When Nancy McArthur took the reins from the late Ed Ryder as chairman of the Geauga County Republican Party in 2014, she became the first woman elected to the position.
When Nancy McArthur took the reins from the late Ed Ryder as chairman of the Geauga County Republican Party in 2014, she became the first woman elected to the position.
McArthur said she was committed to unifying the party and growing it through outreach efforts.
But, less than six months on the job, McArthur became embroiled in a dispute with Geauga County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell over a series of emails she had sent to a family member of a juvenile court litigant. Grendell threatened to hold McArthur in contempt of court for her language, which he claimed reflected negatively on the integrity of his court.
In one email, she called Grendell “power hungry” and “narcissistic,” and said he spends tax money like a Democrat.
“I wish he would go away but for now, we are stuck with him,” McArthur said.
In another email, McArthur said she did not “totally trust” Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz, accusing him of walking “both sides of the fence, but then, so many people in politics do.”
McArthur was re-elected GOP chair in 2016, after being sworn in as Chardon City Council president, simultaneously becoming the city’s mayor, earlier that same year.
But only two years later, in January 2018, McArthur was ousted from her role as mayor and council president in what she called a shameful and divisive “coup” orchestrated by then-Vice President Jeff Smock.
McArthur was able to fend off two challengers and hold onto her position as GOP chair later that summer. Leading up to the vote, then-Geauga County Commissioner Walter “Skip” Claypool said the party needed a chairman willing to cure divisiveness within the GOP rather than fostering and promoting it. He said McArthur had not demonstrated she was willing or able to do that.
In 2022, a campaign to unseat McArthur became more visible, with some GOP candidates and conservative activists accusing her of encouraging Democrats to cross party lines in support of their primary opponents.
Claypool, who had recently lost a primary election to incumbent Geauga County Commissioner Jim Dvorak, published an ad in the Geauga County Maple Leaf claiming there was a “corrupt element” in the county GOP.
He accused McArthur of failing to remain neutral and promote Republican values, and instead encouraged Democrats and Independent voters to pull a Republican ballot and vote for her favored candidates.
Claypool referenced a newspaper ad McArthur ran on behalf of the party which tied the criminal record of Mario Innocenzi — president of the Geauga County Conservative Club and a vocal opponent of McArthur’s chairmanship — to the campaign of then-state Rep. Diane Grendell, who ran against Walder for the county auditor seat that year.
Claypool called out McArthur in his own responding ad.
“Nancy McArthur, the chair of the Republican party, who is supposed to remain neutral officially and promote Republican values, took out a full-page ad attacking a Geauga Republican citizen and created a number of social media posts encouraging Democrats and Independents to pull a Republican ballot,” Claypool said. “Moreover, she told people who to vote for. In essence implying a party endorsement, which did not exist.”
But, McArthur staved off her challengers after securing a slim two-vote majority.
“I am not perfect and I sometimes rub people the wrong way. I know I have irritated some people,” she said in a speech before the vote that June. “I have always done what I thought best and right for our party and I will continue to do that as your party chair.”
Stacking the Deck
Many in the county GOP have also accused McArthur of using her position as chair to run against Republican incumbents she does not like. In March, she challenged Geauga County Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri for his expiring seat, taking issue with Spidalieri’s attendance record and ability to serve as a full-time commissioner.
In early February, members of the Geauga County Tea Party stood outside of the Heritage House on Chardon Square to protest her leadership after hearing the GOP had plans to endorse multiple candidates in the March 19 Republican primary.
Members of the GCTP accused McArthur of asking for an endorsement after having “stacked” the GOP Central Committee with her allies to have them endorse her in her race against Spidalieri. However, McArthur said after the meeting that a voice vote called specifically to discuss the topic of endorsements failed, as the party was not yet ready for the idea.
McArthur said the group gathered to protest outside made it “all about her” even though she did not lead the meeting.
Outside the building — gathered around a picnic table with a view into a large bank of windows on the north wall of the Heritage House — the tea party gathered with handwritten signs splashed with slogans like, “Nancy your reign of terror/error is over” and “Nancy resign now.“
“If you want a one-word description for this woman — lawless,” GCTP Vice President Jim MacNeal said at the time.
Spidalieri defeated McArthur 8,208 votes to 5,325.
Legal Woes, LaRose Warning
In January 2023, McArthur had a run-in with Portage County resident Brian Ames, who attempted to enter a meeting of the GOP Executive Committee but was rebuffed at the door.
Videos of the struggle between McArthur and Ames show Ames approaching the door and McArthur blocking the entrance, arms held wide apart until Ames attempted to move past her.
The next month, she was sworn into a seat on the Geauga County Board of Elections — now held by Rich Piraino — after being appointed by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
In his letter confirming her appointment to the board, LaRose said while no concerns were raised during McArthur’s background check, some anecdotal feedback from Geauga County residents raised concerns about her past professional conduct and temperament as a local political and public official.
“I have concluded that, while some of the information I received is concerning, none of the information provided to me for review violates the legal precedent for competence as a board member,” LaRose said. “However, I ask that you consider the discord and division this appointment has generated within the county and strive to mitigate these challenges as you begin your new duties.”
Ames was found guilty of criminal trespass in Chardon Municipal Court for the January incident, after a trial held in September 2023. A first-degree misdemeanor count of assault against McArthur was dismissed.
In February, McArthur filed for a civil protection order — a restraining order — against Ames. In a filing with the Ohio Supreme Court Aug. 7, Ames said a hearing on the order, originally scheduled for Feb. 12, never took place.
Records show McArthur attempted to dismiss the order herself a few days before the hearing was scheduled, but in his filing Ames said the language of the order meant McArthur did not have the right to do so without a hearing.
Ames has asked the state supreme court to order Judge David Ondrey, in whose court the order was initially filed, to hold a full hearing and judgment.
“As of Aug. 7, 2024, it has been 219 days since the order was issued and yet no full hearing has been set,” Ames told the supreme court.
