President Barack Obama will be inaugurated for his second term in office on Monday and among those in attendance will be U.S. Rep. David Joyce.

A presidential inauguration is usually a historic event and this year it also falls on the holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Partisanship can be swept aside for a moment during an inauguration as the air is filled with pomp and circumstance and typically ushers in a spirit that better things are to come for the nation.

For Joyce, R-Russell Township, the event will be his first opportunity to witness a presidential inauguration as a sitting congressman. He plans to bring along his family and has invited someone whom you might not expect.

The new congressman set aside two tickets to attend the inauguration for his opponent Dale Virgil Blanchard, a Solon Democrat who was his party’s nominee Nov. 6 for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District.

Joyce said that when he began his campaign last August the two men agreed to keep things on high ground, and they have stayed in touch since the campaign concluded.

During this session of Congress, Joyce will serve as co-chairman to the U.S. House of Representatives Nursing Caucus.

The caucus meets on a regular basis to discuss issues related to the nursing profession and to help develop ideas and solutions to any challenges facing nursing professionals.

Joyce said it is a natural fit as his wife, Kelly, has been a registered nurse at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center for 22 years.

Filed petitions

John Trebets filed petitions Tuesday to seek re-election for Mentor Municipal Court judge. There would only be a need for a May 7 primary if two or more candidates from the same party file petitions by the Feb. 6 deadline to run for the position. If there is no primary, the position will only appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Painesville City Schools has filed petitions for a May 7 special election to seek a five-year, 6.06-mill renewal levy.

Picked up petitions

Recently taking out petitions with the Lake County Elections Board are Dennis Morley for Eastlake mayor, T.R. Hach for Painesville Township trustee, Nancy Fellows for Willoughby Hills at large Jan. 2, 2014, term, Steven Komarjanski for Willoughby-Eastlake School Board, David Anderson for Willoughby mayor, and Michael Zuren for Eastlake Council at large.

Potential fall primaries?

If three or more people file to run for certain offices in a few Lake County communities there will be nonpartisan primaries on Sept. 17 with the top two vote getters running against each other Nov. 5.

Those races involve Eastlake mayor and three city council at large seats; Mentor-on-the-Lake mayor; Wickliffe mayor, council president and wards 1, 2, 3, 4. Because of potential primaries, the filing deadlines for these races is July 19, rather than Aug. 7 for most other races this year.

Carson named Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association president

Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman Janet Carson was recently elected as president of the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association.

The association’s goal is to work to increase the Democratic vote percentage in all of Ohio’s counties.

The newly elected officers will serve through the 2014 gubernatorial statewide election cycle, when all statewide offices will be on the ballot.

Power 100

Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy along with Lakeland Community College President Morris Beverage; Classic Auto Group owner and president Jim Brown; James Hambrick, chairman, president and CEO of Lubrizol; and Cynthia Moore-Hardy, president and CEO of Lake Health; were recently selected in the January Power 100 issue of Inside Business Magazine as among the region’s most influential leaders.

Fundies

n Troy hosts his annual Mardi Gras Party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at Holiday Inn Express LaMalfa Centre in Mentor. See Kip Molenaar.

n Concord Township Trustees Paul Malchesky and Christopher Galloway re-election fundraiser is 5 to 7 p.m. March 4 at Harry Buffalo in Painesville Township. See Malchesky, Galloway or Connie Luhta.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, was sworn in this afternoon for his first full term to represent the 18th Ohio Senate District, which includes portions of Geauga and Lake counties and all of Portage County.

Eklund – who was first appointed to the Ohio Senate in 2011 – took the oath of office surrounded by family and friends during today’s opening ceremony for the 130th General Assembly.

“Representing the families and communities of Northeastern Ohio in the state Legislature is a true honor, and I am grateful for the trust my constituents have placed in me to ensure their views and opinions are heard at the Statehouse,” Eklund said. “While we accomplished a great deal during the last legislative session in getting Ohioans back to work and transforming our economy, much work remains – and I look forward to tackling the important issues facing Ohio.”

In addition to tending to legislative duties in Columbus, Eklund is a partner in at the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, where he has worked for more than 30 years. Throughout his legal career, much of his work has been centered on areas pertaining to anti-trust litigation, trade regulation, price fixing, class actions, and mergers and acquisitions.

Eklund and his wife Meg reside in Munson Township. They have two daughters and one grandchild.

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

President Barack Obama won Ohio by a slightly higher margin than initially reported after provisional and later arriving absentee ballots were included in the official count for Ohio.

Unofficial results available the night of the election had Obama winning Ohio by two percentage points and it was enough for the state to be put in the win column for the president who was on his way to an Electoral College victory.

It’s not as important now, but it’s interesting to note that the official results certified Thursday by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted show that Obama beat Republican nominee Mitt Romney by three percentage points.

Obama defeated Romney 2,827,621 to 2,661,407 or 50.67 percent to 47.69 percent, official results show.

In this case, and in the grand scheme of things, one percentage point really isn’t that big of a deal. It’s over, nothing has changed.

The addition of provisional and later arriving absentee ballots for the Nov. 6 election favored the Democratic presidential ticket.

Because the race was fairly close the provisional ballots could have played a much larger role had the election in Ohio been just a little bit closer.

What if Romney had been slightly ahead in Ohio on election night and then the state’s electoral votes came down to waiting for the addition of the provisional and absentee ballots?

Obviously that wasn’t the case, and Obama went on to secure the necessary 270 Electoral College votes even without Ohio.

I was surprised that Ohio was called in Obama’s win column on election night so quickly — a little after 11 p.m.

This wouldn’t be a remake of the 2000 presidential election when terms like hanging chads were in vogue as the nation waited to see how the vote in Florida would be concluded.

In Lake County, the addition of provisional and later arriving absentee ballots also favored leaned toward the Democratic presidential ticket as 2,461 votes were added to Obama’s official total and 1,594 votes to Romney’s. Official figures show that Romney won the county 58,744 to 57,680 or 49.50 percent to 48.61 percent.

The pattern also holds true in Lake County for the U.S. Senate race between Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Republican Josh Mandel, who is Ohio’s treasurer.

Brown officially won Lake County 54,981 to 52,795 or 48.27 percent to 46.35 percent.

When the provisional and later arriving absentee ballots were added in, Brown gained 2,085 votes and Mandel gained 1,460 votes, when added to unofficial results.

Ryan candidacy?

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, has been mentioned by some as a possible Democratic candidate for Ohio governor in 2014 as he comes from a strong base in the Youngstown area.

Others typically included in that conversation as possible candidates are former Gov. Ted Strickland and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, has recently indicated that he intends to seek re-election.

Ryan’s chances at a possible nomination probably weren’t helped this week when it was revealed that he was arrested by Lexington, Va. police in August for a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication, according to the Youngstown Vindicator. A Virginia judge recently dismissed the charge.

Ryan called the charge “garbage” and said that he wasn’t intoxicated, but had been walking strangely because he had thrown out his back, the newspaper reported.

The Ohio Republican Party pounced on the news and called on Ryan “to provide a credible explanation about his 2 a.m. arrest.”

Swearing in

Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell, 11th District Court of Appeals Judge Diane Grendell, and Geauga Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Geauga County Probate Juvenile Courtroom A. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer will officiate.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

When thinking back to this past presidential election, it was one of the most intense and longest in terms of covering an election cycle.

The state of Ohio and the Cleveland media market were flooded with television commercials, radio advertisements, direct mailings, and dozens of visits to the region by the two major party presidential candidates. There was a lot of negativity overall, and it seemed like the spirit of bipartisanship had died.

Well, the election is over and the country has moved on but the real question is whether anything will change.

The country’s next national challenge for federal lawmakers and a re-elected President Barack Obama is how to deal with the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

If you’re not sure what that is, it’s basically trillions of dollars of mandatory spending cuts and tax increases that will go into effect after the end of this year if nothing is changed.

Many economists seem to think if that happens, the nation’s economy will be in peril and the country could fall back into a recession.

The concern is whether the current political climate in Washington, D.C., will make it difficult for anything to get done.

Sure, some congressman and senators won’t be back in January when the next session of Congress begins.

The U.S. House of Representatives is still controlled by the Republican Party, and the U.S. Senate is still controlled by the Democratic Party.

During the next few weeks, there will be lots of political posturing by both parties on exactly what to do to avert the cliff.

There already are lots of arguments by Republicans lawmakers about whether letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 2 percent would be a tax increase causing some to violate their pledge not to raise taxes to Grover Norquist, the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform.

Republicans also want entitlement program reform to be part of any discussion when it comes to tax hikes and spending reductions.

Will the Democrats overreach after feeling they have political capital to spend with Obama’s re-election?

The economy was a prime topic during the election, so let’s hope that Congress and the president can come to some sort of agreement and find a way to move the country along.

Election-weary Americans are tired of the bickering.

Mentor-on-the-Lake shakeup

Now that Mentor-on-the-Lake Mayor John Rogers has been elected to serve as the state representative for Ohio House of Representatives District 60, he soon will need to resign as his city’s mayor.

This means there will be some turnover involving the city’s elected leadership.

Mentor-on-the-Lake’s city charter states that the city council president shall serve as mayor until the next municipal election if there is a vacancy for the mayor’s position.

Currently the council president is David Eva. The city charter then states that council by majority vote will then need to appoint someone else to serve on council. If council fails to fill the vacancy within 30 days, the mayor will fill the vacancy.

Swearing in

A public bipartisan swearing in ceremony for all the recently elected public officials in Geauga County will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 26 at Park Elementary School Auditorium in Chardon, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor will preside at the ceremony. 

Inaugural ceremonies of newly elected Ohio Supreme Court Justice William Michael O’Neill, a South Russell Village Democrat, will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Eighth District Court of Appeals Of Ohio in Cleveland.

Bolton Republican Women’s Club

Group holds its next meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 10 at Lake County Republican Party headquarters in Painesville. See Heidi Callender.

LaTourette farewell roast

A retirement party for U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette will be held at the Croatian Lodge in Eastlake from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 8. Cost is $45 per person. Contact the Lake County Republican Party for reservations.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

How Lake County is represented in the Ohio General Assembly in Columbus will have a slightly different look next year.

Filling the seat for Ohio House of Representatives District 60 will be John Rogers, a Mentor-on-the-Lake Democrat, newly elected Nov. 6 when he defeated Painesville Councilwoman Lori DiNallo, a Republican.

Communities in the district are Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Mentor Wards 1-3, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Waite Hill, Willoughby Hills, the townships of Concord, Leroy, Madison, Perry and parts of Painesville Township.

According to final unofficial results (used for all information in this column, as provisional votes will be added next week), Rogers won 25,964 to 21,141 or 55.12 percent to 44.88 percent.

Rogers won each precinct in Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Willowick, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, and Lakeline. He also prevailed in Painesville, winning nine of 10 precincts, seven of nine precincts in Wickliffe and nine of 15 precincts in Willoughby.

Meanwhile, DiNallo won each precinct in Timberlake and the two Painesville Township precincts that are part of the district. She also won six of nine precincts in Mentor.

Overall, Rogers won 67 precincts and DiNallo won 16.

State Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy Township, will remain in the Ohio House, where he’ll represent the new 61st District. He defeated Painesville Township Democrat Susan McGuinness. Young won 31,491 to 26,420, or 54.38 percent to 45.62 percent.

Communities in the district are Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor Ward 4, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, parts of Painesville Township, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick.

Young, who won his second consecutive term, won each precinct in Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Leroy Township, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Perry Township and Waite Hill.

He also was the victor in seven of 10 precincts in Painesville Township, 16 of 25 precincts in Mentor, four of seven precincts in Willoughby Hills and 13 of 14 precincts in Concord Township.

McGuinness won six of 10 precincts in Madison Township. Both candidates won one of two precincts in Madison Village and tied with 433 votes each in Willoughby Hills Precinct CC. Overall, Young won 59 precincts and McGuinness won 22 precincts, plus the one tied precinct.

In the race for Lake County recorder, Concord Township Democrat Ann Radcliffe defeated appointed Recorder Jason Wuliger, a Kirtland Republican.

Radcliffe won 52,502 to 47,353, or 52.58 percent to 47.42 percent.

She also won each precinct in Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, Willowick, Fairport Harbor, Lakeline, Madison Village and Timberlake. Radcliffe was the victor in 18 of 34 precincts in Mentor, eight of nine precincts in Wickliffe, 12 of 15 precincts in Willoughby, eight of 10 precincts in Madison Township, eight of 11 precincts in Painesville Township.

Wuliger won each precinct in Kirtland, Concord Township, Kirtland Hills, North Perry Village, Perry Village and Waite Hill. He also won four of seven precincts in Willoughby Hills.

Both candidates won two of four precincts in Perry Township, one of two precincts in Leroy Township, and tied with 296 votes each in Mentor Precinct 4H.

Overall, Radcliffe won 103 precincts and Wuliger won 53 precincts.

Lake County’s new state senator

Some Lake County residents may not realize that starting in January there will be a second state senator representing the county in Columbus.

State Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District that will be comprised of Ohio House Districts 8, 12 and 60. Her term expires at the end of 2014, so she was not on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Turner attracted some national attention this past week with her criticism of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, accusing him of enacting policies of voter suppression and hinting she might run for the office in 2014, and with what she views as a war by Republicans on women’s reproductive rights, specifically citing a state bill that would ban abortions after doctors can detect a fetal heartbeat.

Prior to reapportionment, all of Lake County was all within Ohio Senate District 18, which is represented by state Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, who retained his seat Nov. 6 after defeating Democrat Jim Mueller.

Now the Ohio 18th Senate district will consist of House Districts 61, 75, 76, which is half of Lake County, two-thirds of Geauga County and all of Portage County. It no longer includes any of Cuyahoga County.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The video below — "The Amazing Morphing Campaign Money Map," produced by NPR — is the best explainer I've seen for why we Ohioans were bombarded with political ads in the last several months.



Should that make us feel more important? Or maybe just more used.


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

The three-member Lake County Board of Commissioners will definitely have a western Lake County feel next year.

It also will be an all-Democrat commission, as Robert E. Aufuldish of Wickliffe was re-elected Tuesday and Willowick Council President Judy Moran was elected to her first term.

They join Willowick Democrat Daniel P. Troy, who remains on the board until his term expires at the end of 2014.

According to final unofficial results (used for all information in this column), Aufuldish won by a margin of 54,787 to 49,081.

He won each precinct in Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, Wickliffe, Willoughby, Willowick, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, and Timberlake.

Aufuldish also prevailed in Madison Township, winning seven of 10 precincts and six of 11 in Painesville Township,

His opponent, Republican John R. Hamercheck, a Madison Village councilman, won each precinct in Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Leroy Township, his hometown Madison Village, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Perry Township and Waite Hill.

Hamercheck also won 13 of 14 precincts in Concord Township and four of seven precincts in Willoughby Hills.

The two candidates split the city of Mentor, as each won 17 precincts.

Overall, Aufuldish won 99 precincts, while Hamercheck won 58 precincts.

Moran won by a margin of 53,713 to 50,897, defeating Willoughby Hills Councilman David M. Fiebig.

Moran won each precinct in Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, Wickliffe, Willowick, Fairport Harbor, Grand River and Timberlake.

She also was victorious in Willoughby by winning 10 of 15 precincts, six of 10 precincts in Madison Township and six of 11 precincts in Painesville Township.

Fiebig won each precinct in Kirtland, Concord Township, Kirtland Hills, Leroy Township, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Perry Township and Waite Hill.

He also took 19 of 34 precincts in Mentor and five of seven precincts in his hometown Willoughby Hills.

Overall, Moran won 89 precincts, and Fiebig won 67 precincts. They tied in Mentor Precinct 2C, as each received 421 votes.

For both commissioners races combined, there were 208,478 total votes for the two races and of that figure 108,500 were for Democrats with 99,978 for Republicans.

That contrasts to the top of each party’s ticket in Lake County, where Republican Mitt Romney beat President Barack Obama by a margin of 57,150 to 55,219 giving Romney the edge by 1,931 votes.

Also in Lake County, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, beat Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, by a margin of 52,896 to 51,335 to win the county’s overall vote by 1,561 votes.

In a future column, I’ll take a look at how the Ohio House of Representatives races in Lake County shaped out and possibly others that have generated interest.

Prediction recap

In last Sunday’s column I made predictions for 18 races that appeared in the print edition. I also posted those plus 10 additional picks on the News-Herald’s political blog.

Out of 28 races, I got 24 correct — missing on one countywide result in Lake and Geauga counties, one multi-county race and one statewide race.

In print, 16 of were 18 correct, missing on the races for Lake County recorder and Geauga County commissioner for the unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014.

I incorrectly picked Jason Wuliger to defeat Ann Radcliffe in the recorder’s race, and Jim Dvorak to beat Mary Samide in the commissioner race. Radcliffe and Samide were victorious.

For the additional 10 picks published online, I missed when I picked Mary Jane Trapp to defeat Colleen O’Toole for 11th District Court of Appeals, and I picked Yvette McGee Brown to beat Sharon L. Kennedy for Ohio Supreme Court for the unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014. O’Toole and Kennedy were victorious.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

After reading through the final unofficial elections results by precinct in Lake County, it was interesting to see how Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama did in the two communities where they appeared to campaign.

Basically, in each community where they appeared for a campaign rally they lost.

Romney visited Lake Erie College in Painesville on Sept. 14 and Obama visited Mentor High School on Nov. 3.

Despite Romney’s appearance in the city, Painesville residents tended to vote for Obama giving him 3,976 votes to 2,114 for Romney. That means Obama won the city by 1,862 votes.

To compare, despite Obama’s appearance just three days before the election, Mentor voters sided more with Romney giving him 13,583 votes to 11,266 for Obama. That gave Romney a 2,317 victory in Mentor.

Overall in Lake County, Romney had 57,150 votes or 49.91 percent to 55,219 votes or 48.22 percent for Obama.

That translates to Romney carrying Lake County by a 1,931 votes, but it wasn't enough for him to win Ohio.

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

The presidential election Tuesday is just a couple days away and there are many races for voters to decide.

With that said, several races in Lake and Geauga counties and Ohio were tough for me to predict winners and I could be wrong on quite a few, but here are some of them (not meant to imply endorsement).

President (Ohio winner)

Candidates: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Comment/Prediction: Obama. Very close and Romney could win; we might not know the winner Tuesday.

U.S. Senate

Candidates: Sherrod Brown, Josh Mandel

Prediction/Comment: Brown. Ohio’s nastiest race; Mandel could win if Romney carries Ohio.

14th Congressional District

Candidates: Dale Virgil Blanchard, David Joyce, David Macko, Elaine Mastromatteo

Prediction/Comment: Joyce. Elected experience, large campaign warchest and Steve LaTourette’s blessing; Blanchard got little party support.

Ohio House District 60

Candidates: Lori DiNallo, John Rogers

Prediction/Comment: Rogers. Toss-up. Democratic district helps Rogers only able to campaign two months.

Ohio House District 61

Candidates: Susan McGuinness, Ron Young

Prediction/Comment: Young. Incumbent should hold serve.

Ohio House District 76

Candidates: Matt Lynch, Tom Warren

Prediction/Comment: Lynch wins the Republican-leaning district.

Ohio House District 99

Candidates: Casey Kozlowski, John Patterson

Prediction/Comment: Patterson. Close, despite adding parts of Geauga, district still leans Democratic.

Ohio Senate District 18

Candidates: John Eklund, Jim Mueller

Prediction/Comment: Eklund. Lots of help from Republican Senate campaign, but Mueller could make it close.

Ohio Senate District 32

Candidates: Capri S. Cafaro, Nancy McArthur

Prediction/Comment: Cafaro. Incumbent has spent much more money in Democratic leaning district.

Lake County commissioner Jan. 2 term

Candidates: David M. Fiebig, Judy Moran

Prediction/Comment: Moran. Toss-up, Moran has edge with previous countywide run and higher name ID.

Lake County commissioner Jan. 3 term

Candidates: Robert E. Aufuldish, John R. Hamercheck

Prediction/Comment: Aufuldish. Close, but if he wins the Madison area, he’s re-elected.

Lake County clerk of courts

Candidates: Maureen G. Kelly, Emily Teresczuk

Prediction/Comment: Kelly. Incumbent should win fairly comfortably.

Lake County prosecutor

Candidates: Werner Barthol, Charles E. Coulson

Prediction/Comment: Coulson. Longtime prosecutor wins.

Lake County recorder

Candidates: Ann Radcliffe, Jason Wuliger

Prediction/Comment: Wuliger. He got an appointed head-start on the job and has spent a lot of money to keep it.

Lake County treasurer

Candidates: Lorraine M. Fende, Bob Patterson

Prediction/Comment: Fende. High name ID and the long-time office holder should win.

Geauga County commissioner Jan. 2 term

Candidates: Tracy Jemison, Fred Welty

Prediction/Comment: Jemison. It will be difficult to knock out the incumbent.

Geauga County commissioner Jan. 3 term

Candidates: Christopher John Lacny, Ralph Spidalieri

Prediction/Comment: Spidalieri. After winning a contested GOP primary, he’s the favorite.

Geauga County commissioner unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014

Candidates: Jim Dvorak, Mary Samide

Prediction/Comment: Dvorak. This would mean Democrats get a seat at the commissioners’ table.

Ohio Supreme Court Jan. 1 term

Candidates: Robert W. Price, Terrence O’Donnell

Prediction/Comment: O’Donnell. I'll pick the incumbent here.

 

Ohio Supreme Court Jan. 2 term

Candidates: William M. O’Neill, Robert R. Cupp

Prediction/Comment: O’Neill. Does his issue about judges and money resonate with voters?

 

Ohio Supreme Court unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014

Candidates: Yvette McGee Brown, Sharon L. Kennedy

Prediction/Comment: Brown. Appointed justice keeps seat on the bench.

 

11th District Court of Appeals Feb. 9 term

Candidates: Mary Jane Trapp, Colleen M. O’Toole

Prediction/Comment: Trapp. Trapp prevails in this rematch.

 

Geauga Common Pleas Court judge

Candidates: Forrest Burt, Scott Matasar

Prediction/Comment: Burt. Matasar campaigned hard, but I think Burt wins.

 

Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court

Candidates: Tim Grendell, Timothy Snyder

Prediction/Comment: Grendell. It’s really hard to pick against him in any race.

 

Geauga County coroner

Candidates: Robert S. Coleman Jr,, Robert A. Evans

Prediction/Comment: Coleman. Might be close as Evans is a name people might remember.

 

Geauga County clerk of courts

Candidates: Bonnie Cavanaugh, Denise Kaminski

Prediction/Comment: Kaminski. Incumbent should prevail.

 

Geauga County recorder

Candidates: Sharon Gingerich, JoAnne Ryan

Prediction/Comment: Gingerich. Republican should win.

 

Geauga County prosecutor

Candidates: Jeffrey J. Fanger, James Flaiz

Prediction/Comment: Flaiz. I'll pick the Republican here too and he's Geauga Bar Association president.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

With President Barack Obama set to speak Saturday morning at Mentor High School, campaign officials urged voters to cast their ballots early.

Robert Schiebli, vice-chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, spoke during a press conference Friday afternoon at the Obama campaign’s Mentor field office.

He urged people not to forget their right to vote and to support the president.

“We’re fighting to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known — the promise that hard work will pay off, responsibility will be rewarded, and that everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share and plays by the same rules,” Schiebli said.

Obama’s appearance comes just three days before the election as both Republican candidate Mitt Romney and Obama know how important Ohio is to each’s chance for victory.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, R-Ohio, will begin a statewide get-out-the-vote bus tour on Saturday in support of Romney, Josh Mandel and Ohio Republicans running for Congress.

Boehner will appear at Lake County Republican Party headquarters in Painesville for an event that begins at 6 p.m.

At each stop, Boehner will thank volunteers, tout local candidates, and draw a clear contrast between Romney’s plan to create jobs.

State Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy Township, will also give a speech at the Boehner event in Painesville and he plans to discuss the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and this year’s elections.

In-person absentee voting is set to conclude Monday as voters may go to their respective county elections boards from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday.

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

Curiosity is what brought Becky Moorman to a get tickets Thursday at President Barack Obama’s campaign field office in Mentor.

Moorman, a Mentor-on-the-Lake resident, considers herself an independent voter, so she stood in line to get a chance to see Obama for herself Saturday morning during a rally at Mentor High School.

She believes Ohio will be a key for the presidential election.

“I think it means Ohio is a weighing factor,” Moorman said.

For much of the day, lines extended out the door of the Obama campaign’s Mentor field office, 7537 Mentor Ave.

Deb Druhot of Willoughby is a volunteer with the campaign at the Mentor facility.

Druhot and other campaign volunteers are excited to have the president speak in Lake County.

“It means a lot,” she said. “There have been a lot of people in Lake County working really hard on this, we’re pretty pumped.”

Doors for the event open at 9 a.m. Saturday and a ticket is required. Tickets were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at this location and were to be distributed until they run out.

Another message volunteers continue to work on is to encourage as many people as possible to vote through Tuesday, Druhot said.

Willoughby resident Jamie Barnes said this will be her first chance to see the president in person.

“I have missed every other opportunity to see President Obama and I would like to participate in this,” Barnes said. “It’s very close to voting and he knows if he doesn’t get the state he doesn’t have much of a chance.”

Other field offices that were distributing tickets are located at 35560 Vine St. in Eastlake; 216 E. Main St. in Painesville; 5192 Chillicothe Road in South Russell; and 2205 Lake Ave. in Ashtabula.

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

There are just nine days left until the Nov. 6 election and it’s been a long campaign season.

For many political folks, this election cycle has been the longest in memory, effectively beginning more than a year ago when Republican presidential hopefuls started their campaigns.

In Ohio, the filing deadline for partisan races was 11 months ago, with the filing deadline just weeks after the November election. Many local campaigns kicked off shortly afterward.

Ohio has a reputation as a swing state and that is reflected by the enormous amount of advertising — much of it negative — conducted during the presidential campaign and the tight race for U.S. Senate between incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican.

With 18 electoral votes at stake, Ohio continues to be a central focus for incumbent President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. We’ve seen more than five dozen visits from presidential campaigns during this election cycle in Ohio.

That’s because both sides know how critical the state could be for victory, especially since no GOP nominee has ever been elected president without carrying Ohio. No Democrat has done so since 1960 when President John F. Kennedy was elected.

There are only a handful of states considered by polls to be a toss up —  Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin. Most other states are considered to lean or be solidly in one candidate’s corner.

With that in mind, for months Ohio airwaves have been flooded with commercials and continuous coverage by national talk shows and news media that dissect every bit of the presidential campaign and that includes the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate.

This all continues even as many people have made up their mind in Ohio because absentee voting by mail and in-person began Oct. 2. Nearly two million voters in the state have already utilized this option, reports Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

Many local candidates have concluded or will soon wrap up their fundraising and now concentrate on using their remaining time and resources to let people know just a little bit more about them with the hope they’ll remember their name at the polls.

There’s been a lot of knocking on doors, parade marching, phone calls, literature drops and candidate forums and debates.

That election season is slowly coming to a close and soon it will be time to learn just how all that effort pays off.

J.C. Watts appearing in Mentor

Former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, of Oklahoma, a former college football quarterback and conservative Republican, speaks today in Mentor with the Concerned Veterans for America bus tour titled, “We Can Do Better”.

The event will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Mentor Civic Center Amphitheater as part of a 10-day East Coast bus tour of decorated military veterans traveling through campaign “swing states” prior to Election Day to generate awareness of the mounting challenges facing service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and veterans of all generations.

The bus tour, sponsored by Concerned Veterans for America will allow veterans and voters in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio and across the nation to hear directly from leaders in the veterans’ community about critical issues.

Candidate event

Soup and crackers lunch with David M. Fiebig, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 11:30 to 1 p.m. Monday at Surfside Towers Party Room in Eastlake.

Candidate endorsements

For any Nov. 6 candidates who have earned endorsements (not from The News-Herald), feel free to email them or fax them. Because of the volume and space required to list them, these items will not be printed in this column. Instead, they’ll be posted periodically until Nov. 2 on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics Blog at NorthernOhioLocalPolitics.blogspot.com.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman will visit Mentor and Chardon on Friday afternoon as part of the Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus, according to Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Portman, R-Ohio, will appear at the Mentor Victory Center, 7488 Mentor Ave., at 1 p.m. and later will head to Geauga County Republican Party Headquarters, 11993 Ravenna Road, Chardon, for a 2:30 p.m. appearance.


Portman plans to lay out the choice he believes voters face in November between two very different visions for our nation’s future.

At each stop, Republican supporters will hold Commit to Mitt Early Voting events and make phone calls from the bus reminding people to vote early or return their absentee ballots. The Early Vote Express tour kicked off October 2 and has since visited 63 counties.

The senator who has actively been an active part of Romney campaign efforts will also make stops in Avon Lake, Fairview Park and Kent as part of the effort to encourage Ohioans to vote early for the GOP ticket.

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

Bob Patterson, candidate for Lake County treasurer, announced he has received endorsement by Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.

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

With the retirement of Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton slated for year’s end, who might be on tap to replace her on the bench?

It will be up to Gov. John Kasich to appoint a new justice, as Stratton’s term expires in 2014.

The Republican governor recently said he and his staff would evaluate applicants with input from several distinguished legal professionals from across the state.

Kasich said that he will accept applications through Nov. 16 and would like to announce an appointment by the end of the year, but would take whatever time is needed to evaluate candidates for his decision.

Might there be some interest by some local folks?

How about Diane or Tim Grendell? She’s been an 11th District Court of Appeals Court judge since 2000 and has served as a visiting judge for Ohio Supreme Court cases.

Tim Grendell currently sits on the bench as Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court judge.

He’s no stranger to the appointment process as Kasich appointed him in September 2011 to his current role on the bench.

What about Lake County Common Pleas Court Judges Richard L. Collins Jr., Vincent A. Culotta or Eugene A. Lucci?

Remember Lucci ran for 11th District Court of Appeals in 2010 and was the Republican Party’s nominee after winning a primary against Colleen O’Toole.

It’s settled

Because the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling, there will indeed be in-person absentee voting across the state for the final three days before the Nov. 6 election. Those hours are: Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Nov. 4, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and Nov. 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Local election officials now at least know what to expect as the case had remained in legal limbo for weeks during the appeals process.

The decision to extend hours during the week and on the final three days will require staffing and time to assist voters with their ballots.

I think it will be interesting to see what that means in terms of lines at elections board offices. Elections officials hope with expanded hours during the weekdays voters who choose to vote an in-person absentee ballot won’t have to wait long because they will have more opportunities.

Will voters go to their respective elections boards on that Sunday? Some elections officials expressed relief that the in-person voting ends at 2 p.m. on that Monday because they will need time to process those voters and make sure that all the poll books reflect that someone already voted.

Candidate event

Soup and crackers lunch with David M. Fiebig, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 11:30 to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Surfside Towers Party Room in Eastlake.

Candidate endorsements

For any Nov. 6 candidates who have earned endorsements (not from The News-Herald), feel free to email them or fax them. Because of the volume and space required to list them, these items will not be printed in this column. Instead, they’ll be posted periodically on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics Blog at NorthernOhioLocalPolitics.blogspot.com.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

Fundies

n Judy Moran, candidate for Lake County commissioner, hosts a Ladies Luncheon with special guest speaker Kathy Purmal, noon to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 21, at Cappelli’s Party Center in Mentor. See Kathy Russo or Shirely Vesel.

n Last Clam Bake for U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, with proceeds to be given to the campaign of David Joyce, candidate for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Croatian Lodge in Eastlake. See Nick Ciofani or Liberty Schindel.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah