Thursday, May 21, 2009

I Support Marilyn Brown for Ohio Secretary of State

I have not been able to pin down whether or not Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason is going to take the plunge and run for Secretary of State. Some people say yes, some say no. It really doesn't matter to me, because Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown has my support no matter what.
I have known Marilyn Brown and her husband Eric for six years, dating back to Howard Dean meetups at the now-closed Scottie MacBean's Cafe in Columbus' Clintonville neighborhood. In 2004, Eric Brown was elected to a seat on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. In 2006, Marilyn Brown took on the challenge of unseating the last GOPer on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, defeating three term incumbent Dewey Stokes by 5 points. During that time, I vividly remember her husband attending campaign events with a nametag that identified himself not as "Judge Eric Brown" but as "Mr. Marilyn Brown"

 Since then, Marilyn has helped the County maintain its best possible AAA bond rating, a testament to the county's sound financial management practices. She helped oversee the construction of the new Huntington Park baseball stadium, which was on time, on budget, and built without a dime of taxpayer money. All the while, Marilyn and the rest of the Board took fire from the Dispatch (R-Columbus) for sticking to labor practice policies that were pro-labor, but that the paper conveniently forgot were enacted by her GOP predecessors. In 2008, she was elected President of the Board of Commissioners. Also in 2008, Marilyn's husband Eric was elected to become the first ever Democrat on the Franklin County Probate Court.

So, the Browns have a collective 3-for-3 track record in elections in Franklin County. Marilyn is now taking on the challenge of holding the Secretary of State seat for the Democratic Party. While it won't be easy to defeat "Slick Jonny" Husted, Marilyn will have my full support in her campaign. Go get 'em Marilyn!

6 comments:

Life Long Lakesider said...

Marilyn is running with her name only. She has very limited experience in elected office. She needs to prove her worth as Commissioner of Franklin County prior to already looking at higher office. We have many more qualified and experience people to run for SOS than Brown. Paula Brooks for one but many others...Marilyn needs to pay her dues and serve the people og Franklin County that just elected her.

Nick D said...

LLL - Brunner personally recruited Marilyn Brown to run for SOS in her stead. I know that for a fact. I agree that Paula Brooks would also be well suited to run, but Brunner did not recruit her, she recruited Marilyn Brown.

Public Servant said...

I continue to be surprised by some of the uninformed junk posted on blogs. Life Long falsely claims Brown has limited experience when the reality is that she has substantial experience. Life Long didn't bother to check her credentials. Brown has more than 30 years professional experience working with local governments and their officials and working with labor, small businesses and corporate leaders. In addition to her Central Ohio work for nearly two decades, she previously lived and worked in Northeast Ohio. Her credentials include a masters from one of the best business schools in the country. I suggest some basic fact checking before spouting off. Of course, you are welcome to your opinion that someone should serve more years in local office before seeking higher office, but the evidence about what qualities make for a good officeholder are contrary. Brown is a smart and seasoned professional, hard-working, well-qualified for SOS, and highly electable.

~Public Servant~

Life Long Lakesider said...

Whatever Public Servant (or Marilyn) granted she is a smart woman but that does not make one qualified to be the Secretary of State of Ohio. You never mentioned any passion or interest in the office she is seeking nor show any qualifications of being an elections expert or having an understanding of the complex issues. If you want to talk about qualifications, then please prove she has an understanding for the position. The job isn't a personality contest - we need someone that knows and can make the necessary changes to Ohio elections.

JohnFro said...

I am stating the obvious, but caring about elections being run properly is everyone's business. The person who is SOS needs to be a leader and an excellent delegator in my humble opinion. This person also needs to be able to surround herself with knowledgable and resourceful people. And yes, she should have a working knowledge of our election/districting system and business registering etc. as well.

Marilyn Brown's track record has shown she has all of the tools needed to run a successful office. In addition to her qualifications mentioned in previous posts, she was also head of the Pickerington CoC which gave her the opportunity to understand the difficulties facing the business community in Ohio.

Frankly I am tired of the old " X hasn't been in Y office long enough", or "X needs to earn his stripes before..." This is all hogwash. If the voters of Franklin County like Marilyn Brown, then why in the heck wouldn't you elevate her to SOS? I am not equating her to President Obama, but I seem to recall a lot of people saying very similar things about the possibility of this "green" democrat running for POTUS.

Bottom line, Marilyn Brown is very capable of the job, she can campaign effectively to win and she will raise the funds necessary to get the job done.

Life Long Lakesider said...

If you are tired of X hasn't been there long enough then please don't brag that the voters of Franklin County voted her in as an asset to her. She is a brief one termer. As far as I know, she has never held elected office before being elected to the Commission less than a year and a half ago. Why doesn't she concentrate on the job she was just elected to prior to already looking at her next opportunity. I am so tired of these politicans campaigning on there passion and interest for the job but once they get in there they are only looking at their next position. Hello Brunner, Brown, Fisher and Cordray. My God, at least stay one term in your elected position prior to campaigning for your next!