When it comes to running for office, the involvement of a family member in a political campaign can be very unsettling to the family as a whole.
All of a sudden persons who are private persons get thrust derivatively into being a public figure of sorts.
For instance, in the Stark Court Court of Common Pleas judge race, Republican Curtis Werren has focused in his campaign literature somewhat on the fact that he and his wife Stephanie (a full blown public figure inasmuch as she is a North Canton councilperson in her on right) are the parents of triplets.
Having triplet children is a relative rarity.
Undoubtedly, Werren is proud of his children and would want to picture them in campaign literature as an integral part of a wholesome and vibrant American family whether or not they are triplets.
But the uniqueness factor that Werren children are triplets just might turn out to be a difference maker in a close election.
Democrat Chryssa Hartnett has a family, too.
Notwithstanding they are not triplets, Hartnett also is proud of her three daughters and wants all of Stark County to see that the Hartnetts are not to be outdone in terms of wholesomeness and vibrancy.
So whether they want it or not, family members get put into the public limelight when a mom or dad runs for political office.
Sometimes spouses of candidates want no part of the public notice of a candidate's family that is hard to avoid in political campaigns.
But the Werren/Hartnett face off does not appear to be a case of the spouses of the candidates being uninvolved in his/her campaign.
The SCPR was somewhat surprised to receive this communication yesterday from Tom Hartnett, husband of Chryssa Hartnett.
Surprising?
Yes, in that it was sent on a Day Ketterer Law Firm embossed e-mail form.
Werren is a former member of the law firm until he left the practice of law (unless one considers "Of counsel" to be the practice of law) and went off to become president of the Stark County chapter of the American Red Cross.
Don't you have to wonder what the other 39 or so partners at Day Ketterer think of Tom Hartnett's use of the Day Ketterer name in campaigning for his wife?
Day Ketterer includes among its number "rainmaker-in-chief' John Werren who is Curtis' father.
Another powerful legal community name behind Curtis Werren is his father-in-law Randy Snow, wife Stepanie's father.
He is chairman of Curtis' campaign.
So while the focus of this blog is on the immediate family of Werren and Hartnett, there certainly is also an "extended" family factor with John, Randy, Day Ketterer and Black McCuskey.
The Stark County Political Report has to think that there is a lot of infighting going on over this campaign within the walls of Day Ketterer and, perhaps, Black McCuskey.
It is likely that the political infighting is discomforting to say the least among the hoity-toits who staff these firms.
To the rest of us, it has to be amusing.
Unfortunately, Stephanie Werren has not sent the SCPR an e-mail extolling the virtues of her husband-candidate.
However, despite the fact that the SCPR has written several blogs before this one to the effect that clearly indicates that The Report thinks Chryssa Hartnett is heads and shoulders more qualified to be judge than the Republican governor John Kasich appointed Curtis Werren, the SCPR believes in fair play.
Accordingly, here are some excerpts from Werren campaign literature to balance out Tom Hartnett's promoting of his wife's candidacy.
It should be of some comfort to the Werren supporters reading this blog to know that the SCPR thinks Chryssa Hartnett has "a huge mountain to climb" (i.e. Governor Kasich's is the impending historical level wipeout of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald) if she is to be elected Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge.
The Werren campaign literature material (excerpts):
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