News today that Roe Fox will run against Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, and Mary Stormer will run against County Clerk of Courts Daniel Horrigan. (Forewarning: that link for the Stormer story is acting funny).
County Democrats acknowledge that the one immediate effect of the Elephant War is that no one will run unopposed this year. Walsh was unlikely to get by without an opponent. The office is too attractive and she's taken some hits over the years. (That said, Fox's promise to "restore hope" to the office is extreme campaign hyperbole coming right off the blocks.) Ditto Horrigan who is running for the first time after being appointed last January.
All that said, these are some serious challengers. Fox was a high-ranking Assistant Prosecutor under Mike Callahan. Stormer is a campaign veteran of sorts, having served on the Akron Board of Education, and is an executive assistant to Muni Clerk Jim Laria. Both are also, as far as I can tell, Alex allies. So as he makes his pitch for staying in as Chair, Alex can point to recruiting two quality candidates in two key local races. His detractors, of course, will argue it's too little too late.
Meanwhile, these will be interesting races to watch.
RIP, JOHN OLESKY
5 months ago
3 comments:
Pho - interesting how a challenge spurs action. No challengers to the Prosecutor office in the last election and plenty of talk a deal was cut to protect Walsh and Alexander from both sides. If anything the Coughlin-Arshinkoff fight may wind up doing what the New Republicans want: pushing more candidates on the ballot?
Yes, although I think the Dems got deked WRT the prosecutor's race. Alex's great talent is ruthlessly imposing party discipline. Republican David Drew ran as an independent, then suffered no discernible repercussions. He was the party's nominee for County Council at-large last year.
But yes, the fight will definitely result in Alex working harder locally at least until the dust settles.
Both of these people are running on their own. Alex's crew is already running them down, saying that Fox is a wife beater (false) and that Stromer is a drunk (false).
What a screwed up party. Alex wants to put up placeholders. If he hangs onto his job, they will then drop out of the race amd he'll be honoring his deal with the Dems. These two are messing that up.
Good on them.
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