Lozick and the Vote in Beachwood, Ohio

In my article about the Cuyahoga precincts, http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/11/1704733.php, I mentioned how nearly all the precincts in Beachwood, Ohio, had more (or equal number of) votes for Bush than for Republican Voinovich in his Senate race. This is highly unusual, given that county- and state-wide Voinovich got 19% more votes than Bush, as many independents and moderate Dems voted for him.

Well, a couple interesting facts about Beachwood. Based on census info, it is right on the edge of where African Americans are moving into. It was 9% African American in 2000. One precinct had a vote of >90% for Kerry - most likely a Black majority precinct - and several others had >80% for Kerry. But most were majority Bush. So the integration is being fought.

So if it wasn't fraud, then the only other explanation I can think of was that there was a local, racist hate campaign to the extent that local moderate voters (esp. moderate Democrats) who were voting for Kerry everywhere else, in Beachwood decided to vote for Bush to send a signal to African Americans that they are not welcome in the town. Hmmm.... seems a bit far fetched.

Another fact, Beachwood is home to Edward Lozick, CEO of Nerts, Inc. (pipe fitters). He is one of the larger contributors nationally to the Republican party and is a leading member of the far-right, quasi-religious Council for a National Policy (eerily Nazi name there) founded by Morton Blackwell and others. He was also Finance Chair of Reagan's 1980 and '84 campaigns. Is he going to let Kerry win his backyard? What really happened in Beachwood on election day?