Perpetual Politicians vs. The New Guys
BY LIZZIE MARGOLIUS
When my husband and I bought our first home we had the privilege of having wonderful neighbors. One day, as I was walking to my mailbox, my neighbor, Tom, was walking to his and we were both standing at our respective mailboxes rifling through all the campaign ads that had arrived. Tom looked over at me while holding a slate card and said, “you know how to vote using the slate card, right?” I looked back at him with a puzzled expression and he replied, “you vote for the opposite of whoever they endorse” and I laughed. That neighborly advice has stayed with me the past 9 years and I often think about Tom’s advice whenever I go to vote.
One time I volunteered for a grassroots candidate running for statewide office and I would often hear him refer to the “musical chairmen of Ohio”. It was a brilliant comparison of perpetual politicians to the game of musical chairs. “Next year, I’ll run for treasurer, and you can run for A.G. Then he’ll run for governor, and she will be L.G. I’ll run for auditor, you run for S.O.S. and then we’ll both run for governor and L.G. together”. Sound familiar? Ohio has been run by one party for decades and one-party rule often leads to corruption, coercion, and manipulation, including setting up candidates for statewide office races. Look at Governor DeWine, the quintessential perpetual politician. He’s been in political office since before I was born!
DeWine is the perfect example of a musical chairman and now, his protégé, Jon Husted will follow in his footsteps. Cue the music to play more musical chairs…Frank LaRose, desperate to hold on to any statewide office, is now running for state auditor. Dave Yost, our attorney general, was running for governor, but just announced he is dropping out of the race since Vivek Ramaswamy, the new guy, earned the official ORP endorsement (see TOR article on Vivek’s endorsement). The music is still playing as Keith Faber, our state auditor, is now running for attorney general and Robert Sprague, our state treasurer, is now running for secretary of state. Just wait for Matt Huffman to join the musical chair game in the coming years. The musical chairmen are drunk with power and prestige, but do very little to help Ohioans. We have the 15thth highest tax burden in the United States with very little private-sector job growth and massively ballooning government spending. Yet, the musical chairmen feel entitled to keep getting re-elected and know that once they are an incumbent, they will have almost no competition in the primary, or the general.
Incumbency and climbing the political ladder were the status quo until Trump proved to everyone that a new guy can run for office and win. Even at the state level, you’re seeing the emergence of the new guys, real statesmen not born out of the Ohio swamp. First, we have Vivek Ramaswamy running for Governor and now, Marcell Strbich has announced he is running for Secretary of State. Marcell is a 20-year Air Force Intelligence Officer with experience in combat, intelligence, reconnaissance, and policy. He has earned numerous awards and medals for his achievements and resides in southwestern Ohio with his family. After retiring, Marcell became a statewide volunteer advocate for election integrity. He was kind enough to share his journey with TOR.
Why Election Integrity?
After returning to Ohio in 2022, I joined Dayton civic groups advocating for government oversight and accountability. It was then that I became aware of irregularities in the Montgomery County Commissioner race. The election night winner, Jordan Wortham, lost after weeks of delayed vote counting. Wortham had concerns of improprieties and election malfeasance, and so we asked Montgomery County BOE director, Jeff Rezabek, to investigate and he dismissed our concerns. This spurred me to investigate Ohio's election system where I uncovered deficiencies in voter eligibility verification and vulnerabilities exploited by third-party groups.
How has your military experience prepared you to lead election integrity in Ohio?
My 20-year military experience equipped me with organizational and leadership skills across tactical, operational, and strategic roles, including work with the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff. I collaborated with tech industries to assess vulnerabilities in information systems. I have applied these skills to analyze and strengthen Ohio’s election processes.
If elected Secretary of State, what will you do on day one in office?
On day one, I will review the election official manual and directives for compliance with state law. I will work with Ohio's legislature to enhance voter eligibility verification, including citizenship. I will mandate secure, pre-printed, hand-marked paper ballots as the primary means of ballot casting and decertify non-compliant voting machines per President Trump's Executive Order 14248. Lastly, I will implement blockchain technology to secure voter registration databases, ensuring transparency, and tamper-proof records.
How can Ohioans support your campaign?
Grassroots involvement is paramount to my campaign. Visit strbichforohio.com to volunteer or donate. Follow me on X - @marcellstrbich and Facebook - Marcell Strbich for Ohio.
It is time for Ohio to stop playing musical chairs with the same perpetual politicians who prioritize power over progress. It is time to elect statesmen who serve the people, not the party with fresh ideas and a bold vision. Marcell Strbich is the new guy we want for Secretary of State. If you would like to hear Marcell speak, head over to Ohio Events Calendar and check out a location near you.
