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Divided Geauga GOP gives edge to Samide
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - July 18, 2012)
Divided Geauga GOP gives edge to Samide
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Geauga County Commissioner Mary Samide found a new lease on her political life last week as the Geauga County Republican Central Committee elected her to run for the office this November.
The GOP committee put Mrs. Samide before voters to seek election to the remaining two years on the term of Commissioner William Young, who retired from the post last month.
Mrs. Samide was defeated in her bid to retain her own seat on the board by challenger Ralph Spidalieri in the March Republican primary.
The election by the central committee, which took 10 ballots during a four-hour meeting, at times elicited vocal disagreement from some of the 50 members. Mrs. Samide faced four challengers, South Russell Councilmen James Flaiz and Mark Porter and businessmen James McConnell and Walter "Skip" Claypool, vying for the party's nod.
Mr. Spidalieri, who made an appearance at the session, asked committee members to not vote for Mrs. Samide. He said her election would bring more distrust from voters and help Democrats gain seats on the board of commissioners, which hasn't occurred in 20 years.
His speech was met with shouts of, "How dare you," as well as, "It's the truth," from committee members.
Party Chairman Edward Ryder apologized for Mr. Spidalieri's remarks and urged the committee to stay together to defeat Democrats this November.
Mrs. Samide said she's sorry that Mr. Spidalieri feels that way about her. She said she called him immediately after the March primary to congratulate him and apologized that she was "ill-advised" on election materials which later drew criticism.
The GOP votes went back and forth with Mr. Claypool and Mrs. Samide being the front-runners.
"This is like 'Groundhog Day,'" Mrs. Samide said during the proceedings, referring to a movie in which the main character lives the same day over and over.
"We're just going around here in circles," Mr. Ryder said.
As Mr. McConnell withdrew from the vote, then Mr. Flaiz and Mr. Porter, the decision did not get easier. Some members continued to throw the election off by voting for Mr. Porter or "none of the above."
Geauga Court Common Pleas Court Judge Forrest Burt said it was unbecoming of members to throw away their votes. "I'm mad," he said. "I thought better of this group. One said 'none of the above.' We are better than that as a party."
Mr. Flaiz appealed to the group to vote for someone who is electable in November.
After Mr. Porter continued to receive a vote after withdrawing, he appealed to the group. "If you voted me, please vote for Mary," he said.
When that didn't convince the voter to change, Mr. Ryder called for a roll call vote, instead of another secret ballot.
The result was 25 votes for Mrs. Samide and 24 for Mr. Claypool.
Mr. Claypool congratulated Mrs. Samide and called on members to save the emotions they expressed that night to defeat Democrats this November.
A second election was held to decide who would fill Mr. Young's seat until the end of the year. Mr. Claypool, Mr. Porter, former Chardon city Councilwoman Mary Bramstedt and former Russell Township Trustee Kristina Port threw their hats into the ring for the lame-duck post. Mr. Claypool easily won with 27 votes.
Mrs. Samide, who teared up at the end of the voting, said it was a stressful night that gave her a headache. She said she was "stunned" by Mr. Spidalieri's remarks and was grateful that it didn't sway the vote.
Mrs. Samide will face Burton Township Trustee James Dvorak, who was named last week by the Geauga County Democratic Party to run on the fall ballot.
Mr. Dvorak said he plans to run a positive campaign and work hard for the entire county. "I'm here to serve all the residents," he said. "I plan to give people common-sense government."
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