Let's Figure Out This Election - By The Numbers

[Jim O'Bryan]

First thing I would love to say to my fellow Lakewoodites, you deserve the government you get when you don't vote.



Lakewood used to pride itself on participation, intelligence and community awareness.



Strictly by the number, I have nothing to say...

City Council, Winner of precincts in green, 2nd place finishers in blue.



The race for Municipal Judge



The School Board Election - Notice the under vote, these are votes that could have been cast but the voter chose not to.



And there you have it.

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[cmager]

Bullock? Gross.
65 more votes to the 4th place finisher and Bullock maybe moves into Summers basement, maybe clerks for Butler, maybe gets Three Arches funding for Bleed Lakewood 2.0.

You get what you vote for.

[Mark Kindt]

Non-Partisan Ballot In Lakewood Has Exclusionary Effects

What do we have here in Lakewood?

Only Democrats running against Democrats in the general election.

The result? Single party government. Is this really what we all signed-up for with the non-partisan ballot?

The result? Not one alternative voice with a different set of ideas.

The result? A decade of post-hospital planning that completely wrecked the heart of the city.

The result? Our sidewalks and streets transferred to bars and restaurants on a semi-permanent basis.

The result? A single party government that will not address pressing ethics-in-government reform articulated by multiple public interest lawsuits brought against the city.

The result? A single party government that consistently works against, not for, the benefit of its residents time after time after time.

[Michael Deneen]

The result? Single party government. Is this really what we all signed-up for with the non-partisan ballot?

The non-partisan ballot is a byproduct of a noncompetitive Republican Party.
Partisan primaries would simply make the primary "the real election" with the general being a formality. (a la Chicago)

This has been decades in the making.
No Republican has won citywide in Lakewood since the 20th century, and that's not going to change.
The GOP alienated Lakewood in the late 1990s-2010s with its shift toward rural and outer suburban voters.
In other words, they decided to play to the religious zealots, gun lovers, racists, anti-intellectuals, and conspiracy nuts.
That's a recipe for losing in Lakewood....a city that has lots of gay, young, immigrant and highly educated voters.

The Republican brand is toxic in urban America, especially Lakewood.
Trump is taking the GOP down an increasingly dark corridor of science and election denial which will only deepen this chasm.
Lakewood will not elect an openly Republican candidate during my lifetime (I am 53 years old).

Any change in the system will have to come from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
The Progressives have had some success here (most notably Skindell).....but have trouble winning elections when faced with Democratic Establishment power (which is often funded by GOP dollars).

[Dan Alaimo]

I feel no need to prove my Democrat bona fides. I've been one all my life and I have no problem breaking with the far-left political correctness that often seeps into the party's mainstream.

Single-party domination, whether D or R, is as bad as either party's extremes. We see the results of that in Lakewood and Ohio governments. Equally bad is voter and candidate apathy, as demonstrated in Westlake where I now live - not a single race was contested this year. I'm a long way from understanding the political mileau here as well as I do Lakewood's. I miss the yard-sign activism of French Avenue but the past week has proven again our need to live in a single-floor house.

As on the national level, I am rooting for the emergence of strong, principled voices from the Party of Lincoln. Although I may disagree with them, I'm glad there are a few here on the Deck.

I have no use for hybrids like Summers and Trump.

[ryan costa]

when one party dominates it generally has more distinct factions.
the real question is...how does Linndale still exist

[Jim O'Bryan]

The result? Single party government. Is this really what we all signed-up for with the non-partisan ballot?

The non-partisan ballot is a byproduct of a noncompetitive Republican Party.
Partisan primaries would simply make the primary "the real election" with the general being a formality. (a la Chicago)

This has been decades in the making.
No Republican has won citywide in Lakewood since the 20th century, and that's not going to change.
The GOP alienated Lakewood in the late 1990s-2010s with its shift toward rural and outer suburban voters.
In other words, they decided to play to the religious zealots, gun lovers, racists, anti-intellectuals, and conspiracy nuts.
That's a recipe for losing in Lakewood....a city that has lots of gay, young, immigrant and highly educated voters.

The Republican brand is toxic in urban America, especially Lakewood.
Trump is taking the GOP down an increasingly dark corridor of science and election denial which will only deepen this chasm.
Lakewood will not elect an openly Republican candidate during my lifetime (I am 53 years old).

Any change in the system will have to come from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
The Progressives have had some success here (most notably Skindell).....but have trouble winning elections when faced with Democratic Establishment power (which is often funded by GOP dollars).

Very nice summation of this whole mess.

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[dl meckes]

We have elected DINOs regularly since Rs have trouble here. Summers would be a fine example of this.

[Mark Kindt]

If a candidate has the actual endorsement of the Democratic Party and other recognized Democratic endorsing bodies, then as a Democratic Party voter, how is anyone to figure-out who is a not a Democrat.

I have never bought into the "DINO" argument, or, conversely, the "RINO" argument. The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood should be scrapped.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood is a structural problem that keeps well-qualified candidates from being elected to office regardless of party affiliation.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood creates "issueless" campaigns.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood suppresses voter interest, turnout and participation.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood results in candidates appointed to fulfil vacant seats via a non-electoral process that guarantees single-party government.

That non-electoral process, despite arguments to the contrary, is exclusionary to minorities and essentially a kind of "backroom" process.

Finally, weak or incompetent incumbents run for reelection without meaningful political challenge for their demonstrated failures.

I think the most recent election probably demonstrates all of these kinds of arguments.

I never met Mayor Summers, but the Democratic Party repeatedly endorsed him. He owns a jeep. He wrecked the City. Best of luck to him in retirement.

[Jim O'Bryan]

If a candidate has the actual endorsement of the Democratic Party and other recognized Democratic endorsing bodies, then as a Democratic Party voter, how is anyone to figure-out who is a not a Democrat.

I have never bought into the "DINO" argument, or, conversely, the "RINO" argument. The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood should be scrapped.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood is a structural problem that keeps well-qualified candidates from being elected to office regardless of party affiliation.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood creates "issueless" campaigns.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood suppresses voter interest, turnout and participation.

The non-partisan ballot in Lakewood results in candidates appointed to fulfil vacant seats via a non-electoral process that guarantees single-party government.

That non-electoral process, despite arguments to the contrary, is exclusionary to minorities and essentially a kind of "backroom" process.

Finally, weak or incompetent incumbents run for reelection without meaningful political challenge for their demonstrated failures.

I think the most recent election probably demonstrates all of these kinds of arguments.

I never met Mayor Summers, but the Democratic Party repeatedly endorsed him. He owns a jeep. He wrecked the City. Best of luck to him in retirement.

Mark

You are looking at the problem but missing the details.

Without non-partisan elections, there would be no elections.

Many times over the past two decades we have searched for a Republican that could verbalize their side of a story. We only found one, Brett Callentine. When we pushed in the early the Lakewood Republicans came up with a woman, I was not familiar with. After her third story I met her, she lived and worked in Michigan.

Hell Rob Frost head of the Cuyahoga Republican Party couldn't find anyone to run, and even scraped his own plans for lack of support.

Matt Markling, Ryan Salo and a handful of Republicans tried to rekindle the Lakewood Republican Club back in 2015. I did this banner for their website.


To my knowledge, they never got enough traction to continue the effort.

I understand your frustration, I get your argument, in many places it would be solid, here in a Democratic stronghold, not so sure it is the easy answer.


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[Mark Kindt]

Thank you for this information.

Explains to me why there was no young Republican candidate running in the municipal court race.

I viewed that race as completely contestable, since the sitting jurist was retiring, and was surprised that the primary field was so limited.

Nice graphic!

[Jim O'Bryan]

Thank you for this information.

Explains to me why there was no young Republican candidate running in the municipal court race.

I viewed that race as completely contestable, since the sitting jurist was retiring, and was surprised that the primary field was so limited.

Nice graphic!

There wasn't one. Which could mean, one was not found that wanted to run in a very contestable race.

Same reason they do not have flower shows in the desert.

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