ONCE POLITICS GETS INTO THE BLOOD, THEN "ITS POLITICS FOR THE SAKE OF POLITICS" - AND PERSONAL ADVANTAGE, AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE?

SUPPLEMENTAL POST  03/09/2011 at 5:30 PM

With respect to the following language of this blog, to wit: "in his 20s struggling to find a full-time, good paying job" re:  Kody Gonzalez,  his father Randy challenges the accuracy of the aforesaid descriptor phrase in saying that: 

"He [Kody] had the job of his dreams and made the decision to go into public service as a third generation public servant."

Certainly, no one is in a better position to state motivation (i.e. "public service"), other than Kody himself, or alternatively, a family member a la his father. It was not and is not the intention of The Report to try and figure out what was in Kody's mind in going to work for the recorder's office.  Obviously, no other human being can truly know but Kody himself.

Anytime a politically or family connected person gets a public employment position, some will have the opinion that the connection must have had some role in the employment.  As Randy Gonzalez points out in his most recent e-mail to yours truly; such is not always the case.  But knowing when such is not the case, is where the rub is.

All one can do is form an opinion on what information is available.

While yours truly has a distinct recollection of being told that - at least at one point in time, Kody was having a difficult time landing a full time teaching job, it certainly is possible that the source could have been incorrect in the assessment passed along to yours truly.

Accordingly, the SCPR in this supplement posting publishes Randy's statement regarding Kody's motivation and position on whether or not he was struggling to find employment for readers of the SCPR to have the Gonzalez side of the matter in mind in forming an opinion.

ORIGINAL POST

Stark County has just gone through a period of political/governmental instability because the county has too many officials who are in office primarily because they needed a job and political relationships and political drive rather than being highly competent seem to be the main reason they are in office.

These officeholders have been Democrats. The SCPR has gone on ad nauseam about the likes of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr, Gayle Jackson and her son Shane and her daughter Lisa and her son-in-law and Stark County recorder Rick Campbell, the Giavasis brothers, Nancy Reinbold, John Ferrero, Randy Gonzalez, Steve Meeks, Tom Harmon - and on and on goes the list - and the political connections and how the connections seem to redound to many of these folks in terms of getting taxpayer-financed jobs for themselves, their relatives and their political friends.

One of The Report's favorite stories along these lines is how Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez's son Kody got his job as the second in charge at the Stark County recorder's office.  On asking Recorder Rick Campbell how Kody from "out-of-the-blue" all of a sudden shows up in the recorder's office as Campbell's chief deputy.

Campbell claims that father Randy (then a high Stark County Democratic Party official; now chairman) had nothing to do with it.  It seems - according to Campbell - that Kody exuded qualities that made it clear to him (Campbell) that the younger Gonzalez (in his 20s struggling to find a full-time, good paying job) was the perfect person to be his chief deputy making about $50,000 a year in salary (and probably more like $70,000 which the value of benefits are tacked on).

Campbell's dissembling is indicative of the contempt that these consummate politicos (in the self-serving sense) have for intelligence of day-in, day-out people.  No doubt about it.  In this day and age, it is less and less likely for a party boss to direct the party minions to do this thing or that thing in terms of employing.  However, someone like Campbell is such a superb political foot soldier that he does not have to be told.  It is a cliche, but Campbell undoubtedly knows "on what side his bread is buttered!"

The SCPR believes that the Christina Hagan appointment to fill out the term of Todd Snitchler in Ohio's 50th House District is the correlate, in many respects, of the Gonzalez ascent.

So political shenanigans are not the exclusive work of organized Democrats.  Republicans are every bit as adept.

Everyday citizens are growing more and more restless with both political parties being the handmaidens of helping put folks in office who have no clue as to why they are there, other than to be there with a job in hand and thereby satisfying a personal agenda. 

As the economies of Stark County, the state of Ohio and the nation decline,  the politically accomplished are caught up in their own worlds of personal success at the public expense as the people of our local communities, state and nation suffer.

Nowhere is that more apparent than here in Stark County with the selection of Christina Hagan (Republican of Marlboro Township) by the Ohio Republican House Caucus.

Ohio faces an $8 billion deficit to fix by June 30th.  Beyond that, state lawmakers need to put in place programs and policies to get Ohio moving out of the morass of the economic doldrums that the Buckeye state now finds itself in.

The quality of state representatives in Ohio has never been lower.  Both parties have conspired to wreck Ohio's economy over the past 20 years. 

When Christina's father was a member of the Ohio House, yours truly wrote frequently about his legislative deficiencies.  John was clearly a political hanger-on.  He was also one of the fathers of the "Mississippification of Ohio." In eight years in the Ohio House, John Hagan did not produce one noteworthy/lasting legislative accomplishment.

As the foremost proponent/activist of Christina's ascension (in the lobbying sense), he seems intent on forging a family way of being that includes public employment.

Moreover, when his first time as Marlboro Township trustee came to an end on his election to the Ohio House, one of his sons attempted to succeed him.  But he had to stand for election.  There was no appointment to be had.  Undoubtedly, had there been, it would have gone to the son.

He even tried to perpetuate himself.  On being term limited out in 2008, he ran for county commissioner.  He lost to Pete Ferguson.

Daughter and one time Alliance (Carnation festival) beauty queen Christina had the same problems when it came to getting elected.  In a bitter Republican primary in 2008 against eventual winner Todd Snitchler, she got about 40% of the Republican vote in a district that the Hagan name was all over the place for the previous eight years.

But political appointment.  Well, that's another matter.

Hmm?

“I’ve been in the Statehouse since I was 12 years old.  I sat in on meetings of the caucus, committees and with lobbyists. I sat in (my father’s) office. I’ve talked to his aides. I really understand what’s going on.” (Robert Wang, The Repository, 03/07/2011, Ohio House feels like home to Hagan).

So says Christina Hagan.

For someone of such depth of understanding and "legislative experience," she hid it well when she spoke to the Stark County Republican Party executive committee on February 26th.

It was apparent that this 22 year old woman whose work experience is as a server at Bravo!,  is mostly ambition and cockiness and makes one suspect that she will recede into being little more than being a wallflower in her time in the Ohio House when she has to match up with collegial experts at bravado.

But she will draw $60,500 a year at taxpayer expense.

Not a bad start for a person who was probably looking to having a hard time, like ever so many new college graduates these days, finding that first job.

But then again, not everybody has a daddy with political connections.

According to Wang she said to her sister-in-law:  "I need your prayers ... now is the hard part."

Christina is not the only one who needs prayers.  So do those of us who live in the 50th House District and, indeed, all Ohioans!

It is obvious that "politics for the sake of politics" is in the Hagan blood line.

And when such takes hold, watch out!  The public interest takes second place.