Voters will choose committeeman/ woman May 2
But what do they actually do?
By Mike D’Agruma
GREATER AKRON — The “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” occasionally features a skit called “Jaywalking,” where Leno takes to the streets of Los Angeles and asks random pedestrians a series of common knowledge questions.
If the pedestrian is lucky, or perhaps unlucky, enough, their apparently dimwitted responses will earn him or her 15 minutes of fame (or shame).
Perhaps someone should turn the
tables and ask Leno what a state central committeeman
or committeewoman is. It’s almost guaranteed he
wouldn’t know. But then again, most people don’t
know what a state central committeeman or committeewoman
is. Most politicians are stumped when asked. Even representatives
of the Ohio Republican and Democratic parties knew little
about the elected positions
when the West Side Leader asked.
“You’re asking about
a topic that very few people know about,” said
state Rep. Bob Otterman (D- District 45).
Otterman, in addition to serving
as a state representative, is the Democratic state central
committeeman for the 27th District and has been so for
about a decade. According to Otterman, each state senate
district selects a male and female state central committeeman
and committeewoman to serve his or her own party as
an important support piece. Each party gets two per
district, and each are elected by voters.
“The biggest thing is input,”
he said. “This helps to direct the Ohio Democratic
Party. A Republican state central committeeman would
say the same thing [about the Ohio
Republican Party].”
Having input into the workings
of the state political party is an attractive aspect
of the job, Otterman said. He said that state central
committeepersons meet in Columbus about once every six
months and discuss the party’s policies and interview
potential candidates, amid other responsibilities that
come up mostly during election years.
“It doesn’t take
too much time,” he said. “It’s just
something that keeps you in touch with state leaders.
You get to help shape things.”
Being that representatives from
the Ohio Republican and Democratic parties knew little
about the subject when asked, conservative political
activist, author and syndicated columnist Phyllis Schlafly,
a Republican, shed some light
on the position in a column she wrote on her Web site,
www.eagle forum.org.
She said the office of committeeman/woman is actually
more important than that of U.S. president.
“[Committeemen] choose
whose names will appear on the ballot for elective office
and what will be the policies of the political parties
that provide the major support for those candidates,”
she wrote.
Schlafly said that to understand
why a committeeman/ woman holds the power, one must
understand the seven steps/trends of government, which
include: to change things, you have to change the law;
to change the law, you have to change the people who
make them; to be elected, your candidate must be on
the ballot; to get on the ballot in a general election,
you have to be nominated for an office in a
party primary election or convention;
candidates endorsed by the party usually win the primary
election; primary endorsements are often made by the
party’s “County Committee,” which
is elected by the precinct committeeman of the party;
and it’s relatively easy to be elected a precinct
committeeman.
Otterman will attest to the ease
of being elected. He said it only takes a total of five
signatures to get on the ballot. He added that a committeeman/
woman does not receive any money for their time on the
job. The value lies in the power of input, he said.
Schlafly wrote that the committeeman/woman
holds all the cards because he or she determines who
gets the chance to be elected to office at every level
of government. She added the first step to getting candidates
elected is to get them
on the ballot, and they don’t get on without the
support of committeemen/women.
Otterman sees a different benefit
in his role as a committeeman. As much as he enjoys
being able to provide input to party leaders, he said
another advantage lies in being educated.
“It helps you get more
involved in your party,” Otterman said. “When
you go back to your district, you have a first-hand
knowledge of everything that’s going on.”
During the upcoming May 2 Primary
Election, voters will see candidates for 27th and 28th
state central committeeman and committeewoman on the
ballot. Committeemen and committeewomen serve two-year
terms.
Otterman is running unopposed
for the Democratic representative for the 27th District.
The Republican candidate
is incumbent Jack Morrison, who also is running unopposed.
For 27th state central committeewoman,
the Democratic candidate is incumbent Nancy Canavan
Heslop, while the Republican candidate is Carol Curtis.
Both are running unopposed.
For the 28th state central committeeman
position, voters will choose one Democratic candidate
among the following: Sean Buchanan, Pete Crossland,
incumbent Joe Finley and Stephen Paluga. For the Republican
position, voters will choose either Timothy Juravich
or William Nome.
For the 28th state central committeewoman
Democratic position, voters will choose one candidate
among the following: Lisa Zeno Carano, Kathleen Chandler,
Alexis Finley and Bethany Taylor. For the Republican
position, incumbent Madge Doerler is running unopposed.
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