Nancy McArthur maintained her position as chair of the Geauga County Republican Party at their June 4 reorganizational meeting, which was held at the Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Center on Cedar Road.
Nancy McArthur maintained her position as chair of the Geauga County Republican Party at their June 4 reorganizational meeting, which was held at the Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Center on Cedar Road. With 62 out of 74 central committee members present, McArthur received 35 votes for chairman. This is McArthur’s third term to serve as party chairman since 2014, when she was the first elected female to serve in that role.
McArthur faced two challengers for the role – one, Chester Township physician Ben Alvarez, and the other, Charlie Dottore, of Russell Township.
Alvarez told the group he grew up in New York as the son of Cuban immigrants. His home was near the site of a 1734 libel trial that laid the groundwork for freedom of the press in the United States.
The story, Alvarez said, started his love affair with the American Revolutionary War.
Alvarez joined the U.S. Air Force after the Sept. 11 attacks and said he now sees disunity within the Republican Party.
“Ultimately this is not about me, this about individuals, this is about the state of the republic,” he said of his reasons for trying for the county chairmanship.
Dottore, who has lived in Russell for 20 years, is part of Dottore Companies, a firm that works with property in receivership.
“We do divorce mediation, we do a lot of politics, we help a lot of people out, we fundraise a lot,” Dottore said.
He added his goal for the chairman position was to get the fractured party back together.
McArthur, however, prevailed. In a question and answer session after the vote, County Commissioner Walter “Skip” Claypool asked McArthur about earlier comments regarding divisiveness within the party.
“I’ve seen no activity or no concern over that divisiveness in this party. In the last election, my last election, the divisiveness was built upon,” Claypool said.
He said the party needs a chairman willing to cure any divisiveness instead of foster and promote it, and McArthur had not demonstrated she was willing or able to do that.
McArthur responded to Claypool’s question by reiterating the ways in which the Geauga GOP has reached out to groups like the Kent State University – Geauga College Republicans. The party’s bylaws, she said, were rewritten after what she characterized as robust discussion.
She said she has never turned away anyone asking to help the party.
“When people focus on division, that’s what they’re going to see. But if you focus on the things that we share and the things we believe in together, I think that’s where we’re going to see positive change,” McArthur said.
In a testy exchange near the end of her response, McArthur asked Claypool, “What do you think is dividing us, Skip? What have you done to bring the party together?”
As Claypool approached the front of the room to answer her question, the dialogue was batted down by Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz, who reminded the two of the rule that the question-and-answer session was not meant to include any back and forth conversation.
Jane Zimmerman was elected to keep her position as vice president — despite McArthur nominating Mary O’Toole — Joan Windnagel retained her seat as secretary and Kevin O’Reilly, as treasurer.
Executive committee members were also voted on and Karen Swan was elected as vice chairman of that committee.
After the elections concluded, McArthur briefed the group on the current state of the party’s voters. McArthur said contrary to GOP assumptions that Democrats had switched parties in order to vote as Republicans in the May election, the numbers showed many Democrats had crossed party lines in the 2016 presidential election, had returned to the Democratic party this year.
McArthur also held a vote on donating county party money to the 2018 slate of GOP candidates, which include 16 running for state and local offices. The party decided to donate $500 to each candidate, except the two GOP candidates running at the federal level, who may have to receive in-kind donations such as yard signs due to campaign finance laws.
The evening included a rousing speech by Michael Pircio, who hopes to unseat incumbent State Rep. John Patterson in the 99thdistrict, which covers most of Ashtabula county and the northeast corner of Geauga.
A retired Air Force staff sergeant, Pircio said no matter what party people belong to, they should be angry with the “inexcusable” corruption in Columbus. He said his time in the military taught him about effective leadership.
“If you BS people, things don’t get done. If you BS people, things get done wrong. If you BS for votes, you’re going to be flip-flopping your whole career, just sitting there collecting a paycheck,” he said, adding many districts across Ohio have representatives who are simply collecting paychecks.
Pircio asked the Geauga GOP to support him with their time and financial donations, a request made easier by McArthur’s reminder to the group its purpose is to support Republicans.
“We don’t support Democrats, we don’t support Independents – we’re here to get Republicans elected. I know it’s been tough, we’ve had some primaries. It’s hard because we have friends, we have relationships with people, but that’s what our job is and so I will remind you to support them as much as you can,” she said.
