State Senators in Glass Houses...

... Shouldn't be hypocrites...

Kevin Coughlin's at it again...

When his "campaign for change" has imploded, what's a state senator to do...

What he always does... Lie.

Coughlin Prattles While Ohio Founders....

Kevinus Primus?

When you're a term limited State Senator and your home state is facing the following threats, what would you do?

- Loss of more than 136,000 manufacturing jobs in Ohio since you took office in 2001 - 3,900 jobs lost in December 2007 alone - (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Michigan+and+Ohio+continue+manufacturing+job+loss.-a0170862673, http://www.daytondailynews.com/b/content/oh/story/business/2008/01/18/ddn011808blsweb.html);

- A budget deficit for Ohio forcast as high as $1.9 Billion;

- High oil and gas prices that make many Ohioans chose between keeping warm and keeping their families fed;

- An educational crisis in primary, secondary and post-secondary public education;

- An estimated 30,000 - 40,000 people per year are leaving Ohio;

- Ohio is losing more young adults than any other state except Pennsylvania (104,000 from 1996 - 2006) (http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/23/ddn092406youngdrain.html);

Most reasonable, responsible public servants would roll up their sleeves and work to improve Ohio. A real leader would spearhead the necessary reforms to move Ohio forward.

Not so with Senator Kevinus Coughlinis Primus, he has his fiddle out and is making a heck of a racket trying to take over the Summit County Republican Party.

Why isn't he focused on Ohio?

Kevinus has stated that his goal is to take over the party so that he can position himself for a run for higher office once he's finished his current "lame duck" term in office. (He was reported to have told the Akron Beacon Journal that his move to take over the Summit County GOP would make him a prime candidate for Ohio's next governor.)

Shouldn't Coughlin be working to improve Ohio's problems rather than advancing his personal interests - all while feeding at the public trough? Maybe just once, Coughlin should try to earn his public paycheck.

He should be ashamed of himself. He sets a poor example as a public servant.

What do you see when you open Kevin Coughlin's Kimono...

... Pete Kostoff... YUCK!

"Opening the Kimono", "Pulling back the curtain", whatever you call it, some folks are just too dim to realize that they're providing others a front....

So, too, with Kevin Coughlin. So how do we know Pete Kostoff is Kevin's little (or not so little) secret? Let's start in Spring 2007 when Kevin and Pete hatched Pete's little plot to take over the Party - Pete met with Summit County Party loyalist, Sheriff Drew Alexander, and asked for his support. Kostoff is reported to have said that the movement could not succeed without Alexander's support. Sheriff Alexander, a supporter of the Party's current leadership refused to support Kostoff and Coughlin.

More recently, in state central committee filings made by Coughlin, Kostoff and his wife Pam were among the first to sign Kevin's wife's state central committee petition. In filings made on Thursday, January 3, 2008 with the Summit County Board of Elections, Kostoff's wife Pam was a leading circulator of Coughlin petitions. Many members of Kostoff's and his wife's family are candidates for the central committee.

In Coughlin's brave new world, Kostoff is set to assume the role of Finance Chairman. You know the golden rule - "He who has the gold rules." Get ready King Pete's reign to begin if Coughlin is able to unseat the County party's current leadership. More importantly, get ready for the end of an independent Republican Party in Summit County. Pete's law partner and co-collaborator on all things political is none other than Democrat Finance Chair Wayne Jones. Isn't it cosy and convenient, both political parties run from the same practice group of one law firm...

Kevin Coughlin Can't Help Himself...

Kevin Coughlin has a gift for self promotion. Kevin is running for precinct committeeman against Mayor Don L Robart. He's running his wife for the State Central Committee. Kevin and his wife, Anne, are BOTH Romney delegates. (This is unheard of in political circles.) How much is too much for two people??

For someone who talks so much about team work ("TEAM COUGHLIN" anyone?), it seems that Kevin's team is pretty small... two people - only if he includes his wife.

We can only imagine the additional laurels Kevin will give himself in his brave new world...

Hypocrite! Kevin Coughlin gets caught dealing with the Democrats!

Apparently, Kevin Coughlin has his holiday shopping done as he's been hard at work over the past few days working to undermine the 2008 Summit County Republican slate of candidates and exposing himself for what he is - a hypocrite.

Case in point -

A republican candidate for County office reported that Kevin called to discourage this person from running for County office. Further, this person claims that Coughlin indicated that he (Coughlin) has been in discussions with the Democrat chairman - and County Executive - Russ Pry in order to work out a deal for Republicans and Democrats for 2008. Kevin asked that this person not run for office. (Is Coughlin making deals with the Democrats? After he accused the party's current leadership of this conduct?)

This person told Coughlin to take a hike. Further, this person asked Coughlin how his search for a chairman has been going - apparently - there are no takers - or so Coughlin claims...

Take aways - Coughlin's up to his eyeballs in collusion with the Democrats. Other examples -

(1) Coughlin's key point person in the City of Green, David Reilly, worked to support a Democrat, Andy Padrutt, for Green mayor against Republican Dick Norton. Reilly went so far as to place his name on a pro-Padrutt mailer.

(2) Coughlin supporter Pete Kostoff has publicly supported Democrats for office, including Lee Fisher, and works for Roetzel & Andress, the politically-wired law firm where one of his partners is the Democrat Finance Chair Wayne Jones. When asked if he was involved with the "new summit republicans" Kostoff is said to have stated "Kinda sorta".

(3) Rumors have it that Kevin Coughlin (or his supporters) provided supporters of Cuyahoga Clerk of Courts, Lisa Zeno Carano, a photograph of her Republican challenger, John Widowfield, with former governor Bob Taft. The photo was used in an attack mailer against Widowfield. Where was the photo taken? The front of Coughlin's home. Who took the photo? A Coughlin staffer.

Can Coughlin be this much of a hypocrite? Or, is he just too dumb to understand that the Democrats are playing him like a violin?

Kevin Coughlin's Leadership Crisis...

.... He doesn't have a leader for his "new Summit County Republicans"...

Less than one month before the filing deadline for the Summit County Republican Central Committee, and it is clear that Kevin Coughlin is desparate. Desparately in need of a candidate for Chairman.

Coughlin has been burning the phone wires contacting individuals, asking each to run for Chairman in his brave new world. In fact, on election night, Coughlin is rumored to have called an unsuccessful candidate for office to ask him to run for chairman. The candidate was not interested. No one is interested. At least no one that Coughlin can credibly place before the Summit County Republican Central Committee.

No one wants to be associated with Coughlin's movement, especially not at its helm.