(HEALY VIDEO): RANCOR AMONG STARK'S TOP DEMOCRATS AT CLINTON, STRICKLAND & BOCCIERI RALLY?

UPDATE: 11/02/2010 - 4:30 p.m.

Stark County Democratic Party Chairman Randy Gonzalez contacted yours truly with a different version of the event than reported in the original blog which came from a source who was in a position to know the account provided by the chairman.  Obviously, the source failed to relate to The Report everything that he knew or was in a position to know.

Gonzalez says he had no say over how Saturday's rally was handled.  Moreover, he says that the program of, the content of, the order of, the location of and the participants in the event were directed by a combination of Clinton and Strickland aides,

Gonzalez said that he was only able to get seven persons into the greeting/reception event that occurred inside Tozzi's.  The inside event was, according to Gonzalez, a fundraiser for Congressman Boccieri.


ORIGINAL BLOG

It was supposed to be a Stark County Democratic Party love-in.  But did it turn out to be that?

Perhaps not.

The Stark County Political Report has learned that there was a list of the top 40 Democrats who were allowed into Tozzi's on 12th Street NW to meet and greet former president Bill Clinton, Governor Ted Strickland, Attorney General Richard Cordray and Congressman John Boccieri when they arrived at the restaurant early Saturday afternoon to a "get out the vote" (GOTV) rally.

As usual at these events, the dignitaries were running late.  In this case about an hour, hour and one-half late.

It was cool and somewhat windy day, but not intolerably so for those (including the media) who were patiently waiting for the luminaries to show up.

However, a few of Stark's top Democrats apparently felt discomforted with the brisk weather and had the option to be inside of Tozzi's restaurant (the site of the rally being outside to the rear of the building). 

The Report hears that a couple of such persons were former Stark County Democratic Party chair Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (also clerk of courts in Massillon, a member of the Stark Co. Board of Elections and a member the state of Ohio Board of Nursing) and his staunch Massillon political ally Kathy Catazaro-Perry (a member of Massillon City Council and thought by many to be in line to challenge Democrat Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr. in next May's Democratic primary).

So as the story goes, one of the two says "let's go inside."  Standing nearby was Stark County Commissioner Pete Ferguson who apparently was also feeling the chill.  On hearing the talk about moving inside, Ferguson reportedly asked if he could go with them.

Answer:  "No, you are not on the list."

Hmm?  A list.

The Report hears that a list of 40 Stark County Democrats was put together and in addition to Commissioner Ferguson, some of Stark's top Democrats who were not included.  Not included was long time Stark County of Common Pleas judge Richard Reinbold (running today against Republican Scott Oelslager in Ohio's 29th Senate district) and Commissioner Todd Bosley (running against Republican Todd Snitchler in Ohio's 50th House district).

So, you have to cut the list off somewhere, no?

Of course.

But when you hear that Catazaro-Perry was on the list as well as Commissioner Steve Meeks (running against Republican Janet Creighton for the vacated Bosley commissioner seat) and Tom Harmon (who holds not an elected office) and a friend of Tom Harmon, you just have to wonder what the criteria was for being on the list.

Apparently, being on the list was a function of being politically close to Stark County Democratic Party Chairman Randy Gonzalez and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (who many believe did not "really" give up the party chairmanship about a year ago now).

Chairman Gonzalez has come under fire from Democrats running for office this year for not providing them time and space on the platform to ask the the estimated 1,000 for their vote and campaign support in the waning days of the 2010 campaign.

News clips of a competing Republican rally at congressional candidate Jim Renacci's headquarters, show that the Republicans did have their Stark County-based candidates on the dais.

A local Democrat who did get time and space before the 1,000 person throng was Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II.

To The Report, Healy's appearance was sort of ironic.

Healy's main point was to cajole members of the audience into staffing a GOTV effort for today.

Hmm?  Let's see.  A member of the Stark County Democratic Top 40 asking the "unprivileged" to make him and his fellow elites look good today and in some cases to put or keep them in office.

A neat trick if you can pull it off, no?

Here is a video of Healy exhorting the crowd.

(VIDEO INCLUDED) MASSILLION MAYOR FRANCIS H. CICCHINELLI, JR IS ONE STEP AHEAD OF HIS POLITICAL OPPONENTS? HE KNOWS THAT IT IS NOT WISE TO TAKE ON HIGHLY MOTIVATED CITIZENS, EVEN ONES NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN HIS UPCOMING ELECTION.

It appears that Massillon City Councilwoman Kathy Catazaro-Perry was about to deliver a political blow to Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr.

But not on your "political life," if you are Cicchinelli.

A fixture in Massillon politics since the 1980s, the tigerland mayor has been in many political fights and novices like Catazaro-Perry are at a real disadvantage when it comes to political infighting with Mayor Cicchinelli.

Of course, she does have the politically sophisticated Johnnie A. Maier, Jr (Massillon clerk of courts and former chair of the Stark County Democratic Party) in her corner as well as Massillon Municipal Court Judge Eddie Elum and Stark County Democratic Party Political Director Shane Jackson (Maier's chief deputy).

In the judgment of the Stark County Political Report, none of the three are much of a political match for Cicchinelli.  Sources (including Mayor Cicchinelli himself) tell the SCPR that for years Catazaro-Perry (KCP-Forces), Maier, Elum and Jackson have been working to oust Cicchinelli from being THE political power in Massillon.

A crucial, and probably the last political battle for Cicchinelli, will be fought between the mayor and the KCP Forces next May in the Democratic Party primary.  Mayor Cicchinelli is running for re-election and political observers speculate the either Catazaro-Perry or Judge Elum will be his opponent.

One of the ways that Massillon has been surviving economically/financially in these times is through a Cicchinelli-led drive of aggressive annexation.

In announcing his bid for re-election back in June, Mayor Cicchinelli cited unfinished business in the realm of annexation as a prime motivator for his running again.

Recently, he has caused an outcry from nearby townships (Perry and Tusarawas) for his annexation of the R.G. Drage educational facility in Perry and the Poets Glen development in Tuscarawas Township.

Massillon Council supported the Drage and Poets Glen annexations, but all of a sudden things changed when it came to the current effort to annex Bit-o-Eden mobile home park and the adjoining Tuslaw schools.

It's not Bit-o-Eden that has many Tuscarawas Township residents in a rage.  It was the attempt to annex the schools.

The Cicchinelli annexation attack of their schools got activist township residents  in a "we are mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore" modality.

And have they gotten organized!

So much so that the SCPR believe that the KCP-Forces saw an opportunity to gain allies in their effort to remove Cicchinelli as mayor of Massillon next May.

Obviously, Tuscarawas Township residents do not vote in the Massillon mayor's race, but nothing keeps them from campaigning for Catazaro-Perry, Elum or any other person who should decide to challenge Cicchinelli in next year's Democratic primary.

This is where Frank Cicchinelli's political wisdom comes into play.

In backing down from his plan to annex the Tuslaw schools (see The Independent Matt Rink's terrific piece: Massillon mayor drops plan to annex Tuslaw property, September 24, 2010), Cicchinelli demonstrates once again that he is one step ahead of the KCP-Forces.

It is one thing to run against another political power machine much like his own, but to have to run against highly motivated citizens (even non-Massillonians) is quite another.  This has to be his thinking in this political day and age when motivated citizens are showing more and more that they can organize and be quite politically effective.

The SCPR believes that Thursday's move by Cicchinelli was a stroke of political genius by the mayor.

In dropping the Tuslaw annextion he took a lot of the wind out the KCP Forces effort.  However, he is still in for the fight of his political life next May.

But - Mayor Cicchinelli is a political survivor.

Here is a video of Mayor Cicchinelli that the SCPR took on September 7, 2010 (the Stark County Democratic Party selection of a candidate for county treasurer event) in which he talks about the Tuslaw annexation issue.

OHIOANS & STARK COUNTIANS HAVE AN AWFUL CHOICE TO MAKE THIS FALL. STRICKLAND OR KASICH? FOLKS, IT DOESN'T GET MUCH WORSE THAN THIS!

About the only folks who are "bananas" for Governor Ted Strickland these days are the likes of former Stark County Democratic chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.  And who on God's green acre in Ohio could be enthusiastic about his Republican challenger John Kasich?

This race is sort of like when Republican Bob Taft ran for re-election against Democrat Tim Hagan (how a Cuyahoga County commissioner).  The choice clearly is a Hobson's Choice (a free choice in which only one option is offered):  a twiddly dee,  twiddly dum (ho-hum) one, if ever there was one.  Maybe ever worse than "ho-hum."  Either could accentuate Ohio's downward spiral.  To the SCPR, "twiddly dee or dum" would be a better choice.  At least, they are not live human beings and therefore can "do no harm."

Strickland is trying to be folksy again.  Remember, last time out in 2006, he ran as "the man from Duck Run."

This time he wants to appear to be "the man who is in touch with Main Street, Ohio."  Another ruse in the making, no?

But it certainly does not appear that he is a "main-streeter."  Get this.

Man alive!   Strickland apparently was on his way to Main Street, Massillon, Ohio (Cicchinelli-de-ville) but ended up at 900 Path Ridge NE which is Catazaro-Perry-de-ville (home of Kathy Catazaro-Perry, a likely Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr. foe in 2011 - if he decides to run)..

Downtown Massillon is a neat looking community.  Mayor Cicchinelli's administration has done a great job keeping Main Street, Massillon looking spiffy.

But it ain't no Mill Ridge Path!

It is interesting that Strickland could not find his way to Main Street.  To The Report, his misdirection is indicative of how much he has lost the affection of Main Street Ohioans and Stark Countians.

By his own definition, he is a failed governor.  He said that if he failed to fix public education funding problem, he would own up to being a failed governor.  Now, like most politicians, it is one excuse after another, after another, after another as to why he hasn't.

Strickland will likely win in November because the Republicans have made a major mistake in selecting Congressman John Kasich to run against him.

Kasich is spending a lot of time these days explaining how he came to be associated with the discredited Lehman investment banking house that went belly up during the recent banking aspect of the end of the Bush administration financial crisis.  Apparently, Kasich made big money with Lehman, while scores of investors (presumably including Ohioans and Stark Countians) lost their investment dollars.

One has to wonder whether Ohio has an chance at all to dig itself out of the economic/financial doldrums with the likes of Strickland and Kasich leading the way.

Doesn't look like it, either way.

Indeed, Ohioans and Stark Countians DO have an awful choice to make this fall.

And its probably one on which, in reality, there is only one choice.  Whether the choice is Strickland or Kasich,  the result is likely to be more heartache and failure that hits the folks on Main Street the hardest.

The folks on Mill Ridge Path, NE?  Oh, they will do just fine.  They always do!

WILL IT BE CATAZARO-PERRY VERSUS FRANCIS H. CICCHINELLI, JR. COME MAY, 2011? AND WHOM CAN THEY COUNT ON TO BE AMONG THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS? SEE A LIKELY LIST GATHERED BY THE SCPR FROM THEIR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS

REVISED AT 2:37 PM

Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr. has told the SCPR that he will announce this summer as to whether or not he will seek another term as mayor of Massillon.

If he chooses to run and is re-elected, Cicchinelli will have, by the end of his term on December 31, 2015 have been a fixture in Massillon government for 41 years:  27 of them as mayor and the rest in Massillon City Council.


The irony of the prospect of a Catazaro-Perry race is that Cicchinelli was among the first to urge Catazaro-Perry to run for the 3rd Ward seat held by a Republican.  In fact, the photo appearing above is a picture that is posted on Catazaro-Perry's website featuring guests at her fundraiser event in 2006.

Catazaro-Perry (who the SCPR believes under the marked influence of former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. who is Massillon's clerk of courts and a member of the Stark County Board of Elections) has become the arch political enemy of Cicchinelli.

If the Cicchinelli does get officially challenged in the Democratic primary in 2011, it will likely be one of three Stark County mayoralty races in which the incumbent gets taken on by a party insider in the primary with the winner having a cake walk in the general election.


There is a likelihood of Smuckler v. Healy (Democrats - Canton), Davies v. Held (Republicans - North Canton, and, of course, Catazaro-Perry v. Cicchinelli (Democrats - Massillon).

The SCPR believes that these races will fracture both of Stark's main political parties, but moreso the Democrats than the Republicans.

The Report has analyzed the recent campaign finance reports of both Cichinnelli and Catazaro-Perry in order to determine whom (among Stark Democrats) will be "financially" supporting them between now and May, 2011:

In general, it appears to be a line up of the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. wing (Jackson, Elum, et al) of the Stark County Democratic Party versus the anti-Maier wing of the party. 


The Report had received information to the effect that Cicchinelli and Elum were in the process of patching up their differences.  However, The Report spoke to Cicchinelli on Thursday and Friday of last week and the Mayor said that such was not the case.  Moreover, the Mayor said he hardly ever talks with Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

First, here is a list of Cicchinelli's supporters:

Now Kathy Catazaro-Perry: