A new leader has taken the reins of the Butler County Democratic Party.
Frank Cloud, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 648, was named the party chairman Thursday, Nov. 19, by the party’s executive committee.
The roughly 140-member party leadership met at the IBEW union hall in Liberty Twp. and elected the new chairman in a landslide vote of 68-14 with one abstention.
“I’m very humbled,’’ Cloud said after defeating Monroe attorney Brian Harrison. “I look forward to getting the different committees set up, getting more people involved …and getting everyone pulling in the same direction.”
Cloud, 51, of Fairfield will replace Matt Von Stein who resigned earlier this month.
Von Stein could not immediately be reached for comment, but party officials say he resigned to focus on his studies after receiving a scholarship from Xavier University. He took over party leadership last year after former chairman Ron Wardrup was arrested on drunk driving charges.
In addition to leading the party, the chairman traditionally takes a paid post on the county Board of Elections.
Far from mounting a united challenge against a county commission seat seen as vulnerable, the Butler County Democratic Party has broken out into a struggle for control of the party.
After the election, Harrison, 40, vowed to remain active within the party as he has been since 1996.
“I’ve always have been involved and always will be,’’ Harrison said. “I’m just glad so many people came out and participated.’’
Central Committee Chairman John Holcomb said the party has been divided.
“It’s the greatest degree of factionalism that I have ever seen in the Butler County Democratic Party,” he said. “I have to remain optimistic the new party chair is going to be able to bridge these divides.”
Party leaders fear factionalism is particularly detrimental this year. Races coming up next year include a county commission race where the incumbent is under an Ohio Ethics Commission investigation and the GOP appears primed for a costly primary.
Republicans control all countywide offices except for one juvenile judge, Kathleen Dobrozsi Romans of Middletown, who was re-elected in a nonpartisan race after being appointed last year by the governor.
Far from mounting a united challenge against a county commission seat seen as vulnerable, the Butler County Democratic Party has broken out into a struggle for control of the party.
The party’s executive committee will meet tonight, Nov. 19, to elect a new chairman after Matt Von Stein quietly resigned earlier this month.
Von Stein could not immediately be reached for comment, but party officials say he resigned to focus on his studies after receiving a scholarship from Xavier University.
Von Stein took the party reins last year after former chairman Ron Wardrup was arrested on drunk driving charges.
Tonight, the roughly 140-member party leadership will meet at the IBEW Local 648 post in Hamilton and choose a new party leader. In addition to leading the party, the chairman traditionally takes a paid post on the county Board of Elections.
The leading contenders are Frank Cloud, business manager of the IBEW; and Monroe attorney Brian Harrison.
Cloud is popular within the party, but Harrison boasts support from several local non-party-affiliated political action committees.
Those committees sprung up across the county from the remnants of President Barack Obama’s local campaign. They have since grown to pose a major challenge to the existing party structure.
“It’s the greatest degree of factionalism that I have ever seen in the Butler County Democratic Party,” said Central Committee Chairman John Holcomb. “I have to remain optimistic the new party chair is going to be able to bridge these divides.”
Party leaders fear factionalism is particularly detrimental to them this year. Races coming up next year include a county commission race where the incumbent is under an Ohio Ethics Commission investigation and the GOP appears primed for a costly primary.
Republicans control all county-wide offices in Butler County except for one juvenile judge who was re-elected in a non-partisan race after being appointed by the governor last year.
Butler County Commissioner Charles Furmon is concerned that the county has been paying a company for employee benefits for almost a year without proper approval.
That company is Performance Benefits Solutions, owned by West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang.
Furmon said in a commission meeting this morning, Nov. 19, that the company was supposed to be providing services at no charge to the county, but was instead charging through another company called Hauser Corporate Solutions.
“I have asked the prosecutor’s office to look into this and see if we can’t get some clarification on the matter,” Furmon said.
Citing poor customer service, a county advisory committee opted last October against keeping the company as the county’s sole manager of flexible spending accounts.
A November 2008 commission resolution allows another company called Chard Snyder to operate that service at a profit, and allows Performance Benefits Solutions to continue doing so “at no charge to Butler County.”
But county records suggest that Hauser, a sister company to Performance Benefits Solutions, charges the county roughly $979.15 monthly for the service.
The issue was the subject of scrutiny last year, when county leaders expressed concern that there was no system in place to determine what companies can offer employees insurance products.
At that time, former Lang business partner Mike Yoakum said Lang used his political contacts and “political pad money” to help secure the contract then stole the deal from Yoakum back in the 1990s. This was the subject of a lawsuit that the two parties settled.
Lang denied he received any preferential treatment from the county. He said he bid for the contract and was chosen by a 20-plus member committee.
Butler County Administrator Tim Williams is leaving his job next month, as the county struggles to stave off fiscal emergency.
Williams said he’s leaving to take an executive position with an undisclosed private sector retail business north of Dayton.
“If this opportunity hadn’t come up, I wouldn’t be leaving,” Williams said. “I’d be at least around for another year.”
Instead, Williams’ last day will be Dec. 11.
Williams took the county’s reins from former administrator Derek Conklin last year after Conklin resigned when questions arose about whether he played a role in raises for his wife, a county employee.
Before that, Williams was assistant county director, though he spent most of his roughly 15 years with the county as finance director. Before working for the county, he worked for AK Steel for 22 years, he said.
Williams’ salary is $107,393 after a recent 10 percent pay cut as part of the county’s efforts to struggle with revenue shortfalls.
Williams leaves as county leaders struggle with an projected $6.6 million deficit brought be declining sales tax and investment revenues during recession. The first round of budget cuts — and increases — submitted by all elected county officials left them $5.3 million from that goal with little more than a month left in the year.
Williams said he’s confident that the county can handle the challenge in his absence, especially with the recent hiring of finance director Pete Landrum.
Williams said he has dealt with numerous challenges in his 15 years — projects he didn’t agree with, political turmoil — but he refuses to take credit for any major successes.
“I’m not a decision maker, I just work for three commissioners” he said. “I’m just a staffer and I try to do my job. I’m not a decision maker, and change is for the politicians to take credit for.”
Butler County Clerk of Courts Cindy Carpenter says county Treasurer Nancy Nix crossed the line in her campaign for county commission.
Carpenter filed an Ohio Elections Commission complaint against Nix Friday, Nov. 13, claiming Nix violated campaign law by making speeches and distributing campaign literature with “false statements” about Carpenter.
Specifically, Nix claimed that she had $101,000 in campaign funds —Â far more than the other candidates — and that unlike Carpenter she effectively reduced the county’s budget and possesses a “Business woman’s point of view.”
Carpenter’s sworn affidavit counters that Nix compared funds she currently has with campaign filing declarations by other candidates in July. Those reports listed Nix as having $12,714 on hand and Carpenter having $8,513.
As for Nix’s other claims, Carpenter said she reduced her office’s budget $152,285 from 2007 to the draft 2010 budget; and that she has worked in business all her life.
“I grew up over a family business. I live in a family business now,” Carpenter said, referring to Barker Ornaments, which her husband runs from their home. “I think Nancy knows that.”
Carpenter called Nix’s claims “intolerable.”
“This is not okay to do, to operate this way in Butler County,” Carpenter said. “Any time you lie to the public, you print a lie in a campaign, that is a violation of Ohio law.”
“My intent was to accurately portray my qualifications against my opponent,” Nix said. “I haven’t seen the complaint, and I guess I’ll have to take a look at it and go from there.”
Nix made the comments in campaign literature and a speech to Butler County Republican Party members leading up to a vote for the party’s endorsement for county commission on Nov. 5. Nix got the most votes, but not enough for an endorsement.
Nix and Carpenter are only two candidates in the Republican primary. Others include incumbent Commissioner Gregory Jolivette —Â seen as vulnerable within his party because of an ongoing Ethics Commission investigation —Â and former West Chester Twp. Trustee Jose Alvarez.
Carpenter said she hopes for a cleaner race leading up to the May primary, absent of “playing dirty and dishonest and start trying to discredit people and ruin their reputations.”
“We are confident that Republican voters in Ohio will nominate Mike DeWine to be their Attorney General candidate. In poll after poll, Mike DeWine is the only candidate who can beat Richard Cordray. DeWine is known across the state by an overwhelming 93% of voters. As a former county prosecutor, he has the vision and experience to clean up corruption, fix the state crime lab, and make sure our state does everything possible to promote economic growth and job creation.”
Source: John Hall, Mike DeWine for Ohio, Campaign Manager
Josh Sweigart reports about Butler County, Ohio, politics, county government, countywide issues and Butler County people just like you for Cox Ohio Publishing (including the Hamilton JournalNews, Middletown Journal and several weekly papers in Butler County). He wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment for him here or e-mail Josh at jsweigart@coxohio.com.
Josh Sweigart
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I thought Don Dixon was the leader of the Democratic Party, if I recall the democrats didn’t