SLIDESHOW: HOOVER RETIREES MEET AT MAYFIELD SR CTR TO ORGANIZE FIGHT AGAINST WHIRLPOOL REDUCTION IN MEDICAL/PRESCRIPTION BENEFITS

PART TWO - DEALING WITH THE $8 BILLION DEFICIENT OHIO BUDGET - BOSLEY V. SNITCHLER DEBATE 07/28/2010 ("POINTS TO PONDER" WHBC-1480AM)

Ron Ponder who is a talk show host on WHBC-1480 with his program "Points to Ponder" very effectively managed a debate between incumbent Republican state Representative Todd Snitchler and challenger and Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley and thereby provided Stark Countians who live in the 50th Ohio House District (Marlboro, Nimishillen, Pike, Sandy, Sugarcreek, Perry [part], Tuscarawas, Lawrence and Lake Townships) with a good look at the varying views of the two Todds.

Ponder and his producer and  protege at WHBC, Stephon King, dubbed the debate as "The Battle of the Todds."

Ponder and WHBC are doing a tremendous public service for the Stark County public in doing this debate as well as arranging for a number of debates between Stark County candidates in other races.   Moreover, Ponder is working on putting together appearances by the likes of Governor Strickland and his Republican opponent John Kasich, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman and Democrat Lee Fisher among others.

In today's debate Ponder drew the candidates out on what each would do to solve the projected $8 billion shortfall in the Fiscal Year 2012 - 2013 Ohio budget that is to be balanced by June 1, 2011.

Neither candidate seemed to have much of an answer. 

To sum the offerings up, the SCPR took Snitchler's view to, in essence, be to "cost cut into balance" whereas Bosley's view boiled down to create jobs and "grow the economy into balance."

For readers who want to get a more realistic and complete grasp of what needs to be done, go to the Center for Community Solutions at read Thinking the Unthinkable:  Finding Common Ground for Resolving Ohio's Fiscal Crisis.

DISCUSSION: RON PONDER OF WHBC'S "POINTS TO PONDER" & AS REP COLUMNISTNEEDS TO RETHINK HIS TAKE ON THE STATE OF THE STARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY

Ron Ponder of "Points to Ponder" (WHBC-AM 1480) and the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) are agreed on one thing: the Stark County Republican Party is in dire need of rehabilitation.

Okay. If The Report agrees with Ponder, why is agreement worthy of a blog.

Because there is a point of disagreement.

Ponder wrote a column for The Rep yesterday on the need for the Republican Party, in general, to get its act together. He went on to provide the same prescription for the Stark County Republican Party. But he went awry in suggesting that Stark County Republican Party chair Jeff Matthews and state Senator Kirk Schuring have a "rehab" underway.

Ponder has to be kidding.

He offers nothing more than a mere assertion that a rebuild plan is in the offing.

The evidence is to the contrary.

For instance, a source has told The Report that Travis Secrest in putting a campaign team together to make a run against Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley. If such is the case, a huge mistake is being made.

Probably the thinking is that since Bosley pushed imposing a 1/4% sales/use tax to come up with funding for a countywide 9-1-1 and solving the immediate needs of balancing the Stark County budget, he is vulnerable.

And that is not bad thinking running against most candidates even if incumbent ones.

But Todd Bosley is no ordinary candidate. Just ask Richard Regula.

The Report is a big fan of Travis Secrest. Stark County would be much better off today if he had been elected county commissioner over 2008 opponent Tom Harmon.

Secrest is full of vim, vigor, vitality and, more importantly, ideas and The Report is convinced he would work hard to actuate his ideas.

Were he to pull a monumental upset and defeat Bosley, how would that help Stark County? He would be manhandled by "the taking Stark County nowhere" Harmon and Harmon's good friend Pete Ferguson. The best duo for getting Stark headed in the right direction would be Secrest and Bosley.

The only realistic case that can be made for Secrest running against Bosley is for the experience of running. Didn't he get that in running against Harmon? The next time should be with a good chance of winning. Secrest, in the opinion of The Report, has a lot to offer as a local Republican leader. The wise one (i.e. Judge Charles) of the Stark Republican Party should council Secrest very carefully in his next political move.

What is the Stark GOP plan for running someone against Stark County Auditor Kim Perez? One name bounced around is Trustee Anna Capaldi of Perry Township. Now this would be an interesting contest.

The Report likes listening to and reading Ponder. But he does need to have a tad more gravitas in his musings.

DISCUSSION: THE REPOSITORY CONTINUES ITS MISERABLE JOB IN REPORTING & EDITORIALIZING ON "THE HEALY FIASCO!"

One consistent thing about The Repository on the what the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) now dubs for the first time "the Healy fiasco," is how tardy The Rep has been in reporting on or editorializing on with respect each issue surfacing in "the Healy fiasco."

Only one year into 15 months into his administration, The Report is now ready to say that the Healy administration is a complete failure in terms of losing the confidence of most Cantonians in pulling Canton out of its economic and political stupor.

What is amazing is the degree to which TeamHealy has bamboozled The Canton Repository "powers that be."

Why is this so?

The Report believes that Executive Editor Jeff Gauger and his fellows at The Rep are unsure as to whether or not the Healy administration is going to survive. Moreover, The Rep folks know full-well how punitive Healy is of those who do not do his bidding. So, if he does limp through his remaining 33 months, they likely surmise that getting news out of city hall will be worse that pulling teeth.

Another issue The Report has with The Rep is summed up in the next two sentences.

The Report uses material of The Repository frequently. And which yours truly does, proper attribution is accorded The Rep.

The reverse does not appear to be true.

Ed Balint's article, dated at about midnight yesterday, miserably fails to credit the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT for being an agent of the "stirring." The only journalistic effort to tie campaign contributions to Mayor Healy awarding contracts has been from The Report and WHBC's "Points to Ponder" (Ron Ponder - talk show host). But curiously miss from Balint's piece is a reference to either The Report or "Points to Ponder."

The Report has had several confirmations that the folks at The Rep follow what The Report's blog. A person from its editorial department e-mailed The Report to correct an incorrect (The Rep having made the initial error) attribution to a Repository editorial The Report was commenting on. And reporter Malcolm Hall of The Rep called The Rep about material The Report has published on the current Marlboro Township turmoil about efforts of township trustees to fire its police chief.

As The Report told Hall, he and The Rep is free to use The Report's material as long as The Rep attributes the source.

The Report has learned that Canton City Council leader Bill Smuckler has commented that the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT is the only Stark County journalistic effort that has gotten it right on the Healy administration machinations.

Now the Balint story itself.

Notice that Canton Law Director Martuccio couches his analysis in the expression "legally speaking." What this means to The Report is that Martuccio believes that the Healy administration has "the spirit of the law"l problems in the quid pro quo appearing arrangement on Healy's award of the Johnson contract. What's more, Martuccio skillfully qualifies his "legally speaking" with "this is the first time I have looked at the law." The qualification leaves Martuccio with wiggle room for later on. Perhaps, as the Healy administration is on its way out the door?

Healy (in The Rep's article): 'wanted to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in this situation.' What is this Mayor, a joke?

The mere utterance of the expression is that the Mayor understands that the impression is clearly out there in the public square. This tactic is what lawyers call a "confession and avoidance."

Every rhetorical device that Jamey Healy uses bespeaks a man who thinks he can outsmart the whole world with his glib tongue.

And it is working with at least one Stark County entity: THE CANTON REPOSITORY!

It should tell readers volumes that Healy is willing to talk with The Rep's people WHEREAS he will not nor permit his Communications Direct Adam Herman to talk to the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT.

The Report trusts that the highly respected Canton Law Director Joe Martuccio will not let Healy hoodwink him. He needs to remember that Healy has undermined the public's confidence in his law department by saying, in effect, that his labor negotiating assistant law directors and staff are not ethical enough or expert enough to negotiate an "arms-length" contract with the Canton police unions.

Healy underscored his lack of confidence in the Canton Law Department by reiterating in the Balint piece: "Johnson’s 'experience ... was something that was critical in this process.'

The Report knows Healy well. The Report, at one time, held out hope that Healy could turnaround Canton.

The Report no longer believes Healy can be effective for Canton. Healy needs to move on!!!

DISCUSSION: HEALY REPEATS DENIALS OF ALLEGATION(S) IN ANONYMOUS LETTERS AND SUGGESTS A LINK BETWEEN LETTERS AND RESISTERS OF HEALY CHANGES

Canton Mayor Healy's denial and linkage is heard on the embedded audio (above) which is an excerpt from the Friday, February 6, 2009 "Points to Ponder" (Ron Ponder host on WHBC-AM 1480).

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) hopes that the mayor's denial are substantiated by investigation authorities. However, The Report is less than impressed with the Healy suggested linkage.

The Report believes Canton and Stark County needs to change. Obviously, what has been done in preparing for the future of both Canton and Stark has not been visionary. Rather both entities have been led by "caretaker" type administrations.

Change for the sake of change is not productive either. As The Report has written about Healy before, he is not one to take counsel easily. He does talk "come and let us reason together." But The Report suspects he doesn't really mean it as evidenced by in conduct in office (i.e. - not getting along with council, firing Bernabei and general "imperial" bearing).

If The Report is correct about the arrogance factor, Healy will be a one-term-mayor and Canton and derivatively Stark County will be four years further behind other communities in getting our financial/economic act together.

The Report's take on the Ponder part of the interview (not included in the recording), is that Ponder seemed to agree with the mayor that the allegation(s) are baseless. It is not clear what the basis is on which the seeming agreement rests. It would be a service to his listeners for Ponder to elucidate. The Report's take is that the Ponder position is basically: (paraphrase) "This is what happens to public officials trying to get change."

Really? Someone makes up stuff and starts sending it to law enforcement, media outlets, the accused and family members.

Oh yes, The Report remembers the Tawana Brawley matter. As described in a Slate magazine piece (9/8/2003) about the presidential campaign of Brawley advocate Al Sharpton:

Charge: In 1987, a 15-year-old black girl named Tawana Brawley went missing and was found four days later covered in dog feces and with racial slurs written on her body. She claimed that at least two and possibly six white men, one of them carrying a badge, had repeatedly raped her in the woods in upstate New York.

Most Americans accept the results of official investigations that conclude that the story was made up. From Wikipedia:

After hearing evidence, a grand jury concluded in October 1988 that Brawley had not been the victim of a forcible sexual assault and that she herself may have created the appearance of an attack. The New York prosecutor whom Brawley accused as one of her alleged assailants successfully sued Brawley and her three advisers for defamation.

While contrivances do happen, The Report does not accept that they are commonplace as The Report believes Ponder suggested.

In any event, The Report compliments WHBC and Ponder for the public service they render in bringing Canton and Stark County news makers on the air so that citizens can ask questions and evaluate.