Republican Matt Dolan joins the fray for the new top slot in the state's most populous county, barely a month after resigning his seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Dolan...who calls himself a moderate republican...spoke to supporters Tuesday of healing wounds, changing the county's mission, and eliminating inefficiencies.
After his speech, asked whether voters are ready to hand the county reins to GOP leadership after 15 years of near-total democratic management, Dolan pointed to passage last November of the plan to totally revamp county government.
MATT DOLAN:
"Issue 6 clearly demonstrates that the voters are ready for people who remember what it's like to be a public servant - that they can trust in their government - that they know that ....Matt Dolan as county executive is going to go to work every day, working in their best interests."
Dolan is an attorney and involved in a family real estate business and formerly served as a county and state prosecutor.
If elected he says he promises to bring greater efficiency to county government and pledged that his appointees would provide higher level of service. He said he would be looking for visionaries, regardless their party affiliation.
MATT DOLAN:
"I will hire well trained, well qualified folks to deliver those services. But they are going to be empowered to be agents of change."
To ensure an end to a climate of corruption, Dolan would institute mandatory employee ethics training and a strict no-gifts policy.
Dolan recently moved from Geauga County to chagrin falls in order to qualify to run for office in Cuyahoga County. He is the well-connected son of Cleveland baseball team owner Larry Dolan and may be one of the most well known candidates in the race. He hasn't had trouble raising money in the past either, including a million dollars for a statehouse campaign.
His only declared competitors at the moment are Democratic Lakewood Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, and independent businessman Ken Lanci. The top Republican and top Democrat in the partisan Sept. 7 nominating contests will face off in the November 2nd general election along with any independents in the race.
