It’s Election Day, and Tony Madalone Has Pulled Out All the Stops

Today is election day in Cleveland, Ohio. Primary-election day, anyway, and by late tonight we’ll know which two of the nine candidates in the mayoral race will advance to the November general.

(Voters in Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14 and 17, where there are more than two city council candidates, will vote on their city council race as well.)

Despite a lethargic campaign that advanced no new ideas, the 12-year incumbent Frank Jackson is expected to secure one of the top two spots in the mayoral election. City Council challengers Jeff Johnson and Zack Reed have the most name recognition. One or the other is well-positioned to advance as well. Restaurateur Brandon Chrostowski has been building support citywide and may surprise.

Thirty-two-year-old businessman Tony Madalone knows he needs to make a splash in order to compete. Enter: life-size cutouts. At a polling station near you, you may bump into a cardboard sign in the shape of Tony Madalone encouraging you to “Vote Tony.” Another version features the candidate with former Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs.

Madalone has invited supporters to “grab a photo” with the cutouts and use the hashtag #ImWithTony.

This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2017.