Frost out as county GOP chair after long run. Two women, including an African American, elected to lead

CPT • Cuyahoga Politics Today

Donna Walker-Brown, Lisa Stickan elected to head County GOP

By R. T. Andrews

Donna Walker-Brown is the new
chairperson of the County
GOP Executive Committee

The Cuyahoga County Republican Party has been around for 165 years or so. It has always been led by white men. Starting tomorrow, the chairs of both its Central Committee and its Executive Committee will be women. And one of them, incoming Executive Committee chair Donna Walker-Brown, is African American.

Lisa Marie Stickan is the new chairperson
of the County GOP Central Committee

Lisa Stickan, president of the Highland Heights city council and an attorney in the county court system, routed long time party chair Rob Frost by a decisive 2-1 majority. Her entire “Cuyahoga First” slate was also elected.

The vote was originally scheduled to take place in late March shortly after the expected March 17 primary. But Primary Day voting was canceled because of the statewide coronavirus shutdown and then extended in a vote by mail process that concluded on April 28. Those primary results identified new Republican precinct officials who were eligible to vote for new party leaders.

That election was also a hybrid process, with mail ballots sent out June 3. The incoming votes were tallied and announced this afternoon at the Rockside Road offices of accounting firm REA and Associates in Independence.

Stickan’s victory was not a big surprise, although the decisiveness of her victory was eyebrow-raising. Frost had led the party for 15 years and his star had been on the decline. “Frost fatigue” was evident among some party insiders last year when he was forced to relinquish his executive party chairmanship, though he remained as head of the central committee.

Another factor in the Stickan-Frost result may have been their relationship with the re-election campaign of President Donald Trump. Stickan is an enthusiastic Trump loyalist, while Frost is considerably more lukewarm.

In contrast to the clear-cut race between Stickan and Frost, the contest for executive committee chair was full of intrigue. Peter Corrigan, who ran for county executive in 2017, was named interim executive committee chair last fall when Frost was pushed out. He had been expected to run unopposed for a full term. But after Strongsville mayor Tom Perciak was nominated for the position, Corrigan nominated Walker-Brown, a close ally, and then withdrew his own name from consideration.

It was a tight race, with Walker-Brown winning by four votes.

It is unclear the extent to which national and local unrest may have affected the Walker-Brown vs. Perciak contest. A large proportion of committee members voted as early as June 4, just days after protests got out of hand in downtown Cleveland. Party headquarters were among the casualties of the demonstration, and graffiti writers reportedly scrawled a direct message for GOP officials: “You should have listened earlier.”

Stacey Polk, whose family have long been proud Republicans, thinks the national turmoil likely aided Walker-Brown’s candidacy to some degree. Polk, an attorney who for the past year has led the party’s Minority Outreach Initiative Committee, said it’s hard to imagine that precinct committee people could have been oblivious to the winds of change.

Polk, who is African American, said she had supported Walker-Brown in her primary contest for a position on the state central committee. Though she did not win the seat, the name recognition may have helped Walker-Brown in the contest for chair.

Polk praised Walker-Brown for her work with the Inner City Republican Movement that Walker-Brown founded and leads. And she described Stickan as “high energy, smart, politically astute, and culturally competent”.

Walker-Brown said her election was evidence of “God’s mercy and grace” and proof that “He is still in the miracle business”. She said that she would be moving forward on a platform of unification and growth.

As executive committee chair, Walker-Brown will direct the party's endorsement process, as well as preside over the party's elections to the county elections board. Frost currently holds one of the two GOP seats.

Stickan’s victorious Central Committee slate included Chris Corrigan as vice chair, Amanda Billy as secretary, Robert Bodi as treasurer, and Tierra Morrison as assistant treasurer.

Stickan did not respond to a request for comment. 

The new chairs assume their new roles tomorrow, July 1. Each position pays somewhere between $54,000 and $57,000, according to a party official.

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AROUND TOWN TODAY | Quick Takes on the Civic Scene

Black Philanthropy Summit • Black Citizenship in Action • Cleveland Rising! • Cuyahoga GOP

 By R. T. Andrews

The sixth biannual African American Philanthropy Summit takes place today from 1-3PM via Zoom. Registration is now closed but we will have a report for you.

If you are moved by what’s happening around the country and are wondering how you might get involved, here are two suggestions:

Read this compelling op-ed by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for a keen perspective on how to understand what's happening in our country today in the wake of George Floyd's murder at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Consider attending "Black Citizenship in Action Online" [BCA] today at noon. Discussion will center on how black people in this country gained citizenship rights and how that power can be used to create lasting community change. 

Jessica Byrd online during
Black Citizenship in Action

BCA includes local community outreach and mobilization opportunities and civic and voter engagement that help deepen black people's shared understanding of our rights as citizens and helps build the power needed to create a future that works for us.

Cleveland Rising!, the curious collective effort of certain Clevelanders concerned about our city's cratered condition, convenes this afternoon from 1-2:30PM via Zoom. Working groups formed at the CLE Rising Summit will share progress toward aspirational goals identified last fall. Virtual attendees, after watching the working group presentations, will have an opportunity to provide feedback.

 Register here.

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The Cuyahoga County Republican Party holds organizational meetings today  for its central and executive committees amidst unusual circumstances. State law requires political parties to meet within 15 days of the certification of the election of their precinct committee people, which occurred earlier this month following the close of primary voting on April 28.

Today’s meeting will be held at the Cuyahoga Heights City Hall but, given the restrictions on public gatherings imposed by the state in the midst of the pandemic, most of those attending will do so via Zoom. How this will affect voting is still unclear, a matter of both logistics and intra-party intrigue, according to party insiders with whom we have spoken.

Until last fall, Rob Frost chaired both the central and the executive committees. Sources told us there has been mounting dissatisfaction over the party’s operations and its ballot box performance in recent years. Frost yielded the chair of the executive committee at that time but retained control of the more powerful central committee.

Today’s vote will test how much power Frost retains. He is being challenged by Lisa Stickan, a city councilwoman from Highland Heights. Stickan is the daughter of Lucy Stickan, a long-time party activist in the county GOP and a high-ranking party official.

Frost still controls a lot of the party’s levers, so the outcome may turn on voting logistics and whether the vote will extend past today.

Peter Corrigan, who was named interim chair of the executive committee in December after Frost stepped down, is unlikely to be opposed and is expected to shed the interim tag and be installed as chair after the vote.

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Raymond Headen enters appellate court race • Stephens challenging Houser • Mike White speech tonight • O’Neill at City Club • Beachwood makes history • SOTU • Rep. Fudge on CNN

Cuyahoga Politics Today

Raymond C. Headen running for appellate court

Thirty some years ago, when young lawyer Ray Headen imagined his career trajectory, he always seemed to wind up as either a law professor or an appellate judge. An unexpected call from county GOP chair Rob Frost asking the now seasoned Headen, 58, whether he would consider running for the county's Court of Appeals, helped him realize that now is the time.

Attorney Raymond C. Headen

Headen is running for the 8^th District Court of Appeals. Given Frost’s support, he is likely to be unopposed in the primary and should sail through until November in the nonpartisan race.

Headen brings broad and deep experience to the race. His career includes working for several well-known corporate firms and serving as general counsel to then-Ohio Treasurer Ken Blackwell. He recently served as sole special counsel in the original drafting of the 2015 Ohio Economic Development Manual published by the Ohio Attorney General.

Headen has the education, experience, and temperament to be an outstanding appellate judge. We commend Frost for recruiting him. And we want to let the party chair know we will be watching closely to see what kind of support he lines up for his candidacy. The local GOP has a history of encouraging black candidates to run and then offering only token support. It takes around $100,000 to run a competitive campaign, and Frost needs to take ownership for raising at least half that amount on behalf of his stellar recruit.

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Stephens challenges Houser in District 10 County Council race

Cleveland Heights councilwoman
Cheryl L. Stephens

Cleveland Heights councilwoman and former mayor Cheryl Stephens has decided to take her bid for County Council to the voters. She has pulled petitions to challenge Michael Houser in the Democratic primary on May 8.

Houser was appointed to the seat when he narrowly defeated Stephens 24-22 in a January 11 vote of District 10 County Democratic Central Committee members.

This race will likely test the alliances of several prominent local Democrats. County Executive Armond Budish, US Senator Sherrod Brown, and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge are all expected to support Houser, who became the endorsed candidate as the [week-old] incumbent after the central committee vote. Fudge had mildly supported Stephens until the Jan. 11 vote but moved swiftly to endorse Houser.

District 10 encompasses the cities of Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, and University Heights, Cleveland Wards 8 [all] and 10 [except precincts A, B, I, K & M], and the village of Bratenahl.

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O’Neill brings his gubernatorial campaign to City Club today

Bill O'Neill, who is running to be Ohio’s governor, will be in conversation at the City Club today at noon. The unconventional candidate has been an army officer, a registered nurse, and both a newspaper and television reporter. He

Former Ohio Justice Bill O'Neill

was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in November 2012, where he served until he stepped down last week to campaign for governor. Prior to becoming a justice, he served on the Eleventh District Court of Appeals from 1997 until 2007. A Vietnam veteran, O'Neill is a graduate of Ohio University, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, and Huron School of Nursing.

O’Neill’s appearance today is part of the City Club’s series of conversations with candidates seeking statewide office in 2018. Call 216.621.0082 or more information.

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From Grasshopper to Greatness

Mike White was the dominant political figure in Cuyahoga County during his tenure as Cleveland mayor from 1990 through 2001. He remains both a compelling and an active figure in Cleveland politics today, although much of his work is below the radar.

Former Cleveland mayor Michael R. White

He will be speaking at 6PM tonight at JumpStart as the final speaker in the Leadership Series presented by the Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation. Prior speakers included current Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson, network guru George Fraser, entrepreneur Alexandria Johnson Boone, Dr. Charles Modlin, and civic leader Randell McShepard.

White’s presentation is entitled “From Grasshopper to Greatness”. JumpStart is located at 6701 Carnegie Ave. in Cleveland’s midtown. Call 216.229.7110 for more information.

White was interviewed by Teaching Cleveland in 2013 about his political life as part of a Cleveland history project. The interview is available in a series of videotapes beginning here.

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State of the Union speech tonight

Most thoughtful people I know despair about the current state of our union under the malevolent and dangerous instincts of our president. Random inquiries reveal few who will admit to plans on watching Trump address Congress, the nation, and the world tonight.

I do plan to watch. I don’t expect it to be in the least pleasant or reassuring, not to even contemplate uplifting. But I am curious as to how he will handle what I think will be an especially daunting assignment: speaking with the sophistication required to simultaneously address multiple audiences. Trump is most confident playing to his base, where he needs no script, no teleprompter, no preparation. He is adept at reading his crowd and always has truckloads of red meat at the ready. Unless he is totally delusional, he will have to know tonight that he is speaking to many who oppose much of what he represents. Will he be completely defiant or will he attempt some mollification? And will he be disciplined or extemporaneous?

Whichever, we will be curious. And we will also be curious to see if our local Congresswoman, Marcia Fudge, can bring some critical light to bear on the president’s remarks. She will be a guest on the Don Lemon show tonight on CNN following the speech.

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Immigration, the FBI, and Ohio Democrats

It’s Tuesday, which means our friends Laverne Gore and Jack Boyle will be on air from 6-7PM hosting their show, “Race Relations in America”. Tonight’s topics are expected to include the national debate on immigration, the leaked FBI memo, and the contestants in the crowded Democratic field for Ohio’s gubernatorial nomination. The show airs on WERE/1490 AM.

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Beachwood makes Black History

Beachwood City Council made history last week by selecting a black woman to fill the vacancy created when former council president Martin S. Horwitz resigned after he defeated longtime mayor Merle Gorden in a close three-way to become Beachwood mayor.

The surprise for many was that this “first” did not go to Gail McShepard, who had just finished a very respectable fourth in a field of six candidates vying for three at large seats on the council.

Beachwood’s charter called for council to fill the vacancy caused by Horwitz’s elevation. They invited applicants and according to reports interviewed all seventeen privately, including McShepard. They then met in open session and selected businesswoman June Elizabeth Taylor, who became the “first”.

June Elizabeth Taylor

We know Taylor as smart, opinionated, with a sharp tongue and with no penchant to bite her tongue. Politically savvy, she is a confidant to Gov. Kasich and has been repeatedly entrusted by him with political appointments, including her current service as chair of the Ohio Casino Commission. She clearly was close to some Beachwood insiders, based on her appointment by then-council president Horwitz to the city’s Charter Review Commission.

Twenty or so years ago, a smart attorney, psychologist and educator — David Whitaker — was elected to the Beachwood Board of Education. The community was not ready for his candor or independence and memory says he did not complete his full term. As the city timidly navigates its own changing demographics, we will be interested to observe how the city’s insular political culture will inevitably shift under the impact of Taylor’s dynamism.

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Black History Month

Is your organization sponsoring an event in recognition of Black History Month?

Make sure we know about it.

As Stevie Wonder might say, “Don’t delay… Send it right away.”

News, that is, about your event. Email us here: rta AT theRealDealPress.com.

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