Let’s start with the political realities. Politics is a full contact sport. It’s not for the faint of heart. And it is perfectly normal to be paranoid, because they are indeed out to get you.
Get elected to office and you become an incumbent. Incumbency is hard to beat at the ballot box, so it’s likely you’ll stay in office. And then move to another office, often on a higher pay grade.
During your tenure you receive pay above the local average, in some cases well above that average, with great benefits. Plus you get invited to all the best parties and run in the highest circles with the heavy community hitters. You have the power of patronage and the say over the distribution of millions of public dollars, keeping you in high demand. Stay at it long enough and you wind up with the ultimate prize, a good pension with bennies. If you’ve done well you are honored as an elder statesman. You still get invited to those same parties with the same power brokers.
See why so many folks want to enter the game? Sounds pretty sweet after all. But only because we’ve totally ignored the seamier side you’ll have to deal with.
Dig. If it’s so sweet for you, it’s every bit as sweet for the rest of the gang chomping at the bit to get their shot at the action. With incumbency comes accountability, and every decision you make can be a seed of potential downfall. And those patronage jobs and contracts you dished out? For every person your magnanimity made happy there are scores of folks who think they got snubbed and want to see you taken out. Often these people have few scruples about how they do it.
Moving targets
Let’s talk examples. In 2001 the Cartmeister was term limited from running for mayor again, and his heir apparent was then-County Treasurer Ray Kest. But that didn’t sit well with then-LC Dem Chair Paula Ross. She recruited a sitting state legislator, one John M. “Jack” Ford, as the mayoral candidate most likely to take Kest out. Which he did, sending Kest back to the Treasurer’s office on the fifth floor of Guvmint Center and putting a bullseye square on Ross’ back.
In oh four revenge was had. Ross’ foes worked to fill the Central Committee with folks with one marching order. Vote Ross out.
Which they did, replacing her with former County Commissioner Sandy Isenberg. That worked great, until Wade Kapszukiewicz was elected Treasurer later that year. The Treasurer’s term doesn’t start until September to allow the financial transition in tax collections to go smoothly. Unfortunately Kest had to resign under allegations of misuse of campaign funds and the Party Central Committee met to replace him. Wade K had run on the campaign pledge to clean house, which would have meant the end of the line for FOKer (Friends of Kest) employees like John Irish who were close to retirement but would have missed the time needed for their pensions if fired.
The voters had elected Wade K to the seat and he would take it soon enough, so Isenberg backed him for the appointment. Minions behind the scenes wanted a FOKer-friendly interim instead, and when Wade got the appointment, Isenberg had to go.
Meanwhile Ford’s actions in awarding contracts ticked off enough people that they wanted him out. They recruited Carty to return for the purpose, and the Fink was victorious in oh five.
He quickly proceeded to tick off the business community by reneging on a development deal, so they looked for a formidable foe to take him out in oh nine and found the beloved Mike Bell. Who duly won after Carty decided not to run again.
Then ol’ Bellbottoms decided to back the ill-fated anti-union bill SB 5 and unions vowed to take him out. They found the beloved County Auditor Anita Lopez, who won that seat by taking out incumbent Larry Kaczala back in oh six. Polling showed A Lo could beat Bell. Then reality intervened, she split votes with fell D Joey McNamara and didn’t survive the primary. Back to the Auditor’s office on the sixth floor of Guvmint Center.
Don’t know Jack
Suffice it to say that behind-the-scenes maneuvering to take out incumbents is the rule rather than the exception. It’s often done for political payback or as service to your party, as in the case with A Lo. None of which explains why on earth Jack Ford is running against Senator Edna Brown.
Frankly, we have no idea what motivates the sleepy ol’ walrus these days other than back-from-the-grave orneriness. Does J Fo have a political score to settle? Is he looking to up the pay for the last years of his public service so his public pension is enhanced? Has he forgotten how rotten he felt in oh five? It certainly couldn’t be because he thinks he’ll do a better job in office representing Toledo than Brown, could it?
In the end it may not matter because Ford could end up being a sideshow to the main event. Rumor has it that current Republican candidate for the seat, something called Ernest McCarthy, will bow out and be replaced by Brown’s twenty ten opponent Councilman Tom Waniewski. With Ford splitting the D vote Tom Wa can skate into the seat with the forty per cent of the vote he garnered four years ago. And strong D Toledo will be represented by a conservative Repuglican.
Way to go, J Fo.