BREAKING – Dale Miller will leave his state senate seat, run for county council

I’ve confirmed from several sources that State Senator Dale Miller will leave his State Senate seat to run for one of the 11 newly created county council seats in Cuyahoga County.

Very interesting on several levels. ?First, this creates a scrum for Dale’s Senate seat, and what a scrum that will be. ?Dale has been in the Ohio Legislature since 1996, and a lot of people have been waiting in line behind him. ?Pols from Parma, Lakewood, city council in 5 Cleveland wards…all will have a look. ? It’s likely to stay Dem, but a Republican with a strong name (read – Irish) could give it a long look, too.

This also means the new Cuyahoga County council campaigns will be heavy hitter territory. ?Dale could have waltzed to re-election in 2010. ?There are plenty of state reps and state senators who would rather have the guaranteed-for-life county council seat than the long commute, term-limited, downstate-neanderthal-surrounded, minority-dwelling Columbus gig. ?Dale’s also one of the good guys – he’s a good government, earnest legislator, and has just raised the bar for those new seats.

Fasten your seatbelts, this county council circus is just beginning.