Ever get up in the morning, yawn and scratch yer scalp and think, “I wanna be elected?” Nope, didn’t think so. Most average folks don’t get the hankerin’ for the ruff ‘n’ tumble of the political game.
Yet there are some among us who not only have that aberrant thought but seem to get it again and again. Worse, some keep feeling the urge even after the electorate has rejected them multiple tims. This begs the urgent philosophical and psychological question: Why?
Let’s take a look at some of the candidates from the recent primary and upcoming general elections for clues.
Time for tea
Take the projected also-rans. Scott Allegrini is a Tea Bagger who challenged entrenched incumbent Barbara Sears for her seat at the State House because of her vote to expand Medicaid in Ohio. That vote will bring millions of federal dollars into the state to expand health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of the most economically disadvantaged among us.
Why would an unknown like Allegrini spend valuable time and treasure in a quixotic battle he couldn’t win over an issue that seems to actually help people? Because of the dreaded connection to the Tea Baggers’ target numero uno, the Affordable Care Act. Angry white guys like Allegrini froth at the mouth at anything with the taint of Obama, so Sears must be brought to task. Forget the true merits of the decision, or anything else Sears has done in her time in the State House. Supporters of anything Obama must be made to pay for their sins.
Anger makes for strange politics. The race for County Commissioner features incumbent Carol Contrada, who was opposed by little known Spencer Township Trustee Michael Hood. The latter has spent his entire life in the sleepy confines of western Lucas County. But the vote by township residents last fall to sever their ties to regional transit and TARTA got him hopping mad.
Where to aim his anger? At Contrada, who he says never supported TARTA, thus ignoring the resolution passed in a unanimous vote by Commissioners urging Spencer Township to remain a part of TARTA. Hood is a bit savvier than Allegrini, and understands he can’t win a county-wide seat by talking about issues relevant to a few thousand residents. So his campaign is also about high unemployment rates in the black community, and violence in the city. Which he says Contrada hasn’t solved in her four years in office.
Mike, baby, these problems haven’t been solved in the five plus decades you’ve been on the good green planet. If you have any better ideas, by all means, send 'em in.
On the Republican side, the combatants for Commissioner included long-time politician and constant candidate for higher office Kevin Haddad. He says he wants the seat because there are too many politicians. He was an R, then said he was an independent, and now he’s an R again. Way to not be a politician, Kev. We suspect his true motivation is the paycheck that comes with being a Commissioner, although we haven’t seen the gross receipts from his hair salon.
At least we get the motivating factor of a paycheck. Haddad’s GOP opponent had a much stranger approach to his candidacy. Ben Roberts was once director of the board of elections, but we won’t hold that against him. What we will hold against him is his statement that he’s not sure what the priorities of the job he wants, County Commissioner, should be. His reason for running? There should be a Republican on the Commission. Not sure what to do, sez our Ben, but it’ll be done with a GOP flair!
Running in place
Over in the District Two Council race in Toledo we find one Joe Celusta. He finished last in the at-large elections a few short months ago, yet since then he apparently got up, scratched his head and decided that he was gonna be elected. Why? His website sez because Toledo issues bonds to fund large capital projects. Just like every governmental jurisdiction in the United States. We tried to find out more by clicking on his site’s link, but it was broken. Sort of like Celusta’s rhetoric harking back to the glory days of the 1950s when his Gramps was mayor.
What is Celusta’s true motivation? Well, he quit his management job when the company he worked for moved out of the area. He’s currently unemployed but sez he’s “seeking” his real estate license. You figger it out.
So what makes Johnny run? Anger, delusion, or the desire to draw a paycheck from the public trough? Mebbe just the angst that comes from being a conservative white guy in a liberal, diverse county? Oh yeah, sure, and perhaps a desire to serve, right.
We’ll leave you with this last clue. Our own Jack Ford sez he wants to run for State Senate because our local delegation to the statehouse was asleep at the wheel in passing a certain piece of legislation. This from the sleepiest local politician in recent memory.
Delusional.
