Chis Ronayne, Warrensville mayor in likely two-man contest fo be Dem nominee in County Exec race

The short-lived campaign of Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell for Cuyahoga County Executive was all but laid to rest today, less than a month after its fumbled announcement.

Technically, her campaign remains on life support, as the email forwarded by the campaign said that she was "suspending her candidacy" to continue her work as mayor. Blackwell is in the middle of her second term, which extends through 2023. She is widely credited with leading her city's return to solvency from state-designated "fiscal emergency" status.

Blackwell's exit from the race at this time can only be read as confirmation that neighboring mayor Brad Sellers of Warrensville is about to jump in with two large feet. The village drums say that Sellers will officially declare his candidacy this Wednesday, January 5.

Sellers will compete with Chris Ronayne for the Democratic nomination. Ronayne announced last summer that he would step down as President of University Circle Inc. to run for county executive. His last day at UCI was September 30 and he has been raising funds and campaigning full time since then. Two-term County Executive Armond Budish announced in October that he would not be a candidate for a third term.

The May 5 winner of the Ronayne-Sellers contest is all but certain to face Republican Lee Weingart in the November 8, 2022 general election. Weingart, a former county commissioner, has been actively running for about a year. 

The filing deadline for those seeking county office is February 2.

The more critical deadline in the race for the Democratic nomination for county executive is likely to be January 26. That is when the party's executive committee will vote on which candidates to endorse in the May primary. The party's endorsement carries great weight on election day for those who vote a straight party line. 

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