Yes,
he's the son of Indians owner Larry Dolan, who's helping to bankroll
his campaign. But Matt Dolan is also a former state representative who
helped forge the bipartisan 2007 budget agreement — then broke with his
party last year by voting to suspend an income tax cut to plug a hole in
the new budget. He moved from Russell Township to Chagrin Falls in
December to run for county executive, but he's quick to note that he
represented four Cuyahoga County suburbs as well as Geauga County in the
legislature.
What we should expect from the new county executive:
"The person has to lead with honesty and integrity so that we restore
the public's faith in public service." County government must work with
businesses and "not put them through hoops." The executive should make
the county's social services more effective and ensure they help people
prepare to be self-sufficient.
Jobs: Dolan says public officials have "destroyed"
their relationship with business through neglect. His Cuyahoga Forward
plan would create a "one-stop shop" for businesses seeking to relocate
and expand, helping them obtain financing, tax incentives, land and work
force training.
Regionalism: The county could offer some services
cities now provide, but it has to "get its own house in order" first.
Once the county makes its own contracting more efficient, it could
reduce the cost of government by coordinating shared contracts among
city halls and school boards. "It's then that you can have the
discussion about shared services."
More reforms: "People will be trained in all aspects of
human services so your needs can be met with one visit, rather than
forcing the customer to have to go building to building to get the
services they need." He supports creating a "welcome center" to help
connect immigrants to education and job training.
The current county government's successes and failures:
"It became a political fiefdom," he says. "A culture has evolved where
they've lost sight that the purpose of government is to serve the
public. It is not to serve yourself." Still, he's impressed with the
county's brownfield programs to improve old industrial properties.
Can Matt Dolan end the Republican losing streak?
Matt Dolan can talk with authority about how state and county government
work together. His soothing temperament made him successful at working
with both parties in the state legislature. Although he lived in Geauga
County until late last year, he helped get the Cuyahoga County land bank
passed into law. But in a county where Democrats typically beat
Republicans by 2-to-1 or more, a lot of people think Dolan's doomed by
the scarlet R pinned to his name.
For Dolan to win the executive race, everything would have to go right
for him. The four-way general election gives him an opening, but
McCormack, the human-services liberal, would have to peel away more
Democratic votes than Lanci, the businessman, will take from
Republicans. An awkwardly timed federal indictment of Dimora or Russo
could turn some people off of voting for any Democrat. Republicans'
anti-Obama excitement would have to be matched by Democratic lethargy on
Election Day.
Voters would have to accept Dolan's promise to recuse himself from the
county's dealings with Gateway, because his father owns the Indians. Yet
Dolan would have to spend millions of his family's fortune to saturate
the town with his message. Most of all, Dolan would have to run
desperately and aggressively, animated by his once-in-a-generation
opportunity for a Republican victory.