DISCUSSION: THE FRUSTACI SAGA - STARK TREASURER & STARK GOP LEADERSHIP FAILS STARK COUNTIANS?

On March 03, 2008, primary election day, there were a number of significant vacancies on the Republican side of the ballot for countywide offices (non-judicial):

Stark County treasurer,
Stark County prosecutor, and
Stark County engineer.

Unbelievable, simply unbelievable! Current Stark GOP chairman Jeff Matthews has failed Stark voters as has his predecessor Curt Braden.

On March 31, 2009, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) received a tip that Stark County treasurer Gary Zeigler had fired his chief deputy Vince Frustaci was fired amidst allegations of theft from the treasurer's office.

So the days of March 03, 2008 (primary election day - no Republican candidate for treasurer), November 04, 2008 (as an alternative no independent or write-in candidate for treasurer) and March 31, 2009 are days that signal major failures within Stark County political and governmental leadership.

An aspect of the Stark County treasurer office theft caper not discussed in the media so far (except in The Report) is the lack of leadership in the Stark County treasurer's office in terms of the lack of effective oversight and structure so as to have prevented the theft from taking place in the first place.

Another aspect of the Stark County treasurer office theft caper not discussed so far in the media is the role the Stark County Republican Party and its inability to provide political competition in the Stark County treasurer's race in 2008 played in enabling a lacakadaisical leadership attitude to set in within the Stark Treasury leadership and thereby helping to set up conditions for the theft to occur.

THE STARK GOP FAILURE

While Stark County treasurer bears prime responsibility for not having or not properly monitoring checks on Vince Frustaci, the Stark County Republican bears at least secondary responsibility in the sense of giving Zeigler a "free ride" to another term as treasurer.

Now Zeigler has 3-1/2 years to hope the voters forget his failure in leadership. Had the Stark Republicans.

Listen to the audio below as WHLO-AM (640 on the dial) talk show host and politically supportive of Matthews and Stark Republican candidates presses Stark Republican Party chairman on the question of why the Stark GOP is not competitive countywide in Stark County.

All yours truly hears from Matthews is an excuse.

Stark Republicans can't do any better than this guy?

ZEIGLER'S FAILURE

The Report believes Treasurer Zeigler got way too comfortable somewhere along the way in his ten years as treasurer and lost touch with the day-to-day operations of the office. And, when he had no opposition at all in 2008, he had to be feeling especially relaxed.

But the Stark GOP failure to provide an alternative to Stark voters does not excuse Zeigler.

There had to be signposts along the way (that Zeigler apparently ignored or was oblivious to) that trouble was on the horizon.

First, we now know (and s "due diligence" Zeigler should have known) that he did not have adequate structural safeguards in place within the office and in relations with an area banking institution which housed county money.

Second, despite acting as if he barely knew Frustaci in a brief interview yours truly had with Zeigler; The Report believes that Zeigler and Frustaci had become political pals and Zeigler let down his guard which, when coupled with the structural deficiencies, presented a ripe opportunity for the alleged theft to occur.

Third, a source has told The Report that it was known (certainly Zeigler had to know) that Frustaci liked to play high stakes poker and go to Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort to gamble.

Talk about a red flag? Duh?

The Report has learned that Zeigler is working the Democratic office holding crowd to put out the word that "he is a good guy."

A good guy (in the personal sense) Treasurer Zeigler may well be. That is not the question.

The question is this:

How much money are Stark taxpayers going to be out because he did not adequately lead as Stark County treasurer?

The Report wonders whether or not the thought has ever crossed Zeigler's mind that perhaps he is not up to being treasurer?

Now listen to Stark Republican Party chair Jeff Matthews trying to explain the failure of the Stark GOP to provide political competition in Stark.

DISCUSSION: ARE SWANSON & FERRERO OUT TO DIMINISH STARK COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT? REPUBLICAN PARTISAN OHIO AUDITOR MARY TAYLOR TO THE RESCUE?

If a Stark County lawyer goes through a divorce, Stark County judges are not assigned to the case. A visiting judge is brought in. This it the way it should be. Ethical appearances demand such.

Apparently, Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor (Republican - Green; highly political in her own right) knows the political landscape so well she has called the feds (the FBI) in. Obviously, she is leery of the of at least the Swanson/Zeigler (Zeigler ran unopposed in 2008) political relationship. Is she going far enough? And, is she looking herself in the mirror. Her office has been giving Zeigler's office and Frustaci a clean bill of health all along.

It is the position of the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) that neither Sheriff Tim Swanson's office nor Prosecutor John Ferrero's office should be involved in investigating a case involving high profile political activists (e.g. Marlboro Township police chief Ron Devies vigorously supported Swanson opponent Larry Dordea) and political figures (e.g. Mayor William J. Healy, II) when any of these folks have a connection (pro or con) vis-a-vis either Swanson or Ferrero in a political context.

Could Swanson's folks have bungled the investigation because of a overzealousness fueled by politics?

A second reason that should have recused his office from the Devies investigation is the fact that Marlboro trustee Tim Wise (who is one of two of anti-Devies people on the Marlboro board) is the brother of former Ferrero hire, (prosecutor) E.E. Wise, Jr. The Report doesn't believe that EJ (as he is popularly known within Democratic circles) would try to influence the course of the investigation.

The Wise family has been has been heavily involved in Stark Democratic political circles. Even assuming these folks have kept their proper distance from the investigation as the SCPR does, these political interrelationships do not look good to the general public and Ferrero should take on the "public perspective" more than he does.

Does Ferrero (who ran unopposed in 2008) care about the public perception?

Ferrero not too long ago was the chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party. Having been such, should make him particularly sensitive to cases in which politics is deemed to be a factor.

And it is not good enough that Swanson is ONLY keeping his distance from the Stark County treasurer's office. Swanson is an avowed political support of Zeigler. Swanson even wrote a "letter to the editor" to The Repository supporting Zeigler's handling of the treasurer office operations.

The Report remembers Swanson, Ferrero and Zeigler tunning together as "a law enforcement team" for a period of time in 2004. How does Ferrero justify staying in this matter. Shouldn't he be bringing in a outside of Stark County prosecutor?

DISCUSSION: WILL CANTON'S COUNCIL-AT-LARGE TAKE ON A DIFFERENT LOOK AFTER MAY'S PRIMARY?

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.