UPDATE: 9:45 AM - Recently, Representative Mike Fortner (R - Illinois) won the Ohio League of Women voters competition for drawing "fair" districts in the every 10 year reapportionment mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
Under his map Stark County remain a unitized entity. However, it likely would cause a change in who represents the 16th. Current Congressman Jim Renacci lives in Wadsworth and therefore would not be in the Fortner Plan confines. While not required by the Constitution to live in the district, the politics of the situation require it as a practical political matter.
Former Congressman John Boccieri did not live in the 16th when he decided to run for the seat in 2008. But he got the message and moved into the district (Alliance).
Under the Fortner configuration, current 17th District Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan would likely become Stark County's congressional representative. Below is a extract map and partial data from the Ohio League of Women Voters website.
ORIGINAL BLOG
Odds are that were state Rep. Christina Hagan to run for Carnation Days Queen in the Carnation City (Alliance, Ohio), she might experience a different result than her crowning event in 2007.
Appointed earlier this year when 50th District Representative Todd Snitchler jumped ship for a high paying ($124,500) job in the Kasich administration, Hagan has distinguished herself in voting in lockstep with the folks who are responsible for her appointment; namely, the Ohio House Republican caucus. Of course, voting the party line is understandable when one goes from being a restaurant server and college student to making $60,000 a year with no prior experience. One wouldn't expect her "to bite the hand that feeds her."
Her vote to sever Alliance from the rest of Stark County, in terms of what congressional district Alliance sits in, may come back to haunt her one day and the next time it will not be whether or not she is elected Carnation Days Queen.
Alliance now resides in the 16th congressional district and is the home of former Democratic Congressman John Boccieri.
A part of the the slicing and dicing of Stark County by Hagan and her political pals in Columbus was two-fold in the opinion of the SCPR. First, get rid of most of Canton and Massillon out of Republican Congressman Jim Renacci's 16th District and to put Boccieri outside the district.
Because Boccieri has a substantial name ID and credentials as being a former congressman, he represents the biggest threat to Renacci returning to Congress.
Being the Republican loyalist she is over and beyond Stark County interests, Hagan not only voted for the Stark County carve up; she also - under the tutelage of the Republican Columbus political pros - tried the spin Stark being split up into three districts as being a good thing.
But Alliance is not buying the spin.
Last night Alliance City Council passed a resolution dissing the fracturing of Stark County to put Alliance in the 13th Congressional District and Democrat Paul Ryan and the likes of Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Resolution 79-11: Introduced by Andreani: A Resolution objecting to the proposed Congressional redistricting and requesting that the State elected Officials establish Congressional Districts which maintain the City of Alliance with Stark County Congressional representation.The resolution passed by unanimous voice vote (four Democrats, three Republicans).
The SCPR hears that the Hagans (Christina and her father and former state Rep. John Hagan [2000 - 2008]) like to hang out in Alliance.
Perhaps now they will be looking for alternative haunts in that they are likely to hear it from dissatisfied Alliance residents and public officials.
Here is a video of the reactions of Republican Councilman-at-Large Alan Andreani and Democratic Councilman-at-Large Steve Okey (who are opposing one another for mayor of Alliance this November) to the Hagan endorsed excising of Alliance from the rest of Stark County.
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