STARK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN RANDY GONZALEZ: OWNED "HOOK, LINE & SINKER" BY THE MAIER FACTION OF THE PARTY?

NOTE:  See the SCPR blogs (LINK1) and (LINK2) published earlier today on the Stark County sheriff appointment meeting scheduled for this evening.

"No politics, no hidden agenda?"

And "Sir, Gonzalez would likely say:  can I sell you some swamp land located in Florida?"

The Stark County Political Report believes what Stark Countians are witnessing with the Stark Democratic Party Central Committee selection process of the next Stark County sheriff is:

• through and through political, and 
• rife with hidden agendas.

But Gonzalez has a disarming way about him and the politically unsophisticated may well buy his spin.

Even yours truly enjoys chatting with Gonzalez.  He has a charming manner about himself.

But it is not only the naive who are vulnerable.

The SCPR has witnessed the supposedly politically sophisticated fall prey to Gonzalez's political skills.

One Stark County elected official told The Report how much he liked Gonzalez and that he believed he had a largely unpolitical relationship (the official is a Republican) with the Stark County Democratic Party chairman.

You can imagine the astonishment when some time later, Gonzalez launched a political attack on this same official to yours truly.

Co-incidental with that official's support of Republican sheriff candidate Larry Dordea (against McDonald)?

Hmm?

Apparently, the elected official is none-the-wiser?

Gonzalez has quarreled with yours truly over the years of The Report's blogs (began March 12, 2008) opinionating that he appears to have advantaged himself, his family members and loyal political friends with entree into the inner recesses of Stark County government.

He has protested, that from the Gonzalez standpoint, the officeholding by himself and other family members is a matter of a family tradition of public service and not about sef-service.

He has attempted to bring the SCPR under control by varying between the carrot and stick approach when it comes to obtaining information about the political candidates/operations of the Stark County Democratic Political Party.

His problem is that yours truly has been around enough of the politically consumed to have a pretty good sense of being able to identify them.

Stark County does have officials who are completely dedicated to the public interest and politics is clearly secondary in their lives and, indeed, in their view "a necessary evil."

Stark County commissioner Tom Bernabei and Canton law director Joe Martuccio (both Democrats) come to mind.

While they have a strong sense of political identity, Commissioner Janet Creighton, Stark County Auditor Alan Harold and Stark County Treasurer Alex Zumbar (all Republicans) come to mind as public officials who clearly demonstrate that they set political considerations aside in the performance of their public duties.

The SCPR thinks it is natural that Gonzalez should fall in with the Maier faction of the Massillon/Stark County Democratic Party.

In the view of The Report, Gonzalez/Maier is the perfect political marriage.

They, along with the likes of Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero and Canton mayor William J. Healy, II, are way to political in the estimate of the SCPR to be what The Report likes to see in public officials.

So Gonzalez's letter is no surprise to the SCPR.

But he was undoubtedly surprised that it ended up as an exhibit on the prohibition case filed in the Ohio Supreme Court by sheriff appointment contender Louis A. Darrow.

It is rather obvious that Gonzalez and Maier have underestimated Darrow in terms of his durability and persistence.

The SCPR was being told that Maier supporters were trying to get Darrow to withdraw as a candidate.  However, Darrow himself told yours truly that such was not the case.

One has to wonder how Gonzalez would take it if he were vying for a party appointed position and had a chairman (presiding over the selection process) come out strongly for his opponent(s).

There would probably be no end to the bellyaching, no?

The Report believes that this sheriff appointment fight will linger within the Stark County Democratic Party for years and, perhaps, affect the viability of the party for years to come.

It could be that for the next while, interim sheriff Tim Swanson will remain "interim sheriff" Tim Swanson as the legal swordsmanship continues.

The Report hears that both Gonzalez and George Maier have lawyered up.

Stay tuned folks!

Here is Gonzalez's full letter to the members of the Stark County Political Party Central Committee: