You may also count Lake County Recorder Ann Radcliffe as another person who has ruled out an interest to receive an appointment as Lake County commissioner in January.

“I am very happy serving as the county Recorder and this is where I would like to stay for many years to come. After two years in office I can still say that I am not a politician but a full time hands-on Recorder who works with the staff and will continue working to meet the needs of the public," Radcliffe said.

Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish has served the past 18 years as commissioner and announced Nov. 18 that he would not seek re-election in 2016 and he would resign effective Dec. 31. The Lake County Democratic Party Central Committee will appoint a new commissioner in January.

So far, Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO and Laketran Trustee President Kevin Malecek is the only person to publicly announce a candidacy. Malecek also is a former Willoughby Hills councilman.

Others who sources say are in the mix are state Rep. John Rogers; Common Pleas Court Judge Joe Gibson, who term ends this year and couldn’t run for re-election due to age limits; Clerk of Courts Maureen Kelly; Mentor Councilman Matt Donovan; and Concord Township Trustee Paul Malchesky.

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

Lake County Treasurer Lorraine M. Fende said she is not interested in a potential appointment as Lake County commissioner.

"When I ran for treasurer, I made a commitment to the residents of Lake County to pursue the collection of delinquent taxes and I would be remiss in my duties as an elected official if I didn't keep that promise," Fende said.

Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish has served the past 18 years as commissioner and announced Nov. 18 that he would not seek re-election in 2016 and he would resign effective Dec. 31. The Lake County Democratic Party Central Committee will appoint a new commissioner in January.

So far, Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO and Laketran Trustee President Kevin Malecek is the only person to publicly announce a candidacy. Malecek also is a former Willoughby Hills councilman.

Others who sources say are in the mix are state Rep. John Rogers; Common Pleas Court Judge Joe Gibson, who term ends this year and couldn’t run for re-election due to age limits; Clerk of Courts Maureen Kelly; Recorder Ann Radcliffe; Mentor Councilman Matt Donovan; and Concord Township Trustee Paul Malchesky.

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

State Rep. John Rogers announced he’s received candidacy endorsements by Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, Fraternal Order of Police, Western Lake County Lodge No. 116, Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio AFL-CIO, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, Ohio Education Association’s Fund for Children and Public Education, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 880, Ohio Association of Public School Employees, AFSCME Power In Action, Ohio Civil Services Employees Association, AFSCME Local 11, Ohio Right To Life, Ohio Buckeye Firearms, Ohio-Kentucky Administrative District Council of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, Local Union No. 33, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Sheet Metal, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART), Local 18 of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

And from state Sen. Nina Turner, Lake County Commissioners Robert E. Aufuldish, Judy Moran and Daniel P. Troy, Clerk of Courts Maureen G. Kelly, Recorder Ann M. Radcliffe, Treasurer Lorraine Fende, Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley, Eastlake councilmembers Laura DePledge, Kimberly Evers, Ken Hoefle, Joe D’Ambrosio, Donna Vaughn, Jeffrey Licht, Mentor councilmembers Ray Kirchner, Robert M. Shiner, Matthew E. Donovan, Mentor-On-The-Lake Mayor David R. Eva and councilmembers Jennifer Bittner, John Hawkins, Jennifer L. Jakosh, Dale O. Langbehn, Desirea Thompson, Painesville councilmembers James Fodor, Andrew Flock, Katie Jenkins, Paul Hach II, Wickliffe Mayor Bill Margalis and councilmembers David Krych, Sherry Koski, Edward Matyja, Ronald P. Ely and Ed Levon, Willoughby Councilmembers Christopher W. Woodin, Steve Norris, Jerry Ranally and Bob Harold, Willoughby Hills Councilman Ray Somich, Willowick Mayor Richard J. Bonde and councilmembers Andrew J. Allan, Ann Turk, Thomas H. Wells, Charlie Malta, Fairport Harbor Mayor Timothy Manross and councilmembers Verne Horton and Frank Sarosy, Grand River Mayor Christopher Conley and councilmembers Ronald Balog, Deborah Dominish, Mario Eldridge, Robert A. Gildone, Jennifer C. Hood, Mary McKinney, Lakeline Mayor Deborah L. Neale and Painesville Township Trustee  Gabe Cicconetti.

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

Now that 2013 is winding down and the Ohio General Assembly is on recess, two local state lawmakers discussed some of the bigger legislative highlights for the year.

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, and state Rep. John Rogers, D-Mentor-on-the-Lake, touched on three items in particular during separate interviews with The News-Herald this week.

Both legislators felt the passage of the state’s biennial budget was among the top pieces of legislation because it sets the direction of state policy and spending for the next two years.

Eklund, who was the only state legislator representing Lake or Geauga counties to vote in favor of the measure, pointed to the overall tax burden that was reduced by $2.7 billion. He said most of the tax relief is in the form of state income tax cuts during the next three years.

Rogers said almost no one enjoys paying taxes, but the tax cuts didn’t do much to help the middle class and lower-income workers.

He also said the expansion of the state sales tax might cause some taxpayers to pay a higher percentage of their income because the income tax cuts favor people who are wealthier.

Another major bill passed this year was the state’s $7.6 billion transportation budget that allows the state to issue $1.5 billion in bonds leveraged from the Ohio Turnpike revenue for transportation projects mostly in the northern half of the state.

Eklund, who voted in favor of the legislation, said the utilization of these funds should bring more than $3 billion worth of infrastructure projects and the bill should create an estimated 65,000 jobs in Ohio.

Rogers, who voted against the bill, said his chief concern was that the promised funds for projects in northern Ohio weren’t clearly defined in the legislation and that tolls for the roadways have increased.

When it comes to job creation, Rogers has concerns about the state’s JobsOhio, which is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes job creation and economic development for Ohio.

He said there is a lack of transparency for the organization. He said because it is considered to be private in nature there is very little scrutiny that can be utilized by the public to see how successful JobsOhio is doing and if it is spending taxpayer funding wisely.

Eklund touted legislation designed to spur job creation called the Common Sense Initiative.

It reviews Ohio’s regulatory system to eliminate excessive and duplicative rules and regulations that stand in the way of job creation.

Eklund said the idea is to look at whether regulations are justified given the potentially good outcomes they produce.

He said the legislation helps to make the state a more friendly business community.

Tighter race?

Public Policy Polling’s newest survey of the Ohio governor’s race finds Republican John Kasich polling at 40 percent, Democrat Ed FitzGerald at 38 percent, and Libertarian Charlie Earl at 6 percent. Sixteen percent of voters remain undecided.

The poll can be viewed at http://bit.ly/1c7IWyH and was sponsored by Freedom Ohio, an organization that describes itself as a movement dedicated to end marriage discrimination in Ohio as soon as November 2014.

Deadlines

The weekly deadline to submit information for this column is each Wednesday by 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

Fundies

• Campaign kickoff for Lake County Juvenile Court Judge Karen Lawson, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at LaMalfa Party Center in Mentor. See Lu Dunlap.
• John P. O’Donnell, candidate for Lake County Common Pleas Court, hosts a fundraiser 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, at LaMalfa Party Center. See Mike Lucas, Mike Bucci or Ann Bergen.
• Lake County Domestic Relations Court Judge Colleen A. Falkowski hosts a fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 Jan. 30 at LaMalfa Party Center in Mentor. See Brian Falkowski.

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

State Rep. John Rogers was recently appointed to the Local Government Innovation Council, which awards grants and loans to local government economic development projects that prioritize collaboration and shared services.

“Having been a mayor for so many years, as well as a city council member, I understand the many challenges our local governments face,” Rogers, D-Mentor-on-the-Lake, said in a news release. “Significant state budget cuts have been a setback to our local communities. Yet, I’m hopeful that we can explore ways to strengthen our neighborhoods through programs like the Local Government Innovation Fund.”

The 15-member council determines quarterly grant and loan awards from the Local Government Innovation Fund, established in the 129th Ohio General Assembly. The LGIF offers communities financial assistance to create more efficient and effective service delivery. Projects are expected to facilitate improved business environments and promote community attraction with their plan for efficiency, collaboration or shared services.

Applications for Round 7 of the LGIF are now under review and will be awarded during the Local Government Innovation Council meeting on Dec. 5.

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

As the year 2012 comes to a close it’s time to take a look back at the career of a retiring Lake County official.

For Commissioner Raymond E. Sines, his last official meeting after 10 years on the board was Thursday.

Sines has served since he was appointed by the Lake County Republican Party in 2003, and then won two elections to four-year terms.

During his time in office, he was the lone Republican on the three-member Board of Commissioners.

Sometimes Sines didn’t agree with his Democratic colleagues on the board, but what I think made him effective was that he choose his battles carefully.

He was the kind of commissioner who could sternly make his point during an open session and even staunchly disagree with a colleague, then crack a joke about the situation when the meeting was over.

Sines occasionally would say it takes two votes to get something passed by commissioners, which is certainly true. With that in mind, he had the understanding that no matter his opinion, there were two other commissioners who might not agree with him. So he had to work together with his fellow colleagues.

Even though he disagreed on some issues, including building a high-level bridge over Vrooman Road in Leroy and Perry townships or the creation of the Lake County Stormwater Management Department, Sines’ influence was noticeable.

I think his ability to be reasonable when it came to making decisions and his work ethic also made him effective.

When it came time earlier this year for the commissioners to announce a plan to increase the countywide sales tax rate by 0.5 percent to deal with budgetary concerns, Commissioner Daniel P. Troy frequently said that he wanted bipartisan support before he would agree to raise the sales tax. What that really meant was Sines needed to support it too.

Sines told me many times that he did not want to raise the rate, but he felt the county’s finances had gotten to a point where major cuts would have been needed and there was no certainty that services could be maintained to a level that residents expected.

When Sines recently reflected back on his tenure, he said the sales tax issue was one of his toughest decisions as a commissioner.

Part of what went into that decision was Sines also felt that the county Stormwater Management Department had more funding than was necessary and that if the other two commissioners would support cutting the user fees to property owners by 50 percent as part of an overall package, then he would support the sales tax increase.

So what ensued was the proposal spearheaded by Troy and agreed to by Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish and Sines to raise the sales tax by 0.5 and decrease the stormwater user fees by 50 percent, plus reduce the rate property taxpayers pay to the county’s General Fund by 1.1 mills.

Because the sales tax package was a unanimous decision that made it much easier to implement and the issue did not have to be put on the countywide ballot.

Only a referendum could have defeated the package and there was never much hint of that developing. Meanwhile, the county’s budgetary situation appears to have stabilized.

At his last meeting Thursday, Aufuldish said Sines and the other two commissioners were able to put politics aside to get things done.

Troy said that Sines would be missed and he was able to work together with Sines not only as a commissioner but when the two served together as state representatives years ago in the Ohio General Assembly.

Sines noted at the meeting that the key to his life has been the support of his family who allowed him to do what he wanted to do.

He added that if a script were to have been written about how he wanted to live his life, it had contained everything he always wanted.

When Sines concluded his remarks about his retirement at the meeting, Troy and Aufuldish — in a show of class — gave Sines a standing ovation.

Swearing in ceremony

The Lake County Democratic Party will swear in Aufuldish and Commissioner Judy Moran, state Rep. John M. Rogers, Clerk of Courts Maureen G. Kelly, Recorder Ann M. Radcliffe, and Treasurer Lorraine M. Fende at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Performing Arts Center Theater at Lakeland Community College.

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 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

Look for Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy to make his decision possibly this week.

If you don’t know, Troy is the Democratic Party’s nominee for Ohio House of Representatives District 60 after he won the March 6 primary and faces Republican Lori DiNallo, a Painesville councilwoman, in the Nov. 6 election.

For the past few months, Troy has considered, not all that privately, whether to allow the Lake County Democratic Party to nominate someone else to run against DiNallo. He then would remain as commissioner two more years until his term expires.

What this has done is prompt Troy to make a choice at some point. If he chooses not to decide, he still makes a choice — to stay as the state representative candidate.

But if Troy chooses to drop out of the race, some believe the person nominated to take his place could be Mentor-on-the-Lake Mayor John Rogers, a Lake County deputy treasurer who ran in the Democratic Party March 6 primary for treasurer, but lost to state Rep. Lorraine Fende.

Fende, who is term-limited from running against this year for Ohio House of Representatives, faces Concord Township Republican Bob Patterson in the county treasurer’s race Nov. 6.

Troy wishes he could do both jobs — return to the Statehouse, where he served for 14 years, and stay as commissioner — but he cannot.

What if Troy drops out? Some Democrats will be highly upset. They don’t like the idea that Troy would seek the party’s nomination and then hand it back.

Perhaps jumping the gun, there are some folks already trying to line up support for a possible commissioner appointment under the assumption Troy wins a seat in Columbus.

Would the decision to stay as commissioner hurt Troy’s political future? Possibly, as it might prompt a Democratic primary challenger in 2014, if he were to seek another four-year term as commissioner.

I’m not so sure Troy is concerned about potential political ramifications if he decides to remain as a commissioner. What I think he’s concerned about the most, quite frankly, is where he believes he could do the most good. In Columbus, he’s likely a member of the minority party trying to shape state law and policies. As a commissioner, he’s a big fish in a smaller Lake County pond.

Whatever is the result of Troy’s choice will make waves, so let’s see what develops.

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.

Fundies

n Lake County Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish hosts ninth annual Ferrante Winery Celebration, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Harpersfield Township. See Ernie Koenig or Kathie Aufuldish-Freshour.

n Wine tasting event honoring Judge Mary Jane Trapp, 11th District Court of Appeals Court, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Vineyard, Madison Township. See Mike Apicella.

n Fundraiser for Jim Dvorak, candidate for Geauga County commissioner, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, at Colonial Wine and Beverage, 8389 Mayfield Road, Chester Township. See Dvorak.

n David Fiebig, candidate for Lake County commissioner, backyard barbecue, 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 11 at home of David and Pauli Bokor in Concord Township. See Joyce Hribar Fiebig or John Plecnik.

n Judy Moran, candidate for Lake County commissioner, fundraiser hosted by Dan Mcurdy with special guest U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Mentor Beach Park. See Kathy Russo or Robert Leach.

n Fundraiser for Emilee Teresczuk, candidate for Lake County Clerk of Courts, 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at Harry Buffalo in Painesville Township. See Emilee or Matthew Teresczuk.

n Fundraiser for Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, 5:30 to 7:30, Aug. 14 at home of Joyce Fitzpatrick. See Lindsay Baruffa or Carol Roe.

n Fourth annual Labor Day Picnic for Wickliffe Mayor Bill Margalis, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at Wickliffe Italian American Club Picnic Pavalion. See Sue Margalis.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah