Armond D. Budish (/ˈbjuːdɪʃ/ BYOO-dish;[1] born June 2, 1953)[2] is an American politician, lawyer, and television host who served as Cuyahoga County Executive for two terms from 2015 to 2022.
A member of the Democratic Party, he was a four-term Ohio State Representative from the 8th district, and served as Speaker of the House from 2009 to 2011.
Before his entry into politics in 2006, he was an attorney specializing in consumer and elder law with Budish, Solomon, Steiner & Peck, and hosted a weekly Sunday morning senior issues TV program titled Golden Opportunities on Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC channel 3.
Budish faced mounting criticism from opponents in February 2010 for not allowing the National Right to Life Oratory Contest winner to receive an honorary resolution on the House floor.
He called a proposed $3 billion reduction in basic funding for schools "horrific" and predicted it would force districts to cut teacher salaries and positions and increase the size of some classes to 50 students or more.
Rick Scott fired the president of a similar public-private entity and has proposed to consolidate economic development operations into a reinstated Department of Commerce.
Budish has also remained vocal on an initiative to move a Cuyahoga County mental health facility to Northfield, Ohio.
[18] Budish, along with fellow Democrats delivered over 65,000 signed signatures against the bill to the committee that was hearing the legislation.
[20] Budish stated it was an attack on something that helped to raise up the working poor over a period of thirty years.
[26] The budget includes $1 million for bail reform initiatives and money for additional corrections officers.
[27] On February 14, 2019, FBI agents and other law enforcement officials raided Budish's downtown Cleveland office, seizing documents and computer hard drives as part of a broader investigation into alleged corruption in Cuyahoga County government.