Thursday, September 10, 2009

BOSLEY: BIG-SPLASH ARTIST, AT IT AGAIN?

You can bet that Stark County's other elected officials are not amused with Commissioner Todd Bosley's "big-splash" announcement at yesterday's county commissioners' meeting.

With Bosley, it is one upstaging after another, after another, after another - on ad infinitum.

Bosley is fast turning into the most publicity hawking politician Stark County has seen in many of a year.

In reading The Rep's account of the meeting Stark commissioners consider furlough, other cuts in face of budget shortfall (Kelli Young, September 9), you can see that Auditor Kim Perez and Recorder Rick Campbell are not amused in the slightest by Bosley's latest attention getting maneuver.

What's more, this Bosley gambit is likely to make it more difficult for the sales/use tax repeals (Stark Citizens for the Right to Vote Committee) to convince Stark Countians that rolling back the December, 2008 "imposed" 0.5 percent tax increase is a good idea.

Bosley does worry about how his fellow county office holders view his bold move.  But the SCPR believes that Bosley is irrepressible when it comes to his need to be in the limelight.  However, that does not mean that his daring moves are not good for Stark Countians.

Fixing 9-1-1; good idea?  The SCPR thinks so.

Having adequate resources for essential local services, good idea?  The SCPR thinks so.

Having county employees and elected officials share in economic bad times; good idea?  The SCPR thinks so.

Bosley tells The Report that Stark County faces a potential $6 million shortfall next year.

If he is accurate, taking preventative actions now; a good idea?  The SCPR thinks so.

There is no doubt that Bosley is a "political showman."  And there is a method to his political madness.  It is all about Bosley getting voter attention and parlaying the spot light on other public officials as impediments to getting Stark County as a whole fixed as a way to whip these folks into line.

The SCPR believes that fellow commissioners Harmon and Ferguson are dead weights on Stark County.  If Stark County keeps electing these types to Stark County leadership positions, it will be in someone else's lifetime that Stark rebounds from the economic abyss she now rests in.  Neither has a clue on how to dig Stark out of its current mess.

So Bosley has put the spotlight on his fellows in county government.  How will they respond?  Do they have any choice?

They could hide behind the Ohio Constitution provision which precludes any change - up or down - in their remuneration during their elected term in office.

But they won't.

Bosley is a step ahead of them.  He has worked out a plan where there is no change but that each elected county official will write a personal check to the county treasurer as a "voluntary" give-back that meets constitutional standards.

Bosley has politically check-mated Perez, Ferrero, Reinbold, Swanson, Campbell, Rehfus, Murthy and Zeigler and they really have no choice but to fall in with Bosley's 10 day give back proposal.

One even has to wonder whether or not the Stark County's judges (Common Pleas/Court of Appeals) will want to be included and will join in?

The SCPR has learned that "give-backs" will be a campaign issue in at least one Stark municipality this fall.

Will it surface in township races, board of educations races?

After all, shouldn't everyone have to share in economic hard times?

Ever wonder how much your county elected official are paid?

Here is a list pushlished by Auditor Perez:

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