Lorain/Elyria, OH
VIDEO: Ex-Republican councilman, Democratic rep unite to save Grace
Print this story
Read comments and discuss this story
ELYRIA — Mayor Bill Grace will be getting some help in the fight to keep his job in the face of a possible recall.
State Rep. Matt Lundy, D- Elyria, and former Republican City Councilman Jack Baird are stepping forward to serve as co-chairmen of a bi-partisan committee called Yes Elyria that was started to keep Grace in office.
From opposite ends of the political spectrum, Lundy and Baird are coming together with the shared belief the recall effort is an embarrassment to Elyria, and Grace should keep his job until it is time to elect the city’s next mayor.
“We are concerned people may take this recall lightly and believe this is just a vocal group that can’t pull it off,” Lundy said. “But this should be taken very seriously.”
Lundy
While it is not official that a recall election will be held, Grace said he is moving forward under the assumption it will happen in less than 45 days.
“I am very pleased and proud they are making themselves available to defend what I believe is an inappropriate action,” Grace said. “Hopefully, the community will see that as well and if they don’t, they will hear a lot about it in the coming weeks.”
Stand Up Elyria is trying to oust Grace from office mid-term for several reasons.
Residents Kim Ach, a nurse, and Craig Bevan, a retired firefighter and EMT, are co-founders of the group and both have said Grace has failed to ensure the public safety through his management of the Fire Department and has failed to rein in excessive and unnecessary administrative costs in a troubled financial time.
“This is not a personal attack on the mayor. This is an attack on his performance as mayor,” Bevan said in an e-mailed statement earlier this month. He did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Baird
Bevan and Ach started the recall effort more than a year ago, collecting signatures for a petition. City charter dictates that a recall can only go forward if 25 percent of the voters who voted in the last municipal general election sign such a petition.
The first time the group handed in the petition, the Lorain County Board of Elections determined the group was 413 signatures short of the goal of 2,270 names.
But the city charter gave the group 10 additional days, and the group worked quickly — collecting 902 more signatures that currently are being verified by the county Board of Elections.
Bevan said many residents stepped forward and wanted to be a part of the recall effort after the initial signature shortfall.
“We had people call and say, ‘We won’t let this fail’ and ‘We won’t let you fail,’ ” he said after the second batch of signatures was turned in last week.
Lundy, who once served as an assistant safety service director for Grace, said he went to Grace soon after Stand Up Elyria turned in the additional signatures and pledged his support.
“I know some people think the mayor is an embarrassment, but this is really an embarrassment to the city,” Lundy said. “Everywhere I go, people want to know what is happening in Elyria.”
Baird, an at-large councilman who served more 25 years on Council before retiring, said he joined Lundy to chair the committee because recalling Grace would be wrong. He also was asked to lead the city’s failed income tax increase campaign, but his schedule did not permit it, he said.
“I don’t think this is a political issue,” he said. “It’s a community issue. I view it much like a school levy or library levy. It’s something I wanted to get on the right side of immediately.”
Before the measure goes to voters — the Yes Elyria name reflects the fact that the ballot issue will demand a “yes” vote for Grace to keep his job — Lundy and Baird said they will do everything in their power to make sure residents know how they should answer.
“For me, it comes down to one thing: Does what they say warrant a recall and the answer is no,” he said. “Nothing has been done to warrant a recall.”
Yes Elyria, which will be a nonpartisan committee, will use direct mailings, yard signs and education forums to tell voters about the significance of the vote. The two said they hope to raise $50,000 to fund the anti-recall campaign.
“There may be the common misconception that Grace and his staff would all go, but the only person to walk out the door if this recall happens is the mayor,” Baird said. “We just want residents to be reasonable and understand that even if they don’t like the mayor, they can see this recall is not warranted.’’
If Grace is recalled, the city charter dictates that Safety Service Director Chris Eichenlaub will step in to fill the remainder of his term.
Grace said Wednesday he is confident he will once again prevail at the polls.
“Every day people approach me and offer support,” he said. “I believe in the coming weeks, many people will step forward and let it be known they believe this to be a waste of taxpayer dollars.”
City Auditor Ted Pileski has said a special recall election could cost the city as much as $50,000, money the city does not have as it is facing a $4 million deficit in 2010.
Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.
Follow The Chronicle on Twitter at Twitter.com/YourChronicle and become a fan on Facebook to get updates on stories like this and more!
Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment
In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement
and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered,
click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.
Matt Lundy must want out of politics. In my opinion, he should have stayed out of this issue in the public spotlight. Help behind scenes - sure; take a side openly in a city full of despair - no.
(Report comment)
Jack Baird and Mathew Lundy are doing the wrong thing in my opinion. Mathew was elected by us to vote for what we believe in in Columbus and the same goes here in Elyria. 2200 hundred registered voters said they want this guy out of office and Mathew goes against our wishes. Now we must show in next time at the polls when he runs again for the 57Th reprsentative, but for right now call Mathew Lundy in Columbus, I am sure they would love to take care of Elyrias business on Ohio time. Call Jack Bairds house and also let him know how you feel. Now it is time for us as registered voters to Stand up against this Mayor and send him packing. Remember we our being talked about not because of the recall but because of Grace and his mismanagement of our tax dollars, that is the fact right there. WHAT HAPPEN WITH ALL THE CITY EMPLOYEES GOING TO LOSS THEIR JOBS IF THE TAX LEVY DID NOT PASS? A WEEK LATER AND NOTHING IN THE PAPER. NO COMMENTS FROM GRACE OR BRUBAKER. The council did not have a problem paying Chief Medders legal bills did they, and he was in the wrong also.
(Report comment)
I have a question for Mr. Lundy & Mr. Baird and that is: Do either of you gentleman agree with William Grace that the Fire department is behind the Recall.
(Report comment)
yes elyria, NO GRACE! enough said.
(Report comment)
I urge all citizens to take part in this Mondays council meeting at 7pm. This is when the Mayor is to lay out the cuts in Elyria since the levy failure. It is also a good time to express your views of what works and doesn’t in Elyria. Let’s take these opinions more to the surface and speak your mind at council.See you elected council at work. like many said after the election, same people voted back in, your gonna get the same results. Put pressure on the mebers by showing up in force. And also get on hand information of what is happening in Elyria.
(Report comment)
I say let The Boy Blunder make his own decisions about where he is going to make cuts because if he goes after safety forces again then that will just be another nail in his recall coffin. If a bunch of people show up and convince him to do other wise it is not going to be as good for the recall.Let him make his own decision , and let him fall on his face all by himself. He really doesent need any help! We called his bluff with the no vote on taxes , lets just sit back and let him show his cards.
(Report comment)
Mr. Lundy said it would be waste of taxpayer’s money to recall Grace. Mr. Lundy Grace is being recalled because he has wasted taxpayer’s money that is why issue 10 failed and we see you Mr. Lundy have no problem wasting folks who live in the Sate of Ohio’s tax money by being up here to defend Grace. Well folks let’s let Sito and his banned of fake names post back and forth on here and let’s go over to the one thread that is just one reason Grace is being recalled for to discuss the real facts and that is his design & review system that has caused business to leave Elyria and has kept some from coming here.
(Report comment)
The majority of my employment through the years was working with the public in the service field. During those years I attended as I am sure some of you have many training seminars to deal with the public as to better serve the pubic as well as how to generate more sales for your company. One part of the training was a basic course in body language of which I found very interesting in helping communicate with the customer to assure their service needs were met. Now after saying all that I have watched Mr. Lundy & Mr. Baird video several times now, I must say that their body language tends to be uneasy as to maybe their not sure in their own minds that Grace will win the recall election, you folks watch it and see what you think, as I said I know the basics of the language but sometimes that is all you need know.
(Report comment)
WOW are things running that smooth in Columbus that instead of dealing with what LUNDY was elected for he is going to stand by GRACE and his band of LOSERS
SHAME ON YOU LUNDY
(Report comment)
Sam
Maybe being a State Reprehensive is just a part time job
(Report comment)
Wow I think I met State Representative instead of Reprehensive, sorry hang nail
(Report comment)
I visited the local coffee shop this morning; I had my usual ice tea and a bagel with cream cheese on it and while I sat there 3 gentlemen were a couple of tables down from me and I heard one say he was disappointed in Matt Lundy for wasting time on the Grace recall, have any of folks heard anyone voice their opinion that Matt Lundy shouldn’t have gotten involved?
(Report comment)
In the video they state that “Everyone is asking what is going on in Elyria”
What a bunch of BS , like people in columbus are asking what is happening with Elyria , when not even cleveland news is interested. This whole save grace thing smells funny . But atlest now we have ” The 3 stoges “
(Report comment)
Sitting Bull.
I love it the 3 stoges, it is great. I like the fact that you are staying positive. People do not care what is going on in Elyria. Even the people of this city are to worried about how to pay their mortgage, their utilities, feed the family, find enough money to pay the deductiable on their perscriptions, and most of all will they have a Thanksgiving or a Christmas. I know for Thanksgiving, one thing I will be Thankful for and that is Graig Bevans and Kim Ach. For Christmas the only thing I want is a new Mayor for this city I have growin up in and I love. Please santa can I have a new Mayor for the city of Elyria and the lastest 3 stoges movie?
(Report comment)
Inyouwetrusted
Lundy says that the election will be around Christmas time and families will be planning trips as well as will be busy with Christmas it self. Well this year folks will not have the money to travel and or buy a lot Christmas presents, so I bet the turn out to vote to recall Grace will be huge. I bet just about the same amount of folks who voted down issue 10 will vote, I think it was 59% or gee maybe it was 60% or more. Oh ya the citizens of Elyria shouldn’t be worried because Chris Eichenlaub will take over and he would do a fantastic job finishing Grace’s last two years. Let’s hope the Democratic Party doesn’t try anything stupid by trying to out some one other than Chris as Mayor
(Report comment)
I think we will be better of with Chris, rather than Tom Smith that Guy could not operate a pull behind lawnmower. One thing that bothers me about Chris is that Eric Rothgery will still be pulling the strings. Lets face it we have sent a message to the Democratic party that we are tried of the way they are running things. I listen to the WEOL interview with Les and Grace. Grace says that they have concerns,that the citizens will go after councilmembers next, well they better worry, because if the Democrats do not change then we will changed the Democrates. I’ve heard that the Democrates do not even want Grace to run next time, but he is stubborn and plans on running anyways. That is just his EGO. Lundy all he is is just a wanta be. He is so lost, he will never find himself. He takes credit for running loan advance places out of business, because of what they call bad lending practices, wow when the last time you were late on taxes and the amount of money the state charged you in late fees and penalties, talking about crooks. Take a look at the owners of these professional ball teams in Cleveland they all made their money on preying on people that needed money and charging them high fees for their services. Why doesn’t Lundy go after these businesses? I’lll answer that, because you would find him and his sponsors of the bill dead, that is, if you ever found them.
(Report comment)
I have watch this over and over and to be honest with you, these two guys are not enthusistic enough if they plan on going forward with this Yes commitee. Did anyone esle get that feeling from this video?
(Report comment)
The 3 Stoges
(Report comment)