Lake County was in the national spotlight again last week when the CBS Evening News came to the area to do a story about how the county traditionally has been a bellwether for Ohio’s vote for the presidential election.

The segment was timed to go along with the release of a Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll.

Prior to the poll’s release on Wednesday most national polls showed the race for president in Ohio between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was tight, with no front runner.

With Ohio still in play as a swing state, the CBS Evening News crew called and later stopped by The News-Herald to interview me to gauge what I believe are some of the issues important to Lake County voters and how the presidential race was playing out locally.

I spent a good 20 to 25 minutes doing an on-camera interview with CBS Correspondent Dean Reynolds, who peppered me with all kinds of questions that I did my best to answer.

We talked about how the county is a blend of urban, suburban and rural lifestyles and beliefs; how population represents a lot of what makes up Ohio and has been noted by other news organizations as the county that most closely reflects how the state as a whole votes.

Obama won Lake County in 2008, while President George W. Bush carried the county in 2004 and 2000.

As a journalist, it was a great experience to see how a national news crew operated. I was both excited and nervous as I waited for the segment to air Wednesday.

Of course, when I finally watched the program I wasn’t included, much to my disappointment. Those are the breaks.

The segment revealed the poll showed Obama with a 10-point lead over Romney in Ohio. So I’m guessing a lot of what we talked about during the interview probably became irrelevant and the show’s producers took the segment into a different direction, leaving me out.

I can understand that. Hey, I’m in the news business, and I know stories can change very quickly.

Of course, it’s only one poll and people are welcome to cast doubt over its validity.

But I will say that a lot can change during the next five weeks or so, such as country’s and state’s unemployment rates could dramatically change. Plus, the candidates will have a chance to make a final impression during a series of debates.

So with voting for the Nov. 6 election starting Tuesday, make sure you take the time to discover which candidates reflect what you believe and then cast your ballot. Don’t let others make these decisions for you when you fail to vote.

 

State Bar Association releases ratings

The Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Candidates released its ratings for Ohio Supreme Court candidates.

Receiving ratings of highly recommended were Justices Yvette McGee Brown and Robert R. Cupp. Justices Terrence O’Donnell, William O’Neill and Michael J. Skindell received ratings of recommended. Judge Sharon Kennedy received a rating of not recommended.

The Bar Association’s evaluation process rated each candidate individually according to the Commission’s eight criteria. A rating of highly recommended was awarded to any candidate who received favorable votes from at least 70 percent of the 25-member panel. Sixty percent of favorable votes from the panel earned a rating of recommended, while anything below 60 percent received the not recommended rating.

 

Candidate forum

A Meet The Candidates forum for Lake County candidates will be held today at 1 p.m. in the Father Kline Social Center of Saint John Vianney Parish and will be moderated by a League of Women’s Voters representative.

 

Fundies

n  Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy hosts his Fall Classic and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, 5 p.m. dinner Monday at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Troy or Kip Molenaar.

n Werner Barthol, candidate for Lake County prosecutor, hosting Oktoberfest 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at Lake Metroparks Painesville Township Park Community Center/Ballroom. See Kelly Barthol or James Falvey.

n Ron Young, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts wine tasting from Wine Sommelier and Spirit Expert Gene Segal of South River Vinyards, 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8 at Quail Hollow Country Club. See Young.

n Fall clambake for John Rogers, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 60, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Mentor Beach Park in Mentor-on-the-Lake. See Rogers or John Crocker.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Capri S. Cafaro, candidate for Ohio 32nd Senate District, announced endorsements by the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Lori DiNallo, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 60, announced endorsement by the  Ohio Manufacturers’ Association Political Action Committee.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, announced she recently received endorsements from the following:

Ohio Nurses Association
Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters
Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Inc.
National Association of Social Workers/Ohio Chapter
Ohio Association for Justice
Ohio AFL-CIO
North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor
Building Laborers’ Union, Local No. 310
Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council
Ohio Education Association
Ohio Federation of Teachers
Pipe Fitters Local Union No. 120
Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
Ohio Association of Public School Employees, AFSCME Local 11
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18
Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell announced he received endorsement by the Western Lake County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 116.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

State  Sen. Capri S. Cafaro, D-Hubbard, candidate for Ohio Senate District 32, announces the following endorsements:
* Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee
* Ohio Manufacturers Association
* Ohio Society of CPA’s
* Ohio Restaurant Association
* Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Friend of Agriculture
* Ohio AFL-CIO
* Cleveland Building and Construction Trades
* Ohio Education Association
* Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
* Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE)
* United Steel Workers
* United Auto Workers Region 2B
* American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees  
* International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18
* United Transportation Union

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

With about six weeks to go until the Nov. 6 election, many voters now start to pay attention.

Unless you live under a rock though, most everyone knows that President Barack Obama seeks re-election and the Republican challenger is Mitt Romney.

The race for U.S. Senate in Ohio pits incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, against Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican.

But what many people don’t realize is there are other people running for these positions as well. They come from “minor” parties or are nonpartisan. A lot of times when a voter goes to cast his or her ballot they might think ‘Who are these people?’”.

In Ohio, there actually are seven candidates on the ballot for president including Obama and Romney. The other five are Stewart Alexander, Socialist; Richard Duncan, nonpartisan; Virgil Goode, Constitution; Gary Johnson, Libertarian; and Jill Stein, Green Party.

For the U.S. Senate race, Scott A. Rupert is a nonpartisan candidate on the ballot running against Brown and Mandel.

There are four people on the Nov. 6 ballot for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District. You know, the one from which U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette decided to retire.

They are Democrat Dale Virgil Blanchard, Republican David P. Joyce, Libertarian David Macko, and Green Party candidate Elaine R. Mastromatteo.

So why do minor parties or nonpartisan candidates run when it seems so often they don’t win or have a realistic chance?

Minor party or nonpartisan candidates who run in partisan contests usually want their voice to be heard. They also want to offer voters another choice.

Perhaps their platform is a combination of what the major parties offer or maybe what they believe and stand for is far different than the mainstream and they want people to know about it.

However, it can be difficult to get that message out because so often it takes money and/or name recognition to accomplish that.

Whenever free opportunities for publicity are provided they must take advantage of that, such as a newspaper like The News-Herald asking candidates to return an election questionnaire. For this election, each of the four 14th Congressional District candidates did that.

Mastromatteo and Macko also plan to conduct their own “Third Party Candidate” debate at 7 p.m. Thursday at Elm Street School in Painesville.

Events

n John and Terri Hamila of Eastlake host an meet and greet 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for candidates David Fiebig, John Hamercheck, Bob Patterson, Lori DiNallo and John Eklund.

n The Western Reserve Women’s Republican Club hosts a luncheon at the Hillbrook Club in Russell Township on Friday with Joyce as featured speaker. Contact Mary Ellen Schron.

Candidate forums

n The News-Herald, League of Women Voters, and Lake County Chambers of Commerce will co-host a forum for the four Lake County commissioner candidates at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lake Erie College in Painesville.

n Painesville Area Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual luncheon with candidates and issue representatives Friday at Hellriegel’s Inn in Painesville Township.

n The League of Women Voters of Geauga County will host four candidates nights: 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at West Geauga High School, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Geauga County Senior Center in Claridon Township, 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at Chardon Middle School, and 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at Kenston School in Auburn Township.

Fundies

n Fundraiser for John Patterson, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 99, with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan as featured speaker, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Grotto Hall in Ashtabula Township. See Michael Triozzi.

n Heidi and Jamie Callender will host a fundraiser for Ohio House of Representative Republican candidates in Lake and Geauga counties, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at their home in Concord Township. See Heidi.

n Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy hosts his Fall Classic and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, 5 p.m. dinner Oct. 1 at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Troy or Kip Molenaar.

n Werner Barthol, candidate for Lake County prosecutor, hosting Oktoberfest 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 5 at Lake Metroparks Painesville Township Park Community Center/Ballroom. See Kelly Barthol or James Falvey.

n Fall clambake for John Rogers, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 60, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Mentor Beach Park in Mentor-on-the-Lake. See Rogers or John Crocker.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

State Rep. Ron Young, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, announced he recently received endorsements from the Ohio Manufacturing Association, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Association of Certified Public Accountants, and Ohio State Medical Association.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Lake County Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish announced he recently received the endorsement of the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor and Western Lake County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 116.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter:@newsheraldjah

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson will be having a live town hall meeting tonight, streamed live on his website, www.GaryJohnson2012.com. Information from the Facebook event below:

A special Live National Townhall with Gov. Gary Johnson will take place this Wednesday, September 19th at 7:00 pm EDT

The program will feature our new commercials, as well as the finalists for the fan video contest. Gov. Johnson will also take questions during the town hall.

We encourage you to find a local viewing party for the Live National Townhall! Check your state’s Facebook page for more information on the closest viewing party near you. You can also watch the townhall by visiting www.GaryJohnson2012.com. Viewing is free.

The Heartland Tour as part of the campaign for President Barack Obama made stops Monday in Painesville and Newbury Township to discuss the middle class and the economy.

At the Painesville stop was former Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Bob Boggs; Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61; and Obama for America-Ohio Rural Vote Director Michael McCandlish.

In Newbury, appearing were McCandlish and Deborah Reiter, Chardon Councilwoman and chairwoman of the Geauga Democratic Party Women’s Caucus.

Meanwhile, the campaign for Republican Mitt Romney hosted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for a campaign briefing Tuesday morning at the Richmond Heights Victory Center.

The Obama campaign said the economy in both counties is improving, citing 4,900 new jobs in Lake County, and 2,200 jobs in Geauga County since March 2010, sourcing the statistics to an Ohio Labor Force Query.

Also noted was the unemployment rate in Lake County dropped from 8.4 percent in July 2009 to 6.2 percent in July this year.

In Geauga County unemployment dropped from 7.2 percent in July 2009 to 5.7 percent in July this year.

The Obama campaign also noted there have been signficiant infrastructure investments made through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the agricultural safety net and access to capital has greatly expanded through crop insurance and emergency disaster assistance.

Campaign officials also said that through the new health care law an estimated 1,462 young adults who otherwise would have lacked insurance now have it through their parents’ plan in Lake County and 634 young adults in Geauga County.

In Richmond Heights, Sen. Rubio was slated to discuss why the country needs a president who will address the growing national debt that has more than doubled under the Obama Administration. 

The Romney campaign said that almost four years after taking office, and several visits from Obama to the Buckeye State, Ohioans are not better off under Obama.

Romney officials said as the nation has $16 trillion of debt things would continue to get worse and that Obama has failed to lead and instead relied on budget “gimmicks” instead of actual spending cuts.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Come to Lake Erie College next Wednesday night for a candidate forum, featuring candidates for Lake County commissioner.

The event is at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 in the C.K. Rickel Theatre at the Royce Hall for the Fine and Performing Arts at Lake Erie College. Bob Aufuldish, John Hamercheck, Judy Moran and David Fiebig will be part of a discussion moderated by the League of Women Voters.

We're also getting assistance from Lake County Chambers of Commerce and Lakeland Community College, which is taping the event for later broadcast.

Read more from Laura Kessel in her blog post A little help with upcoming candidate forum?

We'd never be able to publish all of the photos of local candidates campaigning, but now we're giving them the opportunity to share those photos with readers through www.News-Herald.com.

Candidates running for office in the November election are invited to share their pictures from the campaign trail in our album "Candidates on the 2012 campaign trail," found on our community photo galleries page at yourpics.News-Herald.com.

You're free to share any photos from your campaign, whether you're at a local festival, walking in a parade or meeting members of your community.

Readers can view photos, like and comment on them, and share them on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Candidates can submit photos in several ways:

• Click the upload button in the album, which you can find at yourpics.News-Herald.com, or access directly at bit.ly/2012candidatepics.
• Email individual photos to yourpics@News-Herald.com with "campaign" and your caption in the subject line.
• Tweet photos and captions to @newsheraldinoh with the hashtag #campaign.
• Instagram photos and captions to @newsheraldinoh with the hashtag #campaign.

Photos submitted in one of these four ways will go to our moderation queue, where a News-Herald staff member will approve them before they are published online.

Photos for this album will be accepted through Nov. 3, 2012, the Saturday before Election Day.

Find the album at bit.ly/2012candidatepics, and check out all of the community photos on our gallery page at yourpics.News-Herald.com.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Now that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney appeared Friday at Lake Erie College in Painesville, will President Barack Obama visit Lake County before the Nov. 6 election?

The county traditionally has been a bellwether for how the state of Ohio votes in a presidential election.

It’s common knowledge that Ohio and its 18 electoral votes will play a key role in whether Romney or Obama wins the presidency for the next four years.

Many think the county leans Republican, but in 2008, Obama won Lake County, beating U.S. Sen. John McCain 60,155 to 59,142, or 49.5 percent to 48.6 percent. Obama also won Ohio, beating McCain 2,940,044 to 2,677,820, or 51.38 percent to 46.80 percent.

McCain visited Mentor High School in October 2008 while campaigning for president.

Obama did not make a stop in Lake County during the 2008 campaign.

So far in this presidential campaign cycle, Obama has come to Ohio numerous times, but he hasn’t made a stop in Lake, Geauga or Ashtabula counties.

In fact, he hasn’t visited any of those three counties as president.

But he’s been to Democratic-stronghold Cleveland and other eastern and western Cuyahoga County communities several times.

Lake County, with 230,000-plus residents, is the 11th largest county in population in Ohio.

Vice President Joe Biden appeared in Euclid in November 2011 to thank voters for supporting Issue 2, the measure to repeal Ohio Senate Bill 5.

Maybe Biden will appear in Lake County before the Nov. 6 election? Remember when John Edwards, who in 2004 was the running mate for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, stopped for a rally at Mentor High School?

President George W. Bush also liked to visit Lake County during his two terms as president, including visits to Lake Metroparks Farmpark and Lakeland Community College. Bush and Romney also were guests for fundraisers at the home of businessman Ed Crawford.

It’s not like it should be difficult for organizers to find places in the county for Obama to visit or rally.

Ask the people who remember when Bush stopped at Yours Truly Restaurant in Mentor, a presidential visit is something most people don’t forget.

Even if you disagree with or don’t like a president, it’s still nice and an honor for one to come to the place you call home.

I don’t know whether the nation’s leader will read this column, but I have a question for him anyway, because it doesn’t hurt to ask: Mr. President, will we see you in Lake County before the election?

Meet and greet

* The Geauga County Republican Women and Bill Patterson will host a meet and greet for local GOP candidates from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Orchard Hills Event Center on Caves Road behind Patterson’s Fruit Farm in Chester Township.

* Meet and Greet event for Lake County commissioner candidates David M. Fiebig and John Hamercheck, treasurer candidate Bob Patterson and Recorder Jason Wuliger at 7:15 Monday at the home of John and Therese Herubin in Mentor.

Fundies

* Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hellriegel’s Inn in Painesville Township. See Lindsay Baruffa.

* Golf Outing and Dinner fundraiser for Nancy McArthur, candidate for Ohio Senate District 32, lunch at noon, tee-off at 1 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday at Fowlers Mill in Chester Township. See Jim Flaiz or Mike Petruziello.

* Heidi and Jamie Callender will host a fundraiser for Ohio House of Representative Republican candidates in Lake and Geauga counties, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at their home in Concord Township. See Heidi.

* Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy hosts his Fall Classic and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, 5 p.m. dinner Oct. 1 at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Troy or Kip Molenaar.

* Werner Barthol, candidate for Lake County prosecutor, hosting Oktoberfest 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 5 at Lake Metroparks Painesville Township Park Community Center/Ballroom. See Kelly Barthol or James Falvey.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com 

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The Republican Party will conduct a poster making party this at 5:30 p.m. today at Lake Erie College in Painesville in preparation for Mitt Romney’s appearance there Friday afternoon.

Volunteers will gather to make posters in support of Romney’s plan to reduce the deficit.

According to the Republican National Committee Headquarters media advisory:

“President Obama said in 2008 that adding $4 trillion to our national debt was ‘irresponsible’ and ‘unpatriotic.’ However, after three and a half years, the president’s unpatriotic plan has only sunk our country over $5 trillion deeper into debt.  Every Ohioan, young and old, owes over $50,000 in their share of this debt.  This is a burden on the backs of future generations and a threat to our way of life.”

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Looking to have a screaming match with someone who opposes your political views? There's a website for that: PoliticalScreamingMatch.com.

Simply put in your phone number, choose your position on the week's topic, and let the site know how long you can wait for someone to talk with.

On The Media did a segment on Political Screaming Match in July. Give that a listen to get an idea of the goal behind the website and to see how it works.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

The Lake and Geauga Area Association of Realtor’s Legislative Committee announced it supports the following candidates for these races:

U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio 14th Congressional District: David Joyce
Ohio Senate District 18: John Eklund
Ohio House of Representative District 76: Matt Lynch
Ohio House of Representative District 61: Ron Young
Ohio House of Representative District 60: John Rogers
Geauga County Commissioner: Tracy Jemison
Geauga County Recorder: Sharon Gingerich
Geauga County Clerk of Courts: Denise Kaminski
Lake County Commissioner: John Hamercheck 
Lake County Commissioner: David Fiebig
Lake County Prosecutor: Charles Coulson
Lake County Treasurer: Bob Patterson
Lake County Recorder: Jason Wuliger
Lake County Clerk of Courts: Maureen Kelly

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Doesn't it seem like there have been a lot of appointments lately?

I’m not talking about the ones you make with your doctor or business associate.

On Wednesday, the Lake County Republican Party appointed Jason Wuliger as the new county recorder.

That’s because there was a vacancy left by the resignation of former Recorder Frank Suponcic.

Before that, John Rogers was appointed as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Ohio House of Representatives District 60 after Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy decided to drop out as the candidate to finish his last two years on his current term as commissioner.

Shockingly, U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette decided to retire and drop out from running again effective Aug. 8 after he won the Republican Party’s nomination in March. David Joyce was then appointed as the new nominee by the seven county party chairman and central committee secretaries.

To replace Joyce on the Nov. 6 ballot for Geauga County prosecutor, the county GOP last month appointed Jim Flaiz as the new nominee.

At the same meeting, Dr. Robert S. Coleman was appointed as the new Republican nominee for coroner after Dr. John Urbancic dropped out.

In June, former Geauga County Commissioner Bill Young retired and that created two appointments.

First, Geauga Republicans appointed Walter “Skip” Claypool as commissioner to serve until after the Nov. 6 election.

Then at the same meeting, Mary Samide, who lost in a primary for re-election, was appointed as the GOP nominee to run Nov. 6 to fill the unexpired term of Young. Geauga Democrats selected Jim Dvorak as their nominee and he’ll run against Samide.

Matt Lynch was appointed by Ohio House Republicans to serve as state representative to replace Mary Brigid “Bridey” Matheney for Ohio House of Representatives 98th District. Lynch got the nod after it was agreed that the Ohio House GOP would appoint the winner of the 76th House District’s four-way primary. Matheney had been appointed prior to that to replace Richard Hollington, who became Hunting Valley mayor.

State Sen. John Eklund was appointed last year to represent Ohio’s 18th Senate District after Tim Grendell left the Ohio Senate to be appointed as Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court judge.

Going back in time, there are a few more appointments in Geauga County that all seemed to start when former state Rep. Matt Dolan resigned to run for Cuyahoga County executive.

Appointments are a necessary part of the political process because it’s inevitable that positions become vacant.

But again, doesn’t it seem like there have been more than usual in Lake and Geauga counties within the past year or so?

I wonder how, or if, this might resonate with voters on Nov. 6. Will it really matter?

Candidate forum

Lake County Chambers of Commerce will host a Legislative Candidates Forum and Breakfast to highlight candidates running for the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites LaMalfa in Mentor. Contact your local respective chamber for registration details.

Meet-and-greet

Candidates David M. Fiebig, John Hamercheck, Bob Patterson, Ron Young, Wuliger, and Eklund will be at the Willoughby Hills home of Bob and Carolyn Patton, at 3 p.m. Saturday for a meet-and-greet event in conjunction with the Heritage Club of Northeast Ohio.

Fundies

n Fifth Annual Oktoberfest for Judy Moran, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Regovich’s in Eastlake. See Kathy Russo or Robert Leach.

n Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at Hellriegel’s Inn in Painesville Township. See Lindsay Baruffa.

n Golf Outing and Dinner fundraiser for Nancy McArthur, candidate for Ohio Senate District 32, lunch at noon, tee-off at 1 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 at Fowlers Mill in Chester Township. See Jim Flaiz or Mike Petruziello.

n Troy hosts his Fall Classic and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, 5 p.m. dinner, Oct. 1 at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Troy or Kip Molenaar.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The campaign to re-elect President Barack Obama will open a field office tonight in Eastlake.

Mayor Ted Andrzejewski will provide remarks during the event that begins at 7 p.m. at 35560 Vine St.

The Obama campaign said the Eastlake office will serve as a community hub for 2012 election activities in Lake County and this office opening is just the latest step in building up the campaign infrastructure across Ohio as election season ramps up.

Andrzejewski will thank volunteers for their efforts to help re-elect Obama and discuss the choice in this election between two fundamentally different visions of how to grow the economy, create middle-class jobs and pay down the debt.

Campaign officials said the choice is between Obama’s vision of moving America forward to an economy built to last with a strong middle class at its core or Mitt Romney’s vision of going back to the same “top-down” economic policies that crashed our economy and punished the middle class.

Following the speaking program, supporters will participate in a statewide night of action, hitting the phones to talk to their friends and neighbors about the stark choice in this election.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Having trouble figuring out who should get your vote for president? Check out Project Vote Smart's Vote Easy.

You can answer questions about national issues and rank the importance of each. With every question you answer, the lawn signs for the candidates will move forward or backward, depending on how much the candidate matches up with you. The signs even display nifty percentages to let you know how closely the candidates match up with your beliefs.

If you want to learn more about any of the candidates, you can click the lawn signs to where they stand on every issue. If you've already answered questions, you can see whether your responses match with theirs.

It's a pretty nice and easy way to bypass all the commercials and speeches to find out exactly what the candidates think.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Jason Wuliger, candidate for Lake County Recorder, announced the following endorsements:

Willoughby Mayor Dave Anderson, Willoughby City Councilman Jeff Black, Mentor Council President Scott J. Marn, Mentor Councilwoman Janet Dowling, Concord Township Trustees Connie Luhta and Christopher Galloway, Willoughby Hills Mayor Robert Weger, Willoughby Hills Council President David Reichelt, Willoughby Hills Councilman Ray Somich, Perry Village Mayor Vicky Stevens, North Perry Village Councilmen Dick Shreve and Bill Mattingly, Madison Township Trustee Pete Wayman, Kirtland Mayor Mark Tyler, Mentor-on-the-Lake Councilman Troy Elam, Fairport Harbor Councilman Anthony Bertone, Waite Hill Mayor Bob Ranallo, and Waite Hill Council President Ryan Cox.

Wuliger also announced support from the Lake Geauga Area Association of Realtors.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dale Fellows confirmed that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will attend a private fundraiser in Lake County on Sept. 14.

The event, not open to the public, will be held at the home of Ed Crawford, who has hosted other GOP presidential candidates before, most recently former President George W. Bush.

Fellows said it is his understanding that at some point before the Nov. 6 election, Romney will appear in Lake County for a public rally.

“We’ve been told he would be, it’s just a matter of when,” Fellows said.

GOP officials also continue work to have Romney’s running mate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan come to Lake County as well, Fellows said.

Ryan appeared Tuesday in Westlake.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Before David Joyce was named as the new Republican Party nominee for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, there were several others who could have been selected.

However, Joyce, who has served as Geauga County prosecutor for 24 years, worked to earn unanimous support from party leaders to get the nomination. He will be a good candidate and I consider him the favorite against Democrat Dale Virgil Blanchard.

I believe if some others had expressed they wanted the nomination it would have been very interesting when the seven party chairman and seven county central committee secretaries met to cast their votes.

Judges Diane and Tim Grendell and Vincent Culotta were among those initially under consideration when U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette decided to retire.

Ultimately, they each passed on the chance to head to Washington.

One reason I think each declined is because they’d have had to step down from the bench in order to run for Congress, as they would not be allowed to run while in office.

That means they’d have to give up a paycheck for several months without any guarantee of winning, although each likely would have been the frontrunner.

Judges like Culotta and the Grendells normally are on the ballot every six years. But, Tim Grendell has an election this fall to keep his seat on the Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court bench for the next few years, because he’s filling an unexpired term.

Those serving in Congress face re-election every two years, so just as you get settled in, it’s time to think about campaigning.

I also think LaTourette’s chief of staff Dino DiSanto would have gotten strong consideration had he wanted the position, but he decided against it.

Others who were interested in the nomination such as former state Rep. Matt Dolan and state Rep. Ron Young apparently didn’t get enough support from the party chairman and central committee secretaries.

But in two years, when the position is up again, it will be all hands on deck. No matter who wins this November, Joyce or Blanchard, I think there will be primaries on both the GOP and Democratic sides in 2014, and look for some of the same names I’ve mentioned.

Lake County recorder update

With Lake County Recorder Frank A. Suponcic’s resignation effective on Friday, the county Republican Party will need to make an appointment to fill the vacant position.

Suponcic said when he announced his resignation that he recommended Jason Wuliger be appointed as the new recorder. Wuliger is the Republican Party’s nominee for the position Nov. 6 and he faces Democrat Ann Radcliffe.

The Republican Party has a meeting set Wednesday for other purposes but once Suponcic’s resignation is official it is likely the party will add making an appointment to fill the vacancy to the agenda.

Although stranger things have happened, look for Wuliger to get that appointment.

Political event

The Bolton Republican Women’s Club invites all interested ladies to attend the Cupcakes and Candidates Social from 5:30 to 7:30 Sept. 12 at The Confectionary Cupboard in Mentor. Attendees will an opportunity to meet candidates and discuss issues.

Fundies

n Fundraiser for Lori DiNallo, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 60, with guest Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Bill Batchelder, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the home of Tonja Schleicher in Willoughby. See Jan Clair or Sally DiNallo.

n Fundraiser for state Rep. Casey Kozlowski, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 99, 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the home of Tom and Melissa Pope in Saybrook Township. See Kozlowski.

n Fifth Annual Oktoberfest for Judy Moran, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Regovich’s in Eastlake. See Kathy Russo or Robert Leach.

n Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at Hellriegel’s Inn in Painesville Township. See Lindsay Baruffa.

n Golf Outing and Dinner fundraiser for Nancy McArthur, candidate for Ohio Senate District 32, lunch at noon, tee-off at 1 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 at Fowlers Mill in Chester Township. See Jim Flaiz or Mike Petruziello.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah