Republican petitions scrutinized; Coughlin wants review of 64 filings for central committee

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by Eric Marotta

News Leader Editor

Akron -- The validity of dozens of petitions may determine how a battle for control of the Summit County Republican Party unfolds after the March primary election.

While the Summit County Board of Elections has disqualified 18 petitions of individuals seeking election to the party's central committee, a decision on 21 other filings is pending, and Ohio District 27 Sen. Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls) has challenged petitions filed by 64 other individuals.

At stake is majority control of the county Republican Party's central committee -- whose approximately 470 seats are up for election March 4.

An organization led by Coughlin, the New Summit County Republicans, wants to oust party chairman Alex Arshinkoff and institute a number of reforms, according to the group's Web site.

Arshinkoff did not respond to messages seeking
comment.

Coughlin said more than 300 party members are committed to the New Republican cause. About 170 of them are in contested races, while the remainder are in uncontested contests for seats on the central committee.

Typically, central committee positions, which are often left unfilled, perform few functions other than appointing poll workers to staff voting booths in their precincts. Coughlin said his group plans to attain a majority in the central committee, adopt new party bylaws and oust Arshinkoff, who has been in office since 1978.

Coughlin's group alleges Arshinkoff has failed to effectively challenge Democrats in recent elections and accuses him of living an "opulent lifestyle" at the party's expense, among other allegations.

Elections Board to consider petitions

Coughlin is asking the elections board to reconsider seven of the 18 central committee candidate filings it disqualified from the primary ballot. In the meantime, Coughlin on Jan. 15 filed challenges to 64 other petitions, none of which he said are among his 300-or-so supporters.

"This isn't about the individual, this is about the validity of the petition," Coughlin said.

The Board will review 21 filings it put on hold Jan. 8 at a Jan. 22 meeting, but has not scheduled a meeting to discuss Coughlin's challenges, according to an Elections Board staff member. The Board may either vote to uphold each challenge, reject it or fail to reach an agreement, in which case Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner would make the final decision.

According to a letter Coughlin filed with the Board of Elections, most of the 64 petitions Coughlin claims are invalid did not contain the necessary five valid signatures.

Coughlin is also challenging the petition filed for a seat on the state central committee by Elections Board Chairman Bryan C. Williams. Coughlin alleges many of the signatories on Williams' petition are Elections Board employees who signed during regular business hours.

Williams, who was in a conference in Columbus, could not be reached for comment.

Coughlin has requested video recordings taken during business hours from all surveillance cameras located in the Board of Elections building for Dec. 20, 21 and 22.

E-mail: emarotta@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3171