Triumph from Tragedy : The Hope for the Next Cuyahoga Chair

There is much speculation about the ongoing investigation into the Cuyahoga County leadership. While it may be months or longer before the issues are resolved, Democrats in the state's most important blue county should look at this nightmare as an opportunity to bring about much needed reform to the county party. In writing this, I do not wish to speculate on the investigation or the players, however, it is becoming increasingly obvious that a permanent change in leadership of the county party may be occurring soon. That being said, here's my wish list for saving, stabilizing and growing the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party.

Party Chair
For better or worse, the current dual role played by Commissioner Dimora (as County Commissioner and Party Chair) is a confusing one for the general voting public. People assume that because the commissioner is chairing the party that there is automatically political influence being used on taxpayer time. I don't know if that's true, and it's not even relevant for my point. What's important here is the perception. To eliminate this perception, the next chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party must be someone who does not currently hold office. By selecting someone not tied to the voters, the party can have a leader focused on rebuilding and growing the county operation without being the center of daily media coverage - good or bad. This takes pressure off the chair, the party, and elected officials.

The next step is a commitment from the chair to serve no longer than five years - basically a presidential cycle plus several months of transition to a new chair. By "term-limiting" the chairmanship, the party reduces the power of a single individual and creates an environment where fresh eyes and ideas have a chance to keep the party moving forward. To further weaken the outside political influence of the chair, candidates for the job should agree in writing to not seek ANY elected office for two years following his/her tenure as chair. This reduces the likelihood that a chair would use his/her tenure to develop a personal political machine. Of course, the "two-year promise" wouldn't be enforsable, but by putting it in writing, it makes it harder to break.

Selecting the right chair will be the hardest part of reforming the county party. Within the party, there are dozens of power centers - some east, some west, some in the city of Cleveland, others in the suburbs. And, of course, there are numerous divisions within those areas. Finding a candidate who is not directly leading or steering a political base and can work effectively with all of these mini-machines and cliques should be priority one. I know it sounds impossible, but it can be done. There are probably dozens of quality candidates who could emerge if political leaders of the region made a serious attempt to work together for the good of the entire party. Sacrificing a little (very little) control could yield a greater long-term return if the party is able to flip red and purple precincts to blue across the county. In order to help bring these coalitions together, the party chair must also make one more concession : he/she won't hand out money they raise to candidates.

Ending Leadership PACs
One of the ways the party chair can use influence right now is through the use of a political club, fund, etc. A quick glance at the Secretary of State's website shows how the party chair, through his Booster Club, has given thousands of dollars to candidates for various offices. There is nothing wrong with this practice. It's normal and legal. However, to create a stronger party leadership team, the practice should be eliminated. The party chair should be focused on building and growing a modern political infrastructure that helps all primary election winners. By raising money outside of the party office, and supporting some candidates and not others, the chair risks looking too partisan. All funds raised by the chair should be used exclusively for the party and rebuilding the dated systems in place today.

Robust Primaries
Democrats are in abundance in Cuyahoga County. For almost every race, anywhere in the county (even heavy GOP areas), there are probably at least two Democrats qualified and ready to serve in elected office. The reason so many have not even bothered trying is because of the way the party leadership can influence who runs in primaries and who doesn't. Throw in the "name games" that we tend to rely on for judicial races, and you've got a field of average candidates doing the same things they've been doing for decades. So, what's the fastest way to grow a stronger party? Answer: robust primaries. By keeping the party out of the behind-the-scenes games, you open up the possibility that some very talented, very serious people have a very real shot at winning - especially in Republican areas. The "good, old days" when we cleared the field in a primary for a weak candidate, only to see that weak candidate lose to a Republican in the fall, need to come to an end. Like yesterday.

The party should instead focus on candidate training and recruitment - even if it means recruiting more than one candidate for a race. By expanding the candidate pool, you expand participation, and ultimately will see candidates more engaged and focused on raising money and knocking on doors. Lackluster candidates with nothing to lose, tend to play that way. Then they lose and no one is surprised.

Candidate Farm Team
Speaking of recruitment, it's time for the party to swing open the doors to the always politically quiet crowd who work FOR candidates, not AS candidates. I'm talking about the entrepreneurs, the stay-at-home parents, the artists, the under 30, the over 60, the Latino, the doctors, the musician, etc. We've got to have more than lawyers seeking elected office. And the requirement for office ABOVE city council shouldn't need to BE city council. The next party chair needs to be able to identify talent - no matter what form - and cultivate it into a candidate farm team that thinks faster, differently, and with a sense of political purpose that our region is desperately lacking. there are too many great ideas that never see the light of day because the "thinker" wasn't politically connected.

Protecting (Some) Political Bases
Finally, the next party chair will have to deal with a complex and politically dangerous set of turf battles. For every part of the county, there are political bases. East side, west side, southwest, northeast, etc. The only way the reforms outlined above EVER happen is if there is a degree of trust between the new party chair and the people controlling the local power bases. The new party chair must build a stronger party, but must do so with the understanding that his/her efforts threaten powerful men and women across the county who have been fine with the status quo.

The new chair must work on raising money, attracting leaders, and building stronger Democratic strongholds. To do this, there must be give-and-take. To maintain control of their home turf, local party leaders (ward leaders, local city machine leaders, etc) must be willing to ease their grip in exchange for a significant voice in the party. Conversely, the party chair must accept the fact that no one knows their turf better than the local leaders there. It would be foolish and naive for the next chair to think he/she can and should have absolute control over who runs which wards. And it shouldn't be the focus of the chair unless the local leaders are hurting the larger county party by failing to keep up.

Party leaders and the next chair must agree on a set of principles similar to the ones outlined above if they wish to maintain their long term control over Cuyahoga County. State party officials should almost insist that they do. Anything less, at this difficult time for our county party, could lead to electoral disaster in 2010 and beyond. Democrats cannot afford to let that happen.