Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. has tried to engender a mythology about himself as being some sort of political "Wizard of Oz."The Maier spin, advanced primarily by his sycophantic political lieutenant and clerk of courts employee Shane Jackson, is that he is some sort of political magician who stands behind the curtain dispensing political insight from his limitless fount of knowledge.
The truth of the matter, as borne out by the apparent humiliating defeat of his handpicked and personally political loyal candidate - Celeste DeHoff in Ohio's 50th House Distrcit, is that there is nothing special about Maier.
Maier himself has a politicial existence at the hand of the vagaries of luck and its handmaiden - good timing. Another thing that gets glossed over about Maier is that when he won his first race against Red Ash), the district (the 56th) included Democrat-heavy Massillon, Canton Township and all of Perry Township. And, of course those of us who have been around more than "a political day or two" know about the legal difficulities that surfaced for Ash in the midst of his campaign against Maier, to wit: (From Yucks Digest V1 #28, 03/01/1991)
None of us who have run in the 50th ever had these huge advantages. As Lawrence Township trustee Michael Stevens (who narrowly lost to DeHoff in the Democratic primary) said: "This is what you get for $225,000?"Ohio state Re[p.] Charles "Red" Ash and his wife were indicted in July for
allegedly submitting various false claims to insurance companies about
property stolen from their homes.
Nothwithstanding the seeming open bank account to the DeHoff campaign and the unmitigated support of the likes of Governor Strickland, hero-Senator John Glen, junior Senator Sherrod Brown, attorney-general elect Richard Cordray as well of a host of local Democratic politicians beholden to Maier (e.g. county Commissioner Harmon, Canton City clerk of courts Phil Giavasis, the Reinbolds (the judge and his Stark County clerk of courts wife), Catazaro-Perry (Massillon councilwoman), and the like), DeHoff has done only marginally better than candidates who have run since Maier vacated the office.
Another factor. Barack Obama wins all of Stark County by solid margin.
Why then did DeHoff do so poorly gven the resources at her disposal and having a propitious environment to run in.
Real simple.
Celeste DeHoff was perceived by the voting public to be an exceptionally unqualified candidate. The only time she ever appeared politically intelligible is when she was reading a script handed to her (probably by her personally-assigned handler Shane Jackson - another political genius?). Otherwise, she stumbled all over the place without a clue to provide a cogent answer let alone come up with some eye opening solutions to what ails Ohio and, more particularly, 50th House District communities.
So the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) thinks its time to set aside the mythologically-based spin that Johnnie A. Maier, Jr has political insights that no one else Stark County politically-attuned person has.
Quite to the contrary. Maier is a guy stuck in a political rut recommending to others running for office doing the same old things he does in his "safe district" campaigns. What works in the "slam-dunk" world is not productive in a more than competitive (because of Republican gerrymandering) political environment.
Questions: With the DeHoff defeat hasn't the curtain been pulled back to show that Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr is a mere mortal? Is DeHoff finished in elective politics. Will there be an effort to remove her from being Tuscarwas Township trustee?
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