ROUND 4: JAKMIDES VERSUS FERRERO, NOVEMBER 2016

AUDIO

Jakmides

on

Ferrero Upsurge of Direct Indictments

Canton Municipal Court

From now through the November general election, The Stark County Political Report will be covering the Stark County prosecutor's race in detail.

A goal of the SCPR is to provide the Stark County voting public with thoroughgoing information to base a vote upon in voting for various elective office this coming November.

So far the SCPR has opened up a far ranging consideration of the election for Stark County prosecutor:

• Blog of March 28 (LINK),
• Blog of March 30 (LINK),
• Blog of April 19 (LINK),

But the focus has been on Prosecutor John Ferrero's reluctance to full fledged direct indictment program.

Another issue which Ferrero has refused to address, is the role that the prosecutor and for that matter the sheriff should be taking to get accused felons and misdemeants off Stark County streets and out of our neighborhoods and into the county's criminal justice system so that a final determination can be made as to whether or not they belong in the general citizen population.

Here is a copy of an e-mail the SCPR has sent Ferrero:

Martin Olson <tramols@att.net>
Apr 18 at 9:05 AM
To:  Ferrero

John,

You undoubtedly read The Rep's recent article on the backlog of warrants among various police jurisdictions across Stark County.

My questions to you:

Is the Stark County prosecutor's office doing anything in terms of working with these police agencies to abate the backlog and to create ways and means to keep the service of warrants on a no significant backlog status.

If so, what specifically is being done.

If   not, why not?

Thanks,
Martin/SCPR

Though his office is the recipient of several millions of taxpayer dollars as part of the 2009 passed dedicated Justice System Sales Tax (1/2 cent), Ferrero apparently feels that as one of Stark County's leading law enforcement officials (Sheriff George T. Maier, being the other) has no role to play in getting those charged of crimes into Stark's criminal justice system for a resolution of guilt or innocence.

Ferrero did, however, respond to the continuing dispute between him and November Republican political opponent Jeff Jakmides as to whether or not Ferrero has been all over the map on the matter of instituting a countywide direct indictment program which has the potential to save many tax dollars for other public beefit purposes.

The Jakmides campaign has offered the following as evidence to The Stark County Political Report of  Jakmides' claimed Ferrero' willy-nilly approach to implementing direct indictment in Stark County.



Ferrero countered with the following:



The SCPR will leave up to the reader as to whom to believe on the issue of whether or not Ferrero has been consistent.

Jakmides in this audio of a message he left with me yesterday credits:

• himself, 
• The Stark County Political Report, and 
• Ron Ponder of Points to Ponder (WHBC 1480 Newstalk)

with having caused a change in Canton Municipal Court criminal case process procedures as saving taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars.

The audio:



The Report has asked Canton Municipal Court officials to validate/invalidate Jakmides claim with actual comparative numbers.

Here are the actual numbers:

A thank you to Canton Municipal Court Chief Deputy Clerk of Courts Kody Gonzalez for providing the information.

Also weighing-in on the matter of the "status call" on preliminary hearings is evidenced by this communication issued by the Canton Municipal Court judges a couple of weeks ago:



What needs to happened with the Jakmides/Ferrero contest is for the two of them to either do a joint interview with the SCPR and/or Ponder on this very issue.

Undoubtedly, Jakmides will agree.

But John Ferrero likely will not.

One of the questions the SCPR would put to Ferrero on an "on camera" interview would be:  Is the person accused in the following Ferrero Facebook page entry entitled to have legal counsel in the American system of justice:

 Under questioning, Ferrero would have to backtrack big time.

The Report is led to believe that Ferrero rankled the folks at the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel's office over his Facebook comment.

The SCPR thinks it is an unacceptable campaign tactic in light of our American legal tradition (something that Prosecutor Ferrero without a doubt knows) that everybody is entitled to his/her day in court and that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty to a reasonable doubt by a judge or jury, as the case may be.

John Ferrero should issue a retraction of the statement Facebook and tell Stark Countians that Jakmides in representing the accused person was doing what lawyers of the highest ethics do and those who refuse to represent the unpopular are of questionable ethics insofar as the decision rests solely on "what will people think of me."

To try to make a political opponent doing his job as a lawyer an object of citizen contempt is reprehensible, contemptible and for those of us who understand, appreciate and cherish our system of justice and was way over the bounds of propriety of lawyer conduct and therefore is not fair game in a political contest.

Publicly apologize Mister Ferrero!

The Report thinks Prosecutor Ferrero is among that group of Stark County political subdivision (villages, cities, townships and boards of education) that either:

• is selective of what issues they will or will not address for the benefit of the voting public,
• whom (perceived to be friendly or unfriendly) they will take questions from, or, and worst of all not take any questions at all from anybody,

as they view themselves unaccountable to the Stark County public and/or the electorate in their respective political subdivisons.

Ferrero like Canton councilman Thomas West who is running for state representative in the 49th Ohio House District against Republican Dan McMasters probably thinks he has an electoral advantage over Jakmides and therefore cherry picks what he will respond to and to whom he will respond.

The SCPR thinks that as elected officials Ferrero, West and those of that ilk should in the mind of voters  being put on a "suspect" list of candidates for Stark County political office when the seemingly "unaccountable" ones refuse to answer questions period or who will take questions from only some media outlets that they deem friendly towards if not supportive of their candidacies.

Such are the insecurities of many candidates for political office.

Not folks we should want in office, no?

What are they hiding from? should be the question that voters ask themselves.

For today it is a media person.  Tomorrow that same official will not be willing to be accountable to an everyday citizen who asks embarrassing or penetration questions of them.

Ferrero has shown some willingness to engage.  But as said above, he will pick and choose when to answer.

Until John Ferrero:

• opens up to all questions from whatever source on his performance in office and issues relevant to his being one of Stark's chief law enforcement officials, and
• raises the ethical level of his campaign,

 Stark Countians should place him on a high level "to be scrutinized carefully" list.
 There is still time for Prosecutor John Ferrero to redeem himself.

But, will he?