Cincinnati Tea Party Founder Mike Wilson Sues Over Election Results: Aims To Block Vote Counting In African American Precincts

  [UPDATE: Pillich calls the lawsuit an attempt to subvert the voting and elections process.  See below.  Judge Winkler won't intervene.  Provisional ballots have not yet been counted.  Wilson still trails by five votes.]

Vote Fraud In Lincoln Heights?

 CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Mike Wilson's lawsuit contends there is evidence of possible vote fraud in three precincts in Lincoln Heights, a predominantly African American city in Cincinnati's northern suburbs.  At the moment, Wilson trails State Rep. Connie Pillich, a Democrat, by five votes in the contest for a seat in the Ohio House (District 28).  Wilson ran as a Republican.  There are 1,456 provisional ballots yet to be counted, and Wilson wants a restraining order that would stop them from being tallied.   The Hamilton County Board of Elections was scheduled to count the provisionals this week, an action that would determine whether Pillich or Wilson wins the House seat in Ohio's state legislature.  Court records show Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Bob Winkler scheduled an emergency hearing --- it will be held Nov. 16 at 9 a.m. in the courthouse.  The lawsuit is Case No. A-1010404.  Wilson's lawyers said in the complaint that 9% of all provisional ballots cast in the House race were in Lincoln Heights.

"Upon information and belief, most of the provisional ballots cast in the Lincoln Heights Precincts are invalid and should not be counted, which may change the results of the election for the 28th Ohio House District in light of the narrow 5-vote margin which currently exists.  Upon information and belief, the Lincoln Heights Precincts have suffered a significant population decrease during the last several years.  As reflected by the photographs attached as Exhibit A, hundreds of residential units in the Lincoln Heights Precincts were abandoned, condemned, or leveled."

Wilson contends that Lincoln Heights  traditionally votes Democratic.  He said his campaign has obtained the names of "at least 34 voters who moved, many of whom cast clearly ineligible votes."  Of the vote total on Election Day Nov. 2, Wilson received just 22 votes of the 984 cast in Lincoln Heights.  It was not Tea Party or GOP territory.  Said Wilson's lawsuit:  "Without intervention by this Court, relators will be irreparably harmed by being prevented from challenging and ascertaining the validity of the provisional ballots, because those ballots will be intermingled in the regular ballots and the 'envelope' information necessary to verify those ballots eligibility will be lost."

Lawyers at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, a downtown Cincinnati law firm, are representing Wilson and his campaign manager, Maggi Cook, who joined him in the lawsuit.  There is a twist in the case because Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex M. Triantafilou -- who turns out to be a member of the law firm's litigation department -- is also the chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Elections.  That means Triantafilou's law firm is suing the panel he heads.  And that poses a potential conflict of interest.  It will be interesting to see how Triantafilou handles the issue -- perhaps he will have to sit things out.

[UPDATE: 4:12 pm -- Word has just reached The Daily Bellwether that Republican Chairman Triantafilou has recused himself.  He will not participate in board of elections discussions or decisions about vote counting in the Ohio House contest between Wilson and Pillich.  His departure is a blow to Wilson because that means the Democrats have a 2-1 edge on the board, and their majority can control how all decisions are made.  Some Republicans are openly wondering why lawyers associated with Triantafilou are representing Wilson in a case involving the board of elections.  They said it looked like a tactical error because it has the effect of knocking an important Republican figure out of action.]

[UPDATE: 11/16/10, 8:07 am -- Pillich tells The Daily  Bellwether she has hired counsel and will fight to make sure "all the votes are counted."  She also openly wonders if Wilson has ever been to Lincoln Heights.  Here's the latest from Pillich:

 "The support for their motion is rather thin:  a lot of people had moved.  (Um … that is probably why they cast provisional votes.)  It is truly disappointing that such specious arguments are being used to subvert the voting and elections process.  I do have to wonder:  has Mike Wilson ever been to Lincoln Heights?  Has he seen all of the homes that are boarded up and foreclosed upon?  Did he not notice that Valley Homes has been condemned and the Health Department has ordered residents to vacate?  Did he miss the new construction and upgrades going on?  Is he unaware of the number of people who live in poverty?  Is he aware of the low employment rate among African Americans in our community?

"The initial hearing on the lawsuit is Tuesday morning at 9 am, in Judge Robert Winkler’s court room at the Hamilton County Court House.  I will attend, and I have hired legal counsel to represent me.  Uriah is going to stay on as my campaign manager through this entire process, until all of the votes are counted."]

Hamilton County GOP Chair To Tea Partiers: 'Welcome' Even If You Hate Our Guts

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- He must have a dagger behind his back. Hamilton County GOP Chair Alex Triantafilou thinks the Tea Partiers can be his kind of traditional Republicans even though they've filed candidates to run against 11 GOP congress people in Texas. Chairman Alex welcomes them in SW Ohio while there's a civil war under way. Of course, he hasn't put any of the insurgents into office locally, nor has he given them any choice party leadership spots. Down in Texas, establishment figures like the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee are being challenged. Even Ron Paul is among those being challenged. Maybe Alex figures they are right and his party has been wrong all along. About Texas, TPM notes:

"Around 20 candidates identifying with the Tea Party movement are running for Congress in Texas, most of them against Republicans. More than half of the Republican incumbents in Texas face primary opponents who claim to be affiliated with the Tea Party movement. That includes big names in Republican conservatives like Rep. Pete Sessions and even Rep. Ron Paul.The tea partiers are [also] taking on NRCC-selected candidates in elections where the seats are held by Democrats, making it tougher for the GOP to focus on flipping the seats to their side."

But Triantafilou extended an olive branch today in Cincinnati:

"I am pleased to report that we have an influx of new energy and excitement coming to our Republican party. Many of those energized by the Tea Party movement are coming into our party and seeking to become precinct executives and to become involved in other ways. My message to these great conservatives is very simple: WELCOME! The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by this movement is important to what we are trying to accomplish in Hamilton County. While many Tea Party activists are unhappy with the direction of the GOP, I believe that our local effort to recruit, retain, and promote strong local candidates can only benefit from new energy and new ideas from strong conservatives."

Who is Triantafilou kidding? The Tea Party is a grass roots conservative movement begun by people who are fed up with the corporatist wing of the Republican Party, the people who put Bob Taft and his ilk on the ballot and into office. They aren't going to be fooled by the 4th Street Gang that runs the GOP. These people are storming the Bastille.

The Naked Cowboy's Dad Is A GOP Ward Chairman In Ohio: Yippee Yi Yo And Fruit Of The Loom

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Hamilton County Republican Chairman Alex Triantafilou delivers the bare facts:

"I did learn something quite interesting. The world famous Naked Cowboy is from Cincinnati. More importantly, his father is an active Republican who attended this meeting and is a ward chairman in Greenhills! Visit the Naked Cowboy Website to learn more."

Chairman Alex's blog, by the way, is a must read every day. He's battling publicly in the marketplace of ideas. Not many pols are out their on the front lines with their own blogs.

Hamilton County GOP Chair Alex Triantafilou Gets Mean: Calls Obama 'An Empty Suit'

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The GOP chairman in Cincinnati slipped out of Ohio for a vacation in an undisclosed location where there are palm trees and beaches. He says it's a Republican-controlled paradise. But he's uncharacteristically sour, calling Sen. Barack Obama a "self-proclaimed messiah" and "an empty suit." Maybe it's the heat. Or maybe margaritas fueled such brilliantly intellectual political commentary. He's definitely on par (sarcasm alert) with William F. Buckley's erudition. If Alex Triantafilou can find a single instance of Obama proclaiming himself the messiah, The Daily Bellwether will gladly send him a case of Corona to drown his political sorrows at the beach. If not, he should apologize and run across Fountain Square in a Speedo at high noon on a work day in August. Then people could decide who really is the "empty suit." Here's Triantafilou from the beach:

"I've really built a dislike for this Obama message and the man himself. A few months ago, I thought he was an attractive candidate and, as a political observer, I was impressed by his political skills. No more. He's an empty suit and a true believing ideological liberal who will kill the American entrepreneurial spirit by promoting class warfare, raising taxes on prosperity, and imposing a radical social agenda on America."

Coming Soon To Cincinnati: GOP-Sponsored Gun Permit Training Classes

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A first for the nation? The Hamilton County Republican Party says it is going to offer sessions that will allow graduates to apply for concealed-carry handgun permits in Ohio. GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou made the announcement on his blog:

" . . . you will see us unveil a few other new things soon. Among those will be a party sponsored class for those wishing to receive their concealed carry permit . . ."

The announcement is here, and it seems to represent a quick draw on the Democrats that is bound to gain attention. Cincinnati is often depicted as an urban area with a high crime rate, so the GOP may be hoping to make inroads with citizens who fear for their own safety. But there could be a risk the Republicans might shoot themselves in the foot. Gun training classes brought to you by a political organization may bring some negative publicity to the community -- the kind of headlines and commentary that says things are so Fort Apache-like that Republicans are showing citizens how to arm themselves for self-preservation. That kind of image is not especially alluring to economic growth and development interests, the tourism sector, or civic boosters. Or, the GOP may be seen as having little faith in the police. Another possibility: The party is signaling that it stands with the NRA and supports the 2nd Amendment. The chairman didn't explain the reasons why the political party wants to teach citizens how to pack heat.

Ohioans who want to carry a concealed weapon have to take up to 10 hours training, including two hours of live-firing on a gun range. The requirements for a license are here, and county sheriffs issue the handgun permits. Students must pass a test showing they can handle and shoot handguns in a safe manner.

Hamilton County's GOP Chief Goes On The Attack: Slams Democrat Todd Portune

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- GOP Chair Alex Triantafilou is defending a Republican judge who authorized a $1 million bond for a $27 theft offense, and says Democratic County Commissioner Todd Portune ought to keep his mouth shut. Portune suggested that bail bonds set by Cincinnati judges -- including the Dems on the bench -- should be monitored for abuses. Triantafilou says it is none of Portune's business. He's accused Portune, a lawyer by trade, of trying to make "pure political gain" from the incident. Imagine that. He also took a swipe at MSNBC's Keith Olbermann -- low viewership ratings or something.

The GOP chair contends the seven-figure bond was meant to keep a potentially suicidal suspect in jail. In other words, Triantafilou's spin is that it was all about well-intentioned judicial activism and a mission of mercy. Nothing mean spirited to it. Deputies and jail personnel could monitor the man, whose $1 million bond would keep him locked up and safe. Triantafilou, for some reason, doesn't mention that a healthcare or mental health facility might be a more appropriate setting than a jail. Reasonable people could probably debate the point: Are jails proper places for folks whose sensibilities are not seeming to function properly, who may be suffering a bout of illness?

The $1 million bond made news last month. Triantafilou, a former Hamilton County Common Pleas judge who quit to take over as party chair, accused Democrat Portune of mishandling campaigns seeking tax increases for a new jail in Cincinnati. He doesn't mention that his own GOP supported the tax increases and endorsed the jail expansion efforts:

"The Commissioners should focus on their own responsibilities, Twice in his tenure, Commissioner Portune has failed to convince the taxpayers to support a much needed new jails because his proposals have been bloated with large government programs that had little to do with more jail space. For pure political gain, Commissioner Portune reacted to the ridiculous reporting of guys like Keith Olberman (sic) to get his name in the paper."

Two points to take issue with: It is Olbermann with a double n. And the jail tax "bloated with large government programs" was backed by Triantafilou's own party, something that is made clear here. Portune and the Dems are not likely to lay down and take the attack.

Quotations From Chairman Alex: Hamilton County GOP Chair Begins Blogging

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Alex Triantafilou is already up and running with a blog. He just stepped down as a Hamilton County Common Pleas judge to take the top post in the county GOP. Many consider him one of Ohio's sharpest political minds. And if he actually takes the time and makes the effort to post his thoughts and insights, the Ohiosphere could be be far richer for it. I wonder how he sizes up the lay of the land in Ohio for the fall presidential campaign. And I wonder who would be on Triantafilou's list of potential vice presidential candidates if Sen. John McCain asked for his advice. Would a Midwesterner shore up the GOP ticket? And, of course, we can look forward to some Democratic bashing from the chairman, and some return fire.

Hamilton County GOP Chair George Vincent: Soon To Exit?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- CityBeat's Kevin Osborne is reporting Hamilton County GOP Chairman George Vincent will depart no later than mid-April. He is supposed to be replaced by a sitting Common Pleas Court Judge who plans to resign his $120,000-a-year job for the partisan post overseeing the state's richest urban countywide political organization -- an organization whose grip has begun to ebb.

Judge Alex Triantafilou is currently seeking election to the judgeship, which was an appointment from former Gov. Bob Taft. According to CityBeat's Osborne, when Triantafilou drops out of the race to step in as GOP chair -- he does not have a Democratic opponent for the judgeship --the Republican party will name a replacement candidate for the November ballot. Osborne says the dealmakers already have made their choice: Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Russell J. Mock.

What's interesting about all this? If the changes indeed take place, judgeships get shuffled and voters have little sway over who fills these important elected offices. Instead, all the decisions get made by political insiders. Is that the kind of democracy John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had in mind when they created the Republic?