District 2 County Council Debate
The League of Women Voters, Cuyahoga Area Education Fund held a debate in Lakewood for the newly created District 2 County Council seat on Wednesday, September 29th. The County Council seat was created last year when voters approved reform measures to county government which created the positions of county executive and eleven county council seats. District 2 consists of the cities of Lakewood, Brook Park, and Cleveland Wards 18 and 19. The candidates for the council seat are Steve Bozsa running as an Independent, Lynn Graham running as an Independent, Edward McCarthy running as an Independent, Dale Miller running as a Democrat, and John Zappala running as a Republican. The debate featured opening remarks of two minutes, 60 minutes of questions and answers from the audience, and then closing remarks of one minute. Approximately 40 people attended the debate. The structure of the debate definitely gave voters an opportunity to get to know each candidate. From their opening remarks clear distinctions could be made between them.
Steve Bozsa, was the first to give opening remarks. In his opening statement he stated he feels he can bring a new perspective to county government. He said he is running as an Independent, because he feels the political parties cannot be trusted. In his opening statement he stressed a theme that voters should trust a neighbor to be their County Council Representative. He outlined four priorities he would like to implement if he was elected. The first would be to do a financial audit. The Second would be to review all contracts. The third would be to pass a balanced budget and the fourth priority would be to bank any savings to withstand any budget short falls in the future.
Lynn Graham was the next to give an opening statement. She stated she is a long time West Park resident. In the past she has been an advocate for Citizens for a Safer Cleveland, for public service, and believes that government should be responsible to the people. Similar to Mr. Bozsa, she said she is tired of the political parties and that is why she is running as an Independent. She feels that her Independent status should make her appealing to voters, because she will not be beholden at any party. She is a businesswoman who runs a tanning business and stressed that if elected to this seat she would serve ethically and with integrity.
Edward McCarthy then gave his opening remarks. Mr. McCarthy’s opening comments centered around his concern that the new county charter does not contain any scripture and that mankind has moved away from the word of God. He stressed his concern that there is a lack of scripture at all levels of government including in Supreme Court decisions.
Dale Miller gave his opening remarks stating that he supported Issue 6 even though it was unpopular with his own party. He stressed his 30 years of government experience and highlighted his legislative experience. He said that if elected he would like to review contracts carefully, work with the county executive, develop an economic development plan, pay special attention to the human services that are offered by county government and clean up corruption and the culture that creates it.
John Zappala was the final candidate to give opening remarks. Mr. Zappala stated that he is not a career politician. He said he is a businessman and has successfully been in business for many years. He stated to the audience that, “I am who you are.” He said he is concerned about foreclosures in the area. He also said that he is a problem solver and if elected he’ll be fiscally responsible. He said that if elected he would like to do a cost benefit analysis of all departments in county government to ensure that the taxpayers are getting what they are paying for.
In total there were eleven questions asked during the debate. As the candidates answered the questions their answers reflected how they defined themselves during their opening statements. The candidates were sincere in their answers and all seemed impassioned at the opportunity to be part of a new government and to improve things in the county. Whoever is elected to this position will face an incredibly important task. They will be an advocate for a government body that oversees a giant budget that funds safety issues with the County Sheriffs, roads and infrastructure with the County Engineers, property taxes with the County Auditor, health issues with Metro Health Systems and much, much more.