Yes it’s that time of year again. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are likely aware that one of the most important elections of our time is once again here. With a world at war, and vying ideas for good social order very much on the ballot, that statement is certainly as true as it’s ever been. Whether it is economic policy or education policy, energy or immigration, it’s on this ballot in some way. One can vote early, by mail, or in person on election day, but by all means please vote. Our voice is only as loud as our voting constituency when it comes to any issues be they local, county or national. We don’t count if you don’t get counted, so please make it a priority and consider voting for the following:
President: Donald Trump
Supreme Court Justices: Megan Shanahan, Joseph Deters, Daniel Hawkins
US Senator: Bernie Moreno
Congress 11th District: Shontel Brown
State Representative: Juanita Brent (Please note that if Eric Synenberg appears on your ballet, he was the candidate who garnered much support in the primary to unseat his opponent, and is worthy of your consideration this time around with a good reputation and relationships)
County Council Member: Michael Houser
Common Pleas Court: Antonio Nichelson, Tim Hess, Ami Imbrogno, Joan Synenberg (rated Excellent, for many years including this rating), Jason Ralls, Timothy Clary (rated Excellent). See below, unless noted, it’s merely a partisan pick this time.
Member of Council: James Posch
Ohio State Issue 1: This law will restructure the anti-gerrymandering laws currently in place. Vote: No
Cuyahoga County Issue 55: A sin tax on cigarettes, proceeds going to the arts. Leaning: No.
For President, each candidate is flawed, so my recommendation is to vote for the platform/party that will best represent our values, and views in general. Ironically, each party has claimed the democracy is on the ballot. Democrats claim that one cannot vote Republican after the January 6th riots that they have labelled Insurrection. Republicans point to the race riots and the absence of justice served there as well as the process in which Harris bypassed the primary nomination and raise questions about President Biden’s fitness to run the country and the implications for democracy stemming from the question of who knew what when and who is really in charge. Each party says that if you elect the other, you will get totalitarianism. Democrats say that as a result of the Republican candidate’s personality while Republicans say the Democrat policies can lead only there. Politics remains about how you frame the issues, who defines the terms, and remains a dirty game. Since no one’s hands are clean on that score, we have to look at whose policies we favor.
I favor the Republican return to Energy Independence for making our country stronger economically which will affect everything from foreign affairs, military capability, how our country is perceived, and the good our country will be able to do domestically and abroad to the cost of bread on our kitchen tables. Cheaper gas, produced locally will affect every link in the supply chain. On this, Trump has a track record of lower costs for just about everything from gas at the pump to the gefilte fish on the table. I am further troubled by the Democrat policy of returning to the JCPOA and the horrific trickledown we are now experiencing in the Middle East since Biden took office. Republicans have demonstrated stronger support for Israel where Democrats have tried to balance their support for Israel with support for her enemy’s cause to retain support from their supporters, read voters, in the US.
Senate – For the above reasons, Republican policies are seen as the better way forward on many issues of importance to this country. Of note, on the issue of abortion, neither party represents a policy we should be fully comfortable with and I therefore see that issue as one that this country needs a better solution than either party offers. Given that, I consider the two parties a draw on that issue and exclude it from the calculation rather than weighting which you may have seen in the press. No matter who is in power, we will have an advocacy job to do. I give greater priority to National Security, the Economy, Immigration/Housing/Crime and other domestic issues, and certainly, with the dangers worldwide, Foreign Affairs. Republicans not only have the stronger record on having Israel’s back, and Israel is an ally, but they also have fewer antisemitic members of Congress. Bernie Moreno
Congress – Oh this is a sticky wicket! We have reason to like both the Democrat and Republican Candidate. However, we should be clear. This race will not even be close. Shontel Brown will not only retain her seat, she will do so in a landslide. Her understanding of security issues to the Jewish Community as well as for Israel have earned her the support of our community. She has done everything our community could have hoped she would do. She has kept her promises to our community when she first ran, and has stood up to pressure from “The Squad,“ that group of openly hostile Congressmen, mostly women, who are vocally antisemitic. Alan Rappaport who served as Mayor of Cleveland Heights and Council for entities within our community also deserves our support. He’s a long and loyal friend. However, since the vote will not even be close, consideration must go to practicality and the one who we hope to have our back going forward. It is with great regret that I cannot support both candidates, but support must continue to go someone who has proved herself a friend in this current climate when it counted, Shontel Brown
Judges – For Supreme Court, the logic of which party best represents our values holds true. Vote Republican. For the rest of the contested races, I wanted to reprint the results of the Judge4yourself.com ratings. And then I looked at them. They were pretty useless as too many candidates “did not respond” or were rated “not recommended”. Which leaves me listing the Republican Judges on the general feeling that they are more likely to serve justice than social justice and be tough on crime while giving defendants a speedy trial and trying them fairly. This is simply a generalized best guess, and not just mine, but also those who advocate for the community. Please be aware that, unlike in the past, I have no one giving me information about the Judges from within the courtroom. I encourage anyone who sits jury duty with strong impressions one way or the other to let me know your impressions of how fair and firm you thought they were. The only exception to this is for Joan Synenberg, I do have independent endorsement of her past good reputation on the bench and the website currently rates her Excellent. Timothy Clary also received an Excellent rating.
Cleveland Heights City Council – James Posch, whose name you may recognize from his work on the CHUH School Board, was appointed to a vacant council seat and is required to run to keep it. He is running unopposed. Supporting him is a step towards what we hope to be a positive future relationship.
Issue 1 – Jerry Jerry Jerry! Momma Mander would be so proud to see you are still being talked about since that day in 1812.
Yes, this is a case of here we go again. Gerrymandering is actually a political term referencing then Governor Eldrige Gerry’s packing the districts in his home state of Massachusetts to resemble a salamander just to make the districting favor his party. It’s been used ever since and is widely looked down upon.
To review, districts are redrawn every ten years in response to the updated census numbers. Those in power tend to have more say in how they are drawn, and they can be drawn in ways that give more voting clout to some or decrease the voting power of others based on how they divide voting blocs when they draw those lines. It is a given that the party in power will exert their majority in setting up a balance favorable to them. That cuts both ways and can favor either party, depending on who is in power. Gerrymandering is the art of being, well, too artful and too obvious about stretching those boundaries to the absurd. In other words, if it looks like cheating, resembles a weird looking salamander and quacks like a duck, it probably is.
Ohio has already passed several amendments to try and decrease the heavy handedness and eliminate the absurd. Those on the outs (due to previous gerrymandering) have pushed this amendment which will favor them and likely, if passed, turn several seats in the legislature from Republican to Democrat. Ironically, some say the law actually mandates a version of gerrymandering that will do that very thing.
Proponents argue that the new law is good because it puts the districting in the hands of an unelected panel, so that their job security is not dependent on the outcome of the next election that they are affecting with the redistricting. The opposition points out that what this actually means is that, once on the panel, there is no mechanism to remove them making them even more subject to corruption and unanswerable to anyone. They cannot be voted out. This unaccountability opens the door not only to corruption at the state level, but also to outside influence either from varying political parties or even foreign entities. This is concerning and dangerous. On principal, I favor accountability.
The funding mechanism remains unclear, and the opposition has noted that this could amount to handing that unaccountable panel a blank check or taxpayer dollars.
The amendment would require lines to be drawn based on “partisan preference of each voter” which has real implications for those favoring Republicans at the ballot, but, acknowledging the Democrat Majority in the county and wishing to vote in a Democrat primary. That vote defines your party. In short, this measure puts party allegiance ahead of actual discernment of each race and entrenches that into law. So even though statewide elections have gone both ways, but mostly favored Republicans, Democrats would receive more districts based on party registration. This measure would disenfranchise conservative voters in liberal districts and vice versa, causing them to think twice before voting in a primary as they would want to for fear of the implications in redistricting and how legislation coming from that might affect them. Candidate vs. Policy.
It can be revealing to see who is funding the advocacy for this Amendment. Citizens Not Politicians is leading the campaign in support of the ballot initiative. As of July 31, 2024, when the most recent campaign finance reports were filed, Citizens Not Politicians had received $26.95 million, including $6.67 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund (a far-left progressive dark money fund, “Empowering Progressive Changemakers”), $3.58 million from the American Civil Liberties Union, and $3.50 million from Article IV. Supporters include several labor unions, including the Ohio AFL-CIO and Ohio Education Association, and nonprofit organizations like the ACLU, Ohio NAACP, and Planned Parenthood of Ohio. Yet, as of that date, no political action committee had organized to oppose the ballot initiative.
Just looking at that list makes it clear how this amendment passing would be harmful to our community. A shift in balance would likely result in repealing much of the school voucher system that has benefitted our community. Other social issues would likely pass that would be at odds with our values.
Vote: NO on Issue 1
Issue 55 – This is essentially a sin tax. Cigarettes are currently taxed at 1.5 cents per cigarette in a tax that benefits the arts and will remain in force for 2 more years. This tax, if passed, will raise that amount to 3.5 cents per cigarette and will replace the old tax and remain in effect for 10 years. Over that time, it is expected to raise $160 million. Proceeds will be used for infrastructure for arts in the county such as building theatre expansions and repairs or purchasing. I personally have no problem taxing cigarettes given their hazard to our health, but full disclosure, I do not smoke. Shocking I know. I do have an affinity for the theatre. I have seen the stage bring out the best in children and open creativity, but that said, given the nature of much of what is considered art today, I cannot go so far as to endorse the cause in today’s atmosphere. And there are other good uses to which a sin tax could go rather than the arts, that would be far more beneficial. Tellingly, Cuyahoga County is the only county in Ohio that has a dedicated tax revenue stream to fund arts. Other counties use private foundations or money that is allotted from their general budget. On the whole, I therefore recommend No.
But please consider your choice and vote.
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