No. 07-2321

In the Supreme Court of

APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS NTNTH APPELLATE DISTRICT SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO CASE Nos. 22098, 22099

TELXON CORPORATION, Plaintiff-Appellee, and SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Plaintiff-Appellee,

V.

SMART MEDIA OF DELAWARE, IN Defendant-Appellant, and WILLIAM DUPRE, Defendant-Appellant..

MOTION OF APPELLANT SMART MEDIA OF DELAWARE, INC. TO DISQUALIFY OHIO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE MAUREEN O'CONNOR

RICHARD J. WERDER, JR. (0011533) GREGORY HALL MELICK (0065694) QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART THE MELICK LAW FIRM, LLC OLIVER & HEDGES, LLP 590 Arborside Lane 51 Madison Avenue Suite 100 22"d Floor Avon Lake, OH 44012 New York, NY 10010 Tel: (440) 930-5811 Tel: (212) 849-7231 Fax: (440) 348-2347 Fax: (212) 849-7100 [email protected]

Attorneyfor Appellee Attorney for Appellant Telxon Corporation Smart Media of Delaware, Inc. JOHN C. FAIRWEATHER (0018216) ROBERT D. KEHOE (0017466) BROUSE MCDOWELL KEHOE & ASSOCIATES LLC 388 South Main Street 900 Baker Building Suite 500 1940 E. Sixth St. Akron, Ohio 44311 Cleveland, OH 44114 Tel: (330) 535-5711 Tel:: (216) 621-1500 Fax: (330) 253-8601 Fax: (216) 621-1551

Attorneyfor Appellee Attorney for Defendant Appellant William Symbol Technologies, Inc. Dupre MOTION OF APPELLANT SMART MEDIA OF DELAWARE, INC. TO DISQUALIFY OHIO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE MAUREEN O'CONNOR

Appellant Smart Media of Delaware, Inc., hereby moves this Honorable Court for an Order disqualifying Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor from participating in any further proceedings in this matter pursuant to In re Disqualification ofMoyer (1991), 74 Ohio St.

3d 1234. The basis for this Motion is that, respectfully, Justice O'Connor's participation in this case would give rise to an unacceptable appearance of impropriety and possible bias, and thus whose participation in adjudicating this appeal, or any part of it, would deny Smart Media due process of law and justice here.

Smart Media's Affidavit of Disqualification supporting this Motion is attached hereto.

ctfully submitted,

I

GregojogajWlick (0065694) THE MELICK LAW FIRM, LLC 590 Arborside Lane Suite 100 Avon Lake, Ohio 44012 Tel: (440) 930-5811 Fax: (216) 348-2347 GregMelick a TheMelickLawFirm.Com

Attorney for Appellant Smart Media of Delaware, Inc. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

A copy of the foregoing Motion for Disqualification and Affidavit In Support has been served this ^ day of February, 2008, by U.S. Mail, postage prepaid, upon the following:

Richard I. Werder, Jr. Robert D. Kehoe QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART Kehoe & Associates LLC OLIVER & HEDGES, LLP 900 Baker Building 51 Madison Avenue 1940 E. Sixth St. 22°a Floor Cleveland, OH 44114 New York, NY 10010 Attorney for Appellees Telxon Corporation Attorney for Defendant/Appellant William Dupre

JOHN C. FAIRWEATHER Honorable Maureen O'Connor BROUSE MCDOWELL c/o The Oliio Supreme Court 388 South Main Street 65 South Front Street Suite 500 Columbus, Ohio 43215-3431 Akron, Ohio 44311 Tel: (330) 535-5711 Fax: (330) 253-8601

Attorneyfor Appellee Symbol Technologies, Inc. STATE OF VIRGINIA ) ) SS: AFFIDAVIT OF DISQUALIFICATION COUNTY )

Dennis C. Blaeuer, being first duly sworn according to law, does hereby depose and testify as follows:

1. I am over the age of 18 years, and I am competent to attest to the matters herein.

2. I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of an Appellant in the Appeal captioned Telxon Corporation v. Smart Media ofDelaware, Inc. (Smart Media), Ohio Supreme Court Case No. 07-2321, and allege the following upon personal knowledge as to myself and my acts, and upon information and belief as to all other matters, based upon my own investigation and the investigation of my counsel, and which investigation(s) are predicated upon, among other things, a review of public filings, press releases, articles in the general press and on wire services, and other publicly- available infonnation. Where relevant, and where they have not previously been attached to other pleadings in this case, I have attached some of this publicly- available information hereto as exhibits. I have first-hand knowledge of everything attested to herein.

3. I am submitting this Affidavit in support of a Motion to Disqualify Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor from further participating in this matter.

4. There are no hearings scheduled in this matter.

5. A copy of this Affidavit is being served on the Honorable Justice Maureen O'Connor, as well as on all counsel of record in this case.

6. Smart Media's counsel is Gregory Hall Melick, of The Melick Law Firm, LLC, 590 Arborside Lane, Suite 100, Avon Lake, Ohio, 44012, telephone number (440) 930- 5811. 7. I would like for this Court to know that it is only with the greatest of introspection, circumspection, caution, counsel and soul-searching that I feel compelled to make this affidavit. As the President and CEO of Smart Media of Delaware, Inc., which obtained a $212,340,880.00 jury verdict (September 18, 2003), and then judgment, against Telxon Corporation and Symbol Technologies, Inc. in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas - and which I have come to believe was wrongfully taken away on appeal by a judge who should not have participated in the case, much less authored the opinion - I have concluded that my fiduciary duties to Smart Media of Delaware, Inc., and to its shareholders and investors, all but requires me to do this.

8. The fact that my (late) eldest brother, Channing Blaeuer, was himself a long-time Circuit Court Judge in Missouri, who I and many others, including sitting judges and practicing lawyers, admired and looked-up to as a fine jurist there, makes this particularly difficult for me. Upon becoming a judge, and at a great sacrifice to his family and friends, Channing avoided any situation that would give rise to even a suggestion of a conflict of interest. This was true for attorneys or litigants who appeared before him, and whose appearance might create the slightest suggestion of iinpropriety. Of course he was also keenly aware and respectful of the Missouri Court Plan, itself, for its ability inherent to eliminate even the possibility of conflicts of interest through its merit selection system for judges.

9. Before the Smart Media case reached adjudication at the appellate level here in Ohio, it had never even crossed my mind that either I, or my counsel, should be checking into the background(s) and relationships/campaign contributors of any of the jurists who have heard this case.

10. When I questioned Judge Batchelder's participation in the appeal below, 9"' District Court of Appeals judges Lynn Slaby and Dorma Carr - neither of whom ever directly received campaign contributions from former Telxon CEO and Chairman of the Board Robert Meyerson - both nevertheless recused themselves from further participating in this case to avoid even an appearance of impropriety.

11. The October 1, 2006, national New York Times article entitled "Campaign Cash Mirrors a High Court's Rulings" caused me to question William Batchelder's participation in the initial appeal of this case, resulting in the Rule 60 Motion the subject matter of this appeal. The January 29, 2008, New York Times article entitled "Looking Anew at Campaign Cash and Elected Judges", which states therein that "Meyerson, the executive, has given money to two of its [the Oho Supreme Court] justices as well", causes me to now question those two Ohio Supreme Court jurists' participation in this case (Justices O'Connor and O'Dormell).

-3- 12. Accordingly, and because it has been disclosed in a national publication that two Ohio Supreme Court Justices (in addition to former judge Batchelder) have also received significant campaign contributions froin Robert Meyerson, I again feel compelled by my fiduciary responsibilities to Smart Media shareholders to submit this affidavit.

13. I believe that, given the totality of circumstances stated herein, any reasonable person, including me, would harbor serious doubts about whether or not Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor could be impartial, and unbiased, in hearing this case. This is especially true in light of her background both in Summit County Republican party politics, and history of having received significant campaign contributions from Robert Meyerson, the Telxon Chief Executive, shareholder, and litigant involved in this case.

14. Respectfully, and even were Justice O'Connor to profess that she thinks she could hear this case impartially, actual bias and prejudice is not what is at issue here, and I otherwise respectfully believe that it would appear improper to the general public if she continued to participate herein. I think this is especially so given her recent comments to the Cleveland Plain Dealer in a November 26, 2007, article entitled "Money talks in election ofjudges", wherein Justice O'Connor rightfully expressed frustration with the Ohio elected judicial system ("I'm stuck with the system that is there * * * [Q]uite frankly, I think the candidates are a victim of the system"), but nevertheless failed to go on the record to disclose the significant contributions, or recuse herself from cases in which she had received substantial campaign contributions from one of the litigants to avoid even an appearance of impropriety.

15. It is thus how, given the facts below, Justice O'Connor deals with that scrutiny in any given case, and particularly here (i.e., voluntary recusal), that concerns me.

16. Moving forward to the merits of this application, as this Court is probably now well aware, this case finds its origins in a declaratory judgment action that was filed by Telxon Corporation, against Smart Media, in December, 1998, in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas - more than nine years ago. I was not then, am not now, and have never been a resident of Ohio, and have never contributed to any judge's judicial campaign in Ohio. Nor has Smart Media of Delaware, Inc. 17. At that time (as well as today) both Telxon Corporation (and Symbol Technologies, Inc. - that now owns Telxon) and Smart Media of Delaware, Inc., were and are Delaware corporations. Many of the actions that gave rise to the complaint, and counterclaims, took place in New York, and Washington, D.C., respectively. Nevertheless, and as a "pre-emptive strike", however, I now believe with 20/20 hindsight that Telxon chose to file in Summit Count, Ohio - when the prospect of litigation became clear - as its preferred jurisdiction because of the heavy political contributions, connections, and influence of one time Telxon CEO and Chairman of the Board, Robert M. Meyerson, to the Summit County Republican Party and judicial system.

18. From a post-trial review of the Summit County docket over the many years, Telxon's filing of declaratory judgment complaints against litigants as a preemptive strike in Summit County appears to be something of a pattern there.

19. Mr. Meyerson's campaign contributions to the Summit County, State and Federal Republican Parties have already been well-documented in this litigation and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here at length. His actual participation in this case below, as a key witness for Telxon and Officer and stockholder thereof, has also been similarly detailed. Nevertheless, and as was so characterized by Judge Nader in his dissent to the opinion the subject matter of this very appeal, I wholly agree with Judge Nader's opinion that Mr. Meyerson's political contributions have been so "impressive", and to so many elected officials - especially in Summit County - that "their potential for the appearance of impropriety was an absolute ethical mandate [for recusal] within the principles of Canons 3 and 4".

20. I respectfully believe that any reasonably objective person would agree with that assessment.

21. From reviewing Mr. Meyerson's campaign contribution history myself, personally, and in regard to Smart Media's prior motion to set aside former appellate judge William Batchelder's reversing opinion, Mr. Meyerson in fact appears to be the single-highest Republican political contributor in Ohio, and to the Summit County judicial fund, and I thus further personally concur with Judge Nader's dead-on assessment that Mr. Meyerson's political influence, or potential political influence in the State of Ohio, and in Summit County particularly, is substantial.

22. More particularly, and with respect to Justice O'Connor herself, when Justice O'Connor was running for Lieutenant Governor in 1998, the Meyerson family provided $52,000.00 directly to her campaign over a two-year period. Those donations, recorded on the 's website, are attached hereto as Exhibit "A".

-5- 23. Upon information and belief, all of the Meyersons listed on the attached Exhibit "A" are family members of Robert Meyerson. The total donation amount of $52,000 appears to have been broken-up among the Meyerson family to comply with the letter of Ohio's campaign finance laws. Telxon has not denied that these Meyersons are Robert Meyerson's family members in any prior pleading and, from looking at the timing and amounts, it seems pretty obvious that this was a coordinated effort.

24. In that regard and, according to documents filed with the SEC, "Accipiter" is a consulting firm owned by Mrs. Meyerson.

25. According to documents filed with the SEC, "Metanetics" Corporation is a subsidiary of Telxon.

26. According to documents filed with the SEC, Accipiter purchased $409,984 of Metanetics stock in 1996.

27. Later, and when she ran for the Ohio Supreme Court, Bob Meyerson again contributed $2,500 directly to her campaign (Exhibit "B"). Thus the vast majority of that $54,500.00 in total direct contributions from Mr. Meyerson were made while the underlying litigation was pending in the trial court.

28. In addition, and also while Justice O'Connor was running for Lieutenant Governor, Bob Meyerson contributed some $212,500.00 to the Summit County Republican Party as follows:

Donor Date Amount

Robert Meyerson 8/21/01 $47,500.00 Robert Meyerson 9/21/01 $150,000.00 Robert Meyerson 8/21/01 $5,000.00

Total to the Summit County GOP $212,500.00

29. Within months after making these contributions to the Summit County Republican Party, the Summit County Republican Party contributed $218,900.00 to the Taft/O'Connor campaign on December 21, 2001.

30. When Justice O'Connor was running for the Ohio Supreme Court, Bob Meyerson contributed $5,000.00 to the Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee on June 10, 2002. Four days later, the Ohio House Republican Campaign Conunittee contributed $5,000.00 to Justice O'Connor. 31. While I concededly have no idea, personally, as to whether or not these soft Meyerson contributions actually went to Justice O'Connor's campaigns, it certainly looks suspicious to me. Moreover, I think that any other reasonable observer would harbor serious doubts about whether or not Meyerson's substantial "soft" contributions, or any part of them, made their way into the Taft/O'Connor coffers considering their significant amounts, and timing.

32. In addition, and from my review of several publicly-available news stories, "blogs" and reports that are generally available, I am further concerned with Justice O'Connor participating in this case given her political history in, and continued political ties and allegiances to, Summit County. I find especially troubling the fact that Justice O'Connor and State Representative William Batchelder both attended the same Summit County Republican Finance Dinner last August 28 (Exhibit "C"), and where I think it would be foolish to think that they did not speak, or even that Meyerson did not attend.

33. In closing, I believe that absent Justice O'Connor recusing herself from this case - which I wholly wish she would do voluntarily instead of this Court having to adjudicate this application - the presumption of judicial impartiality in this State begs a sensitive question for the Ohio judicial system, to wit: When, exactly, is an out-of- state litigant like Smart Media, who/which has not contributed any monies to any Ohio jurist's election campaign, and is not intimately familiar with the history of the Ohio elected judicial system, or any other litigant, supposed to start backgroLmd- checking its jurists in a given case? Obviously, that question should be a rhetorical one, as jurists should be at the forefront of preserving the essential fairness and impartiality of the judicial process - unfortunately, it is my belief that it is not a rhetorical question now, or here.

34. Again, and as stated above, the questioning any Ohio jurist's participation in any level of this case never crossed my mind until Smart Media's jury verdict was erased by an opinion authored by a judge who, after Smart Media's Rule 60 motion was filed, admitted to two local publications that he had been to Robert Meyerson's office, and Robert Meyerson to his home, specifically soliciting campaign contributions. Here, I do not believe that I, or any out-of-state litigant, should have to scour the public records to determine whether litigation adversaries have made extraordinary, large, numerous political campaign contributions to political figures who appear/claim to exercise undue influence over the judiciary. I am a litigant, not a watchdog of the judicial process.

35. Given all of the foregoing, I respectfully request that this Court disqualify Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor from further participating in, or presiding over, this case.

-7- FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.

Den$is C. Blaeuer, President anChief Executive Officer of Appellant Smart Medi of Delaware, Inc.

Swqrn to and subscribed before me this olS' day of February, 2008.

Notary Public . 17- /3/ /z(3o S & ;s It -^-l 3-^^3s:

SEARCH RESULTS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATE COMMITTEES c,; mm i no ADAM MEYERSON 218HARVESTDRIVE AKRON OH 44333i200Q R6 061261200DOM 2,50000 NETEAM,INCJCEOO TAFTlOCONNOR 98 _ - ANDREW S !MEYERSON ^;D51D0 F^ CLS.EVE LAIFL N 33907 20D0W 5 06l13/200D 06/29l2000 2,500 00 HAWKE REAL 'TAFTIDCONNOR __ ___AVE YERS -, , STE 3783877 M -I ^ _ ESTATEIPF2ESIDENT 98 ._ _ ^--- _ -_ _ . . . _- - _ DAVIDW. I MEYERSON j ---^ D^E OBBLESTONE CDPLEY iOH i443212000 1 5DO r06/26/2000 ^^-I 2,50D DO TE ^/OCONNOR CORP.lMARKETING 98 LORY MEYERSON 1629ISLAND WAY WESTON I FL 33 26 2000 Q O I 06/20/2D00 2500.DO HOUSEWIFE/ TAFTIOCONNOR 98 ^^ ^^ ._ i ROSEANN MEYERSON P.Q_ BOX 61612 FORT ! FL 33947 2000 ^ 06/13/2400 06/29/2000 2,500 00 RETIRED/ TAFTIOCONNOR 98 ^ : MYERS 3 ^ ^ ^ - rROBERT- ^MEYERSONI -- -- I --- ^-1791 WYE ROAD AKRON OH 44333^24^; 500 O5/26/2D00 ^ --- ^-^2,500.00 TELANNS TAFT/OCONNOR F I GROUP[EXECUiNE 98 ANCY ! MEYERSON 791 WYE ROAD AKRON OH44 3 2000; 500', 05I26120D0 2.500.OO^ ONNOR ^CORP./EXE C. 98^1 LORY ^iMEYERSON r- 16291SLANDWAY WESTON ^F^3332612000, 500; 0 512612 0 0 0 ^ 2,5000D: HOUSEWIFE/ TAFTIOCONNOR r 98 _ ___._ 5. MATTi1EW rMEYERSON 16291SLAND WAY WESiON FL 33326'2000 I 500 i 06/26l2000 2,50000: DBK CONCEPTSNICE I TAFTIOCONNOR PRESIDENT ^______! ___ ? $ -, I AKRON OH ;wu331998 100 02l09/1998 70131/1997I 2,500.00 ITELXON COR ^T^AFi/OCONNOR

ADAM MEYER ON - ^ ^ 218HARVESTDR -' AKRON - OH r443331998ii _ 200 I 05lOil7998 D5/05/1996 -2-500_DO BEST EFFOR TAFT/OCONNOR ^ ;S IMEYERSON 1 1629ISLANDWAY WESTON FL 33326'1^28f200 rD5/05/1998 05/05/1998 2,500D0 NATIONAL TAFTlOCONNOR I F _ 96 ^___-_ LORY MEYERSON - 16291SLANDWESTON WAY FL33326 991 2D0 05I05/1998 05/05l1996 2,500.00 HOUSEWIFE TAFTIOCONNOR ^ 98 NANCY iMEYERS ON ^- 791 WYE RD AKRON OH 44333 1998 20D I^05/05/1998 05105l1998 2,500.00 EXEC TAFTIOCONNOR 98 DAVID MEYERSON 1570 PARK HILL DR FAIRLAWN rOH r44333 1998 200 05/05/1998 05/05119981 2,500.00 MARKETING TAFVOCONNOR ART2D 98 _ ^ + i_I I I r fANDREW rEYERSON r11 ^10DSCLEVELAND FORT FL f339071Q^' 200 A5/D5/1996 05/05l1998 2,590.OD HAWKEREAL TAFTIOCONNOR I AV STE 318 MYERS 98 ADAM IMEYERSON ^ 218HARVESTDR AKRON OH I44331998^ 1200 i08/27l1998 i 2,500AD iSEL- TAFT/OCONNOR

ROBERT[MEYERSON - 791 WYE RD OH 44333119981 1200 68/27/1996- ^ 2,5D0.00 1OEO IT OCONNOR 98 ^_ ^ I ^ /OCONNOR rDAVID ^ r D42R49COBBLESTONE IiCOPLEY ^OH ^443211998-1200 08l2711998 2,500.00 ^ E71NG r 2,500.00 TAFTlOCANNOR ANDREW ^MEYERSON ^- 5100 S CLEVELAND FORT I FL 33907'1998 1200 08Y27l1996 ^ -- PRESIDENT AVSTE31$387 MYERS SEARCH RESULTS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATE COMMITTEES

_ 2,50000.EXEG TAFT/DCONNOR98 NANCV MEYERSON r - I 79tWYERD AKRON OH 443337998 t200.08/27/t998 / _.._._ I - _ _-.-.--. -_- ° ^MEYERSON 1629 ISLAND WAY ^WESiON FL 33326[^L998 1200 08/2]/1998 F 2,500 00 ^NATIONAL A !TAFr / CONNOR 98 __.-__- . 120008/27/1998. i. 2,500.00HOUSEWIFE 11AF11OCONNOR98, I LORY MEYERSON --- 16291SLANDWAY WESTON-- ^.,FL _- ^33326!18' -_- DAVID MEYERSON ]9t WYE RD. AKR ONOH i i44313 t996,- 500103/78/19% 5,000 00 TELXON COR , . I . I . ^SECRETARYOF .,, STATE _ __------LAUREEN 3MEYERSON 4249 COBBLESTONE rCOPLEY H 44321 1996 ^ 500 03/18/19% 5,000.00 BOB TAFT, I ^., 'SECRETARYOF STATE

ROBERT MEYERSON ^79 WYE RD. AKRON ^OH 46333179% 500 03/18/19% S .ODO DO TELXON COR BOBTAFT :SECRETARY OF STATE _ _ ^ _. NANCY MEYERSON !POBOX545 CAPTIVA^FL 33924t996 500,03778119% 5,000D0!ACCIPRER iBOBTAFT II ISLAND li SECRETARYOF I _ STATE__..___. ,,S MATTHEW IMEYERSON 4#7D7 ]^9C^ 500!03/l8/1996 5,uuuuu itut^n^vrc SECRETARY OF L --_ STATE rS.MATTHEVY i MEYERSON 143 BARKLEY CIR. #101 rFT. MYERS FL 33907 ^19951^ 500 11/77/t995 f t tr30/t995 5,000 00 f TEL%ON COR BOB TAFT, , I SECRETARY OF STATE NANCY ^MEYERSON POBOX545 ^CAPTNP. FL 33924 1995 500 71I30/7995 ^77/30/7995; ,000.00 ACCIPRER BOBTAFT, ISLAND SECRETARY OF STATE .--_^ ANDREW MEYERSON t5%t ST. CHARLES FT MYERS FL 33908I1995_-_--'_-- 500 tt/30/t995 I-_ N/3D/7995 HAWKE11 REAL5,000.00 BOB TAFT, !HARBOUR BLVD SECRETARY OF _ __ STATE ROBERT iMEYERSON 797_WYE_RD_- AKRON OH 44333r]g.95 50011/30/1995 17/30/1995 5,00000 TELXONCOR BOBTAFT. ! 'STACRETARYOF . _ LAUREEN MEYERSON 4249COBBl.ESTONE fCOPLEY JOH "32t 7^f 50011/30/7995 71/30/t9951 2,50000 BOBTAFL ^ DR SECRETARY OF - ^ ------^STATE IDAVID -- ^-- ^MEYERSON 797WYER Aq20N LOH ,44333^t995r 500^17/30/1995 77/30/7995 2,50000!TELXONCOR BOBTAFT SECRETARY OF STATE DAVID MEYERSON F791WYERD. AKRON OH 4433I]$$1 50011/30/1995 it/30/19951 2,500001TELXONCOR SBOBTAFT, I- ECRETARYOF STATE ILAUREEN MEYERSON 14249COBBLESTONE ICOPLEY OH 1443211-).9'^^II 500I11/30/1995 tt/30/t9951r 2,S0D00i ------I ATE I ARYOF.. ROBERT MEYERSON 791^ WYE ROAD rAKRON OH 200r04/29/7994 5,000.00 BOBTAFT, ! ! F . ISECRETARYO - -- . STATE _ _ r- _ B AFT, ROBERT MEYERSON F ERD --- 106/0-3/1993 08/01/1993 5,000.0D BO^T ^! '^^^^YOF STATE _..- 300 0 500-00 BOBTAFT. BERT MEYERSON 797 WYE RD. 4020N OH 4313 .1^9Q ^06/79/19% !uo/13/199 SECRETARY OF STATE ii SEARCH RESULTS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATE COMMITTEES

OCONNOR FOR SUPREME COURT KEEP SUMMIT COUNTY REPUBLICANS STRONG A BLOG CONCERNING THE RECENT CHALLENGE OF STATE SENATOR KEVIN COUGHLIN TO THE SUMMIT COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY'S LEADERSHIP.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007

Summit County Republican Finance Dinner a Huge Success...

With the Honorable , Congressman Ralph Regula, State Auditor , Deputy ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine, Speaker of the Ohio House , Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor State Representatives Widowfield and Batchelder, and a full complement of county and local Republican officeholders, the Summit County Republican Party's Annual Finance Dinner on August 28, 2007 was a huge success. The Ballroom of the Hilton Akron-Fairlawn was filled to capacity.

See what the Akron Beacon Journal had to say, below:

Akron Beacon Journal, August 29, 2007

Summit GOP leader praised

Rick Armon, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Aug. 29--FAIRLAWN -- The Summit County Republican Party stung by an ongoing, internal effort to overthrow the longtime party chairman raised $742,ooo at its annual Finance Dinner on Tuesday night.

The event, the major fundraiser for the local party, turned into a lovefest of sorts as some high-profile Republicans came to the defense of Chairman Alex Arshinkoff, who has led the organization for nearly 30 years.

"It's hard to be a prophet in your own land, isn't it Alex?" Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted said during his public remarks.

Kevin DeWine, deputy chairman of the ; Mary Taylor, the state auditor; and Bryan Williams, the co-chairman of the event, also praised his commitment to the Republican cause.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Kevin Coughlin of Cuyahoga Falls announced an