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Oct

26

Jim Trakas, my former rep, gets PD nod, still working to pass gambling


From the wayback machine, several regular readers commented on the revelation that Jim Trakas, a Republican who has been head of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party and was my state rep before he was term-limited out in 2006, and who is now trying to unseat Dennis Kucinich and represent Ohio’s 10th congressional district, has also been working to help pass Issue 6, the constitutional amendment that seeks to legalize casino gambling in Ohio.  Pretty much every view along the spectrum is in the comments there, from April 2008, but the one commonality is that most of us, when we did comment, commented that we believed Jim to be a decent, hard-working individual, a moderate and someone with integrity.

Today, the Plain Dealer endorsed Trakas over Kucinich:

Republican Trakas was a middling legislator in Columbus, marginalized by the far-right members of his own party. We’re also, quite frankly, disappointed that in addition to running in this race, he is doing campaign work for the pro-casino forces behind State Issue 6.

The people of the 10th District deserve an advocate focused on their needs. This is a tough call, but we think Trakas can be that advocate. He is conscientious, pragmatic and unlikely to be diverted by the bright lights of national politics. His roots on a city council suggest that he’d deliver strong constituent services, as Kucinich has.

Kucinich seems unfazed that his politics have strayed so far from reality that half the Democrats in his district voted against him in the March 4 primary. Perhaps that’s because he is virtually certain to win re-election. What Kucinich should understand is that his uncompromising, unrealistic brand of politics is hurting the community he professes to love.

I do not live in the 10th – I’m in the 11th.  But I like Jim so I’m happy for him.  On the other hand, if I did live in the district, I’m not sure whether or not I would vote for him.  On the one hand, given the strength the Democrats are expected to gain in the U.S. House, it might be good to put a moderate Republican in there – I’m a big supporter of checks and balances and fear single-party rule as much as many people do.

However, only if I lived in the district would I know how I feel about what Kucinich has or hasn’t done. The stories that come out of the district regarding his getting things done for constituents are myriad.  I happened to have thought that Barbara Ann Ferris was a great and sorely undercovered candidate in the primary against Kucinich. If she’d have won, I would easily be able to support her.

I wish the residents the best of luck.  I think they certainly could do far worse than Jim, and although I am adamantly against casinos and he is working to make them a reality, again – since I don’t live there, and I don’t know Kucinich well enough as a constituent, I’m not really sure how I would vote.

I do wish Jim the best of luck.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:00 pm October 26th, 2008 in Cleveland+, Congress, Dennis Kucinich, Endorsements, Jim Trakas, Ohio, Politics 

Comments

8 Responses to “Jim Trakas, my former rep, gets PD nod, still working to pass gambling”

  1. 1 Daniel Jack Williamson on October 26th, 2008 10:37 pm

    Apparently, Trakas can be bought. That’s the message he’s sending to PAC’s when he works for something akin to Issue6.

  2. 2 Shannon on October 27th, 2008 11:54 am

    I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again — Kucinich gets a bad rap, but as his constituent, I am WICKED happy with the job he does, his services for us are top notch. Can’t and won’t trust a Republican to represent me, I don’t care who he is. In fact, someone I went to high school with ran against Kucinich last time and I sure as hell wouldn’t have voted for him, either. My 2 cents, as a resident of the district…

  3. 3 anastasia on October 27th, 2008 3:13 pm

    One problem with the issue of Trakas in congress providing any sort of “balance”: given that Trakas is relatively moderate compared to the direction the Republican Party has taken and the overwhelming majority the Democrats are probably going to have in Congress next year, he’d likely be more a man without a country, marginalized and squashed between a large progressive majority with the hopes of the country behind them and a squawking, hardline GOP featuring the likes of John Boehner that would view Trakas suspiciously as they have virtually any Republican who has not unquestioningly hewed to their line. I mean, logically, you would think they would revisit their tendency to drive out anyone with any signs of moderation but they may in fact cling with their dying breath to hard-right beliefs. It would be a battle in which Trakas would be cannon fodder.

    In addition, there was a specific reason other candidates got almost 50% of the vote in the primary: constituents were unhappy that Dennis was running for president. Had he not done his second run, it’s unlikely he would have been seriously challenged at all.

    Personally, I thought all his challengers were strong, but overall his constituents seem happy with Dennis.

  4. 4 William on October 27th, 2008 4:59 pm

    In response to Shannon, Kucinich isn’t necessarily taking care of these “services” for you directly.

    Every legislator has a staff who get paid to do respond to constituents. Any representative/senator provides the same services to his/her constituents. It doesn’t matter if that person is a democrat, republican or independent. Constituents will be taken care of.

    I’m always shocked at how many people say “oh his office responded to me” in such a “we need to keep electing him because his office calls us back” manner.

  5. 5 John Ettorre on October 28th, 2008 3:16 pm

    William, I’m not sure where you get the idea that all Congressional staffs are equally responsive to constituents, but common sense would indicate that some are better than others, just like some car repair shops and hair clip shops are better than others. And just like those places, the person who owns them gets credit for how efficiently they run, even if they’re only doing the initial hiring and occasionally some spot-checking. And by all accounts from a wide variety of sources over the years, Kucinich’s staff has been excellent in this area.

    Having said that, I’m on the record as not being much of a Kucinich fan (sorry, Shannon). Actually, I kind of dislike the shrill little guy (maybe it’s just my tall person bias against short guys who forever seem to be at war with the world. They just kind of exhaust and then bore me).

    And apart from all THAT, I have to say that I always found Trakas to be one of the more personable, articulate and thoughtful Republicans I’ve ever experienced (of course, that’s not always a very high bar, unfortunately). Over the years, he always returned phone calls quickly when I was seeking a comment on something (it was mostly during his days as county party chair), and he never sounded too programmed. I listened to him again last week on the radio during his City Club debate, and he sounds about the same as he always did–articulate and thoughtful. Of course, that doesn’t mean his voting record should be ignored, and I’m sure on that front, many people would instantly rule him out.

    Does that mean he should unseat Kucinich? The voters will decide. But eventually, even that western land of yellow Kucinich signs is going to tire of Dennis spending much of his attention with national issues (one reason he’s so laser-focused on superior constituent services, I’m sure, is because he realizes that without that, he’d be opening himself up to real damage on that front). With his big-picture outlook, he probably belongs in the Senate rather than the House, and I have no doubt he’ll be running vigorously against Voinovich in 2010.

  6. 6 Oengus on October 28th, 2008 5:28 pm

    I want progressive reformist in Washington.

    I would create wonderful sensible legislation and back it with solid research, and then sell it and hang every bastard that contradicted it. I’d be like Bill O riley, nice as can be when they agree and heinous and nasty when they do not. Lead follow or get the F out of the way. I would only listen when it made perfect sense if it did not I would walk out the room. I would be notorious, something to think about…you may not like the person that is mostly likely to get things done.

    Dennis listens and communicates…but really that is all he does. His constituent love him but he is not taken seriously in Washington or his party either. Associating with him or aligning with him is a liability in Washington.

  7. 7 John Ettorre on October 28th, 2008 5:33 pm

    I think you’re right about how neither the Beltway generally, or his party specifically, takes him very seriously. That obviously creates a problem.

  8. 8 Oengus on October 29th, 2008 12:12 am

    I would ask Trakis why Independence has such low property taxes? When he said it is because of the commerce and industry, I would say oh, I thought it was all the ODOT money that got directed through Independence Excavating and the good old boys network they got going.

    Gregory P. Kurtz — Mayor

    The Mayor is a contractor, http://www.kurtz-bros.com/

    I feel like dropping dimes, is Trakis their boy?

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