03/17/2025
Hubbub Marketing, LLC provides many different services, including speech writing. Attached is a file with the speech developed for Paul Komisarek, Chairman, Political Development Chairman, Lucas County Republican Party. They speech was delivered at the LCRP's annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday, March 14, 2025.
PAUL KOMISAREK
LCRP POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT CHAIRMAN
SPEECH / REMARKS
LUCAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY LINCOLN DAY DINNER
MARCH 14, 2025
THE PINNACLE IN MAUMEE
Thank you, Tom Waniewski. I look forward to supporting your campaign for Toledo City Council. I hope many of you here tonight do the same in the coming months. We need a win on Toledo City Council and Tom is our best shot.
I would like to welcome everyone here tonight. And thank you for supporting the Lucas County Republican Party. For those that don’t know me, I am Paul Komisarek, Political Development Chairman for the party.
When I was asked to give remarks tonight about the Lucas County Republican Party, I thought of this as a sort of State-of-the-Party type of presentation. If I had to pick a word to describe the status of our party, that word would be …TRANSITION
Why?
Because factually, that is where we are. Being in transition means we are a party in change.
Last April we elected new leadership. I personally would like to recognize and thank former party Chairman Chris Joseph for his years of service and leaving the Lucas County Republican Party in solid financial standing.
However, with new leadership comes change. Our new leadership sought to re-organize itself. To make people more accountable. To further develop party resources and make those resources available to help our candidates.
Understanding the task ahead of us, leadership quickly organized a successful 2024 Lincoln Day Dinner in June to financially support our 2024 candidate budget, supplementing the funds already on hand, and to continue party operations and services.
Here are some of the people who helped and continue to help shape our party’s transition…
FRITZ SCHOEN
Fritz Schoen is one of the busiest people you’re ever going to want to meet.
He is not only Chairman of the Lucas County Board of Elections, but he serves as our Vice Chairman.
He spends countless hours at party headquarters working on our party’s e-mail database, campaign finance, candidate recruitment, and more.
But I want to share this story with you.
A couple weeks ago, on a Saturday morning, Fritz opened his home. He cooked breakfast sandwiches. Provided coffee and donuts. And invited his neighbors and other area registered voters to stop-in, have a bite-to-eat, and sign nominating petitions circulated by candidates Tom Waniewski,… Toledo Municipal Court Judge Josh Lanzinger,… and others.
There must have been 20 or 30 people that stopped in. Individuals. Some young couples their kid’s in tow. Seniors who voiced their concerns.
Ladies and Gentlemen, that’s leadership like the party has never witnessed before.
Thank you Fritz Schoen.
Louise Jackson
The Lucas County Republican Party boasts some of the best judges and judicial candidates in our area. And it’s Louise Jackson who plans and executes our Judicial Salute Fund Raisers --- Like in September 2024 at the Toledo Country Club. The funds raised at that event provided financial election support for judicial candidates Jaime Agnew and Rob Jones.
Louise will again chair this year’s Judicial Salute to be held in September, most likely at the Toledo Country Club on a specific date to be announced. Thank you, Louise!
CAROLYN MUNN
They say money is the mother’s milk of politics. The lady who has the thank-less job is our party treasurer, Carolyn Munn.
She’s worked tirelessly with several people to make sure our campaign finances are in order and provide direction for what is allowed and not allowed when fund raising.
Then comes those pesky things called campaign finance reports. Carolyn manages to pull everything together, gets it filed with the Lucas County Board of Elections, and as a result we have TRANSPARENCY.
In fact, Carolyn properly recorded and reported an estimated 1,700 transactions during the 2024 presidential election cycle.
You can go to the Lucas County Board of Elections web site and view our campaign finance reports to see where your money is going --- How is it being spent?
That’s important because on your table there is a form we’d like to take a look at. It’s a commitment by you to support our party with regular monthly donations.
We have over 500 people here tonight. If each one of you gave just ten dollars a month, we would generate $5,000 each month to grow our party. That’s $60,000 annually.
Now, as an incentive, those who become sustaining supporters will have guaranteed reserved seating for the 2026 Lincoln Day Dinner --- if you maintain your monthly contribution!
You can complete the form today and hand to our volunteers at the doors when you leave or take home with you and return by mail. Or make it easy and just scan the QR code and make your contribution thru the LCRP secure donation platform.
And it is people like Carolyn Munn that will help keep the TRANSPARENCY so you can see how our party is going. Growing. How we’re able to help candidates throughout the year.
Thank you, Carolyn Munn for your hard work and patience. And thank you in advance for the challenges we are about to put you through.
THE CANDIDATES
We wouldn’t have a party without our slate of candidates who took the time and energy to want to step-up, run for office, and work to improve the lives of their fellow men and women.
In 2024 we had several competitive races.
Let’s start by recognizing Derek Merrin who came oh-so-close to unseating Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
State Senator Theresa Gavarone won her race for the Second District.
State Representative Josh Williams won his race for District 44 and became the majority whip in the Ohio House. Josh is a young man with an incredible future ahead of him. It’s going to be a pleasure to watch him grow and see the legacy he creates!
Our other state rep candidates included Wendi Hendricks for District 43 and Josiah Leinbach for District 41. Both were unsuccessful this time out but worked hard and put up a good fight. I hope they will consider running again because they can win.
We had three judicial candidates who ran unopposed --- The Honorable Gene Zmuda, Sixth District Court of Appeals, The Honorable Eric Marks, Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, and The Honorable Linda Knepp, Lucas County Juvenile Court Judge.
About Linda Knepp --- You know we have our critics among you that say our candidates can’t win in Lucas County.
Well, a few years ago, in 2022, Linda was told there was no way she would beat a very popular Democrat in Vallie Bowman English, to become a Juvenile Court Judge.
When the dust settled, Linda had a landslide victory winning by nearly eight points and over 82-hundred votes.
Her victory was so impressive that in 2024 she ran unopposed! No one wanted to challenge her.
Maybe another reason is the fact that she does a great job and brings honor to the bench.
But I also want to recognize four tough races for us in 2024. Our Lucas County Commissioner Candidates, John Rozic and Tom Waniewski, as well as our Judicial Candidates, Jaime Agnew and Robert Jones, Junior.
These four races present what is going to be our greatest challenge going forward.
Allow me to explain.
The party supported all these the candidates I just named, like never before.
We organized meetings every two weeks with candidates to share ideas, campaign strategies and action plans.
We held press conferences on numerous issues involving Commissioners Anita Lopez and Pete Gerken.
We spent over $35,000 in
• Print advertising
• TV ads,
• Geofencing with social / digital marketing,
• Direct mail
• Absentee ballot chasers, and more.
We made the decision to target our base of Republican voters, and to make sure we get them to the polls.
And you know what??? It worked.
Much of our G-O-P base is in the suburbs. Oregon. Maumee. Monclova. Waterville, Whitehouse. Sylvania and Sylvania Township. When we looked at the results from the November 2024 election, our candidates won these suburbs. If it were up to these voters, Tom Waniewski and John Rozic would be county commissioners today and Jaime Agnew and Robert Jones would be sitting behind the bench.
However, when we factored in the twenty-four wards that made up the City of Toledo, we ran into problems to put it mildly.
As I mentioned --- We are a party in transition.
Our biggest challenge is making in-roads within Toledo’s wards and precincts.
President Donald Trump has already provided the framework for us. Since 2017, the Republican party nationally has made serious gains with minority voters. But we have not seized that opportunity locally.
But we must. And we will.
The task to make that happen falls on the huge shoulders of Tim Brentlinger, our Central Committee Chairman, along with his officers…
Vice Chairman: Chris Hunter
Deputy Treasurer: John DiMartini
Secretary: David Armstrong
Our long-term outreach plan includes getting more precinct and ward chairs signed up to help make in-roads for our candidates.
If you are interested or know someone who would like to fill an open precinct committee spot, please see Lucas County Party Leadership.
Additionally, we need to make in-roads to find quality people within the City of Toledo to run for elected office.
Make no mistake, the Central Committee’s work is marathon,… not a sprint.
But we make this transition one voter at a time.
Our late party boss, Jim Brennan, once said, “for every three hands you shake, you get one vote.” We have a lot of hands to shake in Toledo. There are a lot of neighborhood meetings to attend.
Part of our outreach must include the success we experienced in Ward One --- Point Place and Shoreland. We won that ward in November. We did it by putting together a Town Hall meeting at the Friendship Park Shelter House and we packed the place.
We utilized direct mail and absentee voter follow-up. Candidates like Tom Waniewski, used billboard advertising. The result is we won that area.
So, the proof is we can win in Toledo, if we work the entire city like we did in Point Place and Shoreland.
That said, we need to maintain and grow our strong Republican base and continue to hold Republican offices in those suburban areas surrounding Toledo. We still need qualified candidates willing to run for the various municipal, township, and school board races.
And next year, in the 2026 election cycle, we have a Congressional race, state offices, as well as races for the Ohio House, and some Lucas County offices.
Maybe it’s you. Or maybe you know someone one who could run and should run because they can make a difference! Come see me afterwards.
As a party in transition, we must be the party that challenges the Democrats, like we did in 20-24. Holding press conferences and publicly challenging them when we see where they are in the wrong. And where we have a better way. A better answer.
But all this needs your support.
That piece of paper in front of you.
Allow me to share this humorous story and again invoke the name of our former party chairman, the late Jim Brennan, and what he would tell our candidates when it came to political fund raising…
He would say, “if you’re walking down the street… and you see your friend walking towards you,… and he doesn’t cross the street to get away from you,… you haven’t asked him for enough money!
That piece of paper in front of you is us asking.
Don’t stuff it in your pocket. Fill it out here. Tonight. Make that commitment. Help us with our transition!
And one more, and final appeal… When we talk about a party in transition, we also have to talk about how we address our elections.
It has been said that Ohio has the Gold Standard when it to administering elections.
We are most fortunate to have Secretary of State, Frank LaRose as Ohio’s Chief Elections Officer. He is recognized across the United States for his leadership in our elections.
As Ohio’s chief elections officer, Mr. LaRose oversees the elections process and appoints the members of boards of elections in Lucas County and other counties.
His office has the responsibility for,… but not limited to:
• supervise the administration of election laws;
• review statewide initiative and referendum petitions;
• chair the Ohio Ballot Board, which approves ballot language for statewide issues;
• canvass votes for all elective state offices and issues;
• investigate election fraud and irregularities;
• train election officials and work with counties to train poll workers.
Election in all of Ohio’s 88 counties have the necessary checks and balances because every election sensitive operation and process is done on with BI-PARTISAN teams.
That means Republicans and Democrats always working together to make certain every legally cast vote counts.
Here tonight are many of you that have accepted the call to serve as election officials in Ohio and Lucas County.
• First, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose
• Present and past Republican Members of the Lucas County Board of Elections
• Our Republican Deputy Director and Lucas County Board of Elections Staff.
• Our Seasonal election workers who staff the early vote center and absentee by mail processes. Republicans with a Democrat taking ballots to those in nursing homes and those unexpectedly hospitalized. The many election night workers either at the various substations throughout the county or at The Board of Elections where the voting results are returned and results tabulated and reported.
All that requires recruiting, training, and placement of over 1,200 servants in our county. And half --- or up to 600 --- need to be Republicans.
So, if any of you have served, currently serve, or have committed to serve, please rise so we can acknowledge and thank you for your service, including those of you from our surrounding counties also present.
This is a great opportunity for any of you who have always thought about it but never took made good on the intention to serve as an election official in the various roles of those just recognized.
Talk to these great people and ask them about their service, because they can be the best recruiters.
Poll worker forms are at your tables for you to complete and return if you are interested in serving.
And for you attorneys, realtors, and social workers out there, you can earn continuing education credits by serving as poll workers.
Tuesday, May 6 is the primary election and will be held in all 88 counties with a state-wide issue, local issues, and municipal primary candidates.
We want to get all those Republican positions filled in the 73 voting locations throughout Lucas County and the many other election responsibilities to successfully execute that election.
You can be certain of election integrity in our state because of the bi-partisan checks and balances, we need more of you to do your part. Please consider becoming a poll worker.
In closing… Look around you. This hall is packed. That means we are relevant. You are relevant.
You can help us be more relevant in so many ways, here in Lucas County, in Columbus, and in Washington D-C.
Thank you.
