Getting harder in the Trump era to tell the players even with a scorecard

CPT | County GOP votes on endorsements today 

Things are seldom what they seem;

Skim milk masquerades as cream.

— Gilbert & Sullivan​

Cuyahoga County Republican executive and central committee members will gather this afternoon to make their endorsements for the May primary.

The marquee endorsement will come in the governor’s slot, where Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is expected to handily defeat current Ohio Lt. Governor Mary Taylor.

Last week the Ohio GOP endorsed DeWine by a thumping 59-2 vote. Still, Taylor has refused to concede either quietly or graciously. What’s interesting about this contest is the subtext behind it.

While party insiders all seem to back DeWine, Taylor is working to court Trump voters, and could be in a position to upset DeWine if she succeeds in connecting with the Trump base. She has the nominal backing of term-limited Gov. John Kasich but has done her best to disavow it, because Kasich is anathema not only to that base, but also to many others throughout the party for a host of reasons: Kasich has been a Trump antagonist dating back to 2015, very publicly declining to appear at the 2016 Republican Convention held here in his home state where Trump officially received the GOP Presidential nomination. Kasich’s decision to support Medicaid expansion over the express opposition of many of his own state legislators further alienated him from parts of the GOP.

All of this was backdrop to the ouster of Kasich ally Matt Borges from the chair of the Ohio GOP by Jane Timken early last year, with the support of the President. Kasich forces, we hear, now think they have a chance to retake control of the state party, which could be significant if Kasich does indeed mount a 2020 primary challenge against Trump.

But any chance for Kasich people — dare we call them GOP moderates? — to regain state party control would go out the window if Taylor becomes the state standard bearer this year. So one might conclude that even though Kasich has endorsed Taylor almost against her will, he would prefer to see her defeated by DeWine.

The battle for the GOP nomination for the right to challenge US Senator Sherrod Brown this fall also has national implications for the GOP. Both Congressman Jim Renacci, R-16 of Wadsworth and Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons are, like Taylor, touting their Trump bona fides. Renacci is claiming that the President encouraged him to switch from the governor’s race to the senate battle following the sudden and unexpected withdrawal of frontrunner and state treasurer Josh Mandel. But he may actually be US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s preference instead of Trump’s because he is likely to be far less of a maverick than Gibbon.

The takeaway from all this may be that the Ohio GOP is much less united at the top than the state’s Democrats in this election cycle. But we are a long way from seeing how that might translate in November. 

Meanwhile, at least one Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Cleveland mayor and Congressman Dennis Kucinich, believes he has a real shot to capture some 2016 Trump voters. He’s probably right, but in the today’s topsy-turvy political climate, the populist Kucinich was just endorsed this past week by the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus. That may have been largely a hometown boy vote, but it nonetheless points out the increasing inadequacy of labels as a guide to who stands where for whom and what.

CPT: Beachwood surprise, Progressive Caucus, precinct battles, Patmon redux

​June Taylor swearing-in highlights Greater Cleveland’s cultural challenge

June E. Taylor is sworn in
as member of Beachwood
City Council, Feb. 5, 2018

After June Elizabeth Taylor was sworn in as the newest member of Beachwood City Council last night, she took the citizen’s podium to thank her supporters and to share some thoughts about her life, her appointment, and her philosophy.

Her new council colleagues selected Taylor last week after an open and transparent process to fill the vacancy created when then-council president Martin Horwitz defeated longtime mayor Merle Gorden.

Following the November election, Taylor was among 17 people who responded to an open call for applicants. Every applicant was granted an 18 and 1/2 minute interview.

When Taylor finished speaking, there was little if any doubt among the 100 or so people gathered in council chambers that the best candidate had been selected. She thanked a small battalion of friends and mentors for their friendship and support. A few of the more recognizable names she mentioned and that we were able to capture illustrate the depth and breadth of the support she carries, both within the city and across the state — Mal and Barbara Mixon, Jim and Debbie Wert, Ed and Mary Crawford, Amy and Rob Frost [County GOP chair], Shontel Brown [County Dem chair], Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, Gov. Kasich]. 

New councilwoman June E. Taylor, center, is surrounded by well-wishers,
L-R, Leon Anderson, Patricia Anderson, Tayloria Anderson, and Flossie Brisker.

None of these were idle or puffed references. In addition to her day job as president of the tech company, MAC Installations, Taylor chairs the Ohio Casino Control Commission and sits on the board of trustees for Cleveland State University. The public agency positions are both courtesy of Kasich appointments.

Taylor was also profuse in her appreciation of her neighbors, her daughter’s friends parents, and a host of others, including of course her family. Her prepared remarks were gracious throughout, and by turns politic and direct. She spoke of her own family values — her remark about her father wanting her to be smart in terms of book sense, common sense, and dollars and cents found an audible responsive chord — including education, preparation and excellence. She showed a respect for the city’s public employees and her own understanding that she was now an official public servant.

Conspicuous by its absence was any direct mention of Taylor’s race. There were likely more African Americans in council chambers last night than perhaps ever in that city’s history, but I heard not one reference by anyone that Taylor is the first African American ever to sit on Beachwood City Council.

That is more than likely something traceable directly to the candidate. As some good church folk say, the new councilwoman is unmistakably and unapologetically black. But Taylor chose in her remarks to focus on personal relationships, values, and standards, and the room took heed from her stance.

James Pasch, council vice president, seemed to confirm as much in a telephone call following the meeting. He added that he felt Taylor came to the applicant interview extremely well prepared and full of creative ideas on ways to improve municipal performance.

It seemed a rare moment in the county's Byzantine politics, when matters of race and ethnicity were subsumed by discussion of standards and values and community benefit.

 # # #

Progressive Caucus holding forum today for eastside State House candidates

Group also preparing to file for 100s of Dem precinct slots; Bill Patmon files for District 21 Senate seat

The Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus continues what has become its leadership role in presenting candidates to the public at numerous public forums all over the county.

Today at 6p, the Caucus is sponsoring what it had announced as a forum for State Senate District 21 and House Districts 10 and 12. The event is being held at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Center, 3450 Lee Road, in Shaker Heights.

The event may have broadened significantly because last-minute requests for CCPC endorsements have come in from State Sen. Kenny Yuko [D-25] and State Rep. Kent Smith [D-8].

A caucus spokesman said the deadline for seeking CCPC endorsement is tomorrow, which is also the filing deadline for candidates wishing to be on the May 8 primary ballot.

Yuko is Senate Minority Leader but was recently denied the Cuyahoga County Democrats’ endorsement in the primary, at least partially because of issues being churned by the unsettling alliance between US Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-11 and regressive political forces best represented by former county prosecutor Bill Mason and his allies, most notably Cleveland City Council president Kevin Kelley. 

The Fudge-Mason alliance seems to be clashing for primacy with new forces within the Democratic Party, represented in part by the Caucus and also with the emergence of new candidates who don’t always feel the need to kiss the rings of party elders. The results can be be seen in how the endorsements came down late last month and in the shifting of lanes in county judicial races that may continue until tomorrow's 4PM deadline.

And of course the ever-present elements of race, class, gender and geography are always a part of these party dynamics. It certainly makes for more exciting and complicated politics than the Republicans experience. For them, underneath all the high-falutin’ discussions of states’ rights, limited government, individual freedoms, and strict interpretations, it’s almost always just about the Benjamin$.

At least until the summer of 2015, when, thanks to a certain candidate, it began to be more about race, ethnicity AND money.

But tonight, there will likely be a steady effort by almost all of the candidates to introduce themselves or in the case of Yuko and Smith, remind their constituents of what great service they are providing. Rep. John Barnes, D-12, who is challenging Yuko for his Senate seat, told RDP he is in Columbus preparing for a committee hearing tomorrow and will not attend tonight.

The following candidates are expected to participate this evening:

Senate District 21: Jeff Johnson [his opponent, Sen. Sandra Williams, did not RSVP.]

House District 8: Kent Smith

House District 10: Kyle Early, Aanand Mehta, Andrew Schriver, Billy L. Sharp

House District 12: Yvonka Hall, Dmitri McDaniel

 Democratic Central Committee contests

Every four years, all precinct committee seats appear on the ballot. GOP central committee seats are on the ballot in even years, alternating with the Dems.

With the filing deadline for all races at 4pm tomorrow, insiders are looking closely at files for the roughly 920 seats available countywide. It is these central committee slots that can influence a party’s direction.

The Progressive Caucus may run as many as 200 candidates for these seats. And we are hearing that the Mason forces are up to their old tricks. When Mason served as county prosecutor, his office served as a political factory. Despite electoral promises made in 2016 by then candidate Michael O’Malley, we are receiving reports that Prosecutor O’Malley’s office is doing a brisk business circulating candidate petitions during business hours.

LATE BREAKING NEWS:

-->

State Rep. Bill Patmon, D-10, who is term-limited from running for the House again this year, filed today for the 21^st District State Senate seat currently held by Sen. Sandra Williams. 

In other news, we hear Mueller Tire is doing a brisk business in retreads.

Kasich appoints new justice to succeed O'Neill

New Justice joins Ohio Supreme Court 

Mary DeGenaro, appointed as the 159th justice of the Ohio Supreme Court by Gov. John R. Kasich, was sworn in today by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor for a term beginning Sunday.

Justice-designate Mary DeGenaro

Justice-designate DeGenaro, who has served nearly 17 years as a judge on the Seventh District Court of Appeals in Youngstown, will begin serving on the Supreme Court on Jan. 28, filling the remainder of the term being vacated by the resignation, effective Friday, of Justice William M. O’Neill.

The appointed term ends Jan. 1, 2019. The seat is up for election this November for a full term beginning Jan. 2, 2019. Ohio Supreme Court justices serve six-year terms.

“I am mindful of, and humbled by, the responsibility you have given me on behalf of all the citizens of the state of Ohio,’’ Justice DeGenero, 56, told a statehouse news conference today with the governor. 

DeGenaro's appointment means that Ohio's highest court is now all-Republican. O'Neill, the only Democrat, is stepping down tomorrow to seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. His resignation will leave U. S. Senator Sherrod Brown as the sole Democrat elected to statewide office.

Effective next week, the Court will also be comprised of a majority of women.

DeGenaro began serving as a judge on the Seventh District Court of Appeals on Feb. 9, 2001. During her tenure, she sat by assignment with the Ohio Supreme Court and other appellate districts. Prior to her judgeship, she served on the Poland Village Council.

DeGenaro has served as an adjunct faculty member for the political science department at Youngstown State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She received her law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where she interned with U.S. District Judge George White.

She currently is vice president of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association.

She was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1986.

​

# # #

Cuyahoga County Board of Elections issues statement re notices being sent by Ohio Democratic Party [ UPDATED]

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections issued the following statement this morning concerning postcards sent out by the Ohio Democratic Party:

VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT RETURN NOTICES SENT BY THE OHIO DEMOCRATIC MAY NOT BE ACCURATE

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections wants voters to be aware that large white postcards sent by the Ohio Democratic Party that claim the recipient has not returned their ballot, in many cases is false.  

The Board continues to get hundreds of phone calls from voters who are concerned that their ballot has not arrived at the Board.

Voters need to know that if they have received one of these postcards they can call the Board at 216-443-VOTE (8683) to confirm their ballot has arrived at the Board.  Voters may also visit the Board’s website www.443vote.com and use the ballot tracker tool to confirm their ballot has been received.

It would appear that the postcards may be going out before the records get updated. In any event, checking with the Board is the best way to make sure your ballot gets counted.

UPDATE:

A few hours after the above post, we received an email from Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Kirstin Alvanitakis that essentially confirmed our supposition that many absentee ballots were returned after the Party mailed out its postcard reminders. Alvanitakis attributed this to “a delay in mail service”, and said the party’s mailing gives voters information about how to confirm their absentee ballots have been accepted by election officials.

Alvanitakis pointed out that in 2008, before he was elected Governor, John Kasich tried to vote absentee but “his ballot was never received or counted.” She said if he “had received our postcard, it might have reminded him to contact the Delaware County Board of Elections in time to rectify the situation and allow him to cast a provisional ballot.”

Alvanitakis’ email reply ended with the sensible suggestion that “absentee voters should always track their ballots online or reach out to their county board of elections to confirm their ballots were received and accepted."

Clearly, if you vote by mail, you should follow the Board's advice and call 216.443.VOTE [8683] or visit www.443VOTE.com and check the status of your ballot.