Down to the Wire in Ward 6

Thankfully most of the ugliness that occurred early-on in the Ward 6 special election runoff has finally ceased. This is the contest where vicious anonymous emails were sent to journalists who had agreed to participate in a Candidates’ Night when there were six people in the race. The cowards behind the missives cast all sorts of aspersions on the integrity and fitness of most of the people who had filed to run, but singled out John Boyd because he was convicted of murder as a 16-year-old over 30 years ago.

I don’t want to take too much credit for stopping the underhanded tactics, but I did threaten to expose the names of the people behind the negative campaigning if they didn’t cut it out, and, just like the cowards I knew them to be, they crawled back under their rocks. And, as long as they stay under them, I’ll keep their names out of my column.

However, the frontrunner in the contest, current Councilwoman Mamie Mitchell, didn’t approve of, or have anything to do with, the dirty tactics.

“I believe in only running a positive campaign, focusing only on the issues,” she said, “not on personalities or the mistakes someone might have made in their past.” She then went on to confide that she has a family member that has a felony conviction, and doesn’t believe that anyone should be forever banned from taking part in our political processes because of old convictions. “While it’s up to each state to make their own laws,” Mitchell said, “I personally believe that having some kind of ‘sunset’ clause, which would fully restore all rights after a period of time is the fairest way to go.”

Boyd, her opponent in the April 22 runoff, stated that he doesn’t believe that Mitchell had anything to do with the negative campaigning. “All she has done is to focus on the issues. She’s treated me fairly,” he said. But Boyd said that he still has one huge reason to be concerned.

It seems that Attorney General Marc Dann’s office has gotten involved in the contest and Boyd is wondering why. “A gentleman who accompanied Ms. Mitchell to an endorsement interview at a newspaper told me afterward that he is on loan from Marc Dann’s office, and that troubles me.” Boyd also said that Election Board records show that “Dann for Ohio” political organization run by the attorney general, gave Mitchell a contribution of a $1,000 back in February.

Here’s the problem, as Boyd sees it: One section of the Ohio Revised Code states that persons with a felony conviction cannot hold political office; but a 2006 legal opinion by then-Attorney General Jim Petro clouds the issue. The chief of the AGs opinion section, Kevin McIver, has said, “There’s nothing definite that says he can’t hold office, and there is nothing definite saying that he can.” In the event of a Boyd victory Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason would most likely have to ask Dann for a ruling as to Boyd’s ability to hold office. “Dann clearly favors my opponent in this race,” said Boyd, “so should he recuse himself from making a decision on my fitness and ability to hold office, should it come to that?”

That’s a question only Marc Dann can answer, but the last thing he needs — one would think — is additional controversy at this juncture of his stint as attorney general. However, considering some of the other blunders he’s made since taking office, he just might make another bad call ... should it come down to that.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com
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