I’m running in a Democratic primary for County Council District 7, as are 8 other candidates.  We all want to be the Democratic nominee for this seat, which votes 89% Democrat.  You would think all of us in this primary are Democrats, right?  None of us have given any money to Republicans, right?  You’d be wrong.

One of my opponents is James Levin, who has taken at least $100,000 a year from the county taxpayer since 2008 to pay himself and his staff at Ingenuity Festival.  Apparently, $300,000 in county taxpayer money in 3 years isn’t enough for James, because now he wants to be paid $45,000 a year more to sit on the council that votes his projects even more money.  But I digress.

James Levin also is a regular contributor to Republicans.  As recently as 2007, James Levin donated $100 to Citizens for Jim Trakas, former Cuyahoga County GOP chairman.  In October of 2004, Levin gave $50 to Republican State Senator Bob Spada’s re-election bid.  But the real kicker is that in October, 2002, Levin gave $250 to Ann Womer Benjamin, the Republican opponent running against Tim Ryan in OH-17, the seat which Tim Ryan currently holds.  At the time, I was working for the Ryan campaign, and it was plainly obvious that Tim Ryan was going to win the seat.  Why James decided to throw money at the Republican, in a safe Democratic seat, I have no idea.  But he did.

If you’re running in a Democratic primary for a Democratic seat, call me crazy, but I think you need to be a little less Republican with your money.  I can see why someone who likes to grease the government skids for his next gravy train grant would give money to all sides, all the time, but I don’t think that’s what reform of county government should look like.

Tags: james levin

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