Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Update: 03/30/07
OK, I’m trying to relegate myself to a once a day post on the CuyCo BOE debacle -
Jeff Hastings‘ candidacy for the currently vacant GOP seat formerly held by Sally Florkiewicz is a certainty. Below is the letter he sent to the CuyCo GOP Executive Committee members indicating that his intentions to seek the seat:

As I’ve said in previous posts, I think Jeff will be a great board member and I will fully support his candidacy.

Beyond Ms. Huff’s family law practice she has an extensive level of experience in voting issues as a frequent participant in legal and oversight activities on behalf of left-leaning groups like the People for the American Way and Blackbox Voting. In 2004 she was a relator in the Mackey v. Blackwell case. Most recently she was chosen by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner as a member of the the SOS’ “Voting Rights Institute“.
While Ms. Huff and I can both agree on the importance of fair, simple and transparent elections, I am more than a wee bit concerned that someone affiliated with conspiracy theorizing groups would get the nod for one of these seats (I can hear Dave Harbarger saying “be careful what you wish for” while he’s reading this).
Then again, if Ms. Huff does receive the nod, no one can claim that groups like Blackbox were denied the opportunity to see ALL facets of an election.















Well Wendell again you and I agree on a couple of things. Jeff Hastings will be a great board member and I am honored to support him for this post. Let’s have a unanimous vote on Wednesday.
I too am more than a bit concerned about the “activists” that rumor has it are going to be her appointments on the D side. Remember they still believe that Bennett and Blackwell stole the election in 2004 and will do anything to get even. I’m concerned about fairness and voting freedom. But it has never been Republicans who have even attempted to interfer with any persons legitimate right to vote.
Dave
March 30th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Dave I could not agree more. Jeff, will be a great replacement! I would only hope our executive committee a unanimous vote for Jeff.
The dem nominees will work to pay us back for their misconception we stole the election. Our mistake of NOT removing Vu earlier has given them this opportunity.
I feel in light of recent events, we lost some of our ability to work against the appointment of their candidates. Win, lose or draw in court, the effort to stay on the board has undermined us in this aspect.
I will be looking forward to congratulating Jeff!
King
March 30th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
King
Please read the post on Right Angle about this, as odd as it may sound coming from me, Matthew has hit the nail right on the head on this one. Bennett needs to continue this fight for the reasons mentioned. This is a complex political situation.
Jeff will be a great addition to the Board but we can’t bow to the pure political pressure of this “partisan hack.” There is a lot at stake. Look beyond the surface.
Dave
April 1st, 2007 at 9:26 am
[…] We were close on who we believed would be Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s picks for the Democratic representatives on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. The initial inklings of a labor attorney (Eben “Sandy” McNair) and a female African American attorney (Inajo Davis Chappell) were correct, but it looks like the original female AA attorney Leslye Huff got bounced after we (and others) pointed out her shortcomings. […]
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:05 pm