Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason builds powerful political network in Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Few local politicians in recent decades have understood Cuyahoga County's Democratic Party -- and built the relationships to maneuver within it -- as well as Prosecutor Bill Mason.

In November, with the county mired in a federal corruption investigation that continues to this day, Mason broke with the party leadership and championed Issue 6. It won by a margin of 2-to-1, and in 2011 will eliminate eight of the county's elected offices and replace them with a county executive.