Stainbrook is re-elected county GOP chief

Lucas County Republican Party Chairman Jon Stainbrook.

There was none of the drama of two years ago, when state Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine came to Toledo to mediate the Lucas County Republican Party's leadership elections, but the outcome was the same Tuesday night.

Jon Stainbrook was elected to a third, two-year term as the chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party, this time with no opposition. An estimated 191 newly elected central committee members were in attendance, and only about five people stood to cast a "no" vote on the motion to elect Mr. Stainbrook. No other names were put in nomination.

After the meeting Mr. Stainbrook expressed appreciation for his victory and said the focus now is on electing the party's nominee for president in November.

"Every two years the party has elections. If you did a good job and the voters think you did a good job you get re-elected," he said. "The plan now is to beat Barack Obama."

The election came during the biennial reorganization meeting of the party's central committee, made up of precinct representatives who were elected March 6. The meeting was held at the Premier banquet hall on Heatherdowns Boulevard in South Toledo.

Security was maintained with the use of orange name tags given to the elected precinct chairmen to be allowed into the voting area. They were also given certificates of election by the Lucas County Board of Elections.

Also elected in the meeting to a third term was Meghan Gallagher as central committee chairman. The committee elected Jonathan Anderson as vice chairman, Mark Nowak as secretary, and Alfonso Narvaez as treasurer.

The Lucas County Democratic Party, which follows similar rules in electing officers, last week re-elected Ron Rothenbuhler as chairman and Toledo City Council President Joe McNamara as central committee chairman.

Mr. Stainbrook, 48, a former musician who has a public relations business, won the chairmanship in a bitter intraparty fight in 2008 with both sides vying to elect their supporters to the central committee.

He battled a rival faction in 2010 led by Toledo lawyer Jeff Simpson. Because of a dispute over Mr. Stainbrook's 2008 election, state chairman DeWine came to Toledo to chair a rambunctious reorganization meeting.

Doug Haynam, ward chairman for Sylvania and one of those who supported Mr. Simpson in 2010, said there was some talk of another run at challenging Mr. Stainbrook, but it was discarded. Few of the central committee slots were contested.

"Jon's very well organized, and he does a good job of electing precinct chairs," Mr. Haynam said. "As Republicans, we need to put the petty local stuff behind us and elect Josh Mandel and Mitt Romney." Mr. Mandel, the state treasurer, is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Mr. Stainbrook noted the upcoming meeting of the state GOP Central Committee on Friday in which Mr. DeWine will step down to be replaced by former state party chairman Bob Bennett.

"This is a great team, and we're unified top to bottom," Mr. Stainbrook said.

The diversity that Mr. Stainbrook has brought to the Republican Party was on display Tuesday as black leather jackets, long hair, and tattoos mixed with more conventional styles of appearance.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.