Replacement for Senator Zurz

Administrator — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:24:59 -0800

UPDATE: I got an email from the Senate DEM Caucus with the following info on the replacement process:

“The Senate Democratic Caucus will be moving swiftly to fill the Senate District seat following the cabinet appointment of Senator Zurz for the Department of Commerce. The same process we have used to fill vacant seats will be enacted. A letter will be going out shortly to each of the county chairs in the 28th district to provide their recommendations to me [Senate Democratic Leader Teresa Fedor] in the coming weeks. Each county chair will be asked to recommend up to three individuals who they believe could best replace the outgoing Senator.

Interviews will then get underway with the Senate Democratic leadership team and those who have been recommended by the county chairs. The leadership team will then put forth their recommendations to the full caucus as to who they would like to see fill the seat. The full Senate Democratic Caucus will then choose from the leadership’s team recommendations and collectively cast the final vote as to who will replace Senator Zurz.”

The buzz is that party leaders are already coalescing around a replacement for Senator Zurz. The man favored to take over the 28th District Senate seat is Portage County Commissioner Chuck Keiper. I've never spoken or met with Chuck, but from what I can find online I like the guy. Plastered at the bottom of his Commissioner re-election site is the phrase "Chuck Keiper is a proud member of the Democratic Party," he's a musician (you can find some of his tunes online here), and he tells a mean story:

Chuck remembers spending time with an Olympic athlete who defected from the Soviet Union during the late 70s. His remarkable story reminded Chuck that his own grandfather had also given up everything to come to America.

“I could hardly put my guitar down until I finished Just Another Immigrant,” Chuck says of the song about his Italian grandfather. “It’s funny, really, how sometimes it takes a stranger to remind you of the blessings in your own life.”

The song follows a young man as he boldly and nervously strikes out for the unknown. Just Another Immigrant reminds us that America is still “a brighter day” and “the better way” of life so many people around the world crave. The voice of a solitary instrument begins the journey, and is soon joined in a dizzying crescendo as the band swirls around Chuck’s tender yet booming voice. The journey continues through the happiness and contentment the now-aged young man finds in America, and finishes as the voices of traditional instruments remind us that in this remarkable country it is our separate roots that bind us together.

I'll be making some calls to see when the Senate Caucus will be meeting to vote in a replacement for Zurz and to see if any other candidates plan on tossing their name into the hat. If you know anything feel free to drop me a line .

Buckeye State Blog - Replacement for Senator Zurz - Comments

Replacement for Senator Zurz