DISCUSSION: SCHURING SENDS REPUBLICAN SURROGATES TO DOWNTOWN CANTON. ISN'T THERE A STRONG IRONY IN THIS?

Democrat John Boccieri had a special campaign event at a Sunoco gasoline station in Canton yesterday. Boccieri emphasized that he was for permanent solutions to the dramatic rise in gasoline prices being experienced by 16th Congressional District voters.

His opponent - J. Kirk Schuring - didn't show but he did send a gaggle of supporters. The group included Tom and Jan Kishman of Minerva, Alan Harold of Canton and Tina Hagan of Marlboro Township. These folks are well known Republicans in the area. Harold took out petitions to run against Stark County treasurer Gary Zeigler but bowed out at the last minute. Hagan engaged in a bitter battle with Todd Snitchler for the Republican nomination to succeed her father in the Ohio House (50th District).

The Kishmans own and operate an IGA (with an associated "fuel center" operation) in Minerva, Harold is a Sky Bank vice president and Hagan is the daughter of current 50th District Ohio House representative John Hagan who is running for Stark County commissioner.

As a marked contrast to the Boccieri emphasis, the Schuring surrogates were there to push Schuring's plan of trying to make a "dent" (perhaps, no effect at all) in escalating fuel prices by drilling nearly everywhere in America.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) finds this turn of events most interesting. Schuring makes (in the judgment of The Report) a misinterpreted (purposefully by Democratic leadership) statement to the effect that Republicans in downtown Canton is not a realistic scenario. Everyone in Stark County knows that Canton proper is a Democratic stronghold.

So what is Schuring's fix for the dearth of Republicans in downtown Canton? Import them. From Minerva, from Marlboro Township and from the post neighborhoods of Canton.

And, did we ever think we would see this phenomenon? Republicans as protesters. Wow, what is the world coming to.

There were several media people at the Boccieri event. One thread of conversation among the media was the "stealth" Schuring.

Question: Is the Schuring campaign modality going to be - send in the surrogates?