It took a theft by a Stark County Treasurer's office employee (Vince Frustaci) to get Stark County's political parties to offer qualified candidates for a financially sensitive position in Stark County government.
Mostly, Stark's politicos do not consider qualifications for office in tabbing citizens to run for office. The sole criterion seems to be "electability" as standard operating procedure.
As the SCPR sees it, the choice of candidates for Stark treasurer is a happy one for Stark Countians whether the choice is Republican Alex Zumbar or Democrat Ken Koher.
While the two are impressive overall, each does has a "political taint" to them.
Zumbar does have a history of being part of the Alliance Republican Party political machine whereas Koher was endorsed by former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.
Zumbar has a close association with Stark County Common Pleas Judge Charles E. Brown, Jr., having worked for him. Moreover, Brown, before he became a judge, was chairman of the Stark County Republican Party. It is interesting that the Republican Party executive committee chose Zumbar as its standard bearer in the the treasurer's race over commissioner appointee Jaime Allbritain as interim treasurer. The Report believes that Zumbar's association with Brown and the strong Republican organization in Alliance put him in position for the word to be put out that "Zumbar is our man."
So far as The Report knows Koher is relatively unsophisticated, however, one has to wonder just a little because of Maier (whom The Report believes was working on behalf of the leadership of the Stark County Democratic Party) deciding to get behind him. We know that Maier sent out an e-mail on behalf of Koher and The Report believes that Maier and his political acolyte Shane Jackson (political director of the Stark Democrats) made more than a few phone calls for Koher.
Koher also was a governor appointee to a state banking supervisory position and generally those do not come without some sort of political connection.
We do know that Koher sought the Stark County Democratic central committee nomination to succeed Mark Roach when he was removed from office. Apparently, Maier had an epiphany on Koher's qualifications for office somewhere between 1999 and 2010. Because in 1999, he didn't give Koher a smell.
So both Zumber and Koher do have a political history. What is different about each of them is they just so happen to be eminently qualified for the public job they seeks.
Koher, as interim treasurer, is already proving he is up to the job. And Zumbar has done stellar financial work in Alliance and North Canton.
So Stark County's voters cannot go wrong on whomever they vote for as between Koher and Zumbar in this election.
Here is a video of both of their opening statements at their October 20th appearance at the League of Women Voters "debate?"
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