Cuyahoga Democrats have had just weeks to find a candidate for the 11th congressional district following the untimely death of congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Eight are currently vying for the seat. Earlier this week, former congressman Louis Stokes and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson convened their own private panel to vet the choices and endorse a candidate. They chose Warrensville Heights mayor Marcia Fudge. Some criticized Stokes and Jackson, however, for keeping the identity of the panel secret until after the meeting and for barring the media, the public and even members of the Democratic Party Executive committee from the process. Stokes downplayed his actions on WCPN's call-in show, Sound of Ideas.
STOKES: All the mayor and I were doing-convening a group that will make a recommendation to the executive committee and the executive committee has the power to reject our recommendation or accept it or do as they please. But we have no control over them.
Mike Polensek, a longtime Cleveland councilman and member of the Democratic Party's Executive committee, is among those who complained about the secretive nature of the Stokes-Jackson deliberations. In an interview with 90.3 he called it "flawed" and said he was "greatly concerned" because the way Stokes handled things Polensek said…"runs the risk of creating disunity within the Democratic Party."
POLENSEK: Many people observing this have the impression that playing field wasn't level nor fair. I wasn't in the meeting so I wouldn't know that but that's the impression you get of candidates who were there.
Stokes seemed taken aback by all the criticism.
STOKES; I just happened to think: having represented this district for the historic and unprecedented 30 years, that I just felt people wanted me to take some form of direction for them in this congressional district.
There's also the question of the public and media being thrown out of the Intercontinental Hotel where Stokes and Jackson held their private meeting. Stokes denied that he asked security to remove people from the premises.
In a statement, InterContinental wouldn't comment except to say….it honors and follows the specific requests of its guests concerning these matters.
At an election forum at Landerhaven Wednesday Cuyahoga County Democratic Chairman Jimmy Dimora, who's embroiled in an ongoing FBI investigation, declined to criticize the Stokes-Jackson committee. Some had speculated that Stokes and Jackson were, in effect, filling a power vacuum in the party, but Dimora says Stokes was just acting as a private citizen.
DIMORA: People should be praising him, not criticizing him or second guessing him because he's doing it for the good of the community.
Dimora also said the Stokes panel was providing a service…and he suggested that some of the candidates need to be weeded out.
DIMORA: Some of these potential 8 candidates. They're not maybe ready for the congress.
Cuyahoga County Republican chief Rob Frost said at the same forum, that secrecy is endemic in the county democratic party.
FROST: We have had a county that has been dominated by one-party rule for over a decade and a half. And the attitude has been, among the Democratic powers that be, that it is for them, in secret behind the scenes to decide who gets to be next. We saw that again in this process.
The official Democratic choice will be made Thursday night by the party's executive committee.