2022 Cuyahoga County executive election

Last updated

2022 Cuyahoga County executive election
Flag of Cuyahoga County, Ohio.svg
←  2018 November 8, 20222026 →
Turnout47.4% [1] Decrease2.svg 7.1 pp
  Chris Ronayne.png 3x4.svg
CandidateChris RonayneLee Weingart
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote247,301138,979
Percentage63.9%35.9%
2022 Cuyahoga County executive election results map by municipality.svg
Results by municipality
Ronayne:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Weingart:      50–60%     60–70%
Executive before election

Armond Budish
Democratic

Elected Executive

Chris Ronayne
Democratic

The 2022 Cuyahoga County executive election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the County Executive of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Incumbent Democratic County Executive Armond Budish was eligible to run for a third term, but instead chose to retire. [2]

Contents

In the primary, the Democrats nominated former president of University Circle Inc. Chris Ronayne, while the Republicans nominated former Cuyahoga County commissioner Lee Weingart. [3]

Ronayne defeated Weingart in the general election. [4]

Background

Although incumbent County Executive Armond Budish had easily won reelection by an unprecedented 35 points in 2018 with no serious opposition in the Democratic primary or the general election, various scandals in Budish's second term raised questions about his leadership of the County. [5]

Shortly after Budish's reelection in late November 2018, the United States Marshals Service released a report on the Cuyahoga County Jail, which found that conditions at the jail were inhumane and violated the Constitutional Rights of detainees. [6] Budish received scrutiny for his plans to make the prison a source of revenue for the County, a plan which critics allege led to overcrowding and understaffing. [7]

From June 2018 to December 2020, 13 inmates died at the County Jail, with 8 dying in 2018 alone. [7] In October 2021, Ken Mills, the former director of the jail, was sentenced to nine months in county jail for misdemeanor dereliction of duty and falsification (in November 2022, the charges were overturned by the 8th District Court of Appeals of Ohio due to an unfair trail). [8] The next month the County agreed to a settlement with Gary Brack, a nursing supervisor for the Jail who was fired for criticizing understaffing and accusing Mills of blocking the hiring of additional nurses in a testimony before Cuyahoga County Council. [9] According to The Plain Dealer, Budish pressured the CEO of MetroHealth into firing Brack. [10]

In February 2019, the County Executive's offices were searched by Federal Bureau of Investigation and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents as part of an inquiry into corruption in the County. Items seized in the search included Budish's computer and cellphone. [11]

Although Budish has never been indicted for any wrongdoing as County Executive, the mismanagement of the County Jail and other scandals severely weakened his standing. In November 2021, Budish announced that he would not run for reelection to a third term, citing family issues. [12]

Democratic primary

Chris Ronayne became the first Democratic candidate to enter the race in August 2021 when he announced that he would step down as president of University Circle Inc. to pursue the office, after informally announcing his bid in July. [13]

In December 2021, one month after incumbent Armond Budish announced that he would not run for reelection, Maple Heights mayor Annette Blackwell entered the race after prematurely launching her campaign website. [14] A month later in January 2022, Blackwell suspended her campaign, citing her commitment to Maple Heights. [15]

Just two days after Blackwell dropped out, on January 5 Warrensville Heights mayor Brad Sellers launched his campaign. [16] Soon after, The Plain Dealer reported that Sellers had approved a 15-year, 100% tax abatement on his own house in 2018, and that he had lied about being debt-free on the application despite being delinquent on his taxes. [17] Days later on January 15, Sellers dropped out, stating that the reporting had become a distraction from the issues of the race. [18]

On January 13, former Ohio State Senator Shirley Smith, who had run for the office unsuccessfully in 2014, announced her candidacy. [19] This candidacy lasted until February, when she dropped out to endorse Ronayne. [20]

With Smith's withdrawal from the race, Ronayne faced Tariq Shabazz in the primary election and won with 66% of the vote. [21]

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

Declined

Primary results

Democratic primary results [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Chris Ronayne 51,027 65.68%
Democratic Tariq K. Shabazz26,66834.32%
Total votes77,695 100.0%

Republican primary

Lee Weingart, a former County commissioner and corporate lobbyist, launched his campaign for County Executive in February 2021. [27]

Candidates

Nominee

  • Lee Weingart, lobbyist and former Cuyahoga County commissioner (1995-1997) [28] [27] [3]

Primary results

Republican primary results [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Lee Weingart 37,633 100.0%
Total votes37,633 100.0%

General election

The general election was held on November 8, 2022.

Results

2022 Cuyahoga County executive election [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Chris Ronayne 247,301 63.9%
Republican Lee Weingart138,97935.9%
Write-in 2880.1%
Total votes386,568 100.0%

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References

  1. ↑ "November 8, 2022 General Election Official Canvass Certification Data". Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. November 29, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Wu, Annie (November 16, 2021). "Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish will not seek reelection to a third term". Ideastream . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Castele, Nick (May 3, 2022). "Chris Ronayne wins Democratic Cuyahoga County executive primary, will face Lee Weingart in fall". Ideastream . Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Chris Ronayne declares victory in Cuyahoga County executive race". Ideastream . November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  5. ↑ Farkas, Karen (February 7, 2018). "Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish is unopposed for re-election". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ Castele, Nick; Richmond, Matthew (November 21, 2018). "U.S. Marshals Say Cuyahoga County Jail Puts Staff And Inmates At Risk". Ideastream . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Ferrise, Adam (December 22, 2020). "Cuyahoga County faces 27 lawsuits over jail misconduct in the wake of string of inmate deaths, have paid $1.35 million so far". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  8. ↑ Scofield, Drew (November 10, 2022). "Former Cuyahoga County Jail Director Ken Mills to get new trial". News 5 Cleveland . Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  9. ↑ Caniglia, John (November 3, 2021). "Cuyahoga County pays former jail nursing supervisor $99,000 in settlement over firing". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ Astolfi, Courtney; Ferrise, Adam (December 15, 2018). "Budish personally requested ouster of Cuyahoga County Jail's medical supervisor who criticized jail administration, sources say". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  11. ↑ Krouse, Peter (February 14, 2019). "FBI and BCI agents searched offices of Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, seized Budish's computer, cellphone". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  12. ↑ Carey, Tyler; Naymik, Mark (November 16, 2021). "Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish will not seek re-election in 2022". WKYC . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Astolfi, Courtney (August 31, 2021). "Chris Ronayne stepping down as president of University Circle Inc. to campaign for Cuyahoga County executive". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ Naymik, Mark (December 7, 2021), "Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell running for Cuyahoga County Executive", WKYC , retrieved July 8, 2022
  15. 1 2 3 Durbin, Kaitlin (January 4, 2022). "Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell suspends campaign for Cuyahoga County Executive". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  16. 1 2 Durbin, Kaitlin (January 5, 2022). "Warrensville Heights Mayor Brad Sellers enters race for Cuyahoga County Executive". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  17. ↑ Durbin, Kaitlin (January 12, 2022). "Cuyahoga County Exec hopeful Brad Sellers certified his own tax break after years of delinquency". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Castele, Nick (January 15, 2022). "Warrensville Heights Mayor Brad Sellers drops out of Cuyahoga County executive race". Ideastream . Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  19. 1 2 Castele, Nick (January 13, 2022). "Former State Sen. Shirley Smith enters race for Cuyahoga County executive". Ideastream . Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  20. 1 2 Allard, Sam (February 1, 2022). "Shirley Smith Says She Will Not Run For County Exec, Path Clears for Ronayne". Cleveland Scene . Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Chris Ronayne beats Tariq K. Shabazz in Cuyahoga County executive Democratic primary". Cleveland.com . May 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  22. ↑ "May 3, 2022 Primary Election Candidate List" (PDF). Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  23. ↑ Andrews, R. T. (January 9, 2022). "2022: Political year gets off to busy start". The Real Deal Press. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  24. ↑ Astolfi, Courtney (December 28, 2021). "Kevin Kelley considers his future after mayoral defeat and reflects on tenure as Cleveland City Council president". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  25. ↑ Allard, Sam (January 12, 2022). "Kevin Kelley is Definitely Running for Judge, Pens Letter Seeking Democratic Party Endorsement". Cleveland Scene . Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  26. 1 2 "May 3, 2022 Primary Election Cuyahoga County, Ohio STATISTICS". Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. May 20, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  27. 1 2 Castele, Nick (February 24, 2021). "Door To Door: How Do You Elect An Elephant? One Vote At A Time". Ideastream . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  28. ↑ "LNE Group – Lee C. Weingart". June 21, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  29. ↑ "November 8, 2022 General Election Cuyahoga County, Ohio Official Results". Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. November 23, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
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