The person who becomes the first county executive will be the leader of a million and a half constituents. Some observers say this person will be the second most powerful politician in the state…behind the Governor… from day one, and many voters are expecting more effective, transparent and honest government. That’s why Karen Keys of East Cleveland voted with an overwhelming majority last November to dismantle the three-commissioner system that had been in place for two centuries.
KEYS: It was much, much harder to detect what it was they were doing, period. There wasn't a clear sense of what do they do. What's it all about?
Some of the candidates, in both parties, are seasoned politicians, but others are political novices like Republican Victor Voinovich, brother of the U.S. Senator.
VOINOVICH: January 1, 2011, this county will finally take itself back from the politicians!
And so far…”the politicians” are not exactly jumping on the Voinovich bandwagon. Even his brother has declined to endorse his sibling’s candidacy and GOP party chair Rob Frost has said…THAT caused other Republicans to steer clear of him. According to the last campaign financing report, Victor Voinovich had raised less than $800 by the end of June.
To hear Victor Voinovich though, that’s all according to plan. He’s touting his business experience as a commercial real estate broker from Valley View.
VOINOVICH: I know about finances, I know about business. For the past 30 years, I've been in the real estate business. I've done deals all over Cuyahoga County.
Republican rival Matt Dolan also points to Voinovich’s record in business ….as evidence of his unsuitability to be the chief executive for Cuyahoga County. Here’s the way Dolan put it at a City Club debate last week.
DOLAN CITY: You're running on a platform that you're a businessman, therefore your business record is an issue in this case. Wait until you see what the Democrats are going to do with your bankruptcies, your tax liens, your personal debt.
Matt Dolan doesn’t have to worry so much about money. His father, Larry Dolan, owns the Cleveland Indians and his extended family put up nearly all of Matt Dolan’s 500-thousand dollar campaign war-chest. He is a successful business man in his own right though, an experienced state legislator, a former state prosecutor and he’s been endorsed by party officials as their choice for the GOP nomination. Those who know him well say he’s a consensus-builder, pragmatic and respected on both sides of the aisle during when he represented a portion of Cuyahoga County in Columbus.
When talking issues, he mentions a plan he says will build regional cooperation. He calls it “Cuyahoga Forward.”
DOLAN: It will establish a non-profit entity that will coordinate all the efforts of the municipalities, and the Greater Cleveland Partnership and COSE, so that we have one voice, one-stop shopping for business development --- so your tax incentives, your financing, your workforce development, your research, and real estate options will all be at one fingerprint.
Dolan is new to Cuyahoga County though…at least in terms of being an actual resident. He moved in from Geauga County less than a year ago. Victor Voinovich likes to point that out.
VOINOVICH: My opponent must have thought with his family money and name he could win this election. Well I have a family name too, but the difference is, I've been here my entire life and I do have a track record.
Voinovich has an economic development blueprint of his own, called the “2020 Vision” plan, which he waves in the air at every candidate forum as tangible proof that he's ready to lead. Recently the Plain Dealer noted that Voinovich's plan was very similar to a development proposal being used in Brevard County Florida, and hardly tailor-made for the issues of Northeast Ohio.
The third GOP hopeful is Paul Casey, also has a guiding document that he likes to quote at public forums.
CASEY: From Ephesians, “A Battle Against Evil” --- Join your strength from the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.
Casey, a Roman Catholic from North Royalton, says he hadn’t thought much about entering politics, but recently he heard “a calling.” He says he’s the most conservative of the three Republican candidates. He can be vague about specific changes he’d make or policies he’d change for the county but touts his leadership skills as a college wrestling star and a business owner --- he restores old homes. Casey says that he would devote his first year in office to streamlining government, creating a budget surplus and then using the savings to reduce taxes.
CASEY: I hear, loud and clear, the voice of the small businessperson in middle America who's saying we need to cut taxes, we need to get this spending under control. That's what I'm here to do.
Tuesday ….a review of the Democratic contenders for Cuyahoga County Executive.
