GUARDADO & WERREN PRESENT POLTICOS AS "OUR COMMUNTY LEADERS" AND "YOUR STARK COUNTY TEAM. REALLY?

A SCPR ANALYSIS OF

GUARDADO & WERREN CAMPAIGN FLIERS

WHICH

JUST ARRIVED IN THE MAIL

WHO WILL WIN?

The Guardado/Werren for Canton Municipal Court judge match up may be the hardest race to call in all of the Stark County political subdivision campaigns in this election cycle.

The outcome in this election "depends on" a number of factors materializing or not materializing.

And there are plenty of political ironies at play at this race.

For example, one of Guardado's key supporters is Stark County commissioner Thomas M. Bernabei who is, as any politically "aware" Stark Countian knows, is running as an "independent" (as of May 4, 2015) against Democratic incumbent mayor William J. Healy, II who is seeking a third term.

Healy, II supported Angela Alexander in the Democratic primary in May whereas Bernabei (not yet switched from being a long time Democratic elected to office many times as a Democrat to being a political "independent") supported Guardado and was up until a few days before May 4th.

If Guardado is to win in the Canton Municipal Court District:

She will have do to exceptionally well in Canton itself.

Otherwise, she loses.

One of the problems with Guardado doing exceptionally well in Canton is that a good part of "independent" Bernabei's support is coming from Republicans who have no candidate in next Tuesday's face off.

The Report figures Bernabei to win with relative ease because he likely will take about one-half the Democratic vote (especially in Wards 7, 8 and 9) and will get nearly every Republican vote.

And, of course, it is common political knowledge that Republicans do and likely will in the Healy/Bernabei race vote in significantly higher percentages than do Democrats.

However, there will be no coattails advantage for Guardado in having a close association with her former campaign treasurer.

Republicans, to the degree the turnout to vote, will switch from Bernabei to Republican Werren in a nano-second.

The strategy that each Guardado and Werren are playing out is assuming that their respective loyal political party voters will turn out in greater numbers that the opponent's.

POLITICAL PARTY TIES EMPHASIZED IN A JUDICIAL RACE?

That partisan political party politics is playing such key role in a judicial race should be dismaying to voters in the Canton Municipal Court District.

After all, the official line is that judges are above politics in their administration of justice.

But with the campaign flyers that each side put out within the past few days emphasizing their respective political party ties, one has to question whether or not Guardado and Werren could administer justice should one of the listed politicos in their respective flyers run afoul of the Stark County system of justice and end up appearing before a Judge Guardado (in the case of the Democratic politicos) or Judge Werren (in the case of the Republican politicos).

Of course, the obvious answer is that such a scenario would not unfold because either would recuse her/himself and have another judge hear the case.

Even it there is a workaround, it is alarming the degree to which judicial candidates immerse themselves in partisan politics in terms of it undermining the general public's confidence in the integrity of our system of justice and not just off somewhere else but right hear in Stark County, Ohio.

DISSECTING THE FLYERS IN THE CONTEXT OF GUARDADO & WARREN BECOMING THE NOMINEES OF THEIR POLITICAL PARTIES

In that vein of interest, the SCPR dissects the flyers referred to above.

Note:  At the end of the blog the entire flyer of each candidate is to be seen.

There are two notable "political" happenings in the 2015 cycle political history of both candidates.

WERREN

Werren for the second time got a political appointment from Republican governor John Kasich (see LINK for the history).  He did have a competitor (who even went so far as to take out Board of Elections petitions for the May 5, 2015 Republican primary) for the appointment, but as the SCPR looks back it is apparent that it was Werren all the way with the governor.

A SCPR blog from the June, 2013 first appointment:

So is it surprising that in the flyer mailed out in support of his second candidacy for The Report, in analyzing it, to see this?

Of course, not.

The word is that Werren did do a credible job in his first appointment as a Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge, but not good enough in the judgement of Stark County voters to be retained as a judge.

Upstart Democrat (upstart in terms of taking on a incumbent judge) Chryssa Hartnett convinced voters that her time in the Stark County criminal justice system as a county prosecutor was more impressive than a man who up until he was appointed judge was most recently the president of the Canton chapter of the American Red Cross and not a practicing attorney.

Such fits perfectly with the SCPR's theme that Werren would not be a person ever heard of - but for - his Republican Party political connections through his father John Werren.

Kasich:  "I work hard to appoint the best possible Judges."

Really?

Well,  Democrat Hartnett asked Kasich to appoint her.

Of course, her's was a pipe dream.  But in appying she showed that the governor is all about politics, no matter his "the best possible" rhetoric.

It took the Stark County voting public to override what was clearly a Kasich political loyalist decision.

After all, as Werren's wife Stephanie (a Ward 3 North Canton councilwoman) was heard to say in apparent bitterness after husband Curt lost to Hartnett:  (paraphrase)  "But she already has a job, it's not fair."

Fair?

What's fair about somebody getting a political appointment based on a pedigree of political party loyalty?

GUARDADO

Guardado is pretty much a creature of politics, too.  Only not to the degree Werren is in The Report's opinion.

Guardado faced a stiff primary election challenge in May against Stark County native Angela Alexander who, unfortunately, for purposes of that election had to rely on having had most of her distinguished career in Summit County.

Man oh man! did the bigs (e.g. the Giavasis brothers and former chairman Randy Gonzalez and his son Kody) in the "organized" Stark County Democratic Party work Alexander over.

They had assured Alexander that the official Dems would stay out of the primary and she would have an opportunity to run on her merits.

That did not happen.

For the SCPR's money, Alexander is vastly superior in terms of legal experience which would have parlayed into her being a much better judge than wither Guardado or Werren.

A HISTORY OF A PRIOR STARK COUNTY JUDICIAL APPOINTEE

As the SCPR has been saying for years, quality of candidates appears to be happenstance with both mainline political parties.

One need look no further than Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division judge Dixie Park to understand the legal mayhem unsuspecting day-in, day-out Stark Countians may suffer at the hands of a person who got her job as a judge by the hand of the Ohio Republican Party and then Republican governor Bob Taft.

One consequence of her going unconstitutional (LINK) was that a everyday Stark Countian unjustly spent over one week in the Stark County jail.

Of course, that indignity was visited upon an ordinary citizen.

Not the relative, friend or acquaintance of some influential public official.

So the typical answer:  "stuff happens!"

Park who seemingly has unlimited campaign finances at her beck and call, the SCPR thinks, has embarrassed herself in being overturned on Constitutional law abridgments on several occasions within the past several years.

One has to wonder whether or not there isn't a bevy of administration of just shortcomings that have gone publicly unnoticed?

Just on the instances cited in the linked to blog, ne would think that Republicans from Kasich on down to the Stark County Republican Party chairman would want this woman off the bench as being a telling and continuing indictment of the political party appointment process for judicial appointments.  Especially judicial appointments.

Think maybe just maybe the contending for an appointment process ought to have as the main criterion: "I am the least politically connected" rather than the real politik, "I am so and so in the Stark County political world?"

That is if the fair and impartial administration of justice is a real goal and not some kind of legal fiction, no?

One Republican who does deserve credit for quelling Park's appetite to run for a spot on the 5th District Court of Appeals is Republican David Gormley of Delaware County.

Stark County Republican Party connected officials, present and past including judges and attorneys except for Craig Conley and Jeff Jakmides sit by and do nothing to encourage Park to step aside.

POLITICAL FALLOUT & REVERBERATIONS

The public is getting wiser by the day to "organized" Dems and Republicans and are more apt than ever to opt for anybody but a loyalist Democrat or Republican if given a choice.

Recently, the SCPR checked with John Alexander (Angela's husband).  He tells yours truly that Angela is supporting Guardado but is not taking much of role in the campaign.

And Guardado like Werren is playing to her strength.  Not, in the opinion of the SCPR her magnificent credentials to be a judge.  But, rather, her political connections.

Sorry state of affairs and implications for the quality of the bench in the Canton Municipal Court District insofar as The Report is concerned.

It is interesting that Hartville police chief Larry Dordea is weighing in so prominently for Werren in what the SCPR thinks as being a factor of political party loyalty when he himself was thrown under the Democratic Bus George T. Maier/Johnnie A. Maier, Jr with merely a whimper coming from some of the very same Republicans who are pictured standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Werren in the picture below.

Had the key Stark County officials pictured below (except for Alex Zumbar who was Dordea's treasurer) and Stark County Republican Party officialdom stepped forward much stronger for Dordea, he would be Stark County sheriff today and The Report thinks Stark County's sheriff's department of government be much less politicized than it currently is.

The Report has thought and written Dordea to be several notches above - in character - over Geroge T. Maier.  Moreover, yours truly has written extensively on what appears to be Maier's wholesale politicization (LINK) of the Stark County sheriff's office.

Maybe this is too much of a leap, but it could be that Dordea as evidenced by his endorsement of Werren is as nearly infected with excessive partisanism as are others that The Report writes about?

Dordea's endorsement is in the guise of being a law enforcement official, but is that really the basis of the endorsement?

The Report suspects the Dordea endorsement is more borne of political affiliation than of Werren being the best choice in the interest of having effective Canton Municipal Court District law enforcement.

As such, his involvement in the Werren support group is a major disappointment.

DEMS & REPUBLICANS TAKE TOO MUCH ON THEMSELVES

One final point that the SCPR advances in this blog.

It is interesting how in each respective flyer an attempt is made to pass off supporting politicos as being the equivalent of  "our community leaders" and "your Stark County team."  (emphasis added)

Our?

Your?

You've got to be kidding Werren and Guardado, no?

Readers will note in looking closely at the graphics offered that the SCPR x'd out the "our" and "your" and substituted the proper terminology, to wit:  Guardado's "our" equals loyal Democratic Party elected officials; Werren's "your" equals loyal Republican Party elected officials.

That's the truth of the matter!

Political party first and foremost.

There have to be plenty of lawyers among Stark County's bar that are more qualified to be judge than the politically connected Werren and Guardado, no?

But therein lies the rub.

Generally, one does not get to be a  judge in Stark County unless one is politically connected.

While Stark sitting judges like to present themselves as being the best in terms of mental, legal acuity and temperament; the SCPR thinks the odds are against such actually being the case given the rank degree of politics involved in getting to be a judge in the first place.

And Stark County is particular seems to be a haven for a lack of competition between qualified candidates in both political parties competing on the merits of their experience and inherent wisdom as human beings for judicial posts.

Angela Alexander marveled in a campaign Q&A at the Dems' party headquarters at the lack of competition for judgeships in Stark County as compared to Summit County.

In Summit County, there are many vigorous judicial competitions within the political party structure itself.

But not in Stark County.

For the SCPR, the Canton Municipal Court District voters (one of whom is yours truly) have only be given the choice of picking our poison in terms of one political party connected person as against another.

Doesn't it tempt one to opt out of the election process altogether or have the option a la the following graphic on the Healy/Perez May 5, 2015 Democratic primary race?  (LINK)

The Report thinks Healy and Perez are both shop worn politicos who, if they differ at all, only do so in the degree of how politically manipulative they are.

Actually, opting out is not an option for yours truly.

But there have been quite a few election contests over some 50 years of voting that yours truly has declined to exercise a similitude of a "Hobson's choice."

It's fine for folks including elected officials to be passionate about their political party affiliations.

But not to the point of damaging the institutions of government by the endorsement of and appointment of people whose major qualification being politically connected.

For the SCPR it is satisfying in terms of politics coming back to haunt appointing officials as seemingly was the case recently with Massillon mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry.

Politics is a necessary evil for our system of government, but it can be made less evil and damaging of the public interest if Republcan and Democratic were to develop a finely honed quality called:  DISCERNMENT!

THE FULL FLYERS

GUARDADO



WERREN

VOLUME 3: (PART III) SCPR "POST-ELECTION" SERIES - ANGELA ALEXANDER TREATED "UNFAIRLY" BY STARK CO. ORGANIZED DEMS LEADERSHIP?

UPDATED:  10:00 AM

The Stark County Political Report, now in its eighth year of publication, has had a very gratifying response to the three blogs done so far in the series:

Today, The Report returns to an ongoing post-election analysis series with the focus for now being on allegations that the organized Stark County Democratic Party set up Canton Municipal Court judge candidate Angela Alexander (a Stark County resident who as a legal professional works in Summit County) to believe that the Stark Dems leadership was going to be neutral in the recently concluded Democrat primary election (May 5, 2015) against Canton Law Department official and Plain Township Board of Education member Kristen Guardado.

In ensuing days, yours truly will be continuing with the remaining seven - undoubtedly coveted - spots to be filled as the SCPR wends it way to #1 which will be The Report opinion as to who Stark's absolutely worst elected official is.

Readers have been invited to weigh-in with The Report as to whom they think will win top billing as the worst.  So far two readers have successfully guessed who #1 is.  Yours truly will be taking votes right up to the evening before the publication.  For those of you who want to try to get into the mind of the SCPR, write your guess to:  tramols@att.net.

Anyone who voted before yours truly revealed (yesterday that the #1 position will not go to a member of the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr Loyalty Club and voted for a member of the group, please feel free to weigh-in again.

Undoubtedly, some of them will occupy #7 through #2, but not #1.

Believe it or not, there is a Stark County official who tops any of the Maier folks, the SCPR thinks, in deleterious effect on Stark County government and politics.

One reader has in effect asked that The Report reconsider and name an elected official member of "the club."

ALEXANDER VERSUS GUARDADO
CANTON MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE

THE SPECIFIC CHARGES OF "UNFAIRNESS"


Links to previous Alexander/Guardado blogs in this series:

• The Deametrious St. John/SCBC factor
• The backroom politics

The SCPR has learned that the Angela Alexander camp met with Stark County Dems (SCDP) chairman Phil Giavasis in early December, 2014 with regard to the the party's stance on her running for Canton Municipal Court judge.

The judgeship had opened up on account of sitting judge Stephen Belden (a Republican) resigning/retiring on reports that he was being investigated by Ohio Disciplinary Counsel on charges that he was mishandling debt collection cases.

The Alexander folks were told according to the SCPR's source:

• that he was pleased to hear that she was considering running for judge because the party has a difficult time recruiting candidates for office,
• that the names Kristen Guardado, Corey Minor-Smith and E.J. Wise had come up as potential candidates but that he did not consider Minor-Smith as viable inasmuch as party officials felt she had not run an effective campaign in 2013 against Judge Richard Kubilus (a Republican) in that she would not listen to party officials,
• in the event that there was a primary election contest, the SCDP would be neutral,
• that it would cost about $30,000 to run an effective campaign, and
• that Kody Gonzalez:
• Giavasis' chief deputy clerk of courts who Giavasis had selected to succeed his father Randy Gonzalez as chief deputy,
• owner (president) of K and R Industries, Inc

and/or

• that Shane Jackson:
• chief deputy clerk of courts for Massillon clerk of courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr (a former Stark County Dems chairman and current Executive Vice President)
• Stark County Democratic Party political director

were folks to meet with for advice on the Alexander campaign.

And The Report understands that Alexander did meet with Kody in very early January.

There was to be follow up with him later.

However, the SCPR is being told that "Gonzalez the Younger" was not returning Alexander campaign telephone calls

Later into January, it was becoming apparent that Chairman Giavasis and the Stark Dems' leadership were anything but neutral.

Several sources (a Canton City Council member and a former high official in the SCDP) are thought by the SCPR to have been telling Alexander that despite Giavasis' pledge that the SCDP was going to be neutral, he and his top SCDP leadership (official and de facto [e.g. brother Louis, a Plain Township trustee and a chief deputy clerk of courts for the Stark County clerk of courts]) were in fact working feverishly for Kristen Guardado.

From January on there were a literal flood of events that made it crystal clear that Giavasis' pledge of neutrality was a lot of phony-baloney, to wit: (a partial list of claims)

• There is an allegation that the Stark County Dems' December, 2014 Christmas Party included a big laugh about how certain political operatives were in line to make money off a futile Alexander campaign,
• At the January Stark County Dems' Jefferson Jackson Club meeting, Chairman Phil is said to have intervened to get Kristen Guardado a speaking opportunity even though she had not filed petitions as Alexander had,
• Unions were saying that they were beholden to Stark Dems' leadership decision on whom to support notwithstanding the long and deep history of Alexander extended family members being union members,
• In February, the Stark County Bar Association did a spread in its magazine on Kristen Guardado but is reported to have refused to do an intro piece on new member Alexander until after the election had come and gone,
• In February, Chairman Giavasis, Louis Giavasis, and Kody Gonzalez "like" Guardado's Facebook page. Nothing of the sort for Alexander,
• SCPR Note:  Brothers Giavasis are said to make a point of cultivating many, many "friends" on Facebook apparently in effort to parlay their "likes" into a political advantage for "liked" candidates.

• SCPR Note:  Kody Gonzalez, the SCPR is told, went on to become a primary person in the management of the Guardado campaign,

• Louis Giavasis, a founder of the very recently formed Northern Stark County Democratic Club (NSCDC), is alleged to have set up a club meeting for a Guardado/Alexander presentation on their respective candidacies for a time when Alexander was on vacation and is said to have resisted - as club Vice President Connie Rubin eventually did  - setting it for a time with Alexander when she was available.
• At a Stark County Democratic Womens' Club meeting, Chairman Phil reportedly mispronounced Candidate Alexander's name and said she was running for clerk and proceeds to sit down at Guardado's table on finishing the introductions, 
• Randy Gonzalez (a former Stark County Dems' chairman) asking only Candidate Alexander (at the NSCDC meeting) why she didn't make herself available to run against Republican Kirstin Farmer,
• Kody Gonzalez (at the NSCDC meeting) minimizing the scope and degree of domestic violence cases on the Canton Municipal Court criminal docket, and
• Louis Giavasis (at the NSCDC) suggesting that felony cases are not an important aspect of Canton Municipal Court proceedings,

A source tells The Report that there is a suspicion among Alexander supporters that Chairman Phil passed on information to the Guardado campaign that he had learned in conversation with Alexander to the effect that she - Alexander - planned on making her award winning Summit County domestic violence program initiative a keystone in her campaign to become the Democratic Party nominee to run for the judicial post vacated by Judge Belden.

As disturbing as allegations that Chairman Giavasis failed to give substance to his assurances that the SCDP would be neutral in a Democratic Party primary election for Canton Municipal Court; accusations that Kristen Guardado finessed her qualifications to be judge should trouble Canton Municipal Court voters as we move on to the November general election.

These allegations include:

• Guardado is not an FOP member as stated on campaign literature,
• Guardado could not possibly (time wise) review each and every domestic violence case filed in the Canton Municipal Court  as she claims given that she is a part-time employee (20 hours a week),
• Guardado using the title Senior Trial Attorney when records show she has not tried a case since 2007, and
• Guardado only recently became in the Canton Municipal Court diversion program, Polaris which is at odds with a claim that she started the program,

The SCPR has written numerous blogs about how unprepared Republican Curtis Werren was to be appointed Stark County Common Pleas judge by Republican governor John Kasich to replace the retired V. Lee Sinclair back in 2013.

Thankfully, he could not fool the Stark County voters as they elected the much more qualified Chryssa Hartnett.

And the SCPR has written that with Kasich appointing him to replace Judge Belden, he was in line to be "a two time loser" on the same county.

But that is all changed now.

With the revelations of the political shenanigans of Messers Phil Giavasis, Louis Giavasis, Randy Gonzalez and Kody Gonzalez together with the finessing referred to above (allegation of which are detailed below), the SCPR thinks that Werren is now definitely in play to retain his appointment.

Alexander will be leaned upon to "get over it" (what clearly appears to have been utter nonsense, that is to say Giavasis' promise of neutrality).

Already one of her key supporters is saying that is what she needs to do.

The word is that she is already looking at running for several judgeships (a combo of Common Pleas and Municipal Court) that may open up in the next several years.

The question is:  What will Angela Alexander do?

It is hard for the SCPR to see her endorsing, but as the saying goes:  "politics makes for strange bedfellows."

And beyond that question is:  Does it make any difference?

If the Democrats lose in November, it will be because of the stumbling, bumbling, fumbling of the Stark County Democratic Party leader and chairman Phil Giavasis!

Giavasis seems to have shown himself to be an incredible party leader.

And Kristen Guardado appears to have some major repair work to do over the next five months plus.

Curtis Werren has to be jumping for joy over the bungling Phil Giavasis as chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party.

HOW ALEXANDER CAN BECOME CANTON'S NEXT MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE

UPDATED:  10:00 a.m.

There is no doubt about it.

Angela Alexander is a phenomenal candidate for Canton Municipal Court judge in the Democratic primary which includes registered Democrats from these Stark County locales:

But there is a major, major problem for Alexander in getting that nomination.

And her name is Kristen Guardado.

It appears to The Stark County Political Report that the long time Canton law department and Plain Township board of education member and highly qualified in her own right, Guardado  has the overwhelming support of the established "organized" Stark Democratic Party leadership.

Look at this list of prominent Dems who attended her March fundraiser at Skyland Pines:

Looks pretty overwhelming, no?

But it would be a huge mistake for Guaradado and "the bigs" who pretty much run the Stark County Democratic Party to count Alexander out.

And The Report does not think they are.

It seems to yours truly that the party poohbahs are more than a tad unhappy to have to choose between the two because both are superlative candidates either of whom the SCPR thinks will best Republican appointee (in January by GOP Governor John Kasich) Curtis Werren in November. 

However, the road to victory in November is likely much easier for Guardado because of her storied political success history in Plain Township, a large part of the Canton Municipal Court District.

The Report thinks Guardado, if the nominee, will defeat Werren by a comfortable margin on the condition that the Democratic leaders who support her get Democrats to the polls in this November's off-year election.

Of course, should she get the nomination, the same applies to Alexander.  However, if she defeats Werren her margin would much slimmer than Guardado's.

Alexander, of course, has to concern herself with being the Democratic nominee.

While the odds are clearly against her, she does has a pathway to victory.

And that would be through an energized African-American community vote.

Energized in terms of turnout for Barrack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

In her presentation to the Northern Stark County Democratic Club about a week ago, Alexander shared with her fellow Dems her experience as a poll watcher in a predominantly African American precinct and how she had to stand her ground against her Republican counterpart to ensure that Obama voters were not discouraged to the point of walking away and not voting.

It is a truism that getting voters to vote in elections even in presidential years takes a major political party organizing and follow through effort.

What are decent (not exemplary) voting numbers in presidential years completely evaporates in off-year (odd numbered) years.

Back in May, 2014, the SCPR did a series of blogs on the pathetic numbers of Stark Countians voting in the 2014 primary.

Overall, in Stark, 13.7% of registered (and, of course not all citizens are registered to vote) voted.

With that number voting, no part of Stark County was particularly impressive.

But Republican areas did better than the Democrats.

Here is a LINK to a blog done in that series which shows the numbers for all 284 Stark County precincts.

Particularly pathetic in voter turnout were predominantly African American wards in Canton, Alliance and Massillon.

Today the SCPR focuses on Canton's African American wards in the 2014 primary election because two of Alexander's biggest supporters  are Councilman Thomas West (Ward 2) and Chris Smith (Ward 4).

The Report conjectures that West and Smith have already been hard at work for Candidate Alexander as evidenced by the base of support that is coming out of Canton City Council and the mayor's office for Alexander's candidacy.

But if Alexander is to pull off a major political upset on May 5th, West and Smith have to be working super-hard and effectively to get the African American vote out in Wards 2 and 4.

Look at these numbers for the 2014 primary election:

A mere 553 voters out of a potential field of nearly 10,000 voters for a total average voting percentage of less than 6%.

If West and Smith can't do hugely better than that in the 2015 primary, their candidate is going to get absolutely clobbered on the 5th of May.

And that would be a shame.  Alexander deserves better than that.  She is first-rate and deserves a realistic shot at pulling off an upset.

So we will see how West and Smith do.

And the SCPR puts the burden squarely on their shoulders to show that they can be effective in political organizing and at GOTV ("get[ing] out the vote").

Skepticism has to be the expectation given the 2014 Ward 2 and 4 primary election turnout rate.

West has a personal interest in ginning up the African American voting numbers.

He tells the SCPR that he expects to run for term limited Stephen Slesnick's 49th Ohio House seat in the 2016 elections.

It is unlikely he will get a free ride to Columbus.

Therefore, he'd better be sharpening up his political organizing skills in the Alexander campaign.

It has been a very, very long time since Canton has had an African American Canton Municipal Court judge.  Even longer than since Stark County has had an African American elected countywide.  As far as the SCPR knows, the only African American that has ever been elected countywide has been Ira Turpin back in the 1970s and 1980s.

One of Alexander's elected official supporters has told the SCPR that the main reason for supporting Alexander what that "it is high time for an African American to be elected to the Canton Municipal Court."

The SCPR has heard out of the mouth of Councilman West a sort of fatalism about the ability to elect blacks citywide and by implication countywide.

And yet when he ran for the Ohio senate in 2006 against top Republican vote getter J. Kirk Schuring, West did very well in capturing some 44% of the vote.

President Obama proved twice that a black man can win countywide in Stark by winning over McCain (2008) and Romney (2012).

The SCPR can see a scenario that if West and Smith (in their announced role as Alexander supporters) can marshal great numbers of African American votes for Alexander, she just might pull off a political upset.

Should Alexander lose the primary vote, to show that it is was not a race based thing to have advocated for her;  then it is incumbent on Smith and West to work every bit as hard - as loyal Democrats - for Candidate Guardado.

And, naturally, if Alexander does pull off the upset; then Guardado's supporters should vigorously support her.

Alexander's hope, the SCPR thinks, rests on solid black community voter support and voters at large not holding it against her that the major share of her legal experience has occurred in Summit County.

Let it be clearly understood.

The SCPR does not think nor has The Report heard anyone else say that any voter should vote for Angela Alexander merely because she is African America.

The primary consideration is whether or not she is qualified to be a judge.

And she definitely is.  As is Kristen Guardado.

It is important that in the United States of America that diversity in leadership be a real opportunity and not merely a matter of rhetorical flourish.

In that vein, let the Alexander and Guardado supporters "fight the good fight" of political competition and may the best woman win.

For the SCPR's part, either candidate will be quality competition for the Republican candidate.

Projecting the Hartnett-Werren Court of Common Pleas race (which Hartnett won by the narrowest of margins) onto a Alexander/Guardado versus Werren Canton Municipal Court contest, political competition is going to be the winner in that is likely to produce a first-rate judge.

Let us have more of this in Stark County.

Alexander, in her presentation last Thursday described a Summit County strength over Stark County in that in Summit it is unheard of "not" to have political competition on judgeships.

May Hartnett's successfully defying the odds and Alexander perhaps defying the odds might prompt the folks who run Stark County's political parties to better serve the public interest in recruiting well qualified candidates for each and every judicial race going forward.

ANGELA ALEXANDER'S BIGGEST HURDLE: BEING AN "OUTSIDER," AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR A COMBO OF THE TWO?

(Maps from Google Maps)

VIDEOS

FROM 
SCPR CONTRIBUTION TO 
"YouTube"
MARIOL ENDORSES ALEXANDER
=====================
FROM
THE GENERAL POPULATION OF
"YouTube"
Trials to Triumph
A Tribute to Judge Ira G. Turpin

includes Ralph Regula interview
when he was still a congressman

Everyone that The Stark County Political Report has talked to say that "There is no doubt about it," both Angela Alexander and Kristen Guardado are highly qualified to be Canton's newest municipal court judge.

The opening came about when Stephen Belden stepped down (resigned/retired as of December 1, 2014) in a swirl of controversy about how he handled certain cases during his time as a Canton Municipal Court judge.

On or about January 9, 2015, Governor Kasich appointed Republican Curtis Werren to replace Belden.

This is Werren's "second bite at the apple" inasmuch as he was appointed Kasich to replace a retired judge on the Stark County Court of Common Pleas in June, 2013.  However, he failed to hold the office as he was defeated by Democrat Chryssa Hartnett in a very close November, 2014 election.

Though a SCPR analysis of the vote in the Hartnett/Werren race showed that Werren bested her by about 1,000 votes in the Canton Municipal Court district, The Report thinks that Werren is vulnerable notwithstanding his impressive showing as cited above.

Werren has a very large stake in who wins the Democratic primary as between Guardado and Alexander.

His chance to retain his appointed seat is for Alexander to come out on top in the Democratic primary.

However, the SCPR doubts that an Alexander win is in the offing.

A Guardado win likely makes Werren "a two-time-loser" in being unable to retain for Republicans an appointed judgeship.

Alexander will make Guardado work hard to win the Democratic primary.  And that will benefit her in what will be a "political life or death" struggle in this fall's general election inasmuch this election has to be "the end of the 'political' road" for Werren, if he loses.

With the bulk of Alexander's stellar (LINK to prior blog detailing her Summit County work) professional legal work having been done in Summit County; whereas Guardado's has been done with the Canton Law Department, such is likely prove to be an Alexander fatal political flaw that provides Guardado a comfortable margin of victory come May 5, 2015.

Both Guardado and Alexander live in Plain Township.

But other than the Summit/Stark thing, there is another significant political difference.

Guadado has been on the Plain Local Board of Education for more than a decade, and, in the course of things, has been on the ballot for three elections achieving "top vote getter" status in two of the three elections.  Such only adds to the SCPR's belief that at the end of the day Guardado will prevail against both Alexander and Werren.

Alexander is making a valiant effort as evidenced by her impressive website.

The most interesting and significant thing about Alexander's website is the listing of some high profile Canton City Council members endorsing her for judge, to wit:

Surprising, no?

The SCPR surmises from a conversation with one of Alexander's endorsers is that her being African-American is a key component difference maker for some of them in choosing between the two well qualified candidates.

Of course, Chris Smith (Ward 4) and Thomas West (Ward 2) are themselves African-Americans.

The Report's source thinks Alexander is a "win-win" for Democrats if she were to get the nod to go up against Republican Werren in November.

The SCPR's source thinks that Alexander can win such a match up because of her far superior to Werren's legal profession credentials as compared to Werren's being president of the Stark County Red Cross for several years before Kasich first-appointed by to the Stark County Court of Common Pleas bench.

Moreover, it is thought by the source-person that being a minority will be a positive in that voters will see the need for an African-American to be on the bench inasmuch as Canton has a Black population of 24%.

The source said he believes that the Canton Municipal Court has never had an African-American judge and Stark County only one.  That being Stark County Court of Common Pleas Judge Ira G. Turpin.

However, a Stark County Political Report research reveals that in 1962 Ohio's 60th governor and Democrat Michael V. DiSalle appointed African-American Clay Hunter (1895 - 1976) as a Canton Municipal Court judge.  Hunter is referred to in a reverential vein in the video below of Stark County' only ever Stark County Court of Common Pleas and 5th District Court of Appeals (the only Black at the Court of Appeals in all of Ohio, at the time); namely, Judge Ira G. Turpin.

It appears that Hunter was unsuccessful in his effort to get elected in his own right in that The Report's next research shows that Hunter is listed as a magistrate in Stark County's family court in a 1975 The Evening Independent article.

There is no doubt about it.  Canton and Stark County seems to always been a tough venue for Blacks.

Here is a snippet from a publication of yore (2005) which provides anecdotal evidence that such has been the case.

The SCPR always endeavors for each and every blog to thoroughly search on the Internet for material germane to a given blog.

In yesterday's search for this blog, yours truly found "a gold nugget:"  A video entitled "Trials to Triumph - A Tribute to Judge Ira G. Turpin."

Turpin's interviewer is former Timken executive Stephen Perry.  Perry's daughter, Andrea, is Canton's safety director.

The SCPR implores The Report's readers to take about 22 minutes and view this YouTube video.  It is awesomely inspiring!

While Angela Alexander suffers the same fate as Turpin when he in 1969 failed to win election as a Canton Municipal Court judge, there is no doubt that she is a high quality lawyer and, in time, if she persists become a member of the Stark County bench at some level.

Were Alexander to be the Dems' nominee, it seems to the SCPR that Werren has a huge advantage in Plain Township (22% of the vote in the November, 2014 election) inasmuch he bested Hartnett by 668 votes which was nearly 67% of the 913 votes that he won by this past November election; only calculating the votes in the Canton Municipal Court district.

The Report thinks that if the Dems are to capture this judgeship, their political strength lies with Guardado as pointed out above.

But there is more.

On March 3rd of this year, Kristen Guardado held a fundraiser at Skyland Pines.

This event perhaps more than other advantages that she holds in the mind of the SCPR is indicative of the political strength of Kristen Guardado.

The Report talked with Guardado last week about the event.  She was humbled as about 300 people showed up at her fundraising event.

Included in the assembly were former Canton law directors:

• Harry E. Klide, (1970s; went on to become a judge a various levels),
• W. Scott Gwin (1985 - 1988; now a 5th District Court of Appeals judge) and
• Thomas Bernabei (1988 through 2000; now a Stark County commissioner), serves as Guardado's campaign treasurer,
• Joseph Martuccio,  current law director (appointed by Stark Dems Central Committee members to replace Bernabei who retired mid-term; elected in his own right in November, 2001) 
• Note:  Kristen Guardado works for Martuccio

Republican Canton Municipal Court Judge Richard Kubilus was also in attendance.

The SCPR did attempt to contact Alexander to learn more about her level of support (beyond the four councilpersons identified above), but she as not returned The Report's call as of the writing of this blog.

But The Report has on yours truly's initiative been in touch with three of the five listed Canton City Councilpersons listed on Alexander's website as being endorsers/supporters.

First, Councilman John Mariol.



Second, Councilman Frank Morris, III (council vice president and majority leader).   Morris had this to say:

Frank Morris
Mar 10 at 3:10 PM

To: tramols@att.net

I feel that Angela Alexander is an outstanding individual with an impressive background as an attorney. 

After meeting with her just once I knew she was the candidate I would be endorsing in the primary election. 

Her go against the grain, aggressive attitude and strong work ethic is exactly what we need in our court system.

Thirdly, Canton City Council president Allen Schulman.

Schulman made the point that both Alexander and Guardado are clearly and highly qualified to be Belden's replacement.

Without making it sound like he was in favor of some sort of quota for Black aspiring officeholders, Schulman said that it is high time for a richly qualified African-America to attain a judgeship in Stark County.

Since Ira Turpin retired from the bench on January 31, 1982; no Stark County Black aspirant above the Ward level has gotten very close to achieving elective office.

And who can quarrel with Schulman that electing an eminently qualified African-American such as Alexander is long overdue.

Having said that, the SCPR thinks that the political dynamics (i.e. her having a Summit County legal work base and Guardado firmly entrenched in Stark County politics and legal community) are such that were Alexander to defeat Guardado in some 50 days; her success would be billed by most political analysts as being a stunning upset.

To repeat, if the SCPR is correct and election on May 5th is not in the cards for Alexander; she needs to try and try again.  She is clearly first-rate.

Like it or not, Alexander needs to square up with the political realities of her being an "outsider" at least as perceived by many leading Stark County-based elected Democrats and work after the election to establish herself with the core leadership of the Stark County "organized" Democratic Party.

In 2015, one likes to think that Alexander being an African-American is not a barrier in Stark County. For in 2008 and 2012 Barrack Obama carried Stark County.

Nevertheless, there are those who think that it is virtually impossible for a Black to get elected above the Ward level in Stark.

The SCPR disagrees.  However, it will take hard work and persistence like that demonstrated by Ira G. Turpin.  Angela Alexander appears to have Turpin-esque qualities in her make up.

This time around, it is apparent to the SCPR that Stark County "political insider" Kristen Guardado is the odds on favorite to become the Democratic nominee to challenge Republican appointee Curtis Werren.

While she may lose on May 5th, the SCPR encourages her to cement her professional ties to Stark County and thereby overcome the "outsider" label in future tries for public office.

Who knows what the future brings.

A vacancy can develop in a heartbeat (e.g. Belden's sudden resignation) in the Canton Municipal Court or the Stark County Court of Common Pleas.

Should Alexander lose in the Democratic primary to Guardado, hopefully Alexander will have by the time another judicial vacancy occurs be in a position to become Stark County's "only ever" Black female judge.

List of elected officials who attended Guardado March 3, 2015 fundraiser:

WILL CURT WERREN GET THE CHANCE TO BE "A TWO TIME LOSER?

The SCPR has indication that there was talk among "organized" Stark County Republicans that it would be pointless to recommend Curtis Werren to Republican governor John Kasich for appointment to Canton Municipal Court seat vacated on November 30, 2014 by Republican judge Stephen Belden.

Really?

Why not?

Because it is believed that the governor will not "second appoint" someone to an elective office when that person failed to hold the first appointed office in the election following on the heels of the appointment.

If that take on the governor is accurate, then, as the SCPR sees it, the Republicans are "between a rock and a hard place."

Really?

Why?

Because the Republicans best chance to retain the former Belden seat as a Republican-held seat is with Curtis Werren.

The other "recommended for appointment" candidate; namely, Aaron Kovalchik has virtually no chance to defeat the presumptive Democratic nominee Kristen Guardado come November, 2015.

In a SCPR analysis of the loser race of Werren's against Chryssa Hartnett (Stark County Court of Common Pleas; replacing V. Lee Sinclair to which Werren was appointed in July, 2013), Werren won by some 1,000 votes, more or less, over Harnett.

So wouldn't that make him the "odds on favorite" to defeat any Democratic opponent?

Not in the SCPR analysis, if Guardado get through the Democratic primary.

And it is hard to imagine that she will not.

Her prospective opponents include:

• a Stark Countian (Angela Alexander) who has practiced law in Summit County for most of if not all of her career as a lawyer.
• a "shop-worn" Democrat (E.E. Wise, Jr) who has, of late, been an administrator (North Canton) who like Werren appears to be desperate to find a job as a judge.
• Wise has run and lost for Stark County Probate Court judge and the 5th District Court of Appeals,
• However, The Report is being told that he is waffling on whether or not to stay in the Democratic primary

Guardado is the most experienced and the SCPR thinks most merited candidate to succeed Judge Belden.  Of particular note, her extensive work in the area of dealing with domestic violence cases which is a large part of Canton Municipal Court work.

And the SCPR is told that she will have all the financial resources she needs to wage a first-rate campaign against any Republican appointed by Kasich.

She wisely has touched base with "the powers that be" within the "organized" Stark County Party and thereby likely endeared herself to them.

And, of course, her boss is the immensely popular, well-known, and highly respected Canton law director Joseph Martuccio is in her corner.

One can safely bet will he will be going all out in support of Guardado's quest to give Stark Democrats majority control of the Canton Municipal Court bench.

And he will likely will be running unopposed on the November, 2015 ballot.

Notwithstanding the talk among local Republicans that Kasich is loathe to 2nd appoint a person who did not retain the first appointed office, the SCPR thinks as between Werren and Kovalchik, the only hope for the Republicans to hold on to the Belden slot will be for him to violate the "supposed" rule he has for giving the likes of Werren "a second bite at the Apple."

The Report thinks the Republican lose either way.

At least with Werren, they have a fighting chance.

It is interesting to note that Kovalchik is reported in local media has pledging to support Werren if Kashich appoints the former Common Pleas Court judge.

However, there is no reported such pledge coming from Werren.

So does this mean that should Kovalchik get the Kasich appointment that he will face primary opposition from Werren who has taken out petitions?

One would think that Kovalchik will be taking out petitions of his own any day now.

For if he fails to do so before the filing deadline in early February and he gets the appointment post-filing-deadline then he would only serve until the results of the November, 2015 election are certified.

Now that would be something, wouldn't it?

And, for Kovalchik, it would be a splendid turn of events if he is the appointed.

Right now, nobody outside the legal community knows who he is.  A Republican Party primary fight would change all that.

And there couldn't be a greater contrast.

Werren the quintessential nabob, establishment and privileged Republican against a more Lincolnesque - former public defender - "I connect with everyday people" Republican.

What a godsend that would be for The Stark County Political Report.

IS CURTIS WERREN IN LINE TO LOSE A SECOND JUDICIAL RACE?

In an election year that featured Republican gubernatorial and incumbent candidate John Kasich set to win by a landslide (he won by plus 37, 000 votes in Stark County), it was hard for the SCPR to fathom Democrat Chryssa Hartnett defeating Kasich Stark County Court of Common Pleas appointee (V. Lee Sinclair's replacement) Curt Werren.

But she did.

It was surprising not only in light of the Kasich shellacking of Democrat governor candidate Ed FitzGerald of Cleveland but also in the face of having a hard time raising money.

The number one priority for the Stark County "organized" Democratic Party was getting George T. Maier elected sheriff.

Even though Hartnett is a political ally of Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero (a man who tried to keep George from becoming sheriff), there is no indication that the Maier Massillon Political Machine held her association with Ferrero against her.

However, there is no doubt that the Maier political cabal had their priorities straight and Chryssa was not it.

It was former, of course, Stark County Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr's brother George.

But Chryssa, her mother (Nicholas) and presumably husband Thomas (he is a leading lawyer at Day, Ketterer Law Firm) were able to cobble together the necessary finances to not only give Werren "a run for his money" but, in fact, to defeat him by the scantest of margins (131 votes [after counting provisional ballots and recount; she led by only 29 votes at the end of county on election night).

Though the SCPR was skeptical that she could pull it off, she did and The Report thinks that Stark Countians are better off with a Judge Hartnett than a Judge Werren as a statement by voters that credentials of merit should trump political connections.

Apparently, it was devastating to Werren that he lost.  A highly reliable SCPR source says that after a North Canton City Council meeting Werren spouse Stephanie (Ward 3 councilwoman) was heard to say in a plaintiff manner that "Hartnett has a job (i.e. had she lost inasmuch as she is a lead Stark County prosecutor) but now her husband doesn't."

Isn't that interesting?

So now it appears that hubby Curt is out to rectify his loss to Hartnett in applying for a second appointment from the governor.

Several weeks ago, Canton Municipal Court Judge Stephen Belden abruptly announced he was resigning (which he did on or about November 30th).

It has been revealed that he is under investigation by Ohio Disciplinary Counsel for allegations that he has misused his power as a judge to create a de facto imprisonment for debt which is as a matter of law (i.e. de jure) is outlawed in the nation and, of course, in Ohio.

So the question is whether or not Werren will get "a second bite at the 'appointment' apple."

The SCPR thinks he will.

And here are the reasons why.

First, the SCPR has learned that state Senator Scott Oelslager has told the head of one of Stark County's premier law firms (not Day, Ketterer) that he will not be seeking the appointment.

Oelslager has been in either the Ohio House/Senate for a combined 30 years and is now at the pinnacle of his political power.

So The Report is not surprised that he wouldn't want now to switch careers at about age 63 which means he could only run for reelection one time because of Ohio's limit that once one reaches age 70, one cannot run for judge.

And there is a question that maybe he is not qualified because it does not appear that he has been practicing law for the - by Ohio law - minimum six years.

Yes, he has been a lawyer since 2001, but has he practiced law over the last 13 years?

Second, the only other Republican name mentioned is North Canton law director Tim Fox.

When the SCPR queries local lawyers about him being a possibility in that he is rumored to be interested; all The Report gets are "disbelieving" looks.

Fox's only political success has been as North Canton Ward 3 councilman (which Werren's wife got as an appointee) when Fox stepped aside in less than a year as councilman to take the law director position.

Come to think about it, there must be something in the blood of the Werrens conducive to them getting political appointments, no?

Sounds like to the SCPR that the Werrens despite their high level of financial/economic status might be thought to be of "the entitlement mentality."  That's reserved for welfare recipients, no?

The Report is told that when Stephanie Werren was told that it was rumored that Fox was interested in succeeding Belden, she reportedly was aghast and "not buying."

And she may be right.

In his race against Hartnett, Werren won the Canton Municipal Court District portion of the Stark Countywide vote by a margin of some 1,000 votes.

With Oelslager and Fox out and his proven vote prowess in the Canton Municipal Court District, that leaves Werren as the only viable Republican candidate.  

Accordingly, the SCPR fully expects him to get "a second bite at the apple."

But The Report thinks he may be in for "a second" loss.

And it will not likely come from Earle E. Wise, Jr who the SCPR thinks makes for a very poor candidate by force of his aloof personality.

Here is some SCPR history on Wise:

• E. J. Wise is a highly respected Stark County Democratic political figure (who has pedigreed entree into Stark County Democratic circles through his father, former 5th District Court of Appeals judge Earle E. Wise, Sr.): among the most respected in the entire county. 
• It is well known that he (E.E, Jr.) aspires to be a judge. He, a former prosecutor associated with the Bob Horowitz prosecutorial team, ran against incumbent judge Dixie Park (of the Stark County Probate Court) in 2004 and ran a relatively close race.
• E.J. did try to get Governor Ted Strickland to appoint him to a general jurisdiction Stark County Common Pleas judgship when Sara Lioi was appointed by President Bush to the federal bench (March, 2007). But he was up against the equally "highly respected" Democrat Canton Law Director Joe Martuccio and the properly "politically credentialed" Taryn Heath. Heath ended up with the appointment.

And here is some other third party source material:

All-in-all, the SCPR does not see Wise as a viable political candidate and should he win the Democratic nomination, Werren, the SCPR thinks, will "win in a walk over" over him.

In short, the SCPR sees Wise as a minimal factor in determining which Democrat (assuming Werren is the Kasich appointee) will face Werren in November.

Wise's candidacy might hurt Kristen Guadado with those Stark County voters who are turned off by Walls-Alexander having most of her legal experience in Summit County.  Perhaps some of the votes that might go to Walls-Alexander, but for her extensive Summit County ties, will, instead go to Wise.  However, the SCPR thinks Guardado will get most of the "I prefer a Stark County centered candidate" vote.

There is, of course, the possiblity that the two women will split the vote and Wise will slip in by a few votes.

Turning now more specifically to the two candidates that the SCPR thinks have the best chance to win the May Democratic primary:

• Angela Walls-Alexander, a native of Canton (graduated from McKinley in 1992) and now lives in Plain Township with her husband and criminal defense attorney (Summit County) John Alexander,
• Kristen Guardado, a 1989 graduate of McKinley High School,  also of Plain, who, in addition to being Canton's chief criminal case trial attorney, is a member of the Plain Local Board of Education,

Most of Walls-Alexander's legal experience since graduating from The University of Akron School of Law in 2001 and passing the Ohio Bar examination in the same year has been in Summit County.

But she did work in Masillon for Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero when he was law director in Massillon in 1999.  However, her running for the Belden seat has not involved Ferrero's input. Walls-Alexander says that the decision to run for the Canton Municipal Court opening was entirely  one made by herself in consultation with her husband.

Her work in Summit County has been impressive.

For starters here is an award given to her for her current boss Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, to wit:

Angela Walls-Alexander joined the Prosecutor’s Office seven and one-half years ago.  She is an integral part of our Domestic Violence Unit and helped to create the first felony Domestic Violence Court in Ohio.

Her dedication to helping victims of domestic violence was never more apparent than during the capital murder trial against Dawud Spaulding.  Angela worked with Erica Singleton, the mother of Spaulding’s children, for many years.  When Erica finally left Spaulding, he murdered her and another man and paralyzed another.  It was devastating for everyone who had tried to help Erica, especially Angela.  As difficult as the case was, however, she was able to secure a guilty verdict against Dawud Spaulding.  He is scheduled to be executed next year.    

While most employees in the Prosecutor’s Office are fairly vocal and gregarious, Angela is known for her calm, quiet demeanor.  She works equally hard on every case assigned to her, from low-level felony Domestic Violence charges to cases involving Rape and Murder.

Many people may not know that Angela and I have something in common beyond our passion for ensuring justice for victims.  We are both parents to a child with autism.  Being a working mom is tough.  Being a working mom to a child with special needs is even tougher.  You never know what challenges will present themselves with your child.  Yet, no matter what those challenges are, you must set them aside every day while you’re at work.  Only those with a child with special needs can fully grasp what you’re going through, and even then it is merely a guess as to your particular situation.  So I find it impressive and inspirational that, despite the trials and tribulations in her personal life, Angela is still able to successfully manage a heavy caseload without complaint and treat every victim with dignity, respect and compassion.

It is my pleasure to give this High Point Award to Angela Walls-Alexander.

As impressive as the award is, the details of Walls-Alexander's career and her aspirations for abating if not eliminating "domestic violence" from the American family landscape are compelling as well.

Other credentials include:

• she has worked for the Summit County prosecutor's office for almost 10 years,
• she has about six years experience working in the Summit County Public Defender's office doing criminal defense work and because she was permitted to have a private practice in that position, other experience includes working,
• civil cases,
• juvenile cases,
• domestic relations cases,
• across multiple jurisdiction in northeast Ohio

As far as the political side of running for judge are concerned, Walls-Alexander's plan is to run "a grassroots campaign" staffed by family and many Stark County-based friends she says she has.

She has an undergraduate degree in political science and says consequently she understands the political realities of getting elected.

The SCPR notes that she had an entry on Chryssa Hartnett's campaign Facebook page and asked Walls-Alexander whether or not she had a connection with Hartnett's campaign.

She did not.   However, her husband who has a practice in Summit County and who bills himself as "the peoples' lawyer" represented a person connected to the Bobby Cutts murder case (one of Hartnett's prize achievements as a Stark County prosecutor) and that consequently she met Hartnett on several occasions.  But Walls-Alexander has no personal political connection to Hartnett.

The most impressive thing about Walls-Alexander to the SCPR is her plan for bring a Family Violence Court to Canton should she be elected.

It would be modeled after the one that she has been a key figure in instituting in Summit County.

She (as a public defender) worked in the Akron Municipal Court (which has a 13 year old domestic violence specialized docket) representing clients with domestic violence and mental health issues.  For Walls-Alexander, the specialized docket court has a structure that facilitates resolving these very difficult cases.

She says Canton has about 1,200 domestic violence cases a year.  Her idea is to have a specialized docket handling only domestic violence cases.   Her objectives are to have consistency in outcome and treatment options.  In Akron she says, if an offender completes the treatment program, there is a  possibility that the original charges could be amended or dropped.

Walls-Alexander believes that courts need innovative thinking such as hers and that she has seen how an effective family violence court intervention program can change lives.

Right off the bat, one has to say that Guardado has an advantage in a Democratic primary over Alexander due to the fact that all of her legal practice has been in Stark County since graduating from The University of Akron School of Law.

Guardado (licensed to practice law in Ohio since 1995) tells the SCPR that yesterday - consonant with her pulling petitions from the Stark County Board of Elections - she did sit down and discuss her plan to run for the Belden seat with Stark County Dems' chairman Phil Giavasis and Kody Gonzalez.

• SCPR Note:  Kody is the son of the immediate former chairman Randy Gonzalez who succeeded Randy has Giavasis' "second in command" chief deputy clerk of courts who the SCPR thinks is "the chairman in training."

Guardado says that Giavasis and Gonzalez did not commit to support her candidacy in the May, 2015 Democratic primary election but were encouraging of her running.

An interesting thing about Guardado is that one wonders where she finds the time to do everything that she "has on her plate."

She is:

• Canton chief prosecuting attorney (going back about 20 years as an intern and then a prosecutor),
• she also serves as head of the domestic violence unit,
• working 20 hours a week at that job for the past 16 years,
• has a private practice doing:
• devoting 40 hours a week and having done so for the past 16 years, doing:
• civil work,
• guardian ad litem for children,
• civil litigation,
• personnel injury,
• probate,
• adoption,
• corporate work
• is a Plain Local Board of Education member going back 13 years, and 
• is actively engaged in several civic activities

Add on top of the foregoing, the numerous hours it takes to operate a "state-of-the-art" political campaign; one has to wonder how she could possibly do justice to the effort needed to be competitive when it seems that she faces an uphill challenge, no?

Make no mistake about it.  Again, assuming Curt Werren is going to get a second Kasich appointment, his running well against a very strong candidate in Chryssa Hartnett winning by some 1,000 votes in the Canton Municipal Court District seems very daunting to the SCPR.

And it should not be forgotten that a second chance for Werren is "a do or die effort" in terms of his even having a job.

Think he and his supporters will not "pull out all the stops" on this opportunity to redeem himself?

Nevertheless, the SCPR thinks that whomever among Guardado and Walls-Alexander survives the Democratic primary (note:  the SCPR does not take Wise to be much of a candidate in terms of viability) does present Werren with a highly competitive scenario.

As with Walls-Alexander, Kristen Guardado has strong credentials in dealing wth day-in, day-out problems faced by central Stark County families.

One of her prime interests pretty much parallels Walls-Alexander in what Guardado calls "a diversion program."

• that is to say, Canton Municipal Court's "Discretionary Rehabilitation Program,"
• which can result in an offender having his/her arrest/conviction record expunged

Guardado also is interested in and has talked with court officials about creating a drivers license diversion program to aid participants to maintain driving privileges.

Her focus if elected judge will be to make a person's contact with the Canton Municipal Court be an experience in which lessons were learned with a minimum of consequences.

Guardado says she might apply with the Stark County GOP/Governor John Kasich for the appointment to replace Stephen Belden.

While the SCPR thinks that whomever comes out of the Democratic primary will have a uphill climb to defeat the presumptive Republican nominee Curt Werren, as did Chryssa Hartnett.

As things now stand, one should expect Werren to become Canton's next "new" municipal court judge.

The rallying call for the primary-surviving Democrat ought to be:  "Remember Chryssa Hartnett!"