VOLUME 7 - GETTING TO KNOW THE REPUBLICANS RUNING FOR STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER (THE BERNABEI VACATED SEAT)

Today's blog is the seventh in a video-based series so that Stark Countians can get know the Republican candidates (recorded February 17th) for Stark County commissioner for the position vacated by "independent" Thomas Bernabei (12/31/2015) on his being elected mayor of Canton.

The SCPR wanted to do the same for Democrats but it proved problematic getting in contact with candidates Ferguson and Slesnick.  Slesnick for sure is out right avoiding the SCPR.

The Report has interviewed Canton Ward 5 councilman Kevin Fisher (LINK).

As a SCPR sidenote, The Report URGES readers to avail themselves of an opportunity to meet with candidates Mungo and Smith together with all other Stark County political subdivision candidates for office in the Republican and Democratic primary elections and, of course, in the November general election by attending a Canton area League of Women Voters candidates forum (LINK) to be held TONIGHT at the Downtown Campus (formerly Timken Senior High School) of the newly restructured Canton McKinley Senior High School.

In this particular series, The Report will be publishing in digestible bites the nearly one and one-half hour videotaped interview of February 17th of Republican commissioner candidates Mungo and Smith.

Today's blog focuses on the candidates' view on the commissioners' reaching out and interacting with Stark County citizens.

Here is the video of that part of the the SCPR/Mungo/Smith interview:



Here are links to prior blogs in this series:

• Candidates' narrative on their backgrounds (LINK),
• Candidates on values/experience (LINK),
• Candidates on the role of private sector in county government (LINK),
• Candidates on their respective motivations in running for county commissioner (LINK), 
• Candidates on the part that partisan politics plays in county government (LINK),
• Candidates on changes to be made in how county government is run and the role of the "bully pulpit" as a tool of governance (LINK),
• Mungo on need to repair Foster family program of Jobs&Family Services,
• Mongo on commissioners weighing in on countywide Heroin problem,
• Smith on making government more efficient/responsive (e.g. getting building permit) to Stark Citizens,
• Both on county commissioners lack of power/authority on various issues which come up,

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

First, candidate Mungo's self-published background document:



Next up, candidate Smith's self-published background document:



LINKS TO CANDIDATES' SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE

Candidate Dave Mungo

• Website LINK
• Facebook LINK

Candidate Bill Smith

• Facebook page LINK

VOLUME 6 - GETTING TO KNOW THE REPUBLICANS RUNING FOR STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER (THE BERNABEI VACATED SEAT)

UPDATED/REVISED 03/10/2016 AT 06:15 AM

CANDIDATE MUNGO ACCUSED OF DISSING AULTMAN HOSPTIAL

VIDEO

MUNGO & SMITH 

ON

CHANGES TO BE MADE IN COUNTY GOV'T

&

USING THE "BULLY PULPIT" TO EFFECT CHANGE

This blog is the sixth in a video-based series so that Stark Countians can get know the Republican candidates (recorded February 17th) for Stark County commissioner for the position vacated by "independent" Thomas Bernabei (12/31/2015) on his being elected mayor of Canton.

The SCPR wanted to do the same for Democrats but it proved problematic getting in contact with candidates Ferguson and Slesnick.  Slesnick for sure is out right avoiding the SCPR.

The Report has interviewed Canton Ward 5 councilman Kevin Fisher (LINK).

Up until yesterday, it appeared to the SCPR that his campaign was more or less a "love-in" of sorts in that the candidates as seemingly are, confirmed by the video session of the 17th, highly respectful of one another.  (Note:  see links to previous five videos below)

However, yesterday in a conversation with a person, whom the SCPR views as being highly credible, shared with The Report an incident in which the source claims that after a  joint appearance of Candidates Mungo and Smith at a Stark GOP women's organization event in February, Candidate Mungo in a chit-chat with the attendees on medical matters (Mungo is a prominent Alliance area orthopedic surgeon) expressed the opinion that Aultman Hospital is a terrible hospital.

The Report contacted Mungo and he responded to the allegation with these words:

Dave Mungo <dave@davemungo.com>
Today at 6:39 AM

To:  Martin Olson

That is ridiculous. 

I may have talked about how I think alliance [sic] does a great job at some things compared to others.  

I will have a discussion on healthcare if you want. 

I chose to have Aultcare insurance and my wife and I chose to have her get a recent surgery at Aultman. 

We had a choice also. 

I also know there were some good friends of Bill's at that meeting too. This sounds like a very peculiar statement that is not accurate. 

Dave

An interesting divergence of perspective, no?

To reinforce the SCPR's take on the apparent relationship between Smith and Mungo take a look at the following video of their February 17th  interview on the posed questions:

• Changes that they might bring to Stark County government if elected commissioner, and
• The role of the "bully pulpit" in county governance,

So, The Report was amazed to hear the report of Mungo dissing Aultman.

Yours truly does not whom to believe on the matter.

The Report's source—to repeat—has always been right on the mark in terms of credibility.

On the other hand, Candidate Mungo has given no indication of going ugly like the dissing of Aultman suggests.

As a SCPR sidenote, The Report URGES readers to avail themselves of an opportunity to meet with candidates Mungo and Smith together with all other Stark County political subdivision candidates for office in the Republican and Democratic primary elections and, of course, in the November general election by attending a Canton area League of Women Voters candidates forum (LINK) to be held at Downtown Campus (formerly Timken Senior High School) of the newly restructured McKinley Senior High School next Thursday, March 10, 2016, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In this particular series, The Report will be publishing in digestible bites the nearly one and one-half hour videotaped interview of February 17th of Republican commissioner candidates Mungo and Smith.

Today's blog focuses on the candidates' responses to the SCPR posed question:  Changes to be made in how county government is run and the role of the "bully pulpit" as a tool of governance.

Here are links to prior blogs in this series:

• Candidates' narrative on their backgrounds (LINK),
• Candidates on values/experience (LINK),
• Candidates on the role of private sector in county government (LINK),
• Candidates on their respective motivations in running for county commissioner (LINK), 
• Candidates on the part that partisan politics plays in county government (LINK),

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

First, candidate Mungo's self-published background document:



Next up, candidate Smith's self-published background document:



LINKS TO CANDIDATES' SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE

Candidate Dave Mungo

• Website LINK
• Facebook LINK

Candidate Bill Smith

• Facebook page LINK

VOLUME 5 - GETTING TO KNOW THE REPUBLICANS RUNING FOR STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER (THE BERNABEI VACATED SEAT)

VIDEO

THE ROLE OF PARTISAN POLTICS
IN 
COUNTY GOVERNANCE

CANDIDATES IN THEIR OWN WORDS

The most compelling of the two commissioner seats up for grabs in this election cycle is the one to fill the commissioner spot vacated by Tom Bernabei when he became mayor of Canton on January 1, 2016.

On Wednesday, February 17th,  The Stark County Political Report sat down with the two Republican candidates in the contest and peppered them with questions designed to assist Republican primary voters in deciding whom to vote for in the upcoming in less than 30 days primary election of March 15, 2016.

Early voting is already underway.

As a SCPR sidenote, The Report URGES readers to avail themselves of an opportunity to meet with candidates Mungo and Smith together with all other Stark County political subdivision candidates for office in the Republican and Democratic primary elections and, of course, in the November general election by attending a Canton area League of Women Voters candidates forum (LINK) to be held at Downtown Campus (formerly Timken Senior High School) of the newly restructured McKinley Senior High School on Thursday, March 10, 2016, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In this particular series, The Report will be publishing in digestible bites the nearly one and one-half hour videotaped interview of February 17th of Republican commissioner candidates Mungo and Smith.

Today's blog focuses on the candidates' responses to the SCPR posed question:  What motivated you to run for Stark County commissioner?  And, whether or not the respective candidate plans on being a part-time or full-time commissioner.

Here are links to prior blogs in this series:

• Candidates' narrative on their backgrounds, Friday February 19th,  (LINK),
• Candidates on values/experience, Tuesday, February 23rd (LINK),
• Candidates on the role of private sector in county government (LINK),
• Candidates on their respective motivations in running for county commissioner (LINK),

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

First, candidate Mungo's self-published background document:



Next up, candidate Smith's self-published background document:



LINKS TO CANDIDATES' SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE

Candidate Dave Mungo

• Website LINK
• Facebook LINK

Candidate Bill Smith

• Facebook page LINK

VIDEO

VOLUME 5 - THE ROLE OF PARTISAN POLITICS IN COUNTY GOVERNANCE

VOLUME 4 - GETTING TO KNOW THE REPUBLICANS RUNING FOR STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER (THE BERNABEI VACATED SEAT)

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION

SCPR VIDEO SERIES 

ON

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY CANDIDATES

BILL SMITH       DAVE MUNGO

MOTIVATION FOR RUNNING
 Smith
Prepared After 14  Years as Township Trustee

Mungo
God's Calling

VIDEO

CANDIDATES IN THEIR OWN WORDS

One of the more interesting elective offices on the Stark County political landscape is that of Stark County commissioner.

County commissioner is an office that Stark Countians look to when something goes wrong in government functioning within the county whether or not the commissioners have direct authority to deal with the problem.

Many if not most times, they do not.

But the can and do in "bully pulpit" fashion lean on the following list of elected officials especially on fiscal matters as the commissioners do have authority (except, perhaps with the judges) to control the budgets the the below listed elective offices.

Most authority in county government is in the hands of those elected to head various departments of county government, to wit:

• the Stark County auditor (Alan Harold, a Republican),
• the Stark County coroner ) (P.S. Murthy, a Democrat),
• the Stark County engineer (Keith Bennett, a Democrat),
• the Stark County prosecutor (John Ferrero, a Democrat),
• the Stark County recorder (Rick Campbell, a Democrat), and
• the Stark County treasurer (Alex Zumbar, a Republican)
  

 And, of course, there are the Stark County Common Pleas court judgeships:

• General Division:
  • John Haas, a Democrat,
  • Taryn Heath, a Democrat,
  • Frank Forchione, a Democrat,
  • Kristin Farmer, a Republican, and
  • Chryssa Hartnett, a Democrat
• Family Division,
  • Jim Jones, a Republican,
  • Mike Howard, a Republican,
  • Rosemarie Hall, a Republican,
• Probate Division,
  • Dixie Park, a Republican
    

The most compelling of the two commissioner seats up for grabs in this election cycle is the one to fill the commissioner spot vacated by Tom Bernabei when he became mayor of Canton on January 1, 2016.

On Wednesday, February 17th,  The Stark County Political Report sat down with the two Republican candidates in the contest and peppered them with questions designed to assist Republican primary voters in deciding whom to vote for in the upcoming in less than 30 days primary election of March 15, 2016.

Early voting is already underway.

As a SCPR sidenote, The Report URGES readers to avail themselves of an opportunity to meet with candidates Mungo and Smith together with all other Stark County political subdivision candidates for office in the Republican and Democratic primary elections and, of course, in the November general election by attending a Canton area League of Women Voters candidates forum (LINK) to be held at Downtown Campus (formerly Timken Senior High School) of the newly restructured McKinley Senior High School on Thursday, March 10, 2016, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In this particular series, The Report will be publishing in digestible bites the nearly one and one-half hour videotaped interview of February 17th of Republican commissioner candidates Mungo and Smith.

Today's blog focuses on the candidates' responses to the SCPR posed question:  What motivated you to run for Stark County commissioner?  And, whether or not the respective candidate plans on being a part-time or full-time commissioner.

Here are links to prior blogs in this series:

• Candidates' narrative on their backgrounds, Friday February 19th,  (LINK),
• Candidates on values/experience, Tuesday, February 23rd (LINK),
• Candidates on the role of private sector in county government (LINK),

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

First, candidate Mungo's self-published background document:



Next up, candidate Smith's self-published background document:



LINKS TO CANDIDATES' SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE

Candidate Dave Mungo

• Website LINK
• Facebook LINK

Candidate Bill Smith

• Facebook page LINK

VIDEO

VOLUME 4 - WHAT IS THE MOVTIVATION FOR RUNNING?

VOLUME 1 - GETTING TO KNOW THE REPUBLICANS RUNING FOR STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

VIDEOS

Volume 1

Candidates Mungo & Smith

on their backgrounds

"In their Own Words"

One of the more interesting elective offices on the Stark County political landscape is that of Stark County commissioner.

The most compelling of the two commissioner seats up for grabs in this election cycle is the one to fill the commissioner spot vacated by Tom Bernabei when he became mayor of Canton on January 1, 2016.

On Wednesday The Stark County Political Report sat down with the two Republican candidates in the contest and peppered them with questions designed to assist Republican primary voters in deciding whom to vote for in the upcoming in less than 30 days primary election of March 15, 2016.

Early voting is already underway.

In this particular series, The Report will be publishing in digestible bites the nearly one and one-half hour videotaped interview of Wednesday.

Today's segment is on "Getting to Know the Candidates" and their background.

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

First, candidate Mungo's self-published background:



Next up, candidate Smith's self-published background:



LINKS TO CANDIDATES' SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE

Candidate Dave Mungo

• Website LINK
• Facebook LINK

Candidate Bill Smith

• Facebook page LINK

VIDEO

VOLUME 1 - CANDIDATES TALK ABOUT THEIR BACKGROUNDS