The Columbus Dispatch
By Darrel Rowland
July 22, 2015
One of the most successful Ohio Democratic chairmen in recent history says he is “appalled” by the attempts of current Chairman David Pepper to drive Senate candidate P.G. Sittenfeld from the U.S. Senate race.
“Because I fully appreciate the difficulty of the job, I have rarely commented on my successors or their actions,” said Jim Ruvolo, head of the party from 1982 through 1991, in an email this morning.
“But in recent months, I’ve become concerned — and disappointed — by some of the things that have occurred under David Pepper’s leadership. It came to a head last week when Chairman Pepper attacked City Councilman PG Sittenfeld at an editorial board meeting at the Cincinnati Enquirer in a transparent attempt to drive him out of the U.S. Senate race.
“I was appalled. And it’s just one more reason why I’m concerned about the direction of my party and our continuing inability to get back on a winning track.”
Pepper told his home-town newspaper that Cincinnati council members should concentrate on the city’s rising crime rate. Pepper, a former councilman himself, later denied his comments were a thinly veiled attempt to drive Sittenfeld from the 2016 Senate race in favor of the party’s endorsed candidate, former Gov. Ted Strickland.
Both are seeking the job now held by GOP Sen. Rob Portman.
Pepper also faced questions after excluding Sittenfeld from the program of last month’s Democratic state dinner in Columbus. At the time, Pepper said only endorsed candidates are featured at any party’s gatherings.
Ruvolo was party chairman when Democrats swept all statewide executive offices in the 1982 and 1986 elections, including the election of Richard F. Celeste, the party’s most recent two-term governor.