Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted today rejected the appointment of Ernest McCarthy, a close ally of Lucas County Republican Chairman Jon Stainbrook, to the Lucas County Board of Elections, recommending two alternatives instead.

Citing the elections’ boards “checkered past” — and Mr. Stainbrook’s connection with that past — Mr. Husted said he did not consider Mr. McCarthy competent for the job of being one of two Republican board members.

Mr. Husted, who is a Republican, said in a letter that Mr. McCarthy was recruited to run for office by people he has associated with disruptions of the board in the past. He said Mr. McCarthy has improperly filed campaign finance reports and does not have the kind of government experience that qualifies him for leadership in elections.

VIDEO: Secretary of State Husted rejects McCarthy

Mr. Husted recommended two local attorneys for Mr. Stainbrook’s Lucas County Republican Party Executive Committee to consider as alternative appointments — Bill Jennings of Toledo and David Karmol of Ottawa Hills.

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Both Mr. Stainbrook and Mr. McCarthy disagreed with Mr. Husted’s conclusions.

Mr. McCarthy, 75, one-time owner of an electrical device dealership, said his campaign filing mistake was based on advice from the elections board. He denied that he is Mr. Stainbrook’s man.

“I am active in the party and I give respect to the party chair, which is due him, but I don’t always do what party chair wants me to do,” Mr. McCarthy said. He added he made a speech at the executive committee meeting when he was unanimously recommended for the post in which he said he would not participate in rehashing disputes of the past.

“I said my intent was to take all the garbage, all the skeletons, lock ‘em back in the closet, they were yesterday. I only want a fair board, today and tomorrow,” Mr. McCarthy said.

He said he has taken courses since high school, including at Hillsdale College, but hasn’t sought a college diploma.

Mr. Stainbrook said Mr. McCarthy’s experience as an election worker made him the most qualified board member who’s been recommended for the board in the past 10 years. He said about 50 people attended the executive committee meeting in which Mr. McCarthy was recommended, at a sacrifice of those individuals’ time.

“I don’t have control of these people. The executive committee doesn’t work that way. Husted is not happy that the party is not endorsing him for governor. That’s what this is all about,” Mr. Stainbrook said. Mr. Husted is one of two announced GOP candidates for governor in 2018. Two others are campaigning but haven’t formally declared.

Asked if he would consider the two elections board candidates Mr. Husted recommended to the GOP executive committee, Mr. Stainbrook said, “it’s back to the drawing board.”

In an interview with The Blade on Monday, Mr. Husted said overriding the local party’s nominee is very unusual.

“In 87 other counties it’s a pretty simple process. If they pass the background check and have no disruptive behavior in their background we defer to the local decision makers,” Mr. Husted said. “In the case of Lucas County it’s just been a constant fight to keep people who are going to put public interests ahead of personal interests.”

The vacancy is that of James Hartley who was removed from the board last month for what the secretary of state said was poor judgment for actions that would take the elections board back to a period of dysfunction of three years ago.

The board has met four times without a fourth member and is likely to last into mid-June before the appointment process can be completed.

Mr. McCarthy ran unsuccessfully in city council primaries for District 3 in 2015 and at-large in 2013. He was the Republican nominee for Senate District 11 in 2014, losing to Democratic incumbent Sen. Edna Brown.

Mr. McCarthy is a former carpenter supervisor and construction supervisor. He worked in county elections from 2003 to 2012 as a poll worker or seasonal worker. From 1970 to 1979, Mr. McCarthy owned his own business selling electronic industrial equipment.

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published May 16, 2017, 2:34 p.m.