The Observation Deck

Chanel 3 WKYC might have scooped the rest, maybe even let the cat out of the bag in a recent interview with Lakewood Mayor Ed FitzGerald...

LAKEWOOD -- Lakewood Mayor Ed Fitzgerald says he intends to run for the newly-created Cuyahoga County Executive job and will make a formal announcement next month.

Fitzgerald tells WKYC Senior Political Correspondent Tom Beres that he will be the only candidate with experience identifying and eliminating corruption.

Read more here:http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=126072

...but according to the Mayor not by too many days.

According to Mayor FitzGerald, things are looking good for a run for the new top seat in the
county government, Cuyahoga County Executive. Official announcement could come next week.

The mayor explained that he believes one of the most important aspects of the new post is to, "restore confidence" and I for one would agree. He also sees the need for better
efficiency and looking forward to help to define the new position.

Good luck mayor.


.

The Plain Dealer has annointed Nina Tunrer:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/11 ... t_due.html

She would be a bad choice, a very bad choice.

The first County Executive will set the precedents and patterns that will determine how the potential power of that position evolves.

If the first year of the County Executive is devoted to settling down in a comfortable compromise with the current power structure the whole "reform" movement will have been a waste of time. Even now that power structure is laying the ground work for stagnation and failure.

Bill- I agree. I am not sure how the PD managed to pick her as most qualified or well-positioned for the post. Smacks of Affirmative Action to me. Now is not the time for tokens.

Given that, now is also not the time for products of political machines. Ed Fitzgerald is a product of the Mason machine. His politics are exactly that of what is already there. If we recall Fitzgerald was found TWICE to be in violation of Ohio Ethics Laws when it came to campaign literature he used against Tom George. He flat out lied on that literature. Then he comes after me accusing me of mudslinging, when no mud had been slung. This guy is just a real class act. Not to mention his lack of qualifications for this office. He has been a mayor of a City for 18 months. You're telling me that there aren't more qualified people out there to do the job? Let me give you some names.

Bruce Akers, Mayor of Pepper Pike
Jerry Hruby, Mayor of Brecksville
Eileen Patton, Mayor of Fairview Park
Tom Perciak, Mayor of Strongsville
Judy Rawson, Former Mayor of Shaker Heights
Debbie Sutherland, Mayor of Bay Village

These are people with proven track records, not 18 months of simply crossing out lines on a city budget. Lakewood isn't out of the storm yet, but now would sure be a convenient time to get out if the ship was really sinking wouldn't it?

Let's consider this, might there be someone who isn't an elected official who might be able to serve well? And I am not talking about the hangers ons like Chris Ronayne.

Ryan, after you printed that he endorsed you, isn't it only fair to scratch his back in return and endorse him for a position you'll probably never run for?

This game of politics is really brutal!

Ryan Patrick Demro wrote:Then he comes after me accusing me of mudslinging, when no mud had been slung. This guy is just a real class act. Not to mention his lack of qualifications for this office. .

I thought your mailing quoting Fitgerald saying nice things about you was very clever. Out of the 7,000 or so votes cast no more than a handful would thought you were claiming the Mayor's endorsement. I thought the Mayors response was disengenuous. You never claimed his endorsement.

Since you received a greater percentage of the absentee votes than the votes cast on election day it is possible that his letter cost you 100 votes or so. The election was actually very close.

You ran a very clean and honorable campaign that can set the tone for a campaign for County representative in a district that runs from Lakewood to Strongsville.

Ryan Patrick Demro wrote:
He has been a mayor of a City for 18 months. You're telling me that there aren't more qualified people out there to do the job? Let me give you some names.

Bruce Akers, Mayor of Pepper Pike
Jerry Hruby, Mayor of Brecksville
Eileen Patton, Mayor of Fairview Park
Tom Perciak, Mayor of Strongsville
Judy Rawson, Former Mayor of Shaker Heights
Debbie Sutherland, Mayor of Bay Village

I'll be looking for a candidate who wants to kick in the door.

The one fatal flaw in issue 6 was the lack of a term limit on the County Executive. We might end up with someone who wants to settle for a government sinecure and generous pension.

George Voinovich used a mediocre record as Mayor as the foundation for a meteoric rise to the Senate where he served as a mediocre senator. A County Executive could do the same.

The Republicans will put a "business" person on the ballot who will also get the support of the corporate media "PD". But unless that candidate and the R's can actually run a political campaign I don't give them much of a chance. Maybe they'll bring back Marty Hoke. The Democrat will be an experienced politician from outside the current county structure but with campaign and political skills. The Democratic primary will be a battle with the winner emerging with the name and platform recognition needed to win the general election.

The winner will be the King of the county with total control and power, short of a scandal it will be very hard to de-throne the "King". The "King" will arguably the second most powerful elected official in the state. The likely-hood of that person looking to willingly give up the power won't be because the position will be easy but because of the extreme power it will command.

Bill

Mr. Demro, the Mayor would enjoy running against you again.

Bill & Bill, good points. I have no intention of running for anything anytime soon. I really didn't appreciate the way I was treated during the last cycle. You can attack my record, but don't attack me personally. That is mudslinging.

As far as County Executive goes, I generally do not agree with term limits;however, my experience with voters in Cuyahoga County (generally) is that they are complacent when it comes to throwing the bums out. Issue 6 is certainly the exception to the rule, but it won't be that way when it comes to electing the individuals to fill the roles. I think term limits would be appropriate in this case.

The Republicans will likely gel around State Representative Matt Dolan. I can honestly say I have never met him and don't know much about him. He would probably say the same of me, the difference is that I am not running for County Executive. I am just not sure that we need a career politician in the role of County Executive. I really think it might be the right time for someone from outside the realm of politics to emerge. I think any politician, no matter what party, is going to be to likely to address the challenges facing the county in the same way they were accustomed to wherever they were before they got there.

This includes Ed Fitzgerald. It's likely he will run up there with his public finance machete and slash the county budget, which is quite appropriate. Beyond that he has yet to do anything spectacular in Lakewood. "A Community Circulator of our own, gee Santa, its like a time warp back to 1938!" Those are not the kind of ideas that are going to move Northeast Ohio out of the lurch.

Let me not forget to mention this, Ed claims that he will be the only candidate in the race with experience fighting corruption. I think its important to examine the actions. We need a county government that is transparent and in the last election Ed proved that he does not believe in that. He masked contributions for his council candidates within his campaign account. Now why would someone who believes in ethics and transparency do that?

Oh, by the way, if Ed should win, who will become the Mayor? Shouldn't we be asking that question?

Oh, by the way, if Ed should win, who will become the Mayor? Shouldn't we be asking that question?

I think that assuming Ed Fitzgerald would win a countywide race is a bit presumptuous. There are too many players already jockeying for that job and many of them have money and a machine behind them.

Here it is folks--------- Parma Mayor Dean DePiero

Having the opportunity to work with Nina Turner years ago, she's not a "token" anything, Ryan. Stop that garbage, please.

I read The Plain Dealer article as a profile piece on a rising local politician who went against the machine. This was not an endorsement and I am sure we will have the opportunity to read profile pieces on other possible candidates.

Former county commissioner Tim McCormack would be an interesting potential.

P.S. - So, I guess it's not mudslinging when a candidate writes on this forum that all candidates who didn’t attend a debate “dodged” it and made up “excuses to avoid the voters."

The candidate who spent the most money in this last election cycle wasn't even in the race.

As fare as Ed goes, it's like having your kitchen remodeled, the demo was on time and on budget but I hope he sticks some cabinets in before he runs off...appliances would be nice as well. Just because you only take half the money it doesn't mean it's okay to do only half the job.

No David, those are what we would call "facts."

Certain candidates not attending a debate is, indeed, a fact. However, your assertion that they dodged the event and made up excuses not to attend is your personal opinion/commentary - unless, of course, you have the ability to read minds.

Repeated assertions that your negative opinions regarding the motives of individuals are facts and not mudslinging is laughable.

Nope, they made excuses. They said because it was just a random gathering of citizens, not sponsored by some independent third party organization, that they wouldn't attend. That is an excuse. Get real, these aren't the Presidential Debates. It's small town America.

Although come to think of it, I can't really say "they" because Monique Smith never really spoke at all during the campaign. She just smiled and did what she was told which was, "Keep Quiet" Kind of Palinesque before Palin went rogue.

Again, you combine facts with personal opinion. Why not just take the other candidates at their word (Mr. Power's cited Phase III meeting/session, Planning Commission session and a family commitment), stick to the issues, move on and stop trying to convince us that your opinion on their reasons is fact.

Not that I matter too much, but, you get my attention when talking about the issues but lose me when you make snide comments about other citizens. But, that’s how you’ve chosen to brand yourself.

As for council person elect Smith, well, she did speak quite often and actually came closer to finishing second than fourth.

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not his own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan