The candidates were guests on 90.3's The Sound Of Ideas - and were challenged to answer what they would do about corruption, given the continued revelations from an ongoing federal investigation of inside connections for jobs, and even bribery.
Democratic candidate Terri Hamilton Brown called for less protection of county workers caught in questionable circumstances.
TERRI HAMILTON BROWN: "There has to be job reviews, and there has to be terminations when someone fails. So while we talk about patronage...That is a culture of entitlement, where the person is thinking more about having a job than delivering a service. So an important role is to make sure that it's a culture of service."
Republican Victor Voinovich and Democrat Ed Fitzgerald both talked about the connection between patronage and party politics, and promised new methods in how county department heads are hired. Here's Voinovich:
VICTOR VOINOVICH: "We're not going to look at party affiliation ....anything of the typical ways people get hired. We want people who are passionate, who are hard working, people who are honest, and we don't have to worry about what their agenda may be."
Fitzgerald indicated that once in office, qualifications would become the primary factor in choosing and hiring personnel.
ED FITZGERALD: "You open up the transition process and say... any person of talent.... doesn't matter who you're related to - doesn't matter what party you're in......any person of talent has to be invited in, and those decisions are made publicly and openly."
Republican Matt Dolan says he would create an advisory council, to eliminate politics in hiring this way...
MATT DOLAN: "To make certain any boards and commissions are actually serving a public purpose. If they are, what is the qualifications necessary to serve on that board, what are the resumes, and match up the resumes with the qualifications so the public is aware that we have qualified, non-political people serving on boards and commissions."
Other topics the candidates discussed included reducing the county sales tax, which is among the largest in the state, and how to bring more businesses into Cuyahoga County.
WCPN limited the conversation to four candidates based on a criterion of factors that each of the candidates met. Others seeking the executive seat will be heard on subsequent programs prior to Election Day.
