UPDATED 06/03 AT 1:50 PM
The SCPR publishes an e-mail from Kevin Fisher commenting on this blog at the end of this update.
Kevin will be a Democratic Canton city councilman for the 5th Ward come January, 2012. He is running unopposed in the general election.
Undoubtedly, he would qualify as being a card-carrying member of Commissioner Creighton's "good old boys" network - Democratic version. After irritating the then party chairman - Johnnie A. Maier, Jr for running against then incumbent Terry Prater in 2005 (Prater is leaving Canton council, having taken a Democratic patronage job with the Stark Board of Elections), it seems that Kevin has repaired his standing in the Stark Democratic Party.
He apparently sufficiently genuflected to Maier et al which became good enough to put him in party good graces - enough so - that one of the stalwarts of inside Stark Democratic Party politics (the then Auditor Kim Perez) hired him into the auditor's office shortly after Perez took the office from Republican insider Brant Luther (who has moved from one office to another, to another and to another as sort of "favorite son" of the Stark Republican "organized" party).
Fisher does make a major point in his e-mail which the SCPR totally buys into.
Democrats have no monopoly whatsoever on Stark County "good old boy" networks. Republicans have the same thing going for them. It could be that Republicans will come to control all but the coroner and engineering offices after the election of November, 2012. Should GOPers gain dominance in county government, Stark Countians will not have much of a wait until cronyism sets in big time and party connection as a Republican will give a loyalist a huge advantage over the politically unconnected to land government jobs which are not civil service.
Anyone who reads the SCPR knows that yours truly makes no distinction at all between Stark's two mainline political parties in terms of each of them taking care of their loyalists without so much as a look at politically unconnected Stark Countians for plum township/county/state jobs paid for by Stark/Ohio taxpayers.
The Report was struck by Treasurer Zumbar's praise of Auditor Alan Harold last night in response to a question from a citizen about "a check and balance" between the auditor's office and Stark's treasury. Had Kim Perez warded off the Harold challenge, The Report believes that Zumbar would have had a properly professional relationship with Perez (as he demonstrated in the interim between November 30, 2010 and mid-March, 2011 when Perez vacated office).
As Commissioner Creighton herself said last night, all public officials need to be monitored. The SCPR would go one step further. The scrutiny needs to be stepped up appreciably when there is a political affinity (e.g. Zeigler vis-a-vis Auditor Perez and Prosecutor Ferrero). And the same applies to the Republicans. The Stark County public should take Zumbar's praise of Harold as a grain of salt in terms of its objective merit given their political affinity.
Finally, a big thank you to Fisher sending in his e-mail. The SCPR appreciates being admonished that The Report never lose the critical edge. For very little of it comes from 500 Market Avenue, South!
Here is Fisher's e-mail in its entirety:
The date was September 8, 2010 and the Stark County Republicans were gathered Malone University to select a candidate to run for Stark County treasurer. Interim Treasurer Ken Koher (appointed by Stark's Democrats) held the office from shortly after the Stark County commissioners (Bosley, Ferguson and Meeks [August 23, 2010]) had removed Democrat Gary D. Zeigler from office under the authority of Ohio statutory law.
Zeigler was removed because while treasurer his chief deputy Vince Frustaci stole (according to the analysis of federal judge John Adams) $2.94 million or so in Stark County taxpayer funds. Zeigler was completely exonerated by county and federal prosecutors of any involvement in the theft. The mere missing of funds was enough under the authorizing statute for commissioners "permissively" to remove Zeigler.
Of the candidates for the GOP selection, there were two with a future. One was the selected one: Alex Zumbar (then serving as North Canton finance director who went on to defeat Koher in the November election. The other was Minerva Councilman Phil Davison who, though he gave the speech of his life - a fiery "I'm a through and through Republican-esque" speech - (recorded by the SCPR) which went viral on the Internet (2 million hits when last check by yours truly), was not selected but became a national celebrity of sorts in making appearances on many local and national media outlets.
Fast forward to June 2, 2011 and the Stark County commissioners appearing at North Canton City Hall in the 17th in a series of commissioner community meeting designed to restore public trust in the wake of the Frustaci theft of county funds.
A primary presenter at the 17 "restore the public trust" meetings has been Commissioner Janet Creighton (elected commissioner in November, 2010 defeating Democrat Party appointee Steven Meeks who had replaced the retiring Tom Harom). Before being elected commissioner, Creighton had a storied history as a Stark County elected official: recorder, auditor, mayor of Canton as well as being a Bush administration appointed official.
Anyone who knows Creighton would say that she is passionate and fiery about her politics and makes no apologies for being a committed Republican.
As with Davison, the Stark County Political Reporter was blessed in being present last evening as Creighton played a prominent place in presenting and responding to citizen questions at the North Canton community meeting.
While not at the level of Davison's bombast, Creighton - last night - shows why she is a favorite political figure for many Stark Countians. As mayor of Canton she was a passionate public official and she has not changed her persona as Stark County commissioner.
Of particular note in the accompanying video is her lashing out at the network of Stark County Democratic personages that she labels as being political "good old boys." Creighton did not identify particular Democrats she might have been referring to as constituting the "good old boys." So yours truly is all too happy to suggest, via the graphic at the head of this blog, whom she might have had in mind as personifications of Stark County Democratic "organized" party "good old boys."
Here she is: Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton at her fiery best!
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