Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family
Man found hanging at playground in Stow
Family is proud of late son's gift
Man shot in back near Akron park
Robbery suspect's body left at Akron hospital
Varejao's $50 million deal isn't really $50 million
FBI asked to investigate attack on white family near Firestone Park
Woman, 75, charged with beating fawn to death
Blogs:
Pets:
Sly children fool exercise study by using dogs
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Dwayne Wade says no to Cleveland
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Kent State
Browns Bulletin:
Quick thought on Browns rookies
Tribe Matters:
Now is no time to quit
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Andy’s Signed According to ESPN
All Da King's Men:
Baby Got Barack !
Blog of Mass Destruction:
As California Goes?
Akron Law Café:
Why do public officials violate Ohio Ethics Laws?
Varsity Letters:
Report: Ontko selects Wisconsin
See Jane Style:
Oh Baby!
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Closings….Not the Good Kind!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Margy inquires-when is a Taste of Hudson?
Sound Check:
LeVert II live performance Saturday night — "Dedication" album due July 13,
HRLite House:
DDI One of Best Places to Work
Akron Gamer:
Video game sales drop in May
Arshinkoff says his supporters won more races
By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008
Summit County Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff says his loyalists — not state Sen. Kevin Coughlin's — won the majority of the contested races for the party's central committee in last week's primary election.
Arshinkoff, in a news conference Tuesday, said his supporters scored 78 victories among the contested races, while Coughlin won 66. He said he based his win-loss calculations on a list of Coughlin's endorsed central committee candidates from his ''New Summit County Republicans'' Web site.
''I wanted to use Kevin's list, so he could not say it wasn't complete and accurate,'' Arshinkoff said.
Coughlin claimed on the night of last week's election that he won 83 of the races pitting his candidates against Arshinkoff's, while Arshinkoff's scored 64.
Arshinkoff said Coughlin won six uncontested races, bringing his total victories to 72. Arshinkoff's slate had seven races in which it filed both candidates and two additional races in which there were ties — and each candidate was theirs — bringing their total wins in contested races to 87. He said the party also filed 305 uncontested candidates.
Coughlin is attempting to oust Arshinkoff as chairman by gaining a majority on the 475-member central committee. This committee must meet within 60 days of when the election is certified to decide the party's leadership.
While stopping short of saying he was confident of his chances, Arshinkoff said he doesn't think the party's central committee candidates are lying about their allegiance to him — as Coughlin has claimed.
''I'm not losing any sleep over this anymore,'' said Arshinkoff, who remained mostly calm and collected during his 45-minute news conference at the party's headquarters.
Arshinkoff predicted that, at most, there could be a 10 percent move of central committee candidates on both sides, which amounts to about 30 candidates.
Coughlin, who was in Columbus for a legislative session, said Tuesday evening that Arshinkoff ''has trouble counting.''
''Our inclination is to let him keep talking,'' Coughlin said. ''He can claim what he wants.''
Coughlin said he and his supporters will spend the next few weeks talking to central committee candidates ''counting noses and
getting votes.''
''Alex can circle all the names he wants,'' he said. ''There are people he filed and did mail for who aren't for him for re-election. We will let the results of the central committee meeting speak for themselves.''
Arshinkoff said he also will be talking to central committee members while working on the campaigns for Summit County candidates in the November election. He said he hasn't heard a lot from Coughlin about how he would propose to help more Republican candidates win elections.
''If every Republican would win with my leave, I'd resign tomorrow,'' he said.
During Arshinkoff's news conference, he became the most animated when he touched on what he claims to be the root of the attempted coup against him. He claims Pete Kostoff, who is working with Coughlin, wants to gain control of the Republican Party so that both Summit County political parties will be under the control of the Akron law firm of Roetzel & Andress. Kostoff and Wayne Jones, the Summit County Democratic Party's finance chair, are both in that firm.
''Roetzel wants to control the machinery of both parties,'' Arshinkoff said, his voice rising.
Both Kostoff and Jones have denied Arshinkoff's claims.
''It is typical Arshinkoff,'' Jones said Tuesday evening. ''He fails to take responsibility for his own actions and always blames someone else. I am tired of his conspiracy theories.''
A few of the central committee contests remain up in the air. Four contested races resulted in ties, while 17 others are separated by four votes or less and could require recounts. This could include the race between Coughlin and Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart, a staunch Arshinkoff supporter, which Coughlin was winning by two votes with the unofficial vote count.
The Summit County elections board will add provisional ballots to the unofficial count March 25, certify the results April 4, and conduct recounts — if necessary — April 14.
Arshinkoff said he will schedule the party's organizational meeting after the election results are finalized. He said central committee members will be notified by both certified and first-class mail. Coughlin and his supporters have raised concerns about people not being properly notified about the meeting.
''It will not be a snap meeting,'' Arshinkoff said. ''I'm not going to sneak anything through. I will follow the law.''
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached
at 330-996-3705 or
swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.
Summit County Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff says his loyalists — not state Sen. Kevin Coughlin's — won the majority of the contested races for the party's central committee in last week's primary election.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
