Longtime chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Robert ‘Bob’ Bennett served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 1988-2009 and 2012-2013 and was instrumental in bringing the 2016 Republican National Convention to Cleveland. During his leadership, the party went from holding no statewide offices to controlling all three branches of the Ohio government. Bennett was a certified public accountant, former finance director for the city of Strongsville, and author of several publications on tax law. Additionally, he served on the Cleveland Civil Service Commission and the boards of directors of University Hospitals of Cleveland and Southwest General Health Center.