Election 2012: Introducing Red/Blue Northeast Ohio

So we're going to ask them!

Patch will be conducting Red Northeast Ohio and Blue Northeast Ohio surveys throughout the election season in hopes of determining the true sentiments of Republicans and Democrats on the ground in Ohio.

The feature is intended to gather opinion and insight from influential local Democratic and Republican activists, party leaders and elected officials in Northeast Ohio.

The surveys aren't random. Patch editors have recruited a roster of insiders on both sides of the aisle. We will send them occasional surveys during the election season asking them about issues important to the election.

The results of our first survey, which we sent to our Republican insiders, will be published this week. We asked them a timely question: Should Mitt Romney choose an Ohioan to be his running mate? If so, who should he pick?

Want to participate? If you are an activist, party leader or elected official and would like to take part in regular surveys that last only a few minutes, please e-mail Senior Regional Editor Jean Dubail at jean.dubail@patch.com.

MEET THE INSIDERS:

REPUBLICANS

NAME PATCH Barbara Amper Beachwood Patch Ron Antal Stow Patch Joe Archacki Avon-Avon Lake Nan Baker Westlake Rob Berner Avon-Avon Lake Jim Brady Shaker Heights Patch Dan Bucci Avon-Avon Lake James Butler Fairlawn-Bath Patch Bill Call Lakewood Patch Jim Carbone Strongsville Patch Lou Carouse Brecksville Patch Tim Carroll Lakewood Patch Oscar Castro Beachwood Patch Matt Cellura Twinsburg Dennis Clough Westlake Frank DeWolf Brecksville Patch Bonnie Dolezal Cleveland Heights Patch Janet Dowling Mentor Patch Rick Eisenberg Mayfield-Hillcrest Patch Joan Evans Cleveland Heights Patch Chris Farley Twinsburg Dale Fellows Mentor Patch Garret Ferrara Kent Patch Howard Feuer Beachwood Patch Donna Finney Mayfield-Hillcrest Patch Tim Fox North Canton Patch Rob Frost Lakewood (Ohio) Patch Bill Furey Twinsburg Mark Getsay Westlake Beverly Goldstein Beachwood Patch David Greenspan Westlake Dan Griffith North Canton Patch Dave Gusman Strongsville Patch Mike Harwood Brecksville Patch David Held North Canton Patch M.C. Helms Mayfield-Hillcrest Patch Jeff Iula Cuyahoga Falls Patch Don Jaffe Beachwood Patch Michael Jaffe Solon Patch Marcia Kiesling North Canton Patch Kenneth Kraus Beachwood Patch Frank LaRose Cuyahoga Falls Patch Frank LaRose Fairlawn-Bath Patch Brian Lowdermilk Stow Patch Doug Magill Solon Patch Matt Markling Lakewood (Ohio) Patch Don Marshall Twinsburg Thomas Mays Westlake Patch Chris McCombs Cuyahoga Falls Patch Ken McEntee Strongsville Patch Steve Murphy Twinsburg Carol Nunez Cleveland Heights Patch Ed Oliveros Strongsville Patch Kellie Patterson Cuyahoga Falls Patch Tomie Patton Avon-Avon Lake Dale Petty Cuyahoga Falls Mike Rasor Stow Patch Matt Riehl Stow Patch Don Robart Cuyahoga Falls Patch William Roth Fairlawn-Bath Patch Bill Russo Solon Patch Marla Schleider Stow Patch Matt Schonhut Strongsville Patch Dom Sciria Brecksville Patch Marilyn Sessions Kent Patch Russ Sharnsky Fairlawn-Bath Patch Richard Shreve Mentor Patch Bobbi Sommer Solon Patch Howard Sonenstein Mayfield-Hillcrest Patch Susan Sullivan Fairlawn-Bath Patch Dennis Tidmore Solon Patch Kathleen Wilhelm Obrien Avon-Avon Lake Colleen Wing Lakewood Patch Jason Wuliger Mentor Patch Ted Yates Twinsburg Rick Zaleski Mentor Patch John Zappala Lakewood Patch W. Roak Zeller Kent Patch Mark Zetzer Shaker Heights Patch Mike Ziegler Brecksville Patch

DEMOCRATS

NAME PATCH Allen Bellin Beachwood Patch Robert Belovich Brecksville Patch Gerald Broski Brecksville Patch Kreig Brusnahan Avon-Avon Lake George Carr Beachwood Patch Diana Colavecchio Cuyahoga Falls Patch Jeff Coryell Cleveland Heights Patch J.J. Costello Cleveland Heights Patch Dale Cracas Avon-Avon Lake Dave Cunix Mayfield-Hillcrest Patch George DeBord Cuyahoga Falls Tony Demasi Cuyahoga Falls Doug Foltz North Canton Patch Mareeta Fowler Beachwood Patch Maureen Frederick Kent Patch Mike Gaynier Cleveland Heights Patch Karen Gillooly Shaker Heights Patch Joel Grodin Beachwood Patch Annie Hanson Stow Patch Martin Horwitz Beachwood Patch Karolyn Isenhart Lakewood (OH) Patch Mike Kaplan Fairlawn-Bath Patch David Kos Avon-Avon Lake Ed Kraus Solon Sandra Kurt Fairlawn-Bath Patch Tamela Lee Fairlawn-Bath Patch David Licate Stow Patch Brian Linick Beachwood Patch Kevin Malecek Mentor Patch Cindy Marx Lakewood (oh) Patch Eben McNair, IV Brecksville Patch Fran Mentch Cleveland Heights Patch Nancy Moore Shaker Heights Patch Hillary Mueller North Canton Patch Chuck Osborne North Canton Patch Mike Penta Cuyahoga Falls Rose Petsche Brecksville Patch Dawn Pyne Lakewood (OH) Patch Steve Rosen

Beachwood Patch

Lynn Ruffner

Shaker Heights Patch

Sue Ryan North Canton Patch Tom Schmida Twinsburg Chuck Shaughnessy Lakewood (oh) Patch Michael Silver Beachwood Patch Bill Snow Fairlawn-Bath Patch Cheryl Stephens Cleveland Heights Patch Amanda Trump North Canton Patch Chris Varano Lakewood (oh) Patch Jennifer Weiler Brecksville Patch Gayle Wellman Lakewood (oh) Patch Dennis Wilcox Cleveland Heights Patch Earl Williams Shaker Heights Patch

Editor's Note: The original version of this story incorrectly reported that Steve Rosen was a Republican leader; in fact, he is a Democrat leader.