Friday, April 25, 2014

The Anointed One: Armond Budish steps closer to his coronation as county executive

Armond Budish thinks it’s no contest.

The former Ohio House speaker is so confident he’ll win the Democrats’ county executive primary May 6, he’s already scheduled a fundraiser for May 15.

He had $673,000 in the bank last week — about $669,000 more than his opponents Bob Reid and Shirley Smith — yet he’s hardly spent anything on advertising.

Budish, who got The Plain Dealer’s endorsement last week, has won the two biggest contests in the Cuyahoga County executive race, the money primary and the insider’s endorsement game -- before we even get a chance to vote.

How do you feel about that?

“The Anointed One,” my new profile of Budish, is the first in-depth look at the guy who seems destined to succeed Ed FitzGerald in Northeast Ohio’s most powerful political job. It examines Budish’s career, his motivations and ideas, his intense ambition, and his 16-month campaign for executive.

The story also looks at what Budish’s rise means for Cleveland politics, including my suspicion that his candidacy is ushering in a new era – the uncompetitive one, where the race goes to the swiftest, most moneyed Democrat, and the real choices get made before anyone hears from the voters.

The story is in the May issue of Cleveland Magazine, and it’s online now.

No comments: