UPDATE (YOU HEARD IT HEAR FIRST!): Not so fast Tim Grendell! --Someone else is getting appointed!

Yesterday we IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT  Tim Grendell is trying to WILL abandon Lake County.  Sen. Grendell wants the House Seat for the 98th District being vacating by carpet bagger Matt Dolan.  Grendell would leave the 18th district Senate Seat because of term limits in two years.

LAST WEEK Geuaga County's Executive Committee met and heard from the following candidates that all want that 98th District house seat:

1) Tim Grendell, as mentioned,

2) Matt Lynch, Bainbridge Township Trustee (click to see his website, also Matt Lynch is former Euclid Mayor Dave Lynch's brother),

3) Kristina Port, Russel Township Trustee, and

4) some no name.

Here is the skinny:  the Ohio Senate Caucus does not want to spend the $$$$$ defend a Senate Seat vacated my Tim Grendell AND Bill Batcheleder does not want Tim Grendell.  Bill Batchelder will probablly be replacing carpet bagger Matt Dolan with an Republican Party stalwart, Richard Hollington, from Hunting Valley.

The News-Herald confirmed tonight (we reported this weeks ago):

UPDATE: TIM GRENDELL IS SAID TO NOT BE RECEIVING THE APPOINTMENT.  The appointment is going to former State Rep., Richard Hollington, a place holder who is a wealthy Geagua County Republican Party Donor; the seat warmer will not run for re-election.  Instead, Tim Grendell will duke it out with Matt Lynch in a May 4th, 2010 primary for the November 2010 General Election.

Tim Grendell is trying to Leave us

State Senator Tim Grendell is lobbying Ohio House Representative Minority Leader Bill Batchelder to take the State Representative seat, in Ohio's 98th House District, vacated today by carpet bagger Matt Dolan.  Matt Dolan resigned from the Ohio House, the 98th district's seat, today in order to move to Cuyahoga County's Chagrin Falls; Dolan wants to be Cuyahoga County Executive.

Sources tells us Sen. Grendell, who represents Ohio's 18th Senate District, is lobbying Senate President Bill Harris to appoint his wife Judge Dianne Grendell to the Senate Seat he would vacate if appointed to Dolan's seat.

Why all the shell games with the Grendell's?  Well...Sen Grendell is term limited out in two years...but, if appointed to the Ohio House seat he could run for four more terms...four more terms of Tim Grendell.

Don't get me wrong...I agree with a lot of Sen. Grendell's votes and the the stands he takes...I really do.  But, does Sen. Grendell think Geauga County can't live without him?

A Good Question and Some Things we Need to Know

If someone offered you $1, would you spend $2 to get it?

An age old questions asked in many forms is why a politician is willing to spend so much money campaigning to get a job that only pays a fraction. Case in point.
Matt Dolan (R, Russel Township) is said to be interested in spending $1 million of his own money to be the Cuyahoga County Executive according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and The News-Herald. Dolan is a State Representative that comes from a family of well known businessmen. However, if Dolan spends $1 million of his own money to make $175, 000 does this sound like good business?
Several public officials told David Glaser in a News-Herald article that it ain't about the money!
The print version of Glaser's article does a much much better job detailing how much your local elected officials on city councils and boards of trustees are making. However, the comments section of the on-line article is more entertaining and honest. The comment section correctly asks the same question raised above.
So why would someone spend $12, 000 on a Mentor City Council Race to make $12, 000 a year? Sure you are making a little bit on this one.
One reason could be the vested time that a council member makes in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and the fact that for a few thousand dollars you can by vested time! What a great deal! This is a fact the News-Herald article does not consider.
A source has told us that they recently purchased three years of time in PERS for around $4, 000! Great Deal. Our source is a council member in one of the six cities listed below; one of the smaller ones.

Trustees:

1. Concord Township $20, 5684/yr; 4 year term; pop. 16, 405

2. Painseville $20, 568/yr; 4 year term; pop. 19, 101

3. Perry $19,000/yr; 4 year term; pop. 9, 152

4. Madison $15, 998/yr; 4 year term; pop. 19, 972

5. Leroy $11, 000/yr; 4 year term; pop. 3,883

Council Member:

1. Mentor $12, 000/yr; 4 year term; pop. 51, 825

2. Willoughby $8, 000/yr; 2 year term; pop. 22, 561

3. Willowick $8, 000/yr; 4 year term; pop. 13, 727

4. Eastlake $7, 600/yr; 4 year term; pop. 19, 520

5. Wickliffe $7, 600/ yr; 4 year term; pop. 12, 983

6. Mentor-on-the Lake $6, 050/yr; 4 year term; pop 8, 288

7. Painseville $6, 000/y;r 4 year term; pop. 1, 282

Here is a good example. Wickliffe Councilman Bill Margallis is leading the Mayor's
race. Wait a minute! Bill Margalis is also a County Administrator! That's right! Councilman
Margalisis full time county employee earning vested PERS retirement time, earning time as a
council member, and will now switch hats to become a suburban Mayor! What a great set-up!
He will be earning a handsome salary from the County, benefits, time toward a PERS
pension...and, will supplement that with income from being a Mayor.


Sign me up!


Government is the only section of the workforce that never seems to take a hit, or go long
without a pay raise. A News-Herald article describing the candidate's for Willoughby's Ward 1
race before the election reveals that Willoughby Mayor Dave Anderson will be getting a nearly
7% raise in January 2011. Anderson's $60, 755 salary will increase to $65, 275. Mayor Anderson
is also Willoughby's Safety Director, which pays $35, 017. So, Mayor Anderson's total monetary
compensation will rise from $95, 772 to $100, 292! Zoinks!