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Who would want that job - a lot of people apparently…

I’ve gotten a couple of emails from folks asking me to better explain the situation with the CuyCo Board of Elections and who the possible players for the soon to be vacated seats maybe. I’m sure as the process moves forward I’ll have a lot more to offer, but for now:

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner acting on the vested powers of her office as outlined below in State of Ohio law:

§ 3501.16. Removal or suspension from office.

The secretary of state may summarily remove or suspend any member of a board of elections, or the director, deputy director, or any other employee of the board, for neglect of duty, malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in office, for any willful violation of Title XXXV [35] of the Revised Code, or for any other good and sufficient cause. Except as otherwise provided in section 3501.161 [3501.16.1] of the Revised Code, vacancies in the office of chairperson, director, or deputy director shall be filled in the same manner as original selections are made, from persons belonging to the same political party as that to which the outgoing officer belonged. If those vacancies cannot be filled in that manner, they shall be filled by the secretary of state.

fired the Cuyahoga County Elections Board. she has given the Board until Wednesday to resign or she will begin the formal hearing process to facilitate their removal.

Information on the current members is available here from the Plain Dealer.

Some of the current (and growing by the moment) list of prospective candidates to fill the vacancies looks like this:

Democrats: I don’t know them well, but a couple of interesting names have been broached.

• Former Cleveland Council woman and mayoral candidate Helen Smith. Ms. Smith currently operates a small public affairs consultancy and has remained active in local politics since she left office in the late 1990’s.

• Recent state legislative candidate and party activist Bill Newsome.

And a whole host of others.

Republicans: I know more of these folks so here are some of the names I’ve heard…

• CuyCo GOP chair Rob Frost leads the list. Frost has coveted this seat since the day he took over the local party. Questions already exist whether he can handle the job since he’s currenlty working as a full-time party chair (and being paid well at that). Some party faithful may be reluctant to add this treat to Rob’s already overflowing basket. On the plus side he is an attorney who seems to have a fairly good grasp of state election statutes.

• Long-time local GOP officeholder and fill the void candidate Dave Harbarger has also expressed interest in one of the seats. It’s likely that Harbarger, an attorney with Roetzel and Andress would be hamstrung by a past issue of questionable ethics while in office as well as a close relationship with Bob Bennett.

• Local party activist and former Bedford councilman Ron Lisy. Ron’s been on the outside looking in with the current GOP power (perhaps the wrong term) base and would very much like the chance at one of these slots.

• Former Deputy Attorney General in Jim Petro’s Cleveland office Mark Bennett is likely to be in the mix. Mark’s tied to the Bob Bennett (no relation) - Frost - Harbarger chain, but his work as a political attorney certainly gives him a level of qualification.

• Former County Judge Jeff Hastings is deserving of consideration and is well-liked in the party.

• An intriguing darkhorse on the list is Lakewood member of the State Central Committee Colleen Wing. Definitely not part of the B-F-H cabal. She could develop a strong group of backers especially if she’s the lone woman.

• I’ve saved the two who I think might be best for last. Former party co-chairs Mike Wise and Jim Trakas. They could secure the votes necessary among the County’s central committee and they’ve worked together successfully before. It was Wise and Trakas who lifted the CuyCo GOP out of the depths of financial disaster and created a positive balance sheet for the organization. Both have served in elective office, have good relationships on both sides of the aisle and understand the intricacies of elections. Mike’s an attorney and Jim’s background prior to politics was in corporate purchasing (something that could be very important as the county board decides it’s technological future). Don’t forget that Jim recently ran for Secretary of State and made election reform a centerpiece of his campaign.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Off to speak to the Mayfield GOP at their annual ‘Wearin’ of the Green’ gathering ( I hope they’ll accept that I’m wearing green boxers…).