Arshinkoff outreach includes Portage County

WE SHOULD NOT be surprised when anyone brings up official Republican mischief in Summit County. The trail usually leads to GOP county chairman Alex Arshinkoff. The only change is that Bryan Williams, the successor-apparent and gate-keeper to Arshinkoff someday, also is appearing in the picture these days.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Portage County Republican Chairman Andrew Manning has filed an affidavit with federal investigators accusing Arshinkoff and Williams of offering him a deal to withdraw as one of the 66 candidates from the state GOP Central Committee ballot in Tuesday's yet unsettled intraparty showdown between Gov. Kasich and Ohio Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine. Manning is a DeWine supporter; Arshinkoff and Williams are dedicated Kasich apostles. Manning said he was promised that if he abandoned his vote in the Central Committee, he would win style points with the governor.

Don't look for a heckuva lot to come out of this symbol of turmoil within the Republican Party . But it is one more peek at how the Summit GOP locals dutifully work at their day-and-night political jobs for Kasich. Notice that I dropped the word "allegedly".