Cuyahoga County Dem Party Members Take Issue With O'Malley's Characterization That 'Safe' Suburbs Support Ahn

O’Malley speaking at a recent press conference Credit: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office

In the wake of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party’s non-endorsement of incumbent Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, some members have taken issue with his suggestion that “safe” suburbs supported his challenger Matthew Ahn and his progressive platform simply because those areas aren’t intimately familiar with public safety issues.

O’Malley garnered 58.5% of the votes at the January meeting, falling short of the 60% threshold that would have led to an endorsement. Ahn tallied 37.7%. Another 3.9% abstained.

Ahn, a college professor and former public defender, took the non-endorsement as a victory, telling Scene, “I think what happened was a really big deal, a big vote of no confidence in our incumbent Prosecutor and the policies that he has implemented, which have not worked.”

In O’Malley’s opinion, the vote showed that he still claims widespread support among the majority of a county party that has moved to the left in recent years.

He also suggested that “safe” suburbs fell in line behind Ahn — citing Bay Village and Lyndhurst as two examples — because members from those areas haven’t had to deal with the same crime issues as others.

“Because they live in very safe communities, so it’s easy to be in Bay Village and say we’re going to defund the police and the type of stuff that Matthew has posted about on social media in the past,” O’Malley said. “I think, frankly, it’s easier to believe in some of that when you’ve never been carjacked in your community, when you’ve never been dragged out of your car at a gas station with a gun to your head. You think, oh, you can go easy on people.”

Sally Lang, Vice President of the Lyndhurst Democratic Club, took issue with O’Malley’s characterization.

“O’Malley suggested that Ahn’s suburban support in Lyndhurst, our community, comes because Lyndhurst does not face the same public safety issues as the city of Cleveland and other inner ring suburbs. O’Malley also implies that we who live in ‘safe communities’ have discussed defunding the police,” she told Scene. “Lyndhurst Democrats have not discussed nor suggested defunding the police. We value our police department and rely on it for our community’s safety. We generally feel safe here, yet we have experienced serious crimes.

“The Lyndhurst Democratic Club has welcomed Matthew Ahn to our club meetings this past year as he has campaigned here,” she continued. “We have gotten to know him and heard his philosophy of governance. Our support for his election is neither based on a naive consideration of our safety nor criticism of police. We value his moderate discussions of the important job of county prosecutor and criminal justice reform.”

Few would confuse Bay Village and East Cleveland when it comes to public safety issues, but the eastern suburb also supported Ahn in the endorsement vote. City Councilwoman and Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Executive Committee Member Patricia Blochowiak likewise bristled at O’Malley’s characterization.

“[His] argument about communities that have experienced crime falls apart in East Cleveland, where he only received one vote,” she said. “We don’t want our children in adult prisons. We don’t support prosecutorial misconduct.”

Ahn also responded to O’Malley’s theory, telling Scene: “I spent the last eight months really talking individually with members, hearing their concerns, and talking about policies. I wanted to demonstrate to them how the Prosecutor is failing them, and our communities, and talking about data-driven and research-based strategies that we know can make our communities safer… I’m not trying to be a progressive icon. It seems like another way for my opponent to simply avoid taking responsibility for a lack of support within his own party.”

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