Monday, August 07, 2000
Butler Co. race takes new twist
Former colleagues vie for prosecutor's post
By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Five years ago, Robin Piper and Dan Gattermeyer and their wives spent a few days together in the Bahamas, enjoying the sun and surf.
For many years, Mr. Piper and Mr. Gattermeyer had a good working relationship as fellow Butler County assistant prosecutors and shared a warm friendship.
But today, the two men wouldn't go to dinner together, much less go to the Caribbean.
Mr. Piper, a Republican, and Mr. Gattermeyer, a Democrat, are fierce rivals competing for the Butler County prosecutor's post in the Nov. 7 election.
The July 22 death of John F. Holcomb, who had been prosecutor for 27 years, elevated Mr. Gattermeyer to the prosecutor's job, and he also was chosen as Mr. Holcomb's replacement in the prosecutor's race.
When Mr. Piper was running against Mr. Holcomb, his former boss, the race became acrimonious, with each side accusing the other of dirty campaigning.
Mr. Gattermeyer and Mr. Piper say they want to run clean, positive campaigns focused on prosecution issues and devoid of personal attacks.
Firing shots
But less than a week into Mr. Gattermeyer's entry into the race, both camps already have fired salvos at each other.
At last week's Democratic Central Committee meeting, Mr. Holcomb's son John M. Holcomb described Mr. Piper as “the man who hounded my father into the grave.”
He portrayed Mr. Piper as an opportunistic traitor for switching political parties when the elder Mr. Holcomb was seriously ill and then running against his former mentor.
“Dan Gattermeyer has many things Robin Piper does not,” Mr. Holcomb said. “One of them is integrity.”
Mr. Piper responded: “Obviously, his emotional angry statements were made at a Democratic pep rally designed to whip up the fervor of Democrats. In my opinion, that gives them very little significance.”
2 Percent Club at issue
Mr. Piper accused Mr. Gattermeyer of being hypocritical for accepting campaign money that had been collected through John F. Holcomb's controversial 2 Percent Club.
Many employees of the prosecutor's office contributed about 2 percent of their salaries to Mr. Holcomb's campaign fund. Some employees have defended the contributions as voluntary, while some former employees have said they were pressured to contribute.
After being selected to replace Mr. Holcomb in office and on the ballot, Mr. Gattermeyer announced that he and the elder Mr. Holcomb disagreed on this issue and he had ended the 2 Percent Club.
“If my new opponent
thinks the 2 Percent Club was wrong,” Mr. Piper said, “why is he so quick to gobble up the ill-gotten gains of that 2 Percent Club?”
“I don't think anybody intended for me to run a campaign with no money,” Mr. Gattermeyer replied. “The money was donated to keep this staff in office and doing the good job it's been doing.”
Stakes high for parties
Far more rides on this race than the careers of the two candidates.
Control of one of the most powerful law enforcement offices in the county is at stake. And some Butler County Democrats believe their party's survival depends on winning the prosecutor's office.
It's the only countywide office the Democrats hold in the Republican-dominated county. Winning an office the Democrats have held for decades would be a sweet victory for the GOP.
“It's absolutely crucial for the continued existence of the Butler County Democratic Party that we hold on to the prosecutor's office,” said Don Daiker, party chairman.
Losing the last of its county offices could make it difficult to attract Democratic candidates in future elections, and some county races could wind up as uncontested Republican victories, he said.
GOP seeks complete control
Phillip Russo Jr., director of Miami University's Center for Public Management and Regional Affairs, said the prosecutor's race is important, but the fate of the Democratic Party doesn't depend on it.
“If the Democrats lose the race, I don't think it's the end of the party,” he said.
Republicans covet the office because, if they retain the other county offices, it would give them complete control.
Democrats say such a complete dominance of county government by a single party would invite corruption.
“There needs to be some checks and balances,” Mr. Gattermeyer said. “With one party in power, you don't have that.”
“That's a bunch of hogwash,” said Carlos Todd, chairman of the Butler County Republican Party.
He said having Republicans in every countywide office would eliminate the conflicts that have existed between the prosecutor's office and other Republican county officeholders. That would result, he said, in a better-run county government.
“Our citizens see one party doing the job, and that's who they're voting for,” said Joe Statzer, the Republican Party's political director.
Mr. Piper and Mr. Gattermeyer say they want their campaigns to focus on their records as assistant prosecutors. They want people to know about their plans for improving the efficiency and technology of the prosecutor's office and for targeting certain crimes — domestic violence for Mr. Gattermeyer and white-collar offenses for Mr. Piper.
But negative comments keep seeping into campaign rhetoric of both sides.
“I don't think a clean campaign means you ignore the personal issues,” Mr. Daiker said.
In talking about the prosecutor's office, Mr. Statzer said: “It's a question of do you want to keep the ineptitude that's been witnessed under the current regime — the lack of technology, the lack of organization, letting criminals go because the prosecutor's office doesn't know they're in jail?”
Still, the two candidates, who are running for public office for the first time, insist they want to run positive campaigns.
“I welcome the pledge for a positive campaign, but I'm skeptical about whether it will be carried out,” Mr. Piper said.
Janice Morse contributed to this story.
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