Of political games and musical chairs…What Ujvagi taking Administrator position creates…
Rumors are a part of what I deal with, and I don’t like to blog rumors, if that was my goal this would be a completely different blog. Yet there are times when a rumor is stated so often that it is either true or a very well organized rumor mongering moment. Today is one of those moments where at least part of a rumor that no one would go on the record about is true according to the Blade. (link).
Most of those rumored to be involved have not gone on the record, which leaves me with the decision of sharing what I know or continuing to wait. While I try to never betray things told to me in confidence, when it gets to the point where it’s clear it’s being shared to quite a few people, my dedication to transparency and my weariness of the games takes precedence.
As some of you may know, Lucas County Administrator Mike Beazley has taken a job with the City of Oregon. Current Ohio House Representative Peter Ujvagi was just picked as his replacement. Ujvagi is termed out of the House and was considered as a potential candidate for Ohio Senator Teresa Fedor’s seat, since she is also termed out and is said to be running for Ujvagi’s former seat. Ohio House Representative Edna Brown is also termed out. So this created a possible race between the two termed out House members for the same Senate seat.
Then, enter Toledo Councilman Joe McNamara, who has expressed his interest in running for Fedor’s Senate seat. Some had encouraged Peter Ujvagi to run for Lucas County Commissioner against Ben Konop, it was felt he had a better chance against Konop than he would against McNamara.
While none of the Commissioners would go on the record yesterday, it was stated that Ujvagi had the support of all three to become the next Lucas County Administrator. Clearly that was proven true.
Here’s where the musical chairs begin, it is expected for Teresa Fedor to leave the Ohio Senate and be appointed to Ujvagi’s former house seat, that way she can run a “retain” rather than an “elect” campaign. But it’s not going to stop there if the rest of the rumors are true…
Edna Brown reportedly wants to be appointed to Fedor’s seat, that way she could run a “retain” campaign which some in the Brown camp believe would make it harder for Joe McNamara, only if you don’t know Joe McNamara. He ran against the endorsed Lourdes Santiago and won and despite how it would be messaged, Brown would not be an incumbent. However, if Brown somehow succeeds in getting the appointment to what was Fedor’s seat then it’s anticipated that Toledo City Councilman Michael Ashford would then move to Brown’s former House seat, so he could run a “retain” campaign.
If McNamara, who is seen by party insiders as the more electable in the general, is selected to take Fedor’s former Senate seat, then Brown stays where she is, Ashford stays where he is and Brown would then be faced with trying to run against McNamara who would have the “retain” not elect benefit. Ashford would not be prevented from running from Brown’s House seat that she was termed out from, he would however lose the benefit of the “retain” campaign.
Then of course depending on who ends up getting the former Fedor seat, there will be either an opening to replace McNamara’s at large seat or Ashford’s District 4 seat.
So, buckle your seat belts, a game of musical chairs is set to begin and at this point it’s not clear who will end up where…
If your predictions are correct, we are doomed.
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:33 pmRight now the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus is pressuring other members to support Brown, before Ujvagi even steps down and before Fedor even steps down.
They are not going to even have the pretense of considering McNamara as it stands right now.
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:54 pmMy head hurts from reading about all of that shifting around. Ugh!
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:01 pmAnother trip to the public trough for a lifetime politician in Toledo. What a surprise. Pete can retire someday to a 400 grand home in Florida with all that money he’s made being a pol. I should have gone into politics instead of working in the private sector.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:05 pmI understand the reason behind not using a “place keeper” which is why both parties traditionally put a person in place who is going to run for that seat and typically there exists an expectation that the appointee will win.
In this situation, how many musical chairs are played depends on how successful Brown is since no time is being wasted nor is any attempt for a democratic process being made. But of course, none of you are supposed to know this and what makes this non-typical is the potential number of switches that could happen.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:07 pmJim, Ujvagi has not earned enough to retire to a $400,000 home based on what he earned in both part time positions on Council and in the General Assembly.
However it’s impossible to argue that this was not a political appointment, so I won’t even try.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:16 pmWhat was the hiring process here? How many candidates were interviewed?
And why would candidate support be pushed according to race? The race card? We’re not going to be seeing this in 2010?
If the ‘White’ caucus was pushing support for white candidates – it’d be racist. Everybody can do their own math on that one.
I just don’t care much for racists. No matter who they are. Never have. Never will.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:17 pmLisa,
Don’t forget that if McNamara gets the senate slot over Ms. Brown, it becomes interesting who gains his council seat:
Polly Taylor Gerken, who recently suffered through “AcuraGate”…or Terry Biel, who’s campaign manager for McNamara’s state senate bid were #’s 7 and 8 in the voting, respectively.
Could get REALLY interesting…
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:26 pmSecond to the last paragraph Kevin…
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:29 pmSounds like the area is running a little low on new blood.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:47 pmMY VOTE IS FOR MCNAMARA!
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:47 pmYou missed my sarcasm, Lisa.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:23 pmYou missed my sarcasm, Lisa, which was purely intended.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:24 pmSorry Jim – next time give me a
or we could try to figure out how to incorporate this one.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:53 pmPolitics as usual which in Toledo means, no-one notices and no-one cares. As the quote they frequently play on WSPD. “When is it going to be my turn?”
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 pmOMG! Even I can see that McNamara is the better choice. But as a Republican who really likes Tom Waniewski I would be thrilled with his opponent as Edna Brown….
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:26 pmSo what is a frustrated citizen to do? I can’t take the politics in this city anymore.
And we wonder why we are in the situation we are?!
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:02 pmThis is a great gain for Lucas County. Representative Ujvagi brings decades of experience to the job and could very well be the progressive leader that we desperately need in this economy.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:07 pmor not…..
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:49 pmor not is correct…
Lisa,
If all of your predictions or rumors are accurate it’s time to close up shop, roll up the sidewalks and call it a day in Pottersville. It’s the beginning of the end.
Time to put the house up for sale and move south.
Bah, bye.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:56 pmWell..here we go again. Assuming Fedor’s seat will be taken by Brown, Joe, etc. Please keep in mind, Lisa, I’m in it to win it. One of the reasons I got in the race is because I’m tired of the merry-go-round of career politicians. When the ride stops, get off the ride, don’t hop to another horse.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:16 pmTom, I would not expect you to be in it if you were not in it to win. The only reason you don’t play into this particular equation is because this is happening on the Democratic side and will involve the primary more than the general. I’m sure whether you face Brown or McNamara you will give it your all as I know McNamara will and Brown will have to.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:23 pmLet them appoint as they wish. Let’s vote for two people who can finish an articulate sentance:
McNamara
Waniewski
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:25 pmThe Chinese have a saying. Where there is chaos there is opportunity. I would really like to see some blow back against the Democrats. They have held on to things for too long and if they want to behave like kids on a playground, then they deserve to loose.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:29 pmI understand where your sentiment is coming from Brad, though the Senate currently has a Republican majority. I’m not going to pretend I’m thrilled with the way some in my party are handling this, there is a set procedure that is supposed to be followed and as it appears now, that’s not being done. What happens along the way is something that I’ll be paying attention to.
The Republican party has had it’s share of chair switching but I can not recall a recent scenario where it’s involved the number of changes this scenario could create. That written, if I don’t raise issues of concern with my own party, I’m not being fair or honest.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:46 pmWe should cue in the clown music right about now but someone I know doesn’t like clowns!!!
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:05 amLisa,
To your post #25, there was a Republican musical chair shindig a few years back between Randy Gardner and Bob Latta when their state seats were termed out, so they switched positions similar to what the Democrats are doing now.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:37 amI meant in #25 beyond the “I’ll switch with you, if you switch with me”, while both parties have done both appointments and had candidates who have termed out in one and gone on to the other, this scenario sets up a minimum of three and a maximum of five appointments depending on how it all plays out.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:50 amBrad…
The Chinese also say, “May you live in interesting times”.
I think we are.
mj
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:49 amDave Schulz Says:
We should cue in the clown music right about now but someone I know doesn’t like clowns!!!
I like the Benny Hill theme.
I just don’t like it when the people do not have a voice. This is dirty and it smells. How many applicants were interviewed for the position of Lucas County Administrator??????
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:12 amThat was what I was looking up dodgegirl, I think we have a potential tie scenario. When Paul Gillmor died, Bob Latta won the special election. He left Ohio House District – Randy Gardner left Ohio Senate to return to Ohio House . Mark Wagoner left Ohio House to take Ohio Senate and Barbara Sears took Ohio House.
The main difference in that scenario is that none of the seats/appointments appeared to be contested and it all resulted from a death rather than a political appointment starting the chain reaction. As an example, Sears was the only one who had expressed an interest in District 46.
So the additional attempt to skew electoral outcome within the party is absent.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:20 amujvagi is a smart guy who has worked on more significant legislation than any other elected official in nw ohio. he is a known quantity and would hit the ground running as administrator.
dave – you can disagree with his policies & have that debate; you can disagree with the laws that govern replacing elected officials and discuss that. however, your comments reflect much more on you than on ujvagi.
tom – you appear to have hopped on the merry-go-round as well – should we question your motives as well?
while we need to be vigilant of elected officials, until we have evidence to the contrary why would we question the motivation of people who run for office? sniping at these people and viewing them as flawed or worse if they disagree on issues is no better than what the publisher does. the republicans had essentially decades of control of the state and these are the election laws they left us – we deal with them as they are.
as far as brown and macnamara – the black community appears less and less aligned with party and more inclined to support any candidate from their community over what the party hierarchy wants. i could see real problems for the party over this – perhaps they decide to appoint a placeholder to take fedor’s seat so that brown and macnamara can fight it out in the election without any perceived preferential treatment.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:51 amZimmy, how do you define success as a legislator? Since I know the actual statistics for each one of the members of the House and Senate, I’m curious as to your definition of success.
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:39 am“success”? never used the term.
i would be curious to see how the stats are compiled to see what they consider in these ratings. you are playing this a bit coy with the “i know the actual…” – the actual stats according to whom? stats can be very subjective. share the stats and tell me your view of the validity of the rating system.
to me success would include how engaged, how well informed, actual importance of issues, net effect on the governed, ability to effect outcomes, ability to work with other party – lots of things. if it merely means how many bills pass that one was a co-sponsor of – blah.
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:31 amYou said significance, which made me wonder how you deemed someone a successful legislator. I wasn’t being coy at all and I don’t think co-sponsoring means much of anything. Anyone can add their name to a bill, and many do at times after it’s passed.
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:34 amThe truth is most people don’t even pay attention to what happens in the General Assembly, if you ask the average person what their representative has worked to get passed that benefited our region or our state most probably would not be able to answer that question.
So, since we have so many General Assembly races this year, rather than cite statistics, which would color the discussion, I was curious as to what your definition of a successful legislator was, so that perhaps some positive conversation could come out of all of this.
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:40 amA bad hire for the commissioners! I guess the unions don’t have a problem with this non-union shop owner running the county!
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:42 pmDoes Ujvagi really have the ability and energy to do the job he was just appointed to? Being a legislator does not translate into success as a county administrator. It certainly takes Ujvagi out of the mix – although it is still going to be interesting to see how far the musical chairs can be extended.
This sounds more like a Monty Python skit or better yet it could be one.
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:08 pmPam in #30 asked: “How many applicants were interviewed for the position of Lucas County Administrator??????”
To which I would ask, why do you even think that anyone was interviewed?
Ring, Ring, Ring.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:26 pmHello?
Peter? This is Tina, Pete and Ben. Have we got a deal for you!
Barbara Sears was not the only person interested in the State Representative position. There were definitely others. Things weren’t as public as it has been with the democrats.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:14 pmMr. Ujvagi just went from making $52,000 a year (I think) to almost $106,000 a year. Not a bad move, especially if that big increase plays into your public retirement money. Only met/talked to Mr. Ujvagi once, at the Birmingham Festival two years ago. He did not know me at all but he was courteous enough to talk with me. And it wasn’t the ‘ol rush-rush politicians talk. Decency I remember – Politics I never forget.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:16 pmBlade, January 16, 2008:
So, if anyone else was interested? They were not very vocal at all.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:01 pmActually, I was very disappointed about Mr. Husted’s statement when it was printed in the Blade, because I met with him personally regarding District 46’s appointment back then, as did a few other people I believe. Commitments were made (at least by me) not to force the new appointee into a primary race, the pick was made, and ’she was the only one who filed …’ because I (and presumably others?) stayed by the commitment not to run a primary. I must admit, this is one situation that slightly soured me on party politics. I have no problem with not forcing primaries, but don’t make it sound like no one else pursued the appointment.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:02 pmI’m glad you commented, I’m sorry it didn’t come out then as I would have made that an issue. This also means that the two scenarios are even more similar than just the possible numbers.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:11 pmAnd there were at least two other people outside of DeeDee who were really interested in the seat and wanting to run for the position.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:27 pmGoes to show you that sometimes relying on quotes doesn’t tell the full picture and that sometimes full transparency doesn’t happen till way after the fact.
I stand corrected bgdem.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:29 pmChad (#37) Right again. Maybe there’s an Acura in the garage of that non-union shop.
Pam and someguy: NO ONE else was interviewed for the county administrator position. It wasn’t even posted. Ben called the other 2 commissioners on it, and called for a formal application process, but he was outvoted. Not that Ujvagi’s a bad choice, but the process doesn’t say much for open, good government.
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:25 pm“It wasn’t even posted.”
Are you sure? I was perusing the want ads Monday or Tuesday, and I remember seeing the position listed somewhere. Maybe the Blade/Monster.com? I remember because for a nano-second I thought about applying, and then when I heard the Ujvagi announcement, I was glad I didn’t take the time.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:27 amLOL Sujay!
February 5th, 2010 at 12:08 amPeter Ujvagi is a highly intelligent, highly motivated, extremely talented individual. While I don’t like the fact that he has run a non-union shop for many years, he has, in fact, run a business for many years. To say that Ujvagi’s legislative background makes him unqualified for the county position, reveals that the one making the comment ignores Peter’s full resume. You can question the political nature of the process, but take care in assessing Ujvagi’s ability to be an effective administrator.
Let’s check back a year from now, and see how he’s done. My money is on the side of Ujvagi doing a superior job for the county that has been his home since he came here with his family as a young refugee during the 1956 Hungarian uprising against Soviet Communist domination!
In all fairness, I must reveal that I consider Peter Ujvagi a friend. We first met when we were undergraduate students at TU (as it was called then) over 40 years ago. I know of no one who loves the Toledo area more than does Peter Ujvagi!
February 6th, 2010 at 2:22 amJust one more point before I “hit the sack” tonight:
I hate artificial term limits. The example posted in this thread, along with the Gardner, Latta, Wagoner, Sears references above, are among the growing number of examples of the mess created by these artificial limits. We’ve ALWAYS had term limits. It’s called vote for the opposition!!
Creating this game of political musical chairs is not the worst thing that artificial term limits manifests. There will always be power involved with politics and government. My concern is with who has that power. Artificial term limits transfers power from elected officials to appointed staff and lobbyists. Because of artificial term limits, there is a far greater turnover in members of the Ohio General Assembly than occurred before term limits.
Just about the time a member of the legislature is really learning the job, they’re out! But some people stay. Those who stay in Columbus are staff people with individual legislators and/or legislative committees, and lobbyists with various organizations with special interests in state laws and regulations. It is these appointed officials and private “guns for hire” who wield the real power in our state capital today. They know how the institution functions. They have the institutional memory to know why things happened and how things came to be. Almost all of the elected officials, have little or no background, so they rely upon these unelected folks for guidance.
Whether you like it or not, that’s what artificial term limits have created. The real power in Columbus is in the hands of unelected people. How’s that working? How well has Ohio been doing since the voters put these artificial term limits in place. People may not have liked Vern Riffe but he got a lot of things done for this state!
February 6th, 2010 at 2:45 am