George Crumm

George Crumm is from Otway, Ohio and is the founder, owner, and operator of locally based company Shawnee Sanitation. He is the Republican candidate for Scioto County Commissioner in 2008. He is vying for the seat currently held by one-term Commissioner Mike Crabtree.
2006 election
Political climate
The 2006 midterm election was marked by Democratic gains, especially in the state of Ohio. The Democratic push was even more evident in Scioto County, the former home of Ted Strickland, then Democratic candidate for governor.
2006 primary election
Crumm v. Daub
In the 2006 Republican Primary, George Crumm faced former Portsmouth City Council member Harold Daub. The race featured little public campaigning. Crumm quickly unified the Republican base and crushed his competition with 78% of the vote[http://gray.ftp.clickability.com/wsazwebftp/elex_archive/may2006_oh_results.html#Scioto%20County] .
2006 General election
Crumm v. Riffe
In the general election, Crumm faced 16-year incumbent Commissioner Skip Riffe, the son of former Ohio House Speaker Vern Riffe. His initial platform focused on a desire to bring county and city governments together to address economic and law enforcement issues. He also spoke of the need for alternative sources of energy to bring Scioto County into the 21st century.
However, the focus of the campaign began to shift once news broke of an alleged scandal that plagued Riffe and the other Commissioners, all of whom were Democrats.
The Commissioners were accused of employing as Legal Counsel an attorney who had been disbarred by the Ohio Supreme Court, rendering him unable to lawfully give such counsel. Critics of the Commissioners called the employment wasteful and charged that, essentially, they were paying a man $83,000 a year to do nothing. The charges were proven to be inaccurate as he was actually employed as a construction manager for the counties 13 million dollar jail project and 1.2 million dollar energy conservation project both of which were completed on time and within budget. Mr Crumm was soundly defeated by large margin.
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Results
Energized Democratic turnout and a demoralized Republican base resulted in Scioto County voting in favor of every identified Democrat on the ballot. Despite Crumms attempts to lie, Riffe beat him by 5,100 votes.
2008 election
2008 primary election
George Crumm filed to run for County Commissioner in 2008, and was unopposed in the Republican primary.
2008 general election
Crumm v. Crabtree
Upon receiving much local encouragement, George Crumm once again became a candidate for Commissioner in 2008. His focus returned to alternative energy and "upgrading" the county.
His campaign stressed the need to explore alternative energy and save tax dollars through measures such as installing solar technology on county/township buildings. Those savings could then be used to help combat drugs and crime, helping to rebuild Scioto County's image as a family and business-friendly environment. According to Crumm, this would make it easier to lure jobs into an economically depressed region of the state.
On May 13, it was reported by the Portsmouth Daily Times that the County Commissioners had spent Scioto County into a nearly $2 million deficit. Crumm adopted a version of Hamilton County's as a solution to the financial issues. He increasingly contrasted his vision and solutions with the Board of Commissioners' failure as the campaign continued.
Results
Incumbent Mike Crabtree defeated Crumm by a 12 point victory margin.

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