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Coughlin wants state party to preside over Summit's reorganization meeting
By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008
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.''
Coughlin is part of an effort to oust Arshinkoff as chairman. His group, the New Summit County Republicans, has suggested Cuyahoga Falls City Council member Carol Klinger as Arshinkoff's replacement. The decision on who should chair the party will be made by the elected members of the central committee at a meeting later this month.
Planned vacation
Coughlin, who was noticeably absent during a news conference last week where Klinger was identified as the chair candidate, said he had a long-planned family vacation to Washington,
D.C. He said the group didn't want to postpone its announcement until he returned.
''A delay of a week or so would have been working against us,'' he said during a 45-minute teleconference call from Columbus, where the legislature is in session this week.
Coughlin said the state party has presided over other central committee meetings in which there were contentious issues, and he thinks its intervention is needed in this case. He said he's talked briefly with state party officials, but the official request would need to come from the county party's leadership.
''We urge them to join with us to make the request,'' he said.
Coughlin said tallies show the race is tight on the more-than-400-member central committee. He said a group of people is committed to Klinger, a smaller group is supporting Arshinkoff and the largest group is undecided.
''It's very fluid,'' he said.
Coughlin said the New Summit County Republicans would like to sit down with party officials prior to the central committee meeting to discuss ground rules. He said Don Varian — the newly appointed and hotly contested member of the elections board — will be discussing this possibility with Jack Morrison Jr., the board's other Republican member and an Arshinkoff supporter.
Klinger has full-time job
Coughlin was asked about whether he thought Klinger could handle managing the party while also working full time as an accountant for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. He said Klinger discussed her plan to run for chair with Goodyear and the company was ''very supportive.'' He said he thinks she could handle both her job and heading the party.
Arshinkoff said Klinger would be forbidden from doing any party work while on the clock at Goodyear because this would be considered an illegal corporate contribution. He said Goodyear cannot take a position in the party battle.
Scott Baughman, manager of public affairs for Goodyear, said Tuesday that the company ''doesn't take sides on those kinds of issues.''
''What she does on her time is not something we're going to get involved in,'' he said.
Arshinkoff said state law requires the current chairman of the central committee to initially preside over the committee's organizational meeting. ''No one else can do that by law,'' he said.
''Tell him to take a deep breath,'' Arshinkoff said of Coughlin. ''We'll follow the law. I'm not interested in cheating.''
Arshinkoff disagreed with Coughlin's tally of the central committee votes. However, he wouldn't say how his figures differ.
''We'll know it all at the central committee,'' he said.
There's been a lot of confusion about exactly when this meeting will be. Arshinkoff said state law requires the party to hold it within 15 days of when the vote for the March primary election — in which members of the central committee were elected — is certified. He said the Summit County elections board will certify the vote Friday, which means the reorganization meeting must be held by April 19.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached
at 330-996-3705 or
swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.
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.
Get the full article here.
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