Election Day in Cuyahoga County: What We're Watching

Here are some of the storylines we are following as Primary Election Day unfolds in Cuyahoga County; what happens today will go a long way towards setting the stage for even more decisive public choices in November. 

U.S. Senate

• Will turnout in the black community be so miniscule as to persuade the incumbent Sherrod Brown that he must find new ways to strengthen his connection to African Americans?

Governor 

• Will the relatively fresh face and true blue conservatism of Lt. Governor Mary Taylor appeal to enough GOP trumpettes to puncture the tired facade of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine?

• Will lifelong populist and pretend progressive Dennis Kucinich upset the earnest but unexciting Rich Cordray, whose mild manner shades a true dedication to effective public service?

Ohio Attorney General

• How might the unfolding charter school scandal currently centered on the apparently-criminal-but-in-any-event appalling behavior of ECOT officials affect voter perceptions of State Auditor Dave Yost?

Ohio Treasurer 

• Cincinnati Attorney Rob Richardson is perhaps the most promising black candidate the Democrats have fielded statewide in a non judicial race in memory. How will he fare in northeast Ohio?

State Senate 

• The District 21 race is filled with familiar names. Is this the last time voters will see the names of Jeff Johnson (backed by Congresswoman Marcia Fudge) and Bill Patmon (supported by Mrs. Patmon) on the ballot? Will the quiet but competent Sandra Williams cruise to renomination with the endorsement of Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson?

• Will State Rep. Marty Sweeney get a twofer? The notorious backroom brawler is trying to defeat fellow state Rep. Nickie Antonio for the open 23rd District state senate seat while sliding his daughter, Bride Sweeney, into office as his successor. Two Sweeney successes would confirm that old boy politics remains dishearteningly alive on the westside. 

• State Rep. John Barnes seems to do enough behind the scenes to keep him in the good graces of local municipal officials such that he has their endorsement at election time, notwithstanding his thoroughly uninspiring record in Columbus. Will he win sufficient support in his District 25 primary challenge to Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko to convince him to hang around and try again in 2022, when Yuko will be term limited?

Was there an establishment bias in the PeeDee choice to advance the callow ahead of the competent?

Ohio House

• District 10 is an open seat with a boatload of candidates vying to succeed the term-limited Bill Patmon. Can community organizer Kyle Earley ride the support of his mentor Nina Turner and the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus to victory? Will former Cleveland city councilman T. J. Dow get his career back on track, abetted by councilpersons Kevin (city) and Yvonne (county) Conwell? Or will city councilman Anthony Hairston be able to install his protege Terence Upchurch?

• The most interesting candidate in this race is Ivy League-educated Aanand Mehta,  The Jones Day attorney is one of a growing cadre of second-generation Indian Americans entering the political scene. The Ohio Legislature already boasts one Indian American member [a Republican]. Hamilton County clerk of courts Aftab Pureval, now running for Congress, is one of Ohio Democrats' most promising stars. But in a diverse district that is predominantly African American, it is unclear that Mehta has made substantive connections with those he wishes to represent.

• District 12 is also an open seat. Juanita Brent is the endorsed Democrat and Dimitri McDaniel is a promising newcomer. But we hope voters support Yvonka Hall. We like candidates who educate themselves and the public on  important issues, who work outside politics to serve the community, and who thereby establish their community credentials before declaring their desire to "serve the people". As founder and tireless executive director of the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, Hall checks all those boxes. She is not a go along to get along person and would take a new spirit to Columbus.

County Council

The Plain Dealer endorsement of Michael Houser for county council was concussive for thinking people. There simply is no way at this time that he measures up to the outstanding record of public service that Cheryl Stephens has compiled over three decades as an elected official (mayor and council member in Cleveland Heights), civil servant (economic development official for City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County) and in the private sector. She is knowledgeable on the issues, well respected in development circles, comes to the table prepared, and is strong willed yet collegial. She is just the sort of thoughtful representative that a mostly meek county council needs around the table.

One might be tempted to think there was an establishment bias in the PD choice to advance the callow ahead of the competent. We hope the voters of County District 10 choose the independent Democrat Stephens over the machine-oriented Houser.

Common Pleas Court

We have written extensively about the highly contested races for the four open seats on the county trial court bench. We have endorsed Michael Rendon and extolled Karrie Howard, who we formally endorse here and whose election to the bench we think is of fundamental importance, both to the community as a whole and the black community in particular. We think both William McGinty and Andrew Santoli are qualified; our choice will be made in the ballot box.

The one race we have not discussed is the most troubling. Andrea Nelson Moore has been raked over the coals for a minor campaign misstep she made in a prior judicial race. Her convoluted and tin-eared explanation for that misstep earned her a zero rating from local bar associations and the Plain Dealer’s scorn. But the fact is she broke no law and, though suspended pending an inquiry, she was never sanctioned. Our problem is that her opponent, blessed with only a modest record of her own but a popular ballot name and an ample war chest, has blasted Moore as if she were a felon. The attacks have been relentless, pervasive, and in the aggregate, offensive. We prefer Moore in this race. 

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Finally, there are some underlying storylines that we are keen to follow. The Democrats are electing precinct committee representatives today. (The Republicans do it in presidential primary years.) A number of insurgents are on the ballot, though likely not enough to affect the party hierarchy. But there is a battle underway for the soul of the county party, and the precinct committee results may offer some markers as to how that is progressing.

The second underlying storyline has to do with endorsements by Cleveland’s most prominent black officials, Congresswoman Fudge and Mayor Jackson. They have backed competing candidates in several races in this cycle. Fudge’s choices often seemed tactical, that is to say, political, while Jackson’s appear more personal, rooted in his appreciation of loyalty.  What will today’s results say about the relative value of their respective endorsements? What will they say for the future of local black politics, especially among increasing speculation that Cleveland's next mayor will be white?

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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CPT: Marcia Fudge, County Council, County Judicial Races, US Senate

Cuyahoga Politics Today

New Political Season brings critical choices, questions

What is the value of a Fudge endorsement?

How does Mandel's exit affect GOP Senate Primary?

If it seems that politics is never-ending, that‘s because it’s true. Our interests, and those of our community — however we may define “interests” and “community” — are being negotiated, threatened, defended, or traded away continually by public officials who appear on your ballot. So it behooves us to pay attention to what our public officials do and say.

Consider that in a little less than 72 hours last week, roughly 100 local Democrats chose the newest member of county council and made recommendations for who should get the party’s endorsement in various judicial and legislative primary contests on the May 8 ballot.  Those choices, made in most cases by people you likely don’t know or seldom think of, have consequences with close-to-home effect upon who gets put in jail, where your taxes go, and which sections of our community get treated better than others.

That likely doesn’t sound fair, but it’s the way our democracy works. And if you don’t like it, you have a real chance to change it this year. And if you decide to get involved, you may set in motion positive changes not only for your neighborhood, but for your judicial system, your state government,  your country, and the world.

That’s not hyperbole. It’s the result of living in Cuyahoga County, which still remains the dominant political goldmine in a crucial battleground state.

Democrats hold the lion’s share of offices in Cuyahoga County. Republicans control some of the suburbs, especially those on the county’s outskirts. Though they are largely irrelevant to county politics — their political interests are generally expressed through the business community — the GOP functions pretty much the same way in its spheres, that is to say through a network of volunteer central and executive committees and ex officio  structures that carry great weight in influencing who gets on the ballot.

So last Thursday, 46 of a possible 75 or so precinct committee members who live in County Council District 10 — Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, University Heights, Bratenahl, and Cleveland Wards 8 and 10, met at Dem Party headquarters to choose a successor to Anthony Hairston, who resigned his county council seat after winning the Cleveland Ward 10 seat vacated by Jeff Johnson, who opted to challenge Mayor Frank Jackson. [Johnson came in third in the September mayoral primary; he’s now running for the State Senate seat he had 20 years ago.]

Successful professional politicians chart their careers and their alliances with great care. Hairston’s county-to-city council switch was in preparation for at least a year, which meant that his council seat was potentially in play for at least that long. Michael Houser, who won the intraparty vote last week to replace Hairston, had long ago secured the latter’s support to replace him. In Cleveland, that would have been sufficient; a councilperson who leaves under honorable circumstances is permitted to designate a successor who is then ratified by the council.

County Council functions under a different set of rules, set by state law. When a vacancy occurs between elections, the successor is chosen by the Party of the outgoing incumbent. Even though the process is different, neither Houser nor Hairston gave much thought to any particular challenger. So Houser moved into an apartment in the district and apparently expected pretty much to waltz in to the seat.

But the unexpected is part of what makes politics so fascinating. Shortly after the November election, Cleveland Heights mayor Cheryl Stephens realized that a power realignment among council members meant that her colleagues were unlikely to reelect her as mayor. Moreover, she was about to leave her job as director of acquisitions, dispositions & development at the County Land Bank to take a job in Akron. Suddenly, she was seen as a preferred alternative to Houser by many party activists.

For starters, Stephens has an accomplished resume as a public official in both elected and managerial roles. Of perhaps greater weight politically, she represented a chance for the Heights forces to regain the seat that had gone to Clevelander Hairston when Julian Rogers had resigned to take a job with Cleveland State.

Stephens was especially appealing as a potential candidate to Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who has increasingly sought to play a larger role in local politics. Once Stephens was officially offered her new job — as president and CEO of the East End Neighborhood Development Corporation — and prepared to leave the Land Bank, the conflict between her work and the part-time council position evaporated, and she agreed to seek the county council position.

Suddenly, Stephens seemed the favorite to succeed Hairston on county council.

In politics the currency that matters is votes, and so for 45 days or so Houser and Stephens sought to secure commitments from the precinct committee members of District 10. Fudge’s involvement put a strain on political and personal loyalties. Hairston had pledged his support to Houser but wanted to stay in her good graces. Julian Rogers, the Democratic city leader in Cleveland Heights, is tight with Hairston both politically and personally, but with a base that heavily favored Stephens. County Executive Armond Budish is a Fudge political ally but Houser was one of his executive assistants.

This really should have been no contest. Everyone recognizes the weight of a member of Congress. But for some reason, Rep. Fudge has established a track record of making endorsements but failing to put substance and resources behind them. Thus, she made a robocall on Stephens behalf but did not make the dozen or so phone calls that could have secured the seat for Stephens.

The immediate result was a dramatic 24-22 second-round ballot win for Houser at the party headquarters on Superior Ave. But this small episode has other winners and losers.

Stephens’ combination of experience, expertise, and leadership suggest she would have been a formidable representative of District 10 and a valuable asset to the county on all issues related to development and governmental performance. These were stated priorities when the battle was waged and won over reforming county government.

Houser is much more of an unknown quantity. He has long been eager to win elective office but already whispers abound that he will take his orders from County Executive Budish.

Houser takes office immediately and will need to tend his political flanks immediately. The filing deadline for the office is February 7 and a Board of Elections spokesperson has confirmed this seat will be on the May 8^th primary ballot, providing an early test of political strength for Houser and any challengers, including possibly Stephens, who is rumored to be considering a run.

A larger issue remains, and it was on display two days after the District vote. What does it mean when the Congresswoman cannot secure a seat for a highly qualified candidate of her choosing over a political novice? Let us note that race was not a consequential factor in this contest; both Houser and Stephens are black. But given that Fudge has chosen increasingly to involve herself in local party politics — she pushed for the election of Shontel Brown as local party chair; she has taken early sides in several  state legislative battles, even supporting challengers over incumbents — her constituents are entitled to question her end game.

This is no idle question. There are four open countywide judicial seats in this year’s election cycle. There are no black or Hispanic male judges on the county bench. Five African Americans and one Hispanic — three men, three women — are among the competitors for the four seats. Fudge is widely regarded to have negotiated with some party powers to secure endorsements of two black women lawyers in their respective races. Yet when forty city and ward leaders from across the county met last Saturday to present recommendations to the party’s Central Committee, which will meet this Saturday to act on those recommendations, not a single judicial candidate of color received a recommendation, and Fudge’s two choices were defeated handily.

We will explore this issue in tomorrow’s post.

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Last week brought news that State Treasurer Josh Mandel, possibly the least-liked state public official of this century, was ending his campaign to win the GOP nomination for US Senate and challenge incumbent US Senator Sherrod Brown. Mandel was expected to defeat his challenger for the nomination, wealthy Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons. But Mandel withdrew citing an undisclosed medical issue concerning his wife.

Gibbons does not have a clear field, however. Congressman Jim Renacci, who was in the midst of an uphill battle for the GOP gubernatorial nomination against Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, is now shifting over to the Senate race.

Gibbons is a relative unknown politically. He will be a guest tonight on “Race Relations in America with Laverne and Jack”, which airs Tuesdays from 6-7PM on WERE TalkCLE Radio 1490/AM.

Mandel was such a distasteful candidate — he specializes in ugly campaigns — but it seems that he will be replaced by another Trumpster.

While we are on the subject of that Senate contest, we understand why many Republicans don’t like to talk about the racist who heads their party. But we would like to hear what our own Ohio Senators, Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, think about Trump’s “s***hole countries” comment.

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