UPDATED AT 10:10 AM
VIDEO
SHERIFF TIM SWANSON INTERVIEW
WITH
STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT
SOME HIGHLIGHTS
MAIER DID A GOOD JOB
CONLEY EFFORT JUSTIFIED
CONTINUES TO PURSUE
CRIMINAL INQUIRY
CONLEY EFFORT JUSTIFIED
CONTINUES TO PURSUE
CRIMINAL INQUIRY
GONZALEZ TO BLAME
But under the stress of Swanson contesting brother George becoming the appointed sheriff of Stark County, no doubt the relationship has soured.
Stark County's "real" sheriff sat down with the Stark County Political Report at his office yesterday and answered The Report's direct questions.
The video is located at the end of this blog.
Which is a lot more than the "pretender" sheriff will do.
George T. Maier has demonstrated that he will only answer "pattycake" questions and never in his wildest dreams subject himself to head-on-head SCPR questions.
As far as I am concerned, his shielding of himself from the rigors of public accountability is another reason why Stark Countians should question whether or not he should be sheriff if he ever presents himself for Stark County voters to decide the question of his becoming the authentic sheriff of our county.
All Maier has done so far is to place himself under the protective wings of the likes of Stark County Democratic Party (SCDP) chairman Randy Gonzalez, his brother and political promoter Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (a former SCDP chairman [2003-2009] and current executive vice chairman) and Harrison County sheriff Ronald J. Myers.
As I write, George Maier is trying to repair at the expense of Harrison County taxpayers what he says is a "technical" deficiency in qualifying under the statutory law of Ohio after he was bounced from the confines of 4500 Atlantic Boulevard on November 6th for being illegally selected by the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee (SCDPCC) on Feburary 5, 2013 under the sponsorship of Gonzalez and brother Maier, Jr.
On the 5th, Democrats were choosing a successor to November, 2012 sheriff-elect Mike McDonald who, because of illness, was unable to take office. Regrettably, McDonald passed away on February 22nd.
Nowhere in the Supreme Court's decision did the high court say that it was "on a small matter" (the implication of Maier's "technicality" description).
It appears that George has learned well from "the political pro" Johnnie, Jr how to spin things unpleasant and then to avoid taking the tough questions.
Just the kind of person Stark County needs as its next sheriff, no?
George still thinks he is going to be the appointee of the SCDPCC a second time. He already has sent out a letter to SCDPCC members. (Click on graphic to enlarge)
Hmm?
"This service will fulfill the technical statutory problem mentioned in the Supreme Court's opinion."
Hmm? again.
Is George T. Maier making another guarantee?
Apparently, Maier doesn't think twice about using the good people of Harrison County for his selfish purposes.
Here is a copy of a letter sent by local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley to Sheriff Myers. (Click on graphic to enlarge)
And Maier's current stint in Harrison County (as a "qualification" curative effort) is not the first one.
He tried back in January to do "a quick fix" to what Chairman Gonzalez told Sheriff Swanson and Stark County Commissioner Tom Bernabei was a problem Maier appeared to have in qualifying to be Stark County sheriff as the appointee of a Gonzalez facilitated appointment.
The SCPR thinks that it should be just a little bit more than upsetting to Stark Countians that Gonzalez, who at the very minimum had a hint that Maier had qualification problems, would allow the SCDPCC to consider Maier for appointment.
The county has been wrung out in recent years over the furor created when former Stark County chief deputy Vince Frustaci was convicted of having stolen upwards of $3 million of Stark County taxpayer dollars.
Only when Stark Countians decided (as evidenced by their vote in November, 2011 to approve a 0.5% sales tax increase) that the elected-in-November, 2010 commissioners Janet Creighton and Tom Bernabei had restored a modicum of trust in county government officials did it appear that the county was on the road to recovery.
Now the county has the Maier-as-unqualified-sheriff matter to deal with.
As Commissioner Creighton told the SCPR in videotaped comments, the county takes 3 steps forward, only to take 5 backswards.
Who to blame?
The SCPR believes that Chairman Gonzalez is the main person who bears responsibility.
He can hide under the cover of attorneys Steve Okey and Michael Thompson declaring (no legal authority cited, but only on their "mere" legal opinion) Maier qualified.
However, it is clear to The Report from Gonzalez's (in his capacity of SCDP chairman) calling of a meeting at the official digs of the Stark County commissioners (involving Gonzalez, Swanson, Bernabei and Maier [by telephone] and trying to work out "temporary" employment for Maier with Sheriff Swanson as a full-time deputy sheriff in order to cure Maier's suspected qualification problem is indication that he should have known better than to proceed with Maier (declaring in to be qualified) on Feburary 5th.
For doing so, the SCPR thinks Gonzalez needs to apologize to Stark Countians for putting the county through another uproar that clearly does - as Commissioner Creighton said last Wednesday (November 6th) sets the county back in its effort to move forward.
There has been conjecture that Gonzalez will step down as chairman when the SCDPCC re-convenes to select a sheriff appointee.
In view of what the SCPR thinks was a debacle of a meeting on February 5th, it would not be a bad idea for Gonzalez to make the speculation reality.
Here is Sheriff Tim Swanson's full interview with the SCPR that was conducted yesterday afternoon.
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