Name: Political firestorm erupts after Brecksville councilwoman, planning commissioner sign letter supporting Trump’s election fraud claims
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Political firestorm erupts after Brecksville councilwoman, planning commissioner sign letter supporting Trump’s election fraud claims

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NEW!876sharesBRECKSVILLE, Ohio -- A Brecksville councilwoman and a member of the city’s Planning Commission believe that former President ’s claim of massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election is true -- and their expression of that belief has fueled a political firestorm in the city. and Dominic Sciria -- speaking as recording secretary and president, respectively, of the club -- voiced support for Trump in a Dec. 31 letter to U.S. Reps. David Joyce and Anthony Gonzalez and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, all of whom represent the Brecksville area in Congress.Veras and Sciria -- although later disavowing the violence initiated by Trump supporters Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol -- urged Joyce, Gonzalez and Portman to object to Electoral College votes cast for Joe Biden from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.“Those of us who have repeatedly led grassroots campaigns and Election Day volunteer efforts know that the charges of massive voter fraud made by President Trump are credible,” Veras, Sciria and other members of the Cuyahoga Valley Republicans Board of Trustees said in the Dec. 31 letter. “It is remarkable that so many Republican leaders don’t see it.”Sciria, in an email to on Monday (Jan. 25), seemed to distance himself from some of Trump’s more dramatic claims -- including that votes were cast by dead people, ballots were processed secretly and illegally, ballots were improperly discarded and voting machines were rigged -- and focused on allegations that some states violated the U.S. Constitution by changing voting laws in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election.Sciria said the law changes led to the counting of flawed ballots that wouldn’t have been tallied in previous elections.“Like the 147 Republican members of Congress who objected to Electoral College votes and the 18 state attorneys general who filed a complaint with the U.S. Supreme Court, I believe that the unilateral changes that were made to weaken voter safeguards in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were unconstitutional,” Sciria said in the email to cleveland.com.The Dec. 31 letter was brought to light and questioned by , a political group that ran a slate of four candidates in the November 2019 City Council elections. Only one of the candidates, Ann Koepke, was elected to council.Rebecca Kapur, cofounder of A Better Brecksville, sent an email to Veras Jan. 11, five days after the violence at the Capitol building. Kapur wondered if Veras, based on the Dec. 31 letter, supported the attack on the Capitol.“I have no desire to believe that people in our local government support (in word or deed) the violent overthrow of the lawfully and democratically elected president, U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden,” Kapur told Veras in the Jan. 11 email.Another email to city officials, from Brecksville resident Patricia Demko, questioned whether Veras was qualified and fit to sit on council, based on her signing of the Dec. 31 letter.“The letter is rife with conspiratorial drivel and a marked departure of what was decided in a free and fair election,” Demko told Veras in the email. “This ill-informed thinking is concerning, but that’s not what caused me the most chagrin. I was horrified that you, an elected Brecksville city councilperson, signed this.”Demko said Cuyahoga Valley Republicans’ statement that there was evidence of massive voter fraud in the November election was “misguided.”“Court after court and the former attorney general of the United States (William Barr) have refuted this claim,” Demko said. “There has been no credible evidence, while they have vowed to review any credible evidence presented. Any such evidence has yet to be presented.”Another emailer, whom the city was unable to identify in time for this article, said Veras should resign or that council should remove her from office.At a Jan. 19 council meeting, Veras defended the letter and her signing of it.“The letter stands on its own,” Veras said in a prepared statement. “The letter represents how concerned citizens in a free and democratic society communicate and engage with their elected representatives. Those who agree with the views expressed are free to write their own letters.”However, all council members -- including Veras -- and Mayor said they opposed political violence and what happened at the Capitol Jan. 6.“I do not condone violence in any form, including what took place at the Capitol building and that which occurred in many cities across our nation for several months last summer,” Veras said.“Those who engage in criminal acts should be arrested and prosecuted. In America, the rule of law must always prevail,” she said.“As a member of City Council, my record shows that my commitment to serve our community has always been, and will continue to be, nonpartisan, in the tradition of Brecksville city government,” Veras said.Council voted 6-0 -- with Veras abstaining -- not to consider removing Veras from office, and declared the matter closed.Electoral College controversyThe Dec. 31 letter from the Cuyahoga Valley Republicans to Joyce, Gonzalez and Portman expressed disappointment that prominent Congressional Republicans were planning to accept the Electoral College votes that would confirm Biden as winner of the presidential election.“Grassroots Republicans have long suspected that many in the GOP establishment consider themselves better and smarter than the voters who elect them,” the letter said. “Refusal to support a president (Trump) who garnered more support, has been more successful and is more popular than any Republican since Ronald Regan will confirm that their theory is correct.”The letter said conservatives would leave the Republican Party if Congressional Republicans didn’t support Trump by objecting to electoral votes cast for Biden in certain states.“It is up to all of us as citizens to defend liberty,” the letter said. “We once again point out that we, in the Republican Party, are walking in the footsteps of men who signed the Declaration of Independence with the pledge ‘our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.’”The letter was posted on the Cuyahoga Valley Republicans Facebook page, where it caught the eye of A Better Brecksville members and those who follow that group’s Facebook page. One was Brecksville resident Steve Schadler.“I’m a registered Republican and proud conservative myself,” Schadler said in an email to city officials. “I hope you aren’t reluctant to disavow calls for political violence for fear of alienating fellow conservatives.“Just the opposite -- in my humble opinion, speaking for myself -- I want to see members of our party stand tall and disavow political violence coming from within our ranks,” he said.Defending VerasAt the Jan. 19 council meeting, Hruby defended Veras, calling her one of the better council members with whom he has worked over his several years as mayor.“Mrs. Veras did nothing wrong,” Hruby said. “She’s a Republican. She wrote, along with the other members of the Cuyahoga Valley Republicans -- which, by the way, is a Republican organization -- a letter to three elected officials. They are our representatives in Washington, D.C.”Hruby, a charter member of Cuyahoga Valley Republicans, said the Dec. 31 letter urged support for a Republican president, nothing more. There was no anticipation or support of the violence that would occur Jan. 6 at the Capitol.“Mrs. Veras, I apologize to you,” Hruby said. “You’re being treated in an unfair way. Someone’s trying to take away your rights to say who you support. And if you are being condemned because you support a certain person, this United States is in the wrong direction.”Hruby said he, too, condemned the violence that broke out at the Capitol Jan. 6. He read from a statement he recently included in a message to residents.“This city government strongly affirms one’s right to gather under the First Amendment, but (not) to commit (violent) acts in the name of the freedoms of our Constitution,” Hruby said.Council President Michael Harwood said Veras had received several negative emails from residents wondering why she had not responded to their questions about the Dec. 31 letter. The residents said her silence spoke for itself.However, Harwood said it was he and Law Director David Matty who advised Veras not to speak about the matter before Matty could determine whether Veras, as an elected official, had a First Amendment right to free speech like any other citizen.Matty said that was important, because some residents in emails questioned Veras’ ability and qualifications to serve on council. Under the city charter, council can remove its own members for not performing their duties properly.Matty said he concluded that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that legislators -- including Veras -- have “the widest latitude” to express their policy views under the First Amendment.“The cloak that you wear as a council member does not eliminate any First Amendment rights that you must have,” Matty said.Voter fraud?Hruby and Brecksville council members, reached earlier this week by , didn’t want to say whether they believed that massive voter fraud occurred during the 2020 presidential election.“Residents I’ve spoken to are ready to put the 2020 election cycle behind them, and I couldn’t agree more,” Councilman Daryl Kingston said. “It’s time to heal and for our residents to unify around the many great infrastructure projects that are under way in town.”At the Jan. 19 council meeting, Councilwoman Laura Redinger said she, too, is a member of Cuyahoga Valley Republicans. She said she was saddened about suggestions on Facebook that Veras supported or encouraged violence.“I do not support violence of any kind,” Redinger said. “I also do not support the use of social media to create negative campaigns and attack people’s character.”Kingston and Councilman Dominic Caruso said they condemn all forms of violence. Kingston said Veras was “a woman of strong character,” and Caruso said she has a good heart.“Her choice to exercise free speech should be respected, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the view being expressed,” said Caruso, a registered Republican but not a Cuyahoga Valley Republicans member.Longtime Councilman Lou Carouse Jr. said he also was a charter member of Cuyahoga Valley Republicans.“I think what Cuyahoga Valley Republicans did was take a position that they had the right to take,” Carouse said. “Whether any of us in the organization agreed or disagreed wasn’t the point.”Carouse said it goes without saying that he opposes violence. He vouched for Veras, adding that council should not consider removing her from office.“Kim, your integrity is second to none,” Carouse said.Koepke, one of the four council candidates endorsed by A Better Brecksville in 2019, said she’s a registered Republican but not a Cuyahoga Valley Republicans member. She said she opposes political violence and advocates settling differences peacefully.Koepke said she didn’t know Veras outside of council, but didn’t believe Veras would support violence of any kind.Read more from the .Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!876sharesBRECKSVILLE, Ohio -- A Brecksville councilwoman and a member of the city’s Planning Commission believe that former President ’s claim of massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election is true -- and their expression of that belief has fueled a political firestorm in the city. and Dominic Sciria -- speaking as recording secretary and president, respectively, of the club -- voiced support for Trump in a Dec. 31 letter to U.S. Reps. David Joyce and Anthony Gonzalez and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, all of whom represent the Brecksville area in Congress.Veras and Sciria -- although...

Political firestorm erupts after Brecksville councilwoman, planning commissioner sign letter supporting Trump’s election fraud claims

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