2015 GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT SERIES

CANTON CITY COUNCIL AT LARGE

BABCOCK

HARMON

HART

SMUCKLER

The summary campaign finance sheet tells the story of the one open spot for three council at large spots on Canton City Council.

Take a look:

Harmon the overall leader in raising new money, then Smuckler, then Babcock and bring up the rear with - ZIPPO - is, along with Smuckler and Babcock as incumbents, "independent" Richard Hart.

There is common agreement among the Canton politicos that Harmon and Smuckler are sure bets to win on November 3rd.

The only question is whether Babcock or Hart is going to be the odd-man-out.

If raising campaign funds is any measure of who will win, then unquestionably Hart will be fourth in the race for three spots.

The Report created a blank report on Hart for purposes of this blog.   But the fact of the matter is that his fund raising is so low or perhaps non-existent that he was not required to file a report.

While Hart's lack of fundraising is somewhat surprising to the SCPR, after talking with him a couple weeks back and he seemed to delight that he had other things to do in Columbus the preceding weekend and therefore did no campaigning whatsoever.

The Report thinks Hart has been a positive force on council as council's only "non-Democrat."

Babcock on the other hand is in the estimate a wallflower who is only on council in the first place because his mother (as councilwoman for many years) and his father were prominent Canton politicians and office holders.

Harmon and Smuckler who Smuckler describes as being "best friends," which of course, Harmon will be along with Ward 1 councilman Greg Hawk, and, perhaps, the unopposed Jason Scaglione of Ward 3, will compose the Bill Smuckler bloc in the new 2016-17 Canton City Council have campaign finance reports which show their contributors to be a virtual "who's who" among Canton politicians.

HARMON CFR



Notables among the Harmon contributors include:

• Republican Dan McMasters,
• Mike Hanke (former Repository editor and chief county administrator while Harmon was commissioner),
• Randy Gonzalez (a former Dems' chairman) at a whopping $500,
• George T. Maier (Stark County sheriff) and a bevy of Maier-connection-political associates,
• Canton law director Joe Martuccio,
• Canton chief deputy auditor Gary Young,
• Canton treasurer Kim Perez,
• Mayor William J. Healy, II,
• Canton City Schools treasurer Jeff Gruber
• Note:  Harmon asked Gruber to run against Republican Alan Harold for county auditor in 2012,
• Stark Dems' chairman Phil Giavasis (Harmon's successor as Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts),
• Louis Giavasis (Democratic appointee to the Stark County clerk of courts, a position formerly held by his brother Phil),
• Sam Ferruccio, (Democratic Party appointee to the Stark County Board of Elections),
• Tom Bernabei, Stark County commissioner and "independent" candidate for mayor of Canton,
• Councilman Greg Hawk, Ward 1,
• Councilman at Large Bill Smuckler, 
• Ward 8 councilman Edmond Mack, and
• Canton City Schools president John Rinaldi,

SMUCKLER CFR



Notables contributing to the Smuckler campaign:

• Pretty much a duplicate of Harmon's except for:
• Mayor Healy (these two really don't like each other) especially in view of the fact that Smuckler is invested in "independent" Tom Bernabei's campaign for mayor,
• and Mike Hanke and others who probably don't want Healy to see their names on Smuckler's CFR, to wit:
• Gonzalez,
• Perez, (not likely for the Healy factor)
• the Maier entourage,
• Gary Young,
• Edmond Mack,
• Phil Giavasis,
• Dan McMasters (but certainly for the Healy factor)
• 
  
• Names appearing on the Smuckler list that the SCPR does not recall being on the Harmon list:
• Suzanne Harold (Republican auditor Alan Harold's wife),
• Jennifer Coon (wife of Steve Coon of Coon Restoration of Onesto Hotel restoration notoriety),
• Republican businessman Stephen Mears,
• Republican businessman (Massillon) Neil Genshaft,
• Canton businessman David Worshil,
• Former Canton councilwoman Mary Cirelli,
• Kristen Bates Aylward, Canton Law Department prosecutor,
• Fran Wells (former head of Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Stark County),
• Tom Harmon, of course!,
• Frank Forchione (judge, Stark County Court of Common Pleas), and
• Kristen Guardado, (running as the Dems' candidate Canton Municipal Court against Republican appointee Curtis Werren),

BABCOCK CFR

Notables on the Babcock CFR include (No surprise here):

• TA-DA! - Canton treasurer Kim Perez,
• Note:  Babcock was a Perez hire when Perez was the Stark County auditor,
• One has to wonder why Ward 5 councilman Kevin Fisher is not on the list, no?

Just being facetious, but the question came to mind who is closer?

Bill Smuckler/Tom Harmon or Jimmy Babcock/Kim Perez?

Canton voters should be hoping that Richard Hart is the third person in this race.

Otherwise they may come to think Canton only has 11 councilpersons, no?