Collins gets backing of Ohio’s Dem Party

Support not considered endorsement

9/27/2013

Collins

THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY
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While the local Democratic Party has declined to wade into the race between two independent candidates for mayor, the Ohio Democratic Party has thrown its support to independent Councilman D. Michael Collins in an effort to defeat Mayor Mike Bell over his alliance with Gov. John Kasich and backing of Senate Bill 5 two years ago.

The state party’s executive committee approved the resolution nearly unanimously, with one person in opposition, Wednesday night in Columbus, said Lucas County Democratic Chairman Ron Rothenbuhler, who was in attendance.

Party leaders said the resolution is not an official endorsement, an honor reserved for registered Democrats. But it could make a big difference in traditionally Democratic Toledo when Mr. Collins and Mayor Bell — both independents — face off Nov. 5.

“It was a resolution encouraging Democrats in Toledo to back labor-endorsed candidate Mike Collins based on Mike Bell’s support of Senate Bill 5 and John Kasich, and Mike Collins’ objections to Senate Bill 5 and John Kasich,” state Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern said Thursday.

“We will not coordinate with Mr. Collins’ campaign,” Mr. Redfern said. “We will communicate directly to registered Democrats in the city of Toledo about the importance of defeating Mike Bell.”

He declined to detail whether that campaign would involve television, direct mail, or phone calls, or how much might be spent, saying that he didn’t want to tip off the opposition.

“We’ll be comparing and contrasting Mike Bell’s commitment to labor, or lack thereof, and Mike Collins’ commitment to labor. I think the differences are stark. By communicating those differences, I think we can be successful,” Mr. Redfern said.

Mr. Redfern and Ohio labor leaders see defeating Mr. Bell as part of the campaign to defeat the Republican state governor in 2014.

The resolution of support occurred one day after the Lucas County Democratic Party opted, by a 24-23 vote, to stay neutral. Local labor leaders supported the party endorsement, but others said it was prohibited by the bylaws because Mr. Collins is not a registered Democrat.

Two local Democrats — Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez and Toledo Councilman Joe McNamara — ran in the Sept. 10 primary, but neither won enough votes to move on to the general election, leaving Toledo voters in the unusual position of not having a Democrat on the ballot. Mayor Bell, a former Democrat, was endorsed by the Lucas County Republican Party, but the mayor declined the endorsement.

Mr. Collins was a strong opponent of Senate Bill 5/​Issue 2, while Mr. Bell was featured prominently in a television commercial in favor of the 2011 referendum. The GOP-backed bill to weaken public-employee bargaining was defeated in a statewide vote after Democrats and labor unions teamed up in opposition.

Mr. Collins, 69, a retired police officer who was the president of his union, the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association, for 10 years, and a councilman since January, 2008, said Thursday he did not request the party’s endorsement and was humbled and honored by its resolution of support. He said he would continue to be independent.

“I represent all parties and all persuasions and all ethnicities, and therefore having their support embraces what my philosophy is, and that is that I will be a mayor for everyone,” Mr. Collins said. He also disputed that his administration would be beholden to organized labor.

“That’s very narrow-minded. I think labor knows me well enough to know that while I will always have an open door for them, the same holds true for everyone. There will be no exclusivity to anyone,” Mr. Collins said.

Mr. Bell laughed when told of the state party’s decision. Mr. Redfern has said Mr. Bell is the state party’s No. 1 target in 2013.

“That cat Redfern, he should take a chill pill,” Mr. Bell said. “This is a local election. The local party has already made a decision on what they want to do. This is teetering on the edge of desperation. I think Mr. Redfern has lost focus. He has made something that is designed to be democratic in nature and turned it into something personal.”

Contacted later, Mr. Redfern said he doesn’t take “chill pills,” but is considered “a pretty cool cat.”

“Mike Bell ... tried to repeal the collective-bargaining rights of the firefighters he once worked with. The pension Mike Bell enjoys is due in part to the hard work of the men and women of his collective-bargaining unit, but he’s forgotten that,” Mr. Redfern said.

Mr. Bell, 58, is a former firefighter, former city fire chief, and former state fire marshal. He was elected in 2009 as an independent.

Mr. Redfern said it’s not uncommon for the state party to endorse at the mayoral level, and the party has supported independents before, including an independent mayor in Youngstown who was formerly a Democrat.

Jerid Kurtz, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, said, “moving forward, we’ll continue to discuss with local labor leaders what level of resources we should allocate to this race.”.

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419--724-6058 or an Twitter @TomFTroy.