Geauga record. [volume] (Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio) 1952-1962, 1954-04-29

Waged by George Holmes OF
Munson for the job of county
commissioner. Spokesman for
both sides of the party fight
have taken time out to de-
nounce him in stronger terms
than they have used against
their opponents. Candidates for
other offices have given up
time in their campaign speech
es to belabor him. He has been
termed character assassin,
mud Singer" "opportunist"
and a huge variety >of other
unsavory terms.
But while jabbing back
Holmes has stuck to and re-
iterated his charges against the
county commissioners over and
over again. His most signifi-
cant revelation is that Frank
Zethmayr, county engineer, own
ed an interest in a company
affiliated with Ronyak CON
struction company while Ron
yak was bidding on G aug a
road paving jobs.
County commissioner, Tom
White, who announced at the
beginning of the campaign that
he was going to drive James
Garwick out of his job as
chairman Of the Republican
central committee, has b e E n
kept busy defending himself
against Holmes.
County commissioner. White
and State representative New
ton Chapman apparently enter
ed into an alliance before the
primary to wage a campaign
to drive Garwick out of t h e
party. They entered candidates
in many precincts for p t y
committeeman. Later, in a
surprise move, Chapman ap-
pealed to the election board and
had a group of veteran com
mitteemen thrown off the bal
lot on a technicality and was
vigorously criticized for so do
ing.
Unusual too in this campaign
has been the denunciation by
the candidates of the newSpap-
ers in the county. AS often as
possible in his campaign speech
es Commissioner White h a S
charged The Geauga Record
and The Geauga News h v e
lied" about him.
Holmes, on the other hand
has attacked The Geau ga
Times Leader as a tool" Of
Tom Whites and N e W t o r
Chapman's (both men are or
the board Of directors of the
publishing company
At a campaign meeting al
Burton last week sponsored by
Newton Chapman, White an,
nounced he had purchased stock
in Geauga Publishers, publish,
ers of The Geauga Record and
The Geauga News. Now I'll
have a chance to dig int {
them the way they have dug
into me-" he told the grouI
while he waved a receipt for
his stock certificate. Asked il
he thought his stock interest
would enable him to control the
editorial policies of the news.
papers he said, Wen see."
Interest in the local political
fight has been so intense that
state issues have been ignored
locally. A Scripps Howard
newspaper feature writer who
visited Geauga to sound out t
opinion threw in the spon G e
after a dozen interviews with
local people. They are so
wrapped up in their local fight,
they are not interested in the
state issues" he reported.
Only issue to face the vot-
erS at the primary besides the
nomination of candidates is at
Munson where they will vot e
again on the issuing of bonds
for a new school. The issue
was voted down at the Ia t
election.
A last minute unusual fea-
ture to a Geauga campaign
was the announcement of Will
man Thrasher, candidate f o +
commissioner against Tom
White and James Hunt, h a
an anonymous caller had rung
his telephone Tuesday while he
was away from home, h a d
threatned his wife if he did not
withdraw from the campaign
and offered $500 to cover
campaign expenses" if he
would withdraw.
Meanwhile Geauga D m =
Gratis are looking over th
courthouse with unusual in
terest. If the Republican split
continues they will have better
chance than ever to win a
position in this Republican
stronghold.
Those who ask for a Repub-
lican ballot at the primary
Tuesday will be given the fol-
lowing list
For Governor James A.
Rhodes.