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Seven top GOP county party chairmen on Tuesday sent a letter asking Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine to resign, citing “irreconcilable” differences between top party leadership and elected officials.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Greg Gantt, who signed the letter. “He’s a great leader and a great chairman. Circumstances came up and we can’t have two leaders.”
Just two days after DeWine said he would step down at the end of the year when his term expires, Gantt and the others asked DeWine on Tuesday to leave now in the name of party unity.
But DeWine’s spokesman, Chris Maloney, gave no indication Tuesday that DeWine will resign.
DeWine, of Fairborn, is a former state representative who is in the final year of his second two-year term as state party chairman.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich has waged a public battle to replace DeWine as chairman, a dispute that the seven chairmen said is bad for the party.
“You have admitted that the situation is unsustainable, yet you ask to sustain the status quo for 10 more months in a critical year for this party, state and nation,” wrote the chairmen. “We believe that it is fruitless to continue the finger-pointing and unnecessary public airing of differences that has occurred.”
In addition to Gantt, the letter was signed by the chairmen of the Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Mahoning and Summit county Republican parties.
Gantt said DeWine’s decision to remain through his term simply extends the party turmoil when Republicans need to be focusing on beating Democrats in the November election.
“I wish the powers that be would get together and negotiate a resolution so that we can move forward as a unified party and also keep Kevin’s interests at hand,” Gantt said. “He’s earned the right to be treated with respect.”
Maloney said DeWine was unanimously re-elected in January 2011.
“His recent decision to see this commitment through to completion and not to pursue a new term in 2013 has been met with overwhelming support by a strong majority of the newly-elected state committee, as well as many of our 88 county chairs,” Maloney said.
In deciding he would not seek re-election to the top state GOP job, DeWine said he wanted to end the “family fight.”
DeWine headed the party when Republicans — including Kasich — swept statewide races in 2010 and retook control of the Ohio House. Shortly after he was elected, Kasich asked DeWine to step down so he could name a new chairman.
Rob Nichols, spokesman for Kasich, had no comment.
Doug Preisse, chairman of Franklin County, said that if DeWine does not resign, his opponents will likely attempt to force a vote to choose a new leader during the April 13 meeting of the newly-elected 66-member state central committee.
“It is a very significant message and it was time to send this significant message, which we believe further illustrates that there is broad support for a change in party leadership,” said Preisse. “We hope and wish we could resolve this in private before the 13th in a cordial and orderly fashion and not air our party laundry in public anymore.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7455 or lhulsey@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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