The Observation Deck

The new $175,000 per year job as County Executive appears to be a highly sought after position.

Latest PD reports mention Matt Zone and that Dolan guy. Cimperman is supposedly interested as is Chris Ronayne. Then there's Mayor Welo and possibly Dean DiPiero, mayor of Parma.

Oh, and let's not forget Tim McCormick, still hugely popular.

It is very early in the campaign and others will announce, no doubt.

So, the question is, what do you think of Ed Fitzgerald's chances given the current and potential field of candidates?

I'd say he's got a shot. When I look at the lists of potential candidates, I think the County could do a lot worse than electing Ed Fitzgerald as the Executive. He's come a long way. His skill sets could make him the most effective choice.

I was never thrilled with the old form of county government. I'm not thrilled with this new one either. It will be a learning curve for all involved. I think Ed could navigate the new government as the executive and build consensus. He has worked well with our Council. They have cooperated well to make tough choices that they all take ownership of. Ed would certainly apply those skills with a new County Council that will have a lot on their plate.

This forum has been harshly contentious lately, so I risk raising the eyebrows, or ire, in some participants here, but I must admit that Ed has always been honest with me. Given the reported legal/ethical issues in our county government, that alone should be a vote-getter.

.

Steve

I see that you think EF would make a good executive and you would be willing to vote for him. My interest is discussing who can win the race and who is likely to get the most dollars and support form the county machine

Remember, this is a countywide race. EF is a Lakewood figure but not quite a county player. Will he be able to attract enough of the various segments of the county population that he will need to win? The Cuyahoga power structure will have a lot to say and will highly influence the race with support and monies. Is EF the likely candidiate they will get behind?

Grace,

I don't have any real insight into County politics. My comments are light observations. I will be an interested spectator as all of this develops.

I didn't say Ed would win. I said, with his qualifications, he has a shot. He announced early, and has gotten some press for it. Every time a potential candidate name is mentioned by the media, it is relative to the already-announced Ed Fitzgerald.

You're right, it's a big county, and will be expensive to campaign in. It's early to say what the field is, and who will have the money to make an impact. The "Cuyahoga power structure", that you mention, seems to be in some disarray. Those seeking the county council positions will add to the confusion.

It may come down to personal or grass-roots money that makes the difference.

Ken Lanci is a very wealthy guy who is entering the race as an independent, but probably unknown outside certain business circles. I have met and done business with Ken Lanci, but I am unaware of any previous political experience.

You brought up "that Dolan guy". Haven't quite figured out what makes him eligible because every time he is mentioned they say something like, "of Geauga County". Is "that Dolan guy" part of the current or previous Cleveland Indians ownership? If so, I would assume there is some money there.

Most of the others that you list (except McCormick) are just as regional as Fitzgerald, so initially, broad county recognition may not be a factor. There are a couple that I haven't even heard of, but that is not a scale that anyone should be measured by.

Without a real list of candidates, or any real campaigning going yet, it's awfully hard to tell where this may go.

So the answer is, from what we know at this moment, Fitzgerald has as much of a shot as anybody.

Let the games begin.

.

Steve and Grace---

I recall the observation of Mark Hanna, the Republican king maker in Ohio at the turn of the 20th century. He said, "to understand politics there are two important factors. The first is money. And-----I forget what the second one is."
An effective county wide campaign costs between 1/2 mil and a million dollars. I've heard estimates that this one might go for $2mil.
So, fund raising capabilities are very important.
Secondly, this is an entirely new kind of election. One of the district representative seats could be viewed as a big state rep race, or a modified common pleas judge race.
Or, an original candidate might use the opportunity to have his or her campaign educate the public as to the nature of this new form of government and how the candidate would see his position in it.
Here's another clue-----keep an eye out as to which candidate the powerhouse consultants go with. They will usually line up with some of the more promising candidates.

Stan

I wonder how the fallout of all the investigations into Dimora and Russo will play into elections, too. That camp has gone quiet for a while but the buzz I am hearing is that their fall will drag a number of others down with them. I think if these candidates are far from the local Democratic machine they may fare.

Will Bill Mason have a say in this? He basically wrote himself out of the race as one of the sole elected officials who didn't lose their job at the end of this year. Will his endorsement matter?

Now that Mason is no longer the PD's golden boy, the latest negative press coverage may make any endorsement from him useless.

Personally, there's no way I'd ever vote for anyone Mason endorsed. If anyone thinks for one minute he's not right in there with Russo and Dimora, they're sadly mistaken.

Former State Representative Matt Dolan is a resident of Chagrin Falls. His district was mostly in Geauga County and far eastern parts of Cuyahoga.