BENNETT RESIGNS in Cuyahoga

Brunner said in an interview that the agreement merely requires her to drop her complaint against Bennett without a finding of fault and acknowledges that a hearing on the complaint scheduled for next week isn't necessary in light of his resignation.

Bennett remains suspended from the board and the board remains under her administrative oversight, she and her spokesman Patrick Gallaway said.

Brunner, a Democrat who took office in January, last month asked for the resignations of all four members of the Cuyahoga County board -- two Democrats and two Republicans -- because of series of problems, including the criminal convictions of two board workers for their handling of a recount. Three board members agreed to resign.

Brunner said she only pursued Bennett's removal for misfeasance and nonfeasance because he refused to quit.

"It really wasn't targeted at Bob Bennett," Brunner said. "It was simply to give the people of Cuyahoga County a clean slate with their election board and to give them a chance to rebuild their system and their reputation. And to give some confidence to the people in Cuyahoga County that they could count on their elections."

StevenHertz says...

While the relevant Cuyahoga County and SoS offices must focus on rebuilding Cuyahoga's damaged election system, the US Department of Justice should commence formal investigations into recent activities at the CCBOE. For example, there are many unanswered questions from the CERP and ESI reports of 2006, not withstanding activities surrounding the 2004 recount, the CCBOE's financial relationships with Diebold Election Systems, or the archiving of 2004 paper and subsequent electronic ballots. If criminal wrongdoing is found, then appropriate legal action should be taken by the Feds. A strong message needs to be sent to public officials nationally that misfeasance and/or malfeasance will not be tolerated within the US election system.

Posted on 04/11/07 at 9:19PM blog