CLEVELAND, Ohio – Labor leader Dave Wondolowski is resigning his seat on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections this week to accept a position on the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board.
His resignation, which he says is effective Thursday, is required to avoid violating the rules of the port authority board, stipulating members cannot hold another public office. Because Cuyahoga County Council opted not to vote on his nomination, his appointment automatically becomes effective after 60 days, which is Saturday.
As of Monday, Wondolowski had not given written notice of his resignation to the BOE or the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, but he announced his intent to resign during Monday’s board meeting. His last meeting will be Wednesday, he said, when members are scheduled to certify issues and candidates for the Aug. 2, Special Election.
“This has been a fulfilling experience sitting here on this board and I will miss this duty,” he told his colleagues.
Wondolowski has served on the board since 2016 and told his colleagues he “will always be supportive of the work that you do and certainly will continue to speak as if I’m still a board member and to be out pushing people and encouraging people to vote and to be involved in the process.”
He also noted the many friends he’s made during his tenure, as well as through his appointments to numerous other city and county boards over the years. He currently serves as Executive Secretary of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council and recently was appointed to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Wondolowski’s colleagues indicated they will miss his connections, too.
Inajo Davis Chappell, who has been on the board since 2007, applauded his service, noting the advice and knowledge he brought to the position and the “really great things for the agency you’ve done in terms of leveraging your contacts with the Building Trades and looking through the redoing of our first floor...”
“You’ve been a great friend and a great board member,” she told him.
Board Chairman Jeff Hastings agreed.
“You could cut through some bureaucratic leadership and make a few calls to get some problems solved,” Hastings said of Wondolowski, adding that he’s “heartened to know that you’ll continue to participate through the (port authority board) and continue to add value and benefit to the residents of this county.”
Executive Armond Budish first recommended Wondolowski for the port authority seat on April 1, but the vote was twice delayed amid public backlash, an investigation into whether Budish intentionally tried to deceive council, and questions about whether Wondolowski could remain on the BOE while also serving as a board of director for the port authority, as he had previously done for four years. Legal experts determined they were “incompatible offices” and that he cannot simultaneously serve on both.
Council President Pernel Jones cited that restriction in his decision to remove Wondolowski’s nomination from the agenda – council normally vets and votes to confirm each of Budish’s picks during public hearings. Instead, Pernel said council will let their deadline lapse on the nomination, effectively confirming it.
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Dave Wondolowski resigning from Cuyahoga County elections board to accept port authority seat - cleveland.com
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