4 CCBOE Board Members to be Sworn in Tomorrow

Yesterday the local Republican party's choice-apparent for the remaining Republican seat on the 4-person Board of Elections was chosen. Rob Frost, the local Republican party chair will also hold a seat on the Cuyahoga elections board.

That makes 2 highly partisan members on the Republican side, 2 highly qualified, but not normally partisanly identified on the Democratic side; 3 lawyers, one not; 3 men and one woman.

Time, and a few more selections, will tell how this new 4-person mix , plus other top executive positions will unfold. Will they be able to accomplish the many needed reforms so that Cuyahoga voters will have equal access to our votes? And have our votes counted and reported accurately to us? Can the actual many election reforms begun by Interim Director, Jane Platten in the past two months, continue? Will they leave Dem Platten as Director to continue her good works, which means that one of the two new Republican members, Jeff Hastings or Rob Frost will become Chairman? Under those conditions could she continue to make reforms for Cuyahoga voters?

Will they decide to make Dem lawyer Inajo Chappell the Chair, which would mean that Platten, if she were to stay would become Deputy Director?

And for that matter, will they extend the Director and Deputy search so that Platten could stay. That is the only sane move the new board and the Secretary of State Brunner could make.

Now that everything has changed since the first search, that was then tabled until the new board was seated, the search for a new Director in this new environment must be reopened. A report from the search committee, led by former Director, Captain Bill Wilkens, himself ousted from that position in 2000, and the Director Search Committee, of which Frost was previously a part, will report tomorrow on those updates.

Even among the best managers who applied, no one could also add the knowledge of Cuyahoga election processes exhibited by Platten, until at least a year of very steep learning curve. She's an excellent choice, and the only one who can continue to build the CCBOE in this year's remaining approximate 9 elections, and into November, 2008.

Click here to see a copy of the BOE agenda
http://www.box.net/shared/rkhitibftn
which can also be found at:
http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/aboutus/meetingcalendar.htm