Despite being an elected office, the Franklin County Engineer's post - responsible for building and maintaining roads, bridges and other public infrastructure not covered by a municipality - has seldom been the focus of political fireworks.
But that changed this week when the Franklin County Republican Party accused acting County Engineer Brad Foster, a Republican, of plotting with county Democrats to back out of a verbal commitment to run for the office in November as the GOP-endorsed candidate.
Further, the party demanded Foster's resignation — he has only held the acting post since late February. That is when the former elected engineer, Republican Cornell Robertson, quit with 11 months left on his term , triggering a provision that allowed the county GOP to replace him.
“Something is really amiss here,” county GOP Chair Meredith Freedhoff said in a written statement delivered to The Dispatch this week. “This man was a willing participant in the political process, and now, at the 11 th hour, he tells us he is in fear of retribution (of losing his job) if he continues as a candidate – that’s coercion, and it’s wrong.”
The Republicans say they learned about the threats to Foster's job from Foster himself. Democrats hold most countywide elected offices in Franklin County, so the premise is that Democrats pressured Foster to back out of the election so he could remain employed next year.
But Foster himself says it's not true that he was threatened by Democrats, who have endorsed Adam William Fowler for the job in November. Also, he said he never conspired with Democrats to exit the race to save his job.
Foster added that he has no intention of resigning until his term expires in the first week of January when the winner of the November election is sworn in.
Franklin County GOP Central Committee Chairman Tim Rankin confirmed that Foster informed the party in early April that he wouldn't run. The reason this has prompted public calls for his resignation is because the party has a new candidate, whom Rankin wouldn't identify. The party wants to appoint the candidate to fill the remainder of Foster's term so he can run as an incumbent - if only for a few months.
That is apparently how the GOP concluded in their press release that Foster's unwillingness to resign amounted to an "act of voter suppression," as it appears to be interfering with planned political marketing.
Republicans had a second choice when Foster got the nod in January, but Rankin said they passed on appointing that person as acting engineer because Foster agreed to run.
"Then sometime in April (Foster) says, 'I'm rethinking this,'" Rankin said. "What do you mean you're rethinking this?"
Foster countered that the GOP is free to endorse whomever it pleases - but not to kick him out of his post early. Foster says he has no job security after Jan. 5 as he is not a civil servant.
Because Robertson was already on the ballot when he resigned, the GOP has until Aug. 12 to find someone to replace him.
Meanwhile, the Franklin County Democratic Party is steering clear of the evolving GOP family squabble.
"I've never met the man," county Democratic Chair Mike Sexton said of Foster. "I've never had any conversations with him. ... I really don't have any idea where this is coming from."
Foster acknowledges that he communicates routinely with Democrats because they run just about everything in Franklin County, including the county commission that controls his budget and pays his around 160 employees. But those discussions involve county business, not his political future, Foster said.
"There has been no pressure, no retribution," Foster said. "That is incorrect."
Foster said the engineer's post - which by state law can only be filled by a person licensed as both a "registered professional engineer" and a "registered professional surveyor" - has historically been about expertise and qualifications, not partisan politics.
"That's politics, man," he said. "It might be the reason I don't want to run."
wbush@gannett.com
@ReporterBush
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County GOP calls on Republican county engineer to resign
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