STARK EDUCATORS: OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE EAR OF-PERHAPS-THE NEXT 7TH DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN

UPDATE:  2:16 PM, MONDAY

While incumbent Republican congressman Bob Gibbs appears to be hiding from the constituents of the Stark County portion of the 7th Congressional District and The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) Democratic challenger Ken Harbaugh is flooding Stark County environs and the rest of the district with his presence.

Over the next two weeks, here is his Stark County presence schedule:

Saturday, July 14th 

8AM — Ken and some members of the team are participating in the B.A.N. Litter clean-up at Cedar Elementary. 

10AM — Ken will launch another big door-knocking initiative from the Stark County Democratic HQ — especially as we draw closer to November, we would love to have you come knock doors with the team some time. 

Thursday, July 26th 

6:30PM—Ken Harbaugh will be hosting another in his series of Country Over Party Town Halls. Press Release forthcoming, but it will be held in the Edward Coleman Community Center at 1400 Sherrick Rd SE. Ken has held over a dozen Town Halls in the past few months — including one of the 1st town halls here in Canton back in March. However, he has been asked repeatedly to come back, so we are. 

Consequently Harbaugh seems to be getting a serious look-see as a "underdog" Democrat in the gerrymandered with decidedly Republican tilt by Ohio statehouse Republicans 7th District  (who have supermajority control of the Ohio General Assembly)

On Monday (July 16, 2018) Harbaugh will be at the Perry-Sippo branch of the Stark County District Library in a Town Hall meeting specifically dealing with education issues.

A check of Gibbs "issues" Facebook page shows that "education" is not one of his key issues.

If one believes that Gibbs endeavors to be his own best spokesperson on issues, his government website reveals he has had nothing "official" to say about education since March 6, 2015.

Compare what the Gibbs' website has to say on education issues as contrasted with Harbaugh's press release.

The SCPR is sending a link to this blog to both to Gibbs and Harbaugh camps in hopes that the Gibbs' folks will respond to the Harbaugh challenge on education issue.

Except for one brief e-mail exchange, the Gibbs' campaign has ignored the SCPR's questions and denied The Report access to a Shelby, Ohio appearance in April of this year.

Get this, the SCPR was willing to travel 80 miles (one-way) to Shelby so Stark Countians could get a first hand look at Gibbs on issues in a back and forth between him and constituents ONLY TO BE DENIED.

What is Bob Gibbs hiding from?

Maybe a question whether or not he supports the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, a "from the beginning" Republican goal,"  as a cabinet level entity created in 1980 by then-president Jimmy Carter.

In our wildest dreams, maybe Bob Gibbs will show up unannounced at Harbaugh's Perry-Sippo Town Hall meeting (like John Boccieri did at a 2010 Jim Renacci North Canton Town Hall meeting) so that Stark County voters can assess the two on the education issue.

The SCPR is betting that Bob Gibbs will for the next 116 days (until the general election date of November 6, 2018) be avoiding one-on-ones with Ken Harbaugh at all costs.

And, by the way, he likely will be avoiding the questions of an incisive variety from the likes of The Stark County Political Report.

In any event, Monday at Perry-Sippo presents area educators with a grand opportunity to press their case to Harbaugh that he, if elected to Congress, needs to flesh out his campaign them of "Country over Party" by supporting federal education policies, practices and programs that effectively benefit all Americans.

Area board of educations members, teachers, superintendents and any voter who wants to have the ear of the person who the SCPR thinks has at least a 50/50 chance to unseat Bob Gibbs hear them out on what they think the federal government policies, practices and programs ought to be.