DISCUSSION: RON PONDER OF WHBC'S "POINTS TO PONDER" & AS REP COLUMNISTNEEDS TO RETHINK HIS TAKE ON THE STATE OF THE STARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY

Ron Ponder of "Points to Ponder" (WHBC-AM 1480) and the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) are agreed on one thing: the Stark County Republican Party is in dire need of rehabilitation.

Okay. If The Report agrees with Ponder, why is agreement worthy of a blog.

Because there is a point of disagreement.

Ponder wrote a column for The Rep yesterday on the need for the Republican Party, in general, to get its act together. He went on to provide the same prescription for the Stark County Republican Party. But he went awry in suggesting that Stark County Republican Party chair Jeff Matthews and state Senator Kirk Schuring have a "rehab" underway.

Ponder has to be kidding.

He offers nothing more than a mere assertion that a rebuild plan is in the offing.

The evidence is to the contrary.

For instance, a source has told The Report that Travis Secrest in putting a campaign team together to make a run against Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley. If such is the case, a huge mistake is being made.

Probably the thinking is that since Bosley pushed imposing a 1/4% sales/use tax to come up with funding for a countywide 9-1-1 and solving the immediate needs of balancing the Stark County budget, he is vulnerable.

And that is not bad thinking running against most candidates even if incumbent ones.

But Todd Bosley is no ordinary candidate. Just ask Richard Regula.

The Report is a big fan of Travis Secrest. Stark County would be much better off today if he had been elected county commissioner over 2008 opponent Tom Harmon.

Secrest is full of vim, vigor, vitality and, more importantly, ideas and The Report is convinced he would work hard to actuate his ideas.

Were he to pull a monumental upset and defeat Bosley, how would that help Stark County? He would be manhandled by "the taking Stark County nowhere" Harmon and Harmon's good friend Pete Ferguson. The best duo for getting Stark headed in the right direction would be Secrest and Bosley.

The only realistic case that can be made for Secrest running against Bosley is for the experience of running. Didn't he get that in running against Harmon? The next time should be with a good chance of winning. Secrest, in the opinion of The Report, has a lot to offer as a local Republican leader. The wise one (i.e. Judge Charles) of the Stark Republican Party should council Secrest very carefully in his next political move.

What is the Stark GOP plan for running someone against Stark County Auditor Kim Perez? One name bounced around is Trustee Anna Capaldi of Perry Township. Now this would be an interesting contest.

The Report likes listening to and reading Ponder. But he does need to have a tad more gravitas in his musings.