Kjc Gop Letter

August 14, 2007

Dear Friend, “Courage is the greatest quality of all. Upon courage everything else depends.” - Winston Churchill A campaign for change has begun in Summit County. I want you to know that a broad-based group of officeholders, donors, former donors, and party faithful has organized an effort to change the leadership of the Summit County Republican Party. I have assessed the current condition of the party and the chances of this campaign’s success and have decided to join it. As a former member of the Summit County Republican Finance Committee, I remember those meetings at Portage Country Club where we were briefed on all the campaigns the county party was going to help. But all too often, that promised support never materialized and I began to question whether the money contributed really went into winning elections. In Columbus, a commitment of support from Alex Arshinkoff has come to be regarded as shaky, at best. I ceased giving to the party and have since supported candidates directly. The late Ray Bliss, former legendary party chairman, spent a lifetime building our party into a winning organization. Were he here now, Bliss would not be happy. The Summit County GOP was once lauded for being competitive in a difficult county. Today, the demographics of Summit County are more favorable than ever, yet our party has slipped into a pathetic state. Key countywide and judicial offices and the majority of the Statehouse delegation have been lost. 2101 Front Street, Suite 205 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221 • (330) 940-3260 • www.KevinCoughlin.com Paid for by Team Coughlin, Robert J. Kollar, Treasurer 2324 Iota Avenue Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223

Despite all the money raised over the years, the party’s last victory in a competitive non-judicial countywide race was in 2000 with the election of Sheriff Drew Alexander. Worse, opportunities to gain key offices are being passed up as resources are squandered. Chairman Alex Arshinkoff’s classic bunker-mentality style of leadership is the root cause of this decline. In short, he is too paranoid, too vindictive, too manipulative, too untrustworthy, and too erratic to continue leading our party. Chairman Arshinkoff’s treatment and intimidation of officeholders like Judge Kim Hoover and Judge Mary Spicer, his attacks on community organizations like the Akron Art Museum and The United Way, and his refusal to develop a cadre of talented candidates for the future do not serve our party well. More and more, Alex appears to be the dancing bear on a chain held firmly by the local Democratic Party. He’s endorsed a Don Plusquellic-led effort to hike the income tax. He’s refused to run a candidate against Plusquellic in this year’s mayoral election. He has cut deals with Democratic Party leaders to allow vulnerable Democrats to run unopposed, and is rumored to be making a similar deal for 2008. Democratic control over Alex Arshinkoff has become so complete, that their party leadership is rumored to be working behind the scenes to protect him and keep him as chairman of our party. The list of concerns is long. I won’t dwell on them here. The bottom line is that our party needs be focused on winning elections again. We cannot be a strong player on the statewide and national stage if our party infrastructure has been hollowed out. I am aware that some of the party’s biggest donors have expressed to Alex that he should step down as chairman. Unfortunately, it will not be that easy. The goal of this effort is to gain a majority of the Summit County Central Committee in the 2008 Primary Election and to elect a new party chairman. Under new leadership, we will make the party competitive again, perfoming a complete audit of the party and redirecting resources toward winning elections. The party will serve as a helpful resource for candidates and officeholders and

will work with them in a respectful and team building way. And we will encourage new talent in our party so that we have a strong cadre of candidates for the future. For many, I know that this is a difficult issue. Those who have been on the receiving end of Alex’s bluster know all too well. But I want you to know that I would not have joined this effort were it not for it’s very strong backing. The number of people coming forward to endorse the campaign or to run for central committee is growing every single day and I have little doubt that the effort to elect a new chairman will succeed. For me, it will be exciting to be part of a newly resurgent Republican Party, committed to serving candidates and to winning. I hope you will want to be part of that, as well. In the coming weeks, I’d welcome the opportunity to visit with you and discuss this further. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at (330) 940-3260. More information can soon be found at http://www.newsummitrepublicans.com.

Kindest regards,

Alex Arshinkoff’s Losing Streak Recents Results from Key State and County Races (Summit County Results Only) 2006 Race

R

D

Republican Outcome

Governor Attorney General Auditor of State Secretary of State Treasurer State Senator - 27th District State Representative - 41st District State Representative - 42nd District State Representative - 43rd District State Representative - 44th District State Representative - 45th District County Council At-Large

Blackwell Montgomery Taylor Hartmann O'Brien K. Coughlin Cousineau Widowfield Croce Crawford Jones Callahan Drew L. Slaby Fink Brown McCarty Parker

Strickland Dann Sykes Brunner Cordray Hanna Williams Colavecchio Dyer Sykes Otterman

Sawyer Dickinson Gallagher Teodosio

LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST WON* LOST WON* LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST LOST

Race

R

D

Republican Outcome

Akron City Council At-Large Akron City Council Ward 1 Akron City Council Ward 2 Akron City Council Ward 3 Akron City Council Ward 4 Akron City Council Ward 5 Akron City Council Ward 6 Akron City Council Ward 7 Akron City Council Ward 8 Akron City Council Ward 9 Akron City Council Ward 10 Akron Municipal Court Judge Akron Municipal Court Judge Akron Municipal Court Judge Akron Municipal Court Judge Akron Municipal Clerk of Court Barberton Municipal Court Judge

Stormer

Horrigan Kilby Sommerville Green Shealey Albanese Merllitti Keith Freeman Moneypenny Williams Michael Baxter Belfance Sawyer Macko

LOST No Republican Candidate LOST No Republican Candidate No Republican Candidate No Republican Candidate No Republican Candidate No Republican Candidate LOST LOST No Republican Candidate LOST LOST WON LOST WON LOST

State School Board Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Court of Common Pleas Judge 2005

Deeken

Kormsuhoff Powell Pappas Boyle McCarty Culver Laria Stevenson

2004 Race State Senator - 28th District State Representative - 41st District State Representative - 42nd District State Representative - 43rd District State Representative - 44th District State Representative - 45th District County Executive County Prosecutor County Clerk of Courts County Sheriff County Fiscal Officer County Engineer County Council District 1 County Council District 2 County Council District 3 County Council District 4 County Council District 5 County Council District 6 County Council District 7 County Council District 8 Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Court of Common Pleas Judge Court of Common Pleas Judge Domestic Court Judge

R Fowler M. Slaby Widowfield Taylor

Barton Groza Koehler Boyle Carr Whitmore McCarty Hunter L. Slaby

Crossland Smith Congrove Crawford Prentice Moore Belfance Matz Stormer Rowlands Dezso

Republican Outcome LOST LOST WON WON No Republican Candidate LOST No Republican Candidate No Republican Candidate No Republican Candidate No Democratic Candidate LOST No Democratic Candidate LOST LOST No Democratic Candidate LOST No Republican Candidate LOST LOST LOST LOST WON* WON * LOST WON LOST

Race

R

D

Republican Outcome

Akron Mayor Akron Municipal Court Judge Akron Municipal Court Judge Barberton Municipal Clerk of Court Cuy Falls Municipal Clerk of Court

Williams Callahan Stormer Reilly A. Coughlin

Plusquellic Fallis Williams Norris Czetli

LOST WON LOST LOST LOST

Longshore

Alexander O'Brien Bachman King Williams Heydorn Cole

D Zurz Williams Colavecchio Grimm Sykes Otterman McCarthy Walsh Zaleski Donofrio Konstandaras Teodosio

2003

* No help from county party

NEW SUMMIT REPUBLICANS ENDORSEMENT Senator Coughlin: 

YES! I/we will join you on the campaign for change!

   

List my endorsement I will help fill Central Committee positions Keep me up-to-date on the campaign for change I’d like to be of more help. Please contact me.



NO. I will stand with Alex Arshinkoff.

Name(s)/Position: Address:

Zip:

Phone: ________________ E-Mail:

Signature:

______________________________________

Please return form to:

Senator Kevin Coughlin 2101 Front Street, Suite 205 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221