BOE officials subjected to threats, intimidation tactics
(Columbus) - Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett called on Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner today to restore bipartisan respect and cooperation to Ohio's election system.
Bennett cited numerous reports of Brunner's ongoing heavy-handed tactics with county election board members, including today's report from The Plain Dealer that she threatened to remove members of the Hardin County board of elections for disagreeing with her directive.
"I've heard from board members across the state who are frustrated and threatened by the culture of intimidation coming out of the secretary of state's office," said Bennett. "Jennifer Brunner's message to these longtime elections experts is do it my way or you're fired. Her arrogance is appalling, and quite frankly it shows a profound disrespect for people who have decades of experience running elections in this state."
According to The Plain Dealer, "Brunner last week sent the board an ultimatum: change your mind or else, telling board members that ignoring her order is tantamount to insubordination and could be considered a violation of your oath. The secretary of state has the authority to remove members of election boards." (The Plain Dealer, Openers Blog, 1/23/08)
The Plain Dealer previously reported that Brunner issued threats during a conference with elections officials last week in Columbus, telling reporters, "I'll try to negotiate with them. But if they refuse to comply, I'll have to look at what my options are. I have the ability to remove board members." (Mark Rollenhagen, The Plain Dealer, 1/16/08)
"She's constantly putting out these threats," said Bennett. "And it does absolutely nothing to inspire loyalty and respect among these board members. Quite frankly, I'm convinced she'd get rid of every one of them if she had the choice. Jennifer Brunner wants to run the elections system in this state like a dictator. I think she'll find out pretty quickly that she needs these people a lot more than they need her."
Bennett also criticized Brunner's arrogant response to criticism of her proposals raised by elections officials at a recent statewide conference, where she even resorted to cutting off one board member who dared to highlight several concerns during a question and answer session.
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