Montgomery County Republican Party factions playing games with OH-42 seat
Last week, Esrati.com gave you the long list of potential candidates to fill OH-42 existing term, and the ballot position for Terry Blair’s seat. You may have read about it in the Dayton Daily news a few days later.
Today, the DDn ran a press release from the “Conservative Republican Leadership Committee”- read that the Tea Party People who are pretending to not be Tea Party People:
A Republican Party group plans a candidates’ forum tonight on the eve of local GOP leaders voting to replace the late Terry Blair on the ballot for a seat in the Ohio General Assembly.
The Conservative Republican Leadership Committee forum will include three of the four candidates vying to replace Blair, who died June 26 during the last months of his third term in the 42nd District seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Niraj Antani of Miami Twp. and Washington Twp. residents Mark Crawford, Scott Paulson and Tom Young have expressed interest in replacing Blair. Republicans are set to vote Thursday on a candidate.
That person will face Democrat Leonard D. Johnson, 67, of West Carrollton in November in a district that also includes Germantown, German Twp., Miamisburg and Moraine. The winner will be elected to a two-year term with an annual salary of $60,584.
The forum, set for 7 p.m. at the Washington Twp. Recreation Center, will include all of the candidates but Young. Young said Tuesday that notice was too short for him to attend the event, which he became aware of late Friday.
The forum will include a question-and-answer session with the candidates followed by written questions from the audience, said Ohio House 36th District state Rep. Seth Morgan, the forum moderator.
“This is a great opportunity — and the only opportunity that we know of that is open to the public — for the public to ask questions,” he said.
Morgan said the forum will help voters assess the candidates in the “highly conservative district.” It tends to lean Republican, with 58 percent of the votes cast in the 2012 presidential election going to the GOP candidate, according to the Montgomery County Board of Elections. “We think this is a great opportunity for the public to engage in the conversation,” he said. “The party will do what the party will do.” District party precinct captains – which number between 65 and 70 – are set to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Mandalay Banquet Center, said Dave Landon, vice chair of the county GOP Executive Committee.
Each candidate will have an opportunity to address the audience, he said, before the vote. Landon is among the party precinct captains in the district but declined to say how he will vote.
What they don’t tell you is that Tom Young already had a meet and greet on Sunday afternoon at the Chop House hosted by Sheriff Phil Plummer and Sharon Lowry- the “chair and co-chair of the Montgomery County Republican Party” (even though they weren’t elected to the positions after former chair Rob Scott stepped down). I’m sure Tom Young made that meeting on short notice. Here is a link to a badly scanned leaked invite: Plummer invite to Young event
Having Seth Morgan as the moderator sets the tone for this to be a more radical Republican event, however, Young is unworthy of office in my book if he can’t make it to the only candidates’ forum being held. Insiders say only Paulson and Young have a shot- with Paulson being backed by the upstarts who flipped the party to lean Tea in the last legal party election- including potential future House Speaker Rep. Jim Butler, OH-41. Old school GOP folks on the friends and family plan, prefer Young. Crawford who immediately sent out a two-page letter to all members of the central committee asking for consideration, spelling out his global experience and qualifications, unfortunately- I can’t find my copy of it, but I’m sure someone will supply another copy within a few hours of my posting it.
Niraj Antani is the young go-getter in the group- who is being ignored by almost everyone. He’s probably the only one who is social media aware- favoring my first tweet about the showdown, and quickly following me on Twitter. Crawford also seems to have some social media chops as well. As to Young and Paulson- not so much.
If the Republicans really cared, the party would have sponsored this event and made sure a video was up on YouTube before the vote tomorrow night. However, this isn’t an open and welcoming Republican party- it’s a nest of infighting children arguing over whose daddy has more money. For now, that would be the Sheriff.
I call bullshit Dave.
This is not a matter for the voters. That is in November. This is a party decision and there is no voter value to sharing the ugly details with the masses. Of course, if you wanted to video it tonight and broadcast you are invited.
Secondly.
This is complicated race internally.
Here is my analysis.
Tea Partiers have rallied in two ways. One, against Plummer who they see as the opposition. Two, they have found some love for the unknown Crawford. I don’t count enough votes for him vis a vis the Tea Party members for 51% in the first balloting.
Tom Young’s advantage is his weakness. He is being pimped out my Central Committee Chair Phil Plummer. Remember, Phil was elected to that seat, I was there. The same night Rob Scott was elected. There are two chairs, CC and Executive Committee. Rob resigned, the seat moves the Phil. So stop with the unelected narrative. Inaccurate, confusing and old news. People also remember what Phil and his leadership did to recruit, then boot Rob Scott. That causes mistrust and Tom Young will have to bear that cross on Thursday. His biggest cheerleader is also a brick tied to his ankle.
Niraj is claiming to have all kinds of votes and old school GOP’ers who like to bet on winning horses like Landon and Flannagan are in his corner. Weird to see the new outsider lined up with people who worked the Nixon and Reagan campaigns.
Paulson, the only elected official in the bunch, has the support of Terry Blair’s wife as well as elected officials throughout the district, including Mrs. Young and Mr. Barry, his colleagues on the Washington Township Board of Trustees.
Look for this to go to two ballots. My prediction is in a sealed envelope.
The general public gets to weigh in later in November when this weeks appointee becomes a candidate against a Democrat challenger.
For the sake of posterity Ill avoid the circus that Seth Morgan brings to town.
Bryan-
Actually- it is a matter for the voters- they should be able to get a feel for who might have run, had the party not worked to keep people OFF the ballot for so long. This may be the ONLY time voters in Montgomery party could see what a real primary looks like.
Primaries arent for the general voters. You know that.
Primaries are party events. At least in Ohio they still are.
The candidate for the general election will be making the rounds in September.
What benefit is there to the public to see three guys who aren’t going to be on the ballot in November?
WTF. Let the voters have a preview of the crooks in the running. Whats the problem w/that–Its Not Done That Way in Ohio??? Ohio is a dying wasteland owing in part to the cronies, corruption & crooks who want to keep the sheeple in their place. Thanks for affirming that one.
I’ve missed the uninformed angry anonymous posters that lurk here.
I never said there was a problem with it. My unanswered question is what is the value of the public, who have no voice or vote in the matter, of watching an internal party process.
Secondly, remember, the voters have a choice in November. They will choose between Mr. Johnson, whom the Democrats chose to represent them in May. I don’t remember a public forum allowing the general public to vet him. That was the job of the members of the Democrat party who reside in the district.
The whole point of a Central Committee position is for voters in each precinct to have input as to how the party is run. This candidate forum allowed Republican citizens to evaluate the candidates and give input to their own Central Committee rep.
Niraj wins. Young never garnered more than 24 votes through 4 rounds of voting.