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Arshinkoff Retains Leadership Post
- Filed under: Arshinkoff / Coughlin
- Date: May 1,2008
Local Democrats are breathing easier right about now. Alex Arshinkoff will still be heading the Summit County GOP.
Of course, it was not just a vote, it was an Alex vote. From the Beacon Journal's Stephanie Warsmith and Rick Armon: Tonight's meeting to decide who should lead the Summit County Republican Party began with a surprise: Current Chairman Alex Arshinkoff chose to run for a different office, giving him a new opponent. Rather than Cuyahoga Falls Councilwoman Carol Klinger, he is facing off against Akron attorney Don Varian. The shakeup happened because Arshinkoff decided to run for chairman of the central committee rather than the party's executive committee that he now heads. He can run the party from either post.
I thought the vote would be closer, it was AA's 260 votes to the 115 for Varian. The bottom line is twofold: First, the NSR group just didn't win enough seats on March 4 for the overthrow. Second, far too many precinct captains were afraid to change the status quo of the party. They didn't want to lose their positions and/or connections, and I guess you can't really blame them for that. After that vote, the big question was answered and there was a bunch of haggling over rules. Free and open discussion on the proposed party rules was squashed, as expected. Arshinkoff never had to face off against Klinger, but as the numbers indicate, he would have won anyways. As for me, I don't have any use for the current party as constructed and I know I am not alone. The tactics Arshinkoff has used the last few years have been disgraceful. I can't support such things and won't stop pointing out their poor track record and shameful behavior as illustrated yesterday. They aren't going to hire me anyways. I can't support the exact same people who have put the party in shambles with their "leadership." The same people will still surround Alex and they will still lose elections. Unfourtanetly, Alex now has a built in excuse for this upcoming cycle - that he had to spend party money to keep his post. Not really a question that will be the spin when Republicans take a beating countywide in November. But we have all seen what Alex does with the incoming money that is supposed to be used for candidates and their races. I will now pour my money and effort to national races.
We will see now if Alex is weakened from all this or if he gets stronger. My feeling is the former. Over 30% of those at the meeting voted against Alex, and those are people he probably won't get back. There were a lot of disgruntled Republicans at the meeting.
Ed Esposito liveblogged the event and has a lot more information with audio.
Psychobilly Democrat weighs in with the Dem perspective.
24 Responses for "Arshinkoff Retains Leadership Post"
Tough times for team Coughlin. I'm looking forward to hearing how it went down.
What a crybaby!!! I'm not going to support any Republicans because my team lost! Good riddance you creep, we don't need you.
Even more disturbing than Arshinkoff's heavy-handed "victory" is kjc's response above.
Summit County is pretty much a write-off for the Republican Party. Maybe in 10 years they'll finally realize that.
So this is how Liberty dies? Thru thunderous applause?
Team Coughlin clearly did not have enough support to win. More importantly, the New Summmit County Republicans are not strong enough to effectively lead the party. However, a positive result of their efforts is it may cause Alex to do a better job using financial resources. I still stand by my earlier comment regarding another article. Carol Klinger was not the best choice to be party chair because she is not well known, and Don Varian is also a poor choice because he was appointed by the Democrats.
I also am not pleased with the results but we should not abandon the Republican Party. Republican Voter Registration is now down to 8.77% and we cannot take back the party if people of principle leave. I am disappointed as well but letting Democrats win elections will not help either. This is the same problem many of us have with McCain. He's not who we want, he doesn't represent what we believe in but the answer is not less involvement it is more involvement. We can't leave these things to other people or we probably won't like the result. Get involved. Help candidates and tell them you are doing it in spite of your disagreement with the leadership. Then run for Central Committee in 2 years.
To the very best of my knowledge and belief, I have never met Alex Arshinkoff, but his media persona is reminiscent of the late not so great Benito Mussolini; however, Alex shall never be able to say as did Benito in "The Life and Times of Benito Mussolini, My Autobiography:" "In politics I never gained a penny. I detest those who live like parasites, sucking away at the edges of social struggles. I hate men who grow rich in politics."
What John Adams said in 1771 is more important than anything atributable to Alex and/or Benito Mussolini: "The preservation of liberty depends upon the intellectual and moral character of the people;" "The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." Alex cannot be trusted to pursue the greater good for citizens of this area. He has neither the moral character or the intellect; thus, prescnce in his current position endangers economic stability and development, liberty and pursuit of happiness throughout Greater Akron!
Summit County American Patriots declared Independence of Alex for a valid reason: "Alleged leadership skills and growth potential with Alex as Chair became nonexistent when he ridded himself of new ideas, younger leaders, better educated Republicans," (Coyne).
If the Akron area is to grow, prosper, the New Summit County Republicans must stay the course. PLEASE!!!
Respectfully,
Tom Coyne
My polling was off. Apologies.
The final nail in the coffin was the actions of Brunner. By kicking AA off the board - rightfully so - and then appointing Varian, she allowed Alex to go to the mat with his absurd theories. This worked as AA was able to fool the multiple 75-95 year olds at the meeting who were literally falling asleep at the table while wearing their 'stop the wayne jones takeover' stickers. Dumb people actually believed in this and decided to not look at the actual actions of Arshinkoff at the BOE where he acted like a buffoon.
If this was Brunner's plan all along to ensure Democrats keep winning in Summit County then she is very shrewd, because that will be the result of last night.
The beauty of our democracy is that we all have freedom of opinion. Kevin Coughlin, Pete Kostoff, Cheryl Hoover and Don Varian expressed their opinions. The other beauty of democracy is that we vote on things. While Kevin et al had some support, the bulk of the party's central committee voted to stay with its current leadership.
The piece of this that Kevin et al miss is that the party is larger than Kevin, Alex or any one group or faction. Ultimately, the party does what is in its collective best interest. Kevin could not and did not mount a campaign concerning the party's best interest.
What he and others mounted was a loosely veiled vendetta. Kevin, Pete, Don and Cheryl each had an axe to grind. They found some supporters among their family members, employees, patronage staff, and other disgruntled individuals. (There were also thoughtful people like Ben who believed a change was in order. That is fair and should be respected.) Kevin, Pete, Don and Cheryl made their move. It failed. Their move failed because it had NOTHING to do with the wellbeing of the party. It had EVERYTHING to do with their own venom and hatred for Alex and his supporters. It also failed because the party's faithful saw through the smoke. They also saw through to Wayne Jones (through Cheryl Hoover - the co-chair of his 1997 campaign for mayor, through Pete Kostoff, his law partner, and through Don Varian, the man he recommended to Jennifer Brunner for Alex's seat on the Board of Elections).
The best thing that Kevin, Pete, Cheryl and Don can do is to work for the election of the 2008 local republican ticket - to show themselves as being interested in something other than their own vendettas and personal agendas.
Everyone needs to come together now and work to defeat Democrats!
Fairlawn59: The whole Wayne Jones thing is so stupid. I don't know if you are that unintelligent or just that big of a hack. I don't and have never and will never have anything to do with Wayne Jones. The members of the New Summit Republicans were trying to help the party. We did and do believe that more can be done by the party for candidates and principles. But you can't help someone who doesn't yet realize they need help. I just hope they do before it is too late.
I will continue to help Republican candidates as I always have and always will, unlike the threats made by some members of the Finance Committee to damage fundraising if Alex wasn't chair. I have encouraged many people to give to and help candidates even if they can't bring themselves to give to the party. It doesn't make sense to hurt good candidates because we disagree with party leadership and it doesn't make sense to let the Democrats win because we disagree with our party leadership.
I don't enjoy the internal fighting, though I feel it was and is necessary. The future of leadership in this party is not a dead issue but it has been tabled. Now I get to focus my efforts on the part of politics I do like, beating Democrats.
It was a secret ballot. What information do you have that anyone was afraid to change? I have no doubt that on any given day, with a secret vote, at least half of the NSR supporters would have voted against Alex. So they brought an additional 60 or so people to the table. That is a far cry short of 200. If the NSR was such a good idea, how come Kostoff, Pitchford, Kopp and others were not listed as Central Committee officers?
Ben, Do you read what you type? You don't like Alex-so therefore you dislike all local candidates in the next election? With "republicans" like you (fair weather reps) who have never worked 3, 4, or 5 nights a week for six months on a campaign-instead you just throw hate and grudges around-it is a wonder any republicans ever win. Good riddance! Never help a republican again–we don't need whiners like you.
In fact, all the NSR'S can go pound salt. They are just disgruntled, lazy reps who only joined Coughlin because they did not want to have to help on campaigns or petition drives etc… They say they can help people get elected but they are a bunch of bums who don't know what it means to commit to a campaign and work their tails off to help a republican get elected. We didn't need you then-and don't need you now.
No, "My perspective" of course you dont need me or people like me. You all proved last night you are fine with the status quo of losing elections and under 9% countywide registration. You dont need additional people involved to help out there. You all can keep parroting your fake inflated numbers about party success. For instance, your side counts people like Bath Trustees like Jim Nelson as Republicans Alex has helped elect….even though his office is non-partisan and the ballot doesnt even list party affiliation. There are countless examples like that. Its weak. Not to single out Nelson, he is just my example. The races that matter the current regime has managed to have a terrible record the last few years. To keep your stellar record, I am not needed in any capacity.
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a "fair weather Republican." I would argue that it is you that is the bad Republican, more interested in your own well being than that of the party. I supported an effort that tried to bring change and winning to the party.
Gary Lewis, people like commenter KJC dont care about actual results. They care about keeping their status.
As someone who ran (unsuccessfully) for the central committee, I would like to say that Boss Arshinkoff's actions confirmed my commitment to rid the local republican party of him and his cronies. The bylaw that was passed that allows him to unilaterally remove a member of the central committee with or without cause is one of the most profoundly dictatorial things I have ever heard of. The ability of one person to essentially veto the results of a lawful election is simply appalling. What is this, the People's Republic of Arshinkoff? I can imagine this happening in some banana republic, but in the United States? The arrogance of the man to even propose such a thing, much less get it passed, is simply staggering.
I did not join this outfit to go on useless petition drives and burn out another tank of gas because alex has an axe to grind and prove nothing more than bullshit. I cannot get to help on campaigns because I am looked at as alexes employee not the peoples and I am stuck all spring and summer doing his bidding. No free time, no vacations all spare time is for him and the phone calls from HQ “how many do you got?” When some knuckle head stands up in front of a crowd and wants us to go and circulate petitions on a already tried failure (remember CPA AGAIN?) that tells me there is incompetence running the show. All I see is him having us use our money to make him look good while he goes to have little meetings at the Diamond Grille on our nickel where there are no minutes taken with no party secretary present or they don’t bother doing their job and it is not available for public viewing or is itemized. That so-called meeting at the Tangier tells me this is the beginning of his end. I see the recruited geritol crowd stand up and shout “we don’t need rules; alex has been doing a great job. Lets shut it down and go home to bed” and then there is applause? That guy should not even be a Committeeman. When people like me go out to bust our ASS and it is not enough, or we have to help our relative and we are looked at like what is your problem, why aren’t you helping alexes cause. And that is all it is "his" cause and no one else’s. When the democrats bring someone in they are there for life, with alex it is at a whim. No wonder we are loosing people to the other side, we have a manipulative BASTARD as our chair and he has to leave the organization. I already heard it is business as usual and now he is on a search and destroy mission, he is looking for lives to annihilate. But hey if this satisfies you peons with your little drab lives go ahead take it and eat. Enjoy the bitterness thereof. Eventually you will not have sugar daddy to go to, and where will you be then?
It seems the Republicans face some important decisions before the next cycle for local representatives. To hold your nose and turn a blind eye or continue supporting the NSR knowing what an uphill battle you face. It's difficult to tell which is the lesser of two evils, especially for those considering entering the fray for the first time. I don't envy you Republicans, though with the ridiculously low number of registered Republicans, all this gnashing of teeth may be for naught, especially in the short term.
Anne, I know what you mean but to me it is servos to my neighbor next door and our nation’s future. In my opinion if we give up now it is all for naught and we might as well let this nation fail.
I just love the airing out of dirty laundry.
It's so exhilarating.
Hang in there Ben. New blood baby. That's what's needed.
Arshinoff and his group of supporters are apparently sado-masochistic in their political "strategy". Sticking with a cancerous tumor while the whole body is suffering doesn't make much sense. But there it is….
Ben-You say I am a 'bad republican'-interesting. I am the bread and butter of the party-the kind of republican who has worked on many campaigns-by my own choice. I guarantee you that I have done more for local candidates than you ever have. If I ever see you volunteering this year-I will introduce myself-and thank you for actually showing up to help and do the 'grunt' work required to put on a strong campaign. True, it is difficult to win in Summit County-when you have to run against the NSR'S, the Democrats, and the Beacon Journal. However, there are Rep.s out there who selflessly contribute-not necessarily money, but the free time, gas and energy it takes to help someone get elected. If we do meet, I will be gald to take your number so I can call and invite you to help on the campaigns I help on. So-are you going to help local candidates-or just wax on about how much you dislike Alex? Loooking forward to seeing you at some/all the events.
Both of you shut your mouths.
Like when one person was helping Randy Cole at Rep. HQ during the 07 election? Alex was busting tail right there to win.
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