Local Democratic office-holders last week were hesitant to talk about the new allegations being leveled at Athens County Democratic Party chair Susan Gwinn for the recent get-out-the-vote effort that seemed to offer a $5 bounty for Ohio University student volunteers to bring friends to the polls in last Tuesday's municipal election.

Many officials did not return phone calls seeking comment, but most who did expressed sympathy toward the college students involved in the situation.

Third Ward City Council member Nancy Bain said Friday that she hates to see the OU College Democrats demonized over what she called a fight that really isn't theirs. (See related story in this issue.)

Bain also said that when she made comments last week to the Post at OU voicing full support for Gwinn, she wasn't aware of the new situation that had developed regarding the election and the student Democratic club, or why state Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern was calling for Gwinn's resignation.

"It was not contextualized," Bain said. "And I talked way too much without knowing what was going on." She indicated that she thought Redfern's demand for Gwinn to retire was connected to the election-finance charges pending against Gwinn in Athens County Common Pleas Court.

She went on to predict that when the get-out-the-vote questions have been resolved, they're going to have scared the local and college Democrats, but won't turn out to be that important.

"It seems like they're (OU College Democrats) getting caught in the middle of some big political brouhaha that's not really of their making," Bain said. "I think that it may not be as bad as it looks, and I guess they'll get to the bottom of it."

As for local party chair Gwinn, Bain said that with the election over, she doesn't see how whether Gwinn resigns or not will really effect party business. Gwinn is up for re-election by the party central committee in May.

"Right after the races are over, there's nothing going on until January, and then her court date is over," Bain said, referring to Gwinn's pending indictment on campaign-finance irregularities.

Bain again expressed concern that the students are getting caught in the middle of a much bigger feud within the party.

At-large City Council member Jim Sands said Friday that he didn't know any more about the situation than he has read in the newspaper.

"I wasn't really involved in any of the campaign stuff this year," Sands said. "I have not talked to Susan or anybody who was involved, so I really don't want to make a statement at this point."

Athens County Commissioner Mark Sullivan said that he focuses on his job and doesn't know very much about the situation.

Meanwhile, Ohio State University election law expert Terri Enns said that if there was money available for getting people to the polls, she doesn't see that the Ohio Revised Code states that as a violation of the law.

"If the volunteer said, 'Hey, I'm going to get five bucks if I take you to the polls and I'll give you the five dollars,' then that person would be violating the code and chargeable with that bribery charge under ORC 3599.02 because they would be paying somebody to vote or refrain from voting," Enns said.

However, up to now nobody has made that accusation of the student Democrats.

Those claiming wrongdoing have cited to Ohio Revised Code 3599.02, which deals with bribery.

The applicable section reads: "No person shall before, during, or after any primary, general, or special election or convention solicit, request, demand, receive, or contract for any money, gift, loan, property, influence, position, employment, or other thing of value for that person or for another person for doing any of the following..."

One of the listed activities is "agreeing to vote or to refrain from voting."