DISCUSSION: DEHOFF/SNITCHLER - "GUTTER POLITICS" - WHAT ELSE WOULD ONE EXPECT?

Here it is 50th District voters: The piece that Republican Party candidate Todd Snitchler is complaining about.

Snitchler's right. This is a piece of political garbage. But he's hardly one to complain. He signs on to political trash by allowing the Republican House caucus to send such material out in his name. This blog did a detailed critique on his "Senior citizen" mailing not long ago. It was a totally despicable example of "faux" thinking.

As has been pointed out by the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report), these two (DeHoff/Snitchler) deserve each other.

But the hardworking folks who make up the 50th deserve better. Whichever of these two goes to Columbus, the citizens will be the loser.

Nothing new about this. Republican John Hagan, who currently represents the district, was eight years of vapidity.

Snitchler has no ideas of his own. He checks in with his chamber of commerce pals periodically to get refilled on the "recycled, stale ideas" that chambers of commerce have been pedaling for years now. Chamber-types are so rigid in their thinking paradigms that they make concrete seem like jello.

Chambers of commerce from the top of Ohio down through the townships keep repackaging the "same old ideas and keep getting the same tired, old results." The problem is that Ohio and most, if not all, of Ohio's counties are on the economically declining list. And over dependence on the chambers statewide has a lot to do with Ohio being in the doldrums.

Snitchler of neighboring Uniontown was recently praised by a Hartville councilman in area media for his effectiveness. That's strange. Lake Township has been the home of The Report for 33 years now.and is in a position to know that Hartville has been on the economic downswing for all of those 33 years (e.g. closing of Longaberer, Schmaucher Lumber and Monach Teledyne). Snitchler as a leader of the Lake Chamber nor the Chamber itself has been effective in stemming the decline except to "rearrange the chairs."

Snitchler is trying with his Lake Development Foundation to get economic development going in Lake. However, despite consulting with the Massillon Chamber, the effort still struggling 5 years into the project. The question becomes: Shouldn't the initiative be beyond the struggling stage at the 5 years mark? How long does Snitchler need to make it work?

The Report has asked (face-to-face) one of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's key officials about the Chamber's dismal record as the economic policy making arm of the Ohio Republican Party. Answer? The Republican super-majority didn't do everything we asked them to. How weak can you get? They probably did only 95% of what they were asked to do.

Turning to DeHoff. She has to check in with her patron Johnnie A. Maier, Jr (a quintessential political operative and Stark County Democratic Party chairman - not exactly a prolific source of policy ideas) for her content. Isn't this more than a tad distressful?

The Report says this about DeHoff "tongue-in-cheek." The Report does not see a whole lot of intellectual curiosity DeHoff's part. She will be content to take her marching orders in Columbus and sit back an enjoy the notoriety of being a state representative.

So what is left for 50th District voters? Despair?