Several contenders for Cuyahoga County's 11 new county council seats used the first business day of the new year to kick-start their election campaigns by taking qualifying petitions from the Board of Elections. The new council, and a chief executive, will replace the current three-commissioner governing the county in 2011.
Council candidates only need to gather 50 signatures to get on the September primary ballot, a relatively low threshold as elections go.
Elections Director Jane Platten says the criteria to file `could have been' raised when the new charter was drawn up last year - but was never addressed.
JANE PLATTEN: "Had the charter had a section relative to a different number of signatures to be collected in order to be qualified for the ballot, we would have followed what the charter stated - but the charter was silent, so Ohio revised code is what drives the number now."
With so few supporting signatures needed, the council races could be flooded with candidates, but Platten doesn't expect that to be a problem.
By Monday noon - candidates hoping to represent Districts 1, 6, and 9 had already claimed petitions. Those included a former candidate for Clevelands' mayoral seat, and a suburban city council member.
The part time council seats will pay $45,000 per year. The County Executive position pays $175,000 per year. The filing deadline for the seats is in late June.
