Hamilton County GOP chairman denounces attack on Democratic school board member

A Cincinnati school board member said an anonymous person cast aspersions on him in a letter sent to his wife.

Mike Moroski, a Democrat, posted a photo of the letter to Facebook on Friday, calling it cowardly.

The writer calls Moroski "less than mature" and suggests he is a pedophile, calling on Moroski's wife to "keep an eye on him when he is around adolescent females at CPS."

Moroski said the letter, which includes a "#MeToo" signature at the bottom, is representative of "how divisive and vitriolic our public discourse has become."

"This is why people don’t get involved in public service," he said.

In his Facebook post, Moroski tagged the Hamilton County Republican Party and U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, who represents Ohio's 1st Congressional District.

In a phone call Saturday with The Enquirer, Moroski said a toxic atmosphere has been fostered in part by President Donald Trump and adopted by area Republicans.

Moroski said Alex Triantafilou, the Hamilton County GOP chairman, would not call out the anonymous sender.

But Triantafilou said by phone Saturday he does denounce the letter, calling it silly and saying he receives hateful mail, too.

Moroski and Triantafilou engaged in a spat a few weeks ago on social media. Moroski tweeted Republicans were complicit in the murder of innocent Americans after the Fifth Third mass shooting. Triantafilou called for an apology.

Then an unidentified person tweeted from the Hamilton County GOP account that thoughtful parents wouldn't send their children to Cincinnati Public Schools. Triantafilou deleted the tweet, saying he "didn't think it was keeping with our regular tone."

In the letter addressed to Moroski's wife, the writer seems to support Chabot's decision to hand out partisan cups earlier this month at James A. Gamble Montessori High School in Westwood. The writer criticized Moroski for calling it a sloppy mistake.

Chabot, who is running against Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval to represent Ohio's 1st Congressional District, didn't break any rules in the incident.

Moroski emphasized he is close with some Republicans. He said whoever wrote the letter, which came by mail with no return address, is guilty of defamation and harassment.