If the Canton Council-at-Large faces are to change, it will only mean Democrats with a different face and different name.
No Republican has even taken out a petition for the three at-large position. Only goes to show how moribund the Canton part of the Stark County Republican Party is. And the county side is about the same; maybe a tad better - on life support?
Right now there are sure to be at least six candidates for the three slots (Smuckler hasn't filed yet, but does anyone doubt that he will).
The results are likely to be that Smuckler and Cirelli retain their seats.
Who does the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) think will win the "open" seat assuming all the outstanding petitions are filed?
The winner probably will be between Babcock and Vignos on the basis of "the name game" in a large field of candidates.
Odds are that Babcock is likely to make the final cut because the Babcock name still resonates with many Cantonians (Jimmy's father and mother having been mainstays in Canton Democratic politics). The Vignos name is recognized in Canton as being a Republican name. Nevertheless, it should stand out enough to bring Cynthia in right below Babcock for the third spot.
If Babcock gets elected, then will Stark County Auditor Kim Perez have a de facto seat on council?
Babcock works for and is politically close to Perez. The Report's assessment of Jimmy is that he is a nice guy who is probably the best dressed Stark County politician day-in and day-out, but he has very little policy making/political substance to him. He would need Perez to give him gravitas.
