Summit County GOP Update: Ohio GOP May Need to Get Involved

The latest news out of Summit County is that the Republican Party reorganization meeting may be chaired by someone from the Ohio Republican Party in order to insure "a fair process." The Akron Beacon Journal's story sums up the entire thing in the first four paragraphs:

The Ohio Republican Party should preside over the Summit County Republican Party's upcoming reorganization meeting to make sure the meeting is run properly, state Sen. Kevin Coughlin said Tuesday.

"We want to have an impartial third party preside over the meeting and ensure that it is a fair process," Coughlin said during a teleconference call with the media.

But Alex Arshinkoff — the county party chair whom Coughlin is trying to overthrow — said having the state party involved would be illegal. He said the party will follow state law in how the central committee meeting will be conducted.

"The state party has nothing to do with organizing the Summit County Republican Party," Arshinkoff said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We're going to organize the Summit County Republican Party pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code, and that's the way it's going to be."

As usual, Alex is taking the hardline approach. You know, Governor Tarkin, the more you tighten your grip; the more systems will slip through your fingers...or something.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think the Ohio Revised Code has much to say about who presides over a re-organizational meeting of a county party. I could be wrong about that, but I don't remember seeing anything about that. Let me check again...

Okay, here is, I think, the relevent law:

The members-elect of each major political party state central committee shall, except as otherwise provided in this section, meet following the declaration of the results by the boards of elections of the election of members of the state central committees, at a suitable place and time to be designated by the retiring chairman of the committee in accordance with party rules. In the case of a county central committee, the meeting shall be held not earlier than six nor later than fifteen days following the declaration of the results by the board of elections of the election of members of county central committees in that county. Notice of any meeting held pursuant to this section, giving the place and time, shall be sent to each member-elect by the retiring secretary of the committee by mail and a copy of the notice shall be posted in the office of the secretary of state or board of elections, as the case may be, at least five days prior to any such meeting. The meeting shall be called to order by the retiring chairman or secretary or if there is no such officer, or if such officer is absent, then by a member of such committee designated by the secretary of state in the case of the state committees, and by a member of the board of elections of the same political party, designated by the board, in the case of county committees. A temporary chairman and secretary shall be chosen and the committee shall proceed to organize by the election of a chairman, vice-chairman, treasurer, secretary, and such other officers as the rules provide.

Emphasis added.

The way I read this, Alex is in the right on this one... %@#& it... I do think it would be prudent for ORP representation to be there in order to ensure that shenanigans don't take place...unless the media can handle that job.....