For decades, Cuyahoga County has seen its fair share of government corruption stories. One example includes the Dimora-Russo scandal that resulted in the convictions of more than 70 public officials and raised questions about then-prosecutor Bill Mason’s involvement. In 2012, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office marked a step in the right direction when they established a new policy that prevented employees from holding positions that can influence local politics.
That rule is long gone.
Now, more than 30 current and former employees – including O’Malley himself – signed-up to run for a powerful committee within the Cuyahoga County Democratic party. Although the central committee does not directly endorse candidates, it is responsible for the party’s operations, including dictating how the endorsement process runs.
For example, the committee can decide which races and issues are put up for an endorsement vote, and how many votes – currently 60% – it takes for a candidate to receive the party’s endorsement.
Specifically, when Upbeat Nonsense pressed for the reason behind the change, O’Malley cited multiple 2026 tragedies in Minneapolis, such as the police murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, along with the arrest of five-year-old Liam Conejo. He said the same thing in a March interview with Cleveland.com.
According to records obtained by Upbeat Nonsense, this explanation appears at odds with when the policy change was made on August 8, 2024.
In 2023, employees of the prosecutor’s office were subject to the following policy language:
“No employee shall be permitted to hold any elected public office while employed at the [Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office].”
“No employee shall be permitted to serve as ward or city leader in their respective political party, nor hold any other elected office for their state or county parties and any other partisan political organization, other than asset for the above.”
A few months after touting the policy on the campaign trail in 2024, O’Malley removed both paragraphs. Since then, he added the following paragraph:
“Unclassified employees shall be permitted to run for any elected public office and may be elected or appointed to any political party position provided it does not create a conflict with their duties at the [Prosecutor’s Office].”
Upbeat Nonsense has made multiple attempts to reach the prosecutor’s office for comment, and none of those requests have been returned. (This article will be updated accordingly, should the office respond.)
So, why did O’Malley change the policy in August of 2024, prior to even the presidential election?
We’re still waiting for an answer.
Early primary voting has already started in Cuyahoga County, which include these central committee races. You can find a sample ballot through the Board of Elections and check the list of prosecutor-affiliated folks running for central committee.
Note: This story is a follow-up to one published on Feb. 18, 2026.
1 Exceptions have existed in the past, but the 2024 rule makes it clear that any political candidacy is allowed.