DISCUSSION: LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES, NO?

Checking campaign finance reports can be, let's say, "unentertaining but very necessary work." But then it's not everyday that John P. Hagan is the candidate.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) is examining campaign finances of Stark Countians running for countywide office.

Between this report and November 4th, The Report will be keeping voters informed on where the candidates' money is coming from and, therefore, who they are likely to favor once they are in office.

Back to Hagan. At first The Report thought it was a joke. County commissioner candidate John Hagan's election committee's name is "Hagan's Heroes." What a hoot! But the name is for real.

An obvious play on the TV series Hogan's Heros of 1965-1971 vintage, it doesn't fit the John P. Hagan The Report knows. Wikipedia describes Hogan's Heroes thusly:

Hogan’s Heroes is a satirical American television situation comedy that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to July 4, 1971, on the CBS network. Starring Bob Crane as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, the show was set in a German prisoner of war (POW) camp during the Second World War. The program featured Werner Klemperer as the Commandant of the camp, Colonel Klink, and John Banner as the portly inept sergeant-of-the-guard, Schultz, as well as a crew of Allied prisoners who assisted Hogan in running a Resistance group from the camp.

If he resembles anybody in the cast of characters, John P. Hagan would fit the description of Schultz - "the portly inept sergeant-of-the-guard.

Having had fun at Hagan's expense, now let's move on to his finance report.

No doubt Schultz err Hagan is trading on his position as public utilities chairman in the Ohio House where he represents Stark County's 50th District.

Hogan's err Hagan's April, 2008 report shows he received the following contributions:

• $500 from General Electric Company Political Action Commitee Multicandidate Committee
• $500 from AT&T Inc. Employee Political Action Committee
• $250 from Lynn Olman of Maumee, Ohio who is a lobbyist for the Alliance for Real Energy Options

Hagan's association with the Alliance lobbyist tells Stark Countians everything they want to know about Hagan's attempt to shaft Stark Countians with higher residential electric costs. Only Governor Ted Strickland stood in the way of Hagan and his patron Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted.

The Report visited the Alliance's website and found the following little ditty that expresses Hagan's philosophy of letting private enterprise have its way (even though it is a monopoly) with everyday Stark County and Ohio consumers.

Question: Doesn’t deregulation and competition lead to higher retail prices?

Answer: No, competition helps create downward pressure on prices that can reduce customer costs. Numerous independent studies have shown that wholesale competition has already reduced costs for millions of retail energy consumers. Plus, America ’s heritage is rooted in competitive market principles – it has unleashed American ingenuity and led to our economic prosperity. Providing choice has led to lower prices for industries like cellular telephones, gas, cable and internet

So it is "fitting and proper" that Hagan should be rewarded with campaign contributions from the moguls of electric generation, distribution and transmission.

Question: Do Stark County residential and small company electricity consumers want a county commissioner who is owned by the captains of electricity production?