CAN STARK CO. COMMISSIONER RECOVER FROM SUFFERING THE WORST DEFEAT EVER FOR A 50TH HOUSE DISTRICT CANDIDATE?

What a difference from 2006 to 2010!

On the day after the election in November, 2006, Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley was riding high after narrowly defeating incumbent Commissioner Richard Regula.  It was a win nobody except Todd Bosley expected.

On November 2, 2010, Bosley suffered the worst defeat "ever" by any Democratic candidate for the Ohio House - 50th.

And this after spending the better part of a half-a-million-dollars on his campaign.

How could this happen?

After all the Ohio House Democratic Caucus had come riding into town in December, 2009 with their big gun - Ohio Speaker of the House Armond Budish - to convince Bosley not to run for re-election as commissioner but rather to run for state representative.  This even though Bosley had suffered a rebuke at the hand of Stark County voters for being the leader of the December, 2008 county commissioner move to "impose" a 0.50 sales tax on Stark Countians.

There was no doubt that after the November, 2009 vote against retaining the tax, Bosley could not have been re-elected commissioner.  But state representative?  Maybe.  At least that is what polling done by Budish's caucus was suggesting.

False!

So what happened?

The SCPR believes Bosley became the biggest loser ever for three reasons (in order of significance):

1.  He and his Columbus benefactors went over the line with their campaign ad approach.  The worst was the flyer and a TV ad suggesting that Republican incumbent Todd Snitchler was placing Ohio's school children at risk of being subjected to sexual predators among a whole host of criminal offenders in opposing House Bill 19.  Before the HB 19 flyer, Bosley's Columbus group put out a flyer comparing Snitchler to a rat for co-sponsoring HB 400, a bill to do away with Ohio's income tax over a ten year period of time.
2. His leadership of and support of imposing a 0.50 sales tax increase under the guise of being to fix 9-1-1, but which had an unpublished aspect (50% of the  tax) to raise revenues for the county general fund.
3. His run in a gerrymandered Republican district in a Republican year.

Towards the end of the campaign, both Bosley and Snitchler were telling the SCPR that they had polls showing each about 10% ahead.  As it turns out, Snitchler's poll was the more accurate of the two, but even it did not indicate the freight train that was bearing down on Bosley.

Quite a turn of events for a campaign thought - at least one time - to be a close race. If the race was ever "really close," Bosley has only himself to blame (except for the Republican tidal wave factor) for his huge loss.

So the question is this:  Is Todd Bosley finished as a viable political figure in Stark County?

Could be.  Losing is one thing, but losing by 21+ percentage points in the context of the "imposed" sales tax (something that voters are not going to forget - or, allowed to forget) is another.

One could tell that Snitchler was more than annoyed with Bosley's campaign tactics.  But he handled himself with class.

Unless he does something completely stupid, it looks as if Snitchler can look forward to six more years as the representative for Ohio's 50th House District.

Look forward?

Well, there is that $8 billion deficit he now has to tackle with newly elected Governor John Kasich, the man who has said he wants to take a look at eliminating Ohio's income tax over time.

Should be interesting folks.