.
Tom Patton has issues, and he is no speaker.
Ed Crawford sometimes is a little too demanding. He deserves support and respect as he is a great supporter of the cause, but Bennett is trying to do something here that is good for the cause. If anyone is great at this kind of stuff, it is Chairman Bennett.
Maybe there is something that can be done for Patton too?
By the way, as we talk about games in general …… does it not seem strange to anyone else to have a board member, nonetheless a board chairman, as the chairman of any level Republican organization? That could apply to both Bob Bennett and Rob Frost. That is really a question. Am I off base in this thought?
March 28th, 2007 at 9:13 pmCrawford good? I am sure nobody will publicly dispute that or he will threaten to take his check book away.
I do not envy Rob Frost for having to try and babysit all the so called money men of the party.
Please explain how what Bennett is doing could be considered good for the cause?
How will this action help us win elections in Cuyahoga County?
Explain how he is great, by allowing the democrats to beat us to the punch on reforming the disgraced Cuyahoga County BOE.
I do agree to an extent on your thoughts on the BOE board members. There should be a way to have a less partisan approach to selecting board members. But, the openings should be available to anyone, legal to hold office, seeking those positions.
I do not know, but can or would it be a good suggestion to have BOE board members elected?
King
March 29th, 2007 at 10:18 amKing,
June 24th, 2007 at 11:52 amI do not think it a even remotely Good idea to elect the members of the board. What with the SoS overseeing the operations (Brunhilda)and Jane (the Dragon Lady) Platten as Director? My GOD man do you not see a fix when you see it?
I truly would not trust the outcome of any election held under the authority of Tim McCormick’s girl (Dragon Lady), someone had better be watching her at all times. And watch that computer room especially. Someone needs to oversee the SOS. GOD help us in 08.