Toledo lawyer and former state office holder Mark Wagoner, Jr., said Wednesday he intends to run for chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party in 2018 against current GOP Chairman Jon Stainbrook.

Mr. Wagoner, 45, of Ottawa Hills, with the firm Shumaker Loop & Kendrick, said he is sending emails and letters this week to local Republican activists to launch his campaign to win a majority of support on the Lucas County Republican Party Central Committee. The central committee elects the party chairman.

“This wasn’t on my career to-do list but it’s time to get off the sidelines and show some leadership,” said Mr. Wagoner, who served in the state House of Representatives 2004 to 2008, the state Senate 2008 to 2012, and is now a member of the GOP state central committee.

“We’re running early. We’re running an upbeat campaign. We’re going to talk about what we can to revitalize the party. We’ve got a simple message: a better party will lead to better candidates, better campaigns, better chances,” Mr. Wagoner said.

Mr. Stainbrook, 53, of Toledo responded that he welcomes the contest, and said he has done the work required of a chairman. He criticized the timing of Mr. Wagoner’s challenge announcement as the Sept. 12 primary and the Nov. 7 general elections are approaching and the party is trying to elect Councilman Tom Waniewski for mayor. Both Mr. Stainbrook and Mr. Wagoner say they’re in support of Mr. Waniewiski.

“This is a terrible time for this to be happening. If you’re really going to be chairman, you don’t try to disrupt the process three weeks before the start of early voting,” Mr. Stainbrook said.

He also said Mr. Wagoner has not used his leadership role to support local candidates.

“Mark Wagoner has been on the party leadership for the last 13 years and owns his own criticism. He never went to one Trump rally. He’s never even stepped foot in headquarters to volunteer for party candidates, to participate in recruitment and screening of candidates, or to help the party fund-raise for candidates,” Mr. Stainbrook said.

He said Mr. Wagoner is on a “power grab” for himself and his law firm, and accused him of “sour grapes” because the Lucas County party opposed his father’s appointment to the Lucas County Board of elections.

Mark Wagoner, Sr., was one of two Republicans appointed in 2014 to the Lucas County Board of Elections to replace Mr. Stainbrook and fellow Republican Anthony DeGidio when they were removed from the elections board by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted because of “dysfunction” that reigned during their tenure. Mr. Stainbrook tried unsuccessfully to block Mr. Wagoner, Sr.’s appointment.

Mr. Wagoner, Jr., supports Mr. Husted for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018, while Mr. Stainbrook supports Attorney General Mike DeWine for the nomination.

Mr. Wagoner denied being motivated by sour grapes and said that rather than boost his legal practice, the time dedicated to running for chairman will instead take him away from earning a living as a lawyer. He said that he’s hosted fund-raisers for and met with statewide candidates, supported Donald Trump as a member of the state committee and attended his inauguration, and was involved in the election of state Rep. Derek Merrin (R., Monclova Township).

“I’m doing my part to get candidates elected in Lucas County. I’m filling a void where he’s not there,” Mr. Wagoner said.

The central committee, made up of one member for each of the county’s 315 precincts, elects the chairman in a convention held in even-numbered years. The election will be in May, and candidates must file by Feb. 7.

The email and letter from Mr. Wagoner to local Republican loyalists was signed by 16 members of a newly formed political action committee called Republicans for a New Lucas County. The letter describes Mr. Stainbrook’s leadership as “dysfunctional and ineffective,” and said he failed to elect any Republicans to countywide office during his nearly 10 years in office.

This isn’t the first time Mr. Stainbrook and Mr. Wagoner have tangled politically. In 2011, the Stainbrook team recruited another Republican candidate with nearly the same name as Mr. Wagoner, Sr., to run against him for state central committee, in an apparent attempt to confuse voters. That candidate, Mark Waggoner of Perrysburg, withdrew before the election and Mr. Wagoner was elected.

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

First Published July 27, 2017, 4:00 a.m.