COMMISSIONER PETE FERGUSON'S PLAN FOR AFFINTIY-DOCTORS CAMPUS IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN?

On April 4, 2009 (a regularly scheduled Stark County commissioners' meeting) Commissioner Pete Ferguson "out-of-the-blue," in the opinion of the SCPR, came up with the idea of converting Affinity Medical Center's "Doctors Campus" into a medical center for veterans.

This is how the SCPR put Ferguson's presentation in an April 13th blog:

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) believes that this is an "off-the-cuff" proposal by Ferguson who is obviously feeling the pressure to do something has commissioner. He has been in office about 100 days and the only thing he has succeeded at is get his brother-in-law (to the exclusion of the general public) appointed Project Compliance Officer on prevailing wages.

At the April 4th meeting Ferguson intimated that he had contacts within the U.S. Department of Defense who might be helpful. He also did a whole lot of other name dropping as you will see in looking once again at a video (posted below) of that part of the commissioners' meeting.

The SCPR believed at the time that this was "bull" and now has even more reason to think this is grandstanding by a commissioner who has very little going for himself in terms of providing desperately needed leadership for Stark County.

The SCPR hears that recently Ferguson held a meeting at the Stark County Office Building that was supposed to have U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Congressman John Boccieri in attendance.

But did they show?

No.

United States senators and congressmen only show up when something "real" is about to happen. They probably have a sense that this is a case of Ferguson wishful thinking. But hedging their bets, they did send aides.

Apparently, Ferguson did not initally include the local head of Affinity in the meeting. Somehow he got wind of it and was _ _ _ _ _ _ big time with Doctor Peter Ferguson (as he likes to refer to himself and be addressed by others). However, the SCPR understands that the Affinity honcho did make it to the meeting.

In the November, 2008 Stark Countians had a "hobson's choice between Democrat Ferguson and term limited out Republican Ohio House Rep. John Hagan (R - Marlboro). Both political parties were saying how incredibly lazy each was in conducting their respective campaigns.

Whichever one was elected, Stark County was going to be the loser.

And Commissioner Tom Harmon is nothing to write home about.

These are, indeed, tougher times for Stark than they need be. But does that bother Ferguson and Harmon? Apparently not!

As a refresher, here is the video of Ferguson "springing" his grand scheme on Commissioners Bosley and Harmon.