It remains one of the most cutting smackdowns in the history of American politics.
During the presidential campaign of ‘88, Veep candidate Dan Quayle tried to turn his youth from a liability into a strength by comparing himself to JFK. In response, his opponent Lloyd Bentsen famously said, “I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.”
It would be a stretch to call former Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins a friend of this column, but we knew him as a public figure well enough. And let us be the first to say: Sandra Drabik, you are no Mike Collins.
In our recent ruminations on who would likely jump into the fray to fill out the last two years of Collins’ term, we provided an exhaustive list. Little did we know how exhausting the final list might be.
Apparently, the shock and sorrow of losing a husband wears off quickly, if the strange rebound of Collins’ widow Ms. Drabik is any indication. She isn’t too shocked and saddened to start calculating and conniving in a run for office.
That’s right. Sandra Drabik, high-powered lawyer from Sylvania, is considering running for Mayor of Toledo. To complete her late husband’s legacy, she says. Drabik thinks she compares favorably to Collins, the unassuming son of working class Toledo, the former Marine and beat cop. We say, not so fast.
What did she know, and when did she Noe it?
Drabik grew up far from the mean streets of Toledo. She graduated from Sylvania Southview High School and still owns a house in Sylvania, purchased in 2001 for a cool $279,000. She went to law school and became a highly placed member in Republican gubernatorial administrations, including those of George Voinovich and Bob Taft.
No grunt work in the trenches for our Sandy. Instead she worked in the corridors of power. Did we mention she was in Bob Taft’s cabinet?
Yeah, that Bob Taft. The only Ohio Governor to be convicted of a crime while in office. For failing to disclose gifts from lobbyists.
And, yeah, that Bob Taft. The one with close ties to Tom Noe, the guy who used monies from the Bureau of Worker’s Comp as his personal bank account and laundered campaign contributions, directing them to the re-election campaign of G.W. Bush. Noe was close to Voinovich and Taft, both of whom appointed him to various powerful commissions. Noe and his wife Bernadette were both former Chairs of the Lucas County Republican Party.
And those gifts from lobbyists Taft failed to disclose? Some were from Tom Noe.
Drabik is a lifelong Republican from Lucas County. She votes religiously, and pulls a Republican ballot each and every primary. She was highly placed, including at the cabinet level, during the time Noe was running amok in state government. Sandy, you got some explaining to do.
No safe harbor
Yet she tries to draw comparisons to Mike Collins. The late mayor was a worker bee, whose public service started at the lowest levels, as an enlisted man and later as a police patrolman. Collins’ only brushes with power included heated negotiations as a union boss. Collins was a true political independent who never pulled a partisan ballot.
Now Drabik, the uber-partisan political operative, has the temerity to claim she would run as an independent, just like Mike. Talk about the ultimate in cynical political machination. Her politics, so at home in Taft-Noe Columbus, are out of touch in Toledo. Voila! She’s an independent!
Drabik says she is a fiscal conservative with a social conscience. Tell that latter part to the folks at UT, who fought for domestic partner benefits during the mid-Aughts. Then-General Counsel for UT fought hard to keep folks, those in committed relationships but without valid marriage licenses, from getting a dime in bennies from the U. And of course, the name of that lawyer was none other than the aforementioned Ms. Drabik. Got a little guilt on the ol’ social conscience now, Sandy?
As if that phony makeover for political gain wasn’t enough, Drabik is now reportedly considering legally changing her name to “Collins.” She didn’t change it during Mike Collins’ life. Now that he’s gone she wants his name? How politically cynical and calculating can you get?
Sandy’s decided it’s not too soon after burying her late husband to start the spin machine. It’s our job to drop some knowledge before the machine gets too big a head of steam.
And before Drabik gets too big a head.
