Submitted by Dane Davis

Bainbridge Township

When my wife and I moved to Geauga. County, one of the first things we did was reach out to the local Republican Party. Our message was simple.  We were young conservatives, and we were both ready and willing to support the Party which represents our views and values. We thought, perhaps naively, that in our support for Republicans the main obstacle would be Democrats, not fellow Republicans. We were wrong.

The campaign waged by Judge Timothy Grendell against Mr. Matt Rambo, particularly the latest incident involving frivolous charges brought against Rambo in a mass mailer, has forced us to peak out.

Grendell supporters make three points: Judge Grendell is the most experienced, he is the only “true conservative” running, and that Rambo was once a Democrat. All of these arguments are weak.

The idea that experience is necessary before serving in a public office is the logic of an aristocracy, not a republic. Our country was founded on the notion that citizen legislators, not career politicians, would govern us. If experience were necessary to serve, then only those who previously served would be qualified. Certainly, for a judgeship some amount of legal experience is necessary. But Mr. Rambo has experience as an attorney. Moreover, as Donald Trump famously said to Mrs. Clinton, “you do have experience, but it’s bad experience.” In other words, what you do in the office matters far more than the mere fact that you have filled the office. Judge Grendell’s record speaks volumes here, and we will leave it to readers to determine whether that experience is truly the experience they want.

Second, the notion that Mr. Grendell is the only true conservative or true Republican out there, and that his detractors are RINOs (Republicans-In-name-Only) or worse, is making frequent rounds on social media. This idea is nonsense. How is it conservative to double spending for a public office in just ten years despite seeing no significant rise in cases? How is it con conservative to gag free speech, as people who dare challenge the Judge are attacked wi h frivolous law suits, costing them time, money and permanently tainting their reputations? How i it conservative to create a culture of brutal and nasty intimidation, whereby individuals who have the temerity to run against him are assaulted with phony mailers referencing dismissed or trumped up misdeeds? None of these actions is conservative, and the attempt by Grendell’s supporters to create a victim narrative in which covert liberals continually conspire against him is insulting to people even of modest intelligence.

Finally, regarding Mr. Rambo’s partisan leanings, weighed against petty political gamesmanship and thuggery the question becomes: “So what?” I have met Mr. Rambo a few times. If he is in fact a surreptitious socialist and is elected, then I will be· on the front lines seeking to remove him. However, Mr. Rambo is a “small c” conservative, someone that, wants stable government, fiscal rectitude, and a return to normalcy for a position which only enjoys outsized importance due to the current occupant.

All of this is to say that Judge Grendell needs to go, and that voters should vote for Mr. Rambo on March 17. In my discussions with local citizens, one thing that I have frequently heard is to “be careful” when speaking of the Grendells. Questioning the local dynasty would add one’s name to the black book of Grendell’s enemies. So be it. Disgusting politics is disgusting politics, and those who practice it sully the name of our Part, our County, and our Republic.

Dane Davis

Bainbridge Township

Protect Geauga Parks endorses and supports Matt Rambo for Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge in the March 17 Republican Primary election.
Please request a Republican Party ballot and vote for Matt Rambo.

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