A good outcome for county voters

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Updated 8:22 PM Thursday, April 29, 2010

Last Thursday, Nov. 5, was a disappointing evening for several Republicans who are vying to become a member of the Butler County Commission. However, it may result in a more meaningful Republican primary next May 4.

After five rounds of voting, the Butler County Republican Party’s executive committee was unable to agree on an endorsement from a field of candidates that included incumbent Commissioner Greg Jolivette, county Clerk of Courts Cindy Carpenter and county Treasurer Nancy Nix. Accusations of nepotism against Jolivette earlier this year — and the perception that he’s vulnerable and has lost party support — has opened the floodgates for those interested in claiming Jolivette’s commission seat.

Typically, a Republican incumbent has no worries in GOP-voting Butler County — from within his/her own party or from the much-weaker county Democratic Party. Winning the Republican Party’s endorsement — which usually means there will be no challengers in the primary — is tantamount to winning the election, because of county voters’ predilection for Republicans.

But lately, because of scandals and feuds within the party, the county Republican Party has been somewhat fractured. The cracks were showing last week.

At Thursday’s executive committee meeting, Jolivette was eliminated in the second round of voting. Despite the outcome (and the line of challengers), Jolivette said he will run in the May primary — despite an Ohio Ethics Commission investigation of the hiring of his son and daughter by the county in 2004 and 2005.

By the end of the evening Thursday, the GOP executive committee could not muster the 60-percent margin that a candidate needs to receive the endorsement. Nix and former West Chester Twp. Trustee Jose Alvarez were the two remaining candidates and Nix led in the final round, but still could not get to the needed 60 percent.

That likely means that next May’s primary will be a wide- open contest for any Republican who thinks he/she can mount a winning campaign. Whoever wins that contest will get the full backing of the Republican Party because one fact is certain: The GOP does not want to lose Jolivette’s county commission seat to a Democrat.

If the field is crowded, Jolivette could actually benefit because of his widespread name recognition. That is assuming that he’s not found guilty of wrongdoing by the Ethics Commission before the May primary.

His incumbency will also work in his favor. He has more than five months to use his position as county commissioner as a bully pulpit and to demonstrate to voters that he is an effective commissioner. And of course, with so many wanting his job, he will also have a big bull’s eye on his back.

But, in our book, the real winners last Thursday were the voters of Butler County.

Without an endorsed GOP candidate, voters in the Republican primary are likely to have a wide choice of candidates from which to choose. And we prefer an election — with a vigorous campaign — in which the voters of Butler County are able to make the choice, not 300 party leaders in a closed room.

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