VOLUME 5 SCPR SERIES: A "MERE" 13.7% OF STARK COUNTIANS VOTE ON 05/06/2014! HOW ABOUT STARK'S PUBLIC OFFICIALS?

UPDATE
08/06/2014
07:00 PM

VIDEO

COMMISSIONER RICHARD REGULA
AT TODAY'S COMMISSIONERS MTG
CONGRATULATES
PARENTS
RALPH & MARY REGULA
ON
64 YEARS OF MARRIAGE 

Today's blog coincidentally dealt with public officials/figures setting a good example for the citizenry by voting at each and every election no matter what.

Former Congressman Regula who will be 90 on December 3rd of this year and his wife have set an excellent example.  They are listed along with son Richard as voting in the May 6, 2014 election even though it was a sparse ballot.

ORIGINAL BLOG

 DATABASES PUBLISHED

TOWNSHIP ELECTED OFFICIALS

BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP

A reader of the SCPR tried to convince the writer of this blog to analyze and publish voting data for an election other than an off-year primary election.

Such a database, he said, would be more indicative of the voting patterns/habits of Stark Countians.

Well, the SCPR is more interested about who votes when  there is nothing "glitzy" about the election.  And certainly the May, 6 2014 primary election was a clear case of it taking "dedication to our 'democratic-republican' system of government and politics" to know who the "hard core" of supporters of our system really are.

The SCPR says that voting in an election like the May 6th primary is a true honoring of those founding fathers who put our system together and to those millions of Americans who have "given their final measure" to protect our way of collective life.

Accordingly, The Report continues this blog series on the pathetic participation of the voting hoi polloi of Stark County in the May 6, 2014 in what the SCPR says belongs in the Hall of Shame of the annals of Stark County voting history.

Some of the most ardent participants in our system of government are public officials.

As well, it should be.

For if those elected will not vote, then one would have to conclude that perhaps our system of government "is on the ropes" and someone will come along sooner of later to convince us that maintaining our freedoms is not all that important after all.

Especially so in this 21st century when security of the nation seems to be at the forefront of our concerns in the context of a world increasingly occupied by terrorists and the like, we Americans could be increasingly vulnerable to having fast-talking politicians sacrifice our vigilance.

The problem in Stark County on commitment to voting is maily with Stark's everydays.

In the SCPR's series on voting percentages across Stark County in the May 6, 2014 primary election, only 13.7% of Stark Countians voting with one precinct in Canton Councilwoman Chris Ward's Ward 4 voting at 2.03%.

Truly Stark County's voting numbers in May, 2014 is deserving of being tabbed as a "Hall of Shame" performance.

An examination of the Stark County "township" elected public officials voting on May 6th indicates that a supermajority of them voted.

However, even at 18% of township elected officials not-voting as indicated by a Stark County Board of Elections database (the SCPR's source) is way too high.

It is somewhat surprising that 17.65% of elected township officials did not vote in this primary election because most elected township officials are Republicans.

Once one gets outside Stark's urban areas (the SCPR will continue to report on those voting districts in ensuing blogs; also Stark's smaller cities and its villages), the political partisan make up is decidedly Republican.

And Republicans are thought by some to take their citizenship responsibilities a tad more seriously than Democrats.

Even though Republican township elected officials outnumber Democrats better than 2 to 1, the nearly 18% failure to vote does not substantiate the perception that Republicans outperform Democrats in voting regularity.

Those elected Stark County township officials not voting (according to the Stark BOE) include:

• Canton Township
•  
  
• William Mittas, trustee
• Bill Smith, trustee
• Jackson Township

• John Pizzino

• Lexington Township
• Jim McNeil, fiscal officer
• Nimishillen Township (see photos above)
• Lou Johnson
• Mike Lynch
• Lisa Shafer
• Pike Township
• Steven Knox, fiscal officer
• Plain Township (see photos above)
• Scott Haws
• Al Leno
• Sandy Township
• Cathy McKinney, fiscal officer
• Sugarcreek Township
• Pat Bucher, trustee
• Tuscarawas Township
• John Speicher
• Washington Township
• Randy Rogers, trustee
• Maurice DeHoff, trustee

Today, the SCPR begins to publish a list of voting and non-voting  Stark Countians who reside in Stark's townships.

In alphabetical order (the smaller townships; not including Jackson, Lake, Perry and Plain Township [which will be focused upon in individual blogs at a later date) the Stark County Political Report starts with Bethlehem Township, the home for long term but now retired congressman Ralph Regula and his son Richard who is a sitting Stark County commissioner.

Bethlehem Township did relatively well in voting at about 34% when compared to countywide voting at 13.7%.  However, the township did have a school levy issue to vote on which lost.
 
Even at 34%, it is appalling in our democratic-republican system of government that 17% (plus one voter over the opposition vote) of "registered voters," which is significantly short of folks who could register to and actually vote, decide the future course of education in the Fairless Local School District.

Check back for updates to this blog until all 13 of Stark's smaller township's May 6, 2014 voting statistics have been published.