Republican lawyer Tim Grendell -- who also serves as an Ohio State Senator -- tangles with Brunner through much of the deposition, at times both getting heated and testy with each other. Grendell presses Brunner on the role Elections Board member and Summit County Democratic Party Finance Chair Wayne Jones played in unseating Arshinkoff and decisions to reject former Hudson councilman Brian Daley's nomination to sit on the four-member board, as well as her decision to appoint Bath Township lawyer Donald Varian to the post.

 

Jones has denied playing a central role in the decision but Brunner notes numerous conversations with him during the process, including a conversation two days prior to her decision to rule Daley was not competent to serve on the Elections Board. Brunner says Jones brought up issues regarding Daley; Jones tells AkronNewsNow.com he went out of his way to be critical of both Arshinkoff and Daley and then says he hopes Arshinkoff and State Senator Kevin Coughlin "kill each other" over their battle for control of the local GOP:

 

 

Another issue has been delivery of a package containing an anonymous complaint and material against Arshinkoff. The Secretary of State's office says it is unaware how the package was delivered to their office but AkronNewsNow.com has spoken with James Hardy, the Akron School Board member who also serves as Brunner's representative in Summit County, about a package he confirms he picked up in Wayne Jones' office at the Roetzel and Andress law firm in Akron.

 

Hardy, who was deposed today as a result of the lawsuit, confirms he testified picked up a package for delivery to the Secretary of State's office in Columbus but was unaware of what was inside. Sources within the Summit County Republican Party say the package was identified as the same containing the anonymous material targeting Arshinkoff which Brunner says she took into consideration in making her decision to reject Arshinkoff as the local party's representative on the Board. Hardy asked not to be recorded for the interview.

 

The Ohio Supreme Court was working late this afternoon to scan reams of documents and filings in the case, and said it would post those documents as they were made available. The copy of Brunner's video deposition, some seven hours worth, would possibly be made available on DVD as early as Monday.

 

 

Arshinkoff charges Jones and fellow law firm partner Pete Kostoff are working to control both the Summit County Democrat and Republican parties through ties from each respective party organizations to their law firm; both men have denied the charges.

 

Kostoff is part of the New Summit Republicans faction led by State Senator Kevin Coughlin seeking to unseat Arshinkoff from his long-held position as Chairman of the Summit County Republican Executive Committee. Members of the Summit County GOP Central Committee will meet once election results from the March 4, 2008 primary are certified to select new members of the party's Executive Committee which, in turn, will select a Chairman.