Blade uses Perry for Recorder endorsement to chide LCRP
If you did not get a chance to read the Blade’s endorsement for Jeanine Perry for Recorder who is the only Lucas County official who is not running unopposed this election, I recommend reading it.
What was interesting is that the Blade while endorsing Perry gave kudos to her opponent, Mary Roshong for being the only one to oppose an incumbent this year. They also spent a good deal of the endorsement piece focusing on the Lucas County Republican Party – only 236 words on the endorsement and 324 words on the lack of candidates:
We wish we could offer insights into other races of interest to county voters but, sadly, there are no other races. Two county commissioners, the prosecutor, clerk of courts, sheriff, treasurer, engineer, coroner, two 6th District Court of Appeals judges, and three Common Pleas Court judges – not one of these jobs is being contested. Fifteen sitting Democrats and one sitting Republican and no one thought it important that they be challenged and thus forced to explain to the voters how they have discharged their duties.
Democracy works best when there are at least two viable parties. When one is in office, the other acts as a check against the abuse of power. Two parties provide voters with differing philosophies and approaches to solving problems. In other words, two parties provide choice. Choice keeps politicians honest, forces them to re-examine their positions periodically, and makes them more receptive to alternatives, all of which makes them more accountable to the voters. Without choice, when incumbents run unopposed, they are not responsible or accountable to anyone and democracy ceases to exist except as a formality.Obviously, most of the onus falls on the Lucas County Republican Party, which has failed to put forward candidates. County GOP chairman Jon Stainbrook gets a pass for the moment because he’s only been in charge of the local party since the end of June. Even so, almost the first thing he did was to make a rookie mistake by missing a filing deadline and denying Jan Scotland a place on the ballot to run against incumbent Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak.
Mr. Stainbrook must do better, identifying Republicans who will not just be cannon fodder against powerful Democratic incumbents but instead be ready to mount campaigns that ensure voters have viable choices when they go to the polls.
I don’t disagree with the Blade that it is sad that no one in our community attempted to run for office against these incumbents, either from the Lucas County Republican Party or as Independents. It is ironic that the Blade feels that Democracy works best when there are at least two viable parties, it would be very hard to argue that their contributions to what has happened here in Toledo makes that more possible…
I believe that LCRP paperwork was not done on schedule. I also believe they haven’t filed a complete financial report, I heard Maggie Thurber discussing on WSPD today.
Mr. Stainbrook is not running the LCRP…nobody is short of trying to keep the players he doesn’t like out of the one meeting he held.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:57 pmSince I do not know much about the candidates I did not vote for any that were unopposed except Paffenburger (?) since I heard a few good things about him. I voted for Jeanine Perry though I do not know if she will stay in office or move up if she has the chance. I figure that an unopposed candidate might take the votes for granted unless s/he wins by only one or two. S/He might look at what s/he is doing if s/he squeaks in office by one or two votes to nothing. The “winner” might realize then that they might have been beaten if the Repubs had run a dead body if the candidate who runs unopposed does not win by much.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:10 pmWell, perhaps somebody that works for the Blade has some sense. Let’s hope it spreads!
I can understand that a lot of people don’t want to deal with the “nastiness” of politics. Heck, it’s hard enough allowing people to question their leaders without facing backlash in the media
I hope more people can realize that we need the system of checks and balances created by the multi-party system. This “us against them” mentality will run us further into the ground than we already are.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:03 amThis election cycle is almost over, and there is nothing the LCRP can do now. The self absorbed Chairman is now against the talk he has been preaching. Can he back his words for the next election period? Will he even be around? Are the members of the LCRP who opposed him, yet now help him( Doug, Bob,…
going to continue kissing his ring. Alot will be seen soon. One thing I do know, as long as The Chairman has the JRB blessing the cowards of the old LCRP will continue to lick their wounds and kiss his ring. Sad to say some of these people are actually grown men.
October 28th, 2008 at 6:20 am