Secretary of State rejects Sharon Sweda's appointment to Lorain County elections board

This story has been updated to reflect a correction. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Wednesday rejected Sharon Sweda's appointment to the Lorain County Board of Elections over allegations that she misused her county email for election campaign purposes last year and that she also "may have directed subordinates to directly or indirectly campaign for her while on county time." Sweda, a Democrat and former Lorain County commissioner, former candidate for Ohio Senate and current president of the Amherst Democratic Organization, was recommended for appointment to the Board of Elections by her fellow Democrats in January. Her four-year term on the board was to begin Monday (March 1). Sweda's appointment was one of five appointments rejected by LaRose, a Republican, who announced his decisions Wednesday. He rejected not just Sweda but also Democratic appointments to the Hocking and Vinton county boards of election and the appointment of Republican elections board members in Summit and Vinton counties. Elections boards are made up of four members, with two each from the Democratic and Republican parties for terms lasting four years. County political parties recommend their choices to the Secretary of State for final approval. In the email, LaRose's office state that the recommended appointments failed to meet standards and "significant deficiencies were determined where board members did not provide the standard of competence necessary to continue serving in their respective role." "One of the principal reasons our 2020 election was so successful is because of the hard work, dedication, and professionalism of Ohio's bipartisan election officials. Far and away, they performed well under extremely challenging conditions," LaRose said. "However, challenging circumstances like 2020 have a way of both shining a light on outstanding boards but also laying bare those which need improvement when board members fail to meet the standard required of them. Most critical, such failures risk putting voter confidence in jeopardy, and that's simply unacceptable." LaRose has asked the Lorain County Democratic Party to put forward a new name for consideration by March 12. "If the Executive Committee fails to do so, I will select the new board member," LaRose wrote in a letter to Lorain County Democratic Party chairman Anthony Giardini. Messages seeking comment on the matter were left for Giardini on Wednesday. Ohio's top elections official since 2018, LaRose further wrote that his office "received information that suggests Sharon Sweda misused county resources to campaign during her bid for re-election for Lorain County Commissioner for the November 3, 2020, General Election." "It appears that Sharon Sweda used her Lorain County official email account in furtherance of her bid for re-election," he wrote. "Additionally, she may have directed subordinates to directly or indirectly campaign for her while on county time. The Auditor of State issued a cease-and-desist order pertaining to the allegations, which suggests that Sharon Sweda may have violated Ohio Ethics and Campaign Laws." Auditor of State Keith Faber's office said last year that the matter of Sweda's emails would be taken up in Lorain County's 2020 audit. Sweda previously told The Chronicle-Telegram that upon receiving the cease-and-desist letter from the Auditor of State's office last year, she created a new email address for her campaign. She also said she did not originate any of the emails that were sent to her about "the placement of a few campaign signs," a statement she repeated Wednesday. She also said that when the complaint was filed with the Auditor of State regarding her email usage, no response was requested of her from the auditor's office. "They simply sent a letter that said 'IF' you are using county email for your campaign; cease," she said. "It was never warranted a real investigation." Sweda also said the political machinations behind her rejection come from the top of county government — namely, her former opponent and sitting Republican county Commissioner Dave Moore. Appointed by the Lorain County Democratic Central Committee in 2019 to serve out Ted Kalo's unexpired term on the county commission, Sweda served less than two years before Moore defeated her in the November election. A month after she left office, Sweda's fellow Democrats chose her to fill the open seat on the Lorain County Board of Elections during a meeting on Jan. 31. She replaced Tom Smith, who retired for health reasons. At that meeting, Giardini said that the secretary of state "is not required to accept our recommendation but generally does, assuming (Sweda) is otherwise qualified ... I don't know anything that prevents Sharon from being qualified so I anticipate his approval." Further muddying the waters around Sweda's rejection are comments Moore made at the county commission's Feb. 17 meeting, when he accused her of using county resources and employees to run her election campaign and questioning whether Lorain County residents would want her on the board of elections. Moore's assertions and those by the secretary of state are "absurd," Sweda said Wednesday. She said Wednesday she believes Moore torpedoed her chance to serve on the elections board for political reasons. No one from the Secretary of State's office contacted Sweda before LaRose rejected her appointment, she added. Sweda said Moore "still appears to consider me" an opponent, and that he is "terrible at the truth" and "good at spreading lies." "Everything he wants to keep dredging up and making accusations of are things we've been through, resolved and we know the real facts," Sweda said. "He just does not choose to live in a world of reality and truth." Sweda also said Moore has publicly made "slanderous false statements" about former county employees and is using political distractions "to divert attention from the poor work he's doing on behalf of our county." "Someday he's going to have to do his job," she said. "And I'm looking forward to the time he's going to move the county forward." In a response to a text message from a Chronicle-Telegram reporter Wednesday night, Moore denied being the one who contacted LaRose's office about Sweda's appointment. He further wrote that Sweda "should not blame her behavior on me." "She is 100 percent responsible for her decision and actions. If she didn't make poor choices she would not be in this situation. She should take responsibility for her actions she only looks like a fool for blaming others for her behavior," Moore wrote. Referencing an email exchange between former County Administrator Jim Cordes and Sweda from last year that Moore obtained a copy of from county records, he further wrote: "I guess this is why she stated in her email she hoped she didn't land in jail." Sweda previously told the Chronicle-Telegram that exchange was a joke. The full text of LaRose's letter to Giardini follows: "Dear Chairman Giardini: I received the Lorain County Democratic Party Executive Committee's January 31, 2021 recommendation to appoint Sharon A. Sweda to the Lorain County Board of Elections for a full term, beginning March 1, 2021. When a member's term of office on a board of elections expires, the Revised Code provides that the county executive committee of the party entitled to the appointment may recommend aqualified elector to fill such vacancy, and the Secretary of State 'shall appoint such elector, unless the Secretary of State has reason to believe the elector would not be a competent member of such board.' According to the Ohio Supreme Court, '(t)he Secretary has discretion to determine the competence of a recommended candidate ...' 'Competence' to serve involves qualities beyond intelligence, integrity, and dedication to professionally performing one's duty. It also includes the basic ability to get along with co-workers and inspire confidence in the election system. In support of this determination, we offer the following reasons for denying the appointment to the Board. My Office received information that suggests Sharon Sweda misused county resources to campaign during her bid for re-election for Lorain County Commissioner for the November 3, 2020, General Election. It appears that Sharon Sweda used her Lorain County official email account in furtherance of her bid for re-election. Additionally, she may have directed subordinates to directly or indirectly campaign for her while on county time. The Auditor of State issued a cease-and-desist order pertaining to the allegations, which suggests that Sharon Sweda may have violated Ohio Ethics and Campaign Laws. The totality of these facts and circumstances lead me to the conclusion that Ms. Sweda has not demonstrated the judgment and adequate level of integrity necessary to ensure voter confidence at the Lorain County Board of Elections. Therefore, I reject the Executive Committee's recommendation of Sharon Sweda for the term beginning March 1, 2021 on the Lorain County Board of Elections. The Executive Committee may recommend another candidate for appointment no later than March 12, 2021. If the Executive Committee fails to do so, I will select the new board member." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him @daveobrienCT on Twitter.