PART 5: "NEW" SCPR FEATURE - QUARTERLY REVIEW OF STARK'S "TOP 10" ELECTED OFFICIALS

On Monday, The Stark County Political Report started a new feature:  Stark County Top 10 Leaders.

On a quarterly basis, The Report plans on ranking Stark County's political subdivision (villages, cities, township and boards of education) leadership in terms of the "Top 10."

See previous blogs in this series for the particulars of how the quarterly "Top 10" blogs will be constituted, revised and what the timetable is for publication.  (reference:  the Tom Bernabei blog)

And, of course, to see the SCPR's presentations on:

• Stark County's #1 leader; namely, Stark County Commissioner Thomas M. Bernabei, and
• Stark County's #2 leader; namely, Massillon Councilwoman Nancy Halter,
• Stark County's #3 leader; namely, Canton Councilman Edmond Mack,
• Stark County's #4 leader; namely, Stark County Auditor Alan Harold,

Today's blog is on Stark County Treasurer Alex Zumbar.

Along with yesterday's SCPR subject Stark County Auditor Alan Harold and Stark County commissioners Thomas Bernabei and Janet Creighton; Alex Zumbar has been a key figure in restoring the Stark County public's confidence in county government following what local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley has termed as being Zeiglergate (April 1, 2009 through October 19, 2011).

There is however one key difference between Zumbar and the others.

In Zumbar's case there was an alternative selection to be had to succeed Gary Zeigler as Stark County treasurer.

Zeigler, as it turned out, was "unconstitutionally" removed as treasurer by the-then commissioners Bosley, Meeks and Ferguson in August, 2010.  The Ohio Supreme Court restored Zeigler to office in June, 2011.

The September, 2010 alternative was Democrat Ken Koher who did serve for a short period of time which was from September 20, 2010 through November 24, 2010.

Koher who had been selected by Stark County's "organized" Democrats to replace Zeigler had to face Republican nominee Zumbar (September 9, 2010 at a Stark Co.  GOP meeting which resulted in the SCPR "gone Huffington Post Internet viral" Phil Davison "over-the-top Republican" video) on November 2, 2010.



Zumbar won and was sworn in on November 24th.

But, of course, as indicated above,  Zumbar was out in June, 2011 only to return on October 31, 2011.

From the Stark County treasurer's website:

Alexander Zumbar was first elected Stark County Treasurer in November of 2010. 

Prior to assuming his current position he spent 18 years in public service. 

Beginning in 1996 Treasurer Zumbar was elected to the Alliance City Council and held that position until 2003. 

Also, in 2003 he held the dual position of Administrative Assistant to the Honorable Charles E. Brown Jr. in the Stark County Court of Common Pleas- General Division. 

In November, 2003 he was elected to the position of Alliance City Auditor and held that position until May of 2008 when he was appointed as Finance Director of North Canton and held that position until his election as Treasurer. 

Civically, Alex is on the District Eagle Scout Review Board, Regina Coeli Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus #558, and Christopher Columbus Society. 

Professionally Treasurer Zumbar is a member of Auditor of State Dave Yost-Northeast Ohio Regional Advisory Board, Government Finance Officers Association, County Treasurers Association of Ohio and Association of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada. 

Alex holds the following certificates and special awards and honors: Emerging Trends in Fraud Investigation and Prevention certificate, Public Records and Open Meetings Law Training certification and the Ohio Financial Accountability certification. He has received the CAFR Award from the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office and the Government Finance Officer Association from 2004 through 2010. The State Auditor Award and is a BSA Eagle Scout. 

Treasurer Zumbar received his B.A. degree in Accounting from Mount Union College.

This is what the SCPR had to say about Zumbar in a November 23, 2011 annual Thanksgiving Day blog: (an extract)

[Zumbar] is a Republican through and through. 

He, picking up where Democrat Ken Koher had left off, on his winning of office in November, 2010 went to work instituting many structural, policy, practice and procedural changes in the Stark County treasury to ensure that a Vince Frustaci-esque theft of taxpayer moneys could never happen again. 

Moreover, Zumbar went to work in proposing and helping establish a Stark County-based land bank program to identify condemned, abandoned and to be torn down properties to be put to more productive use. 

Picking up on local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley's focus on the fact that some $40 million of back property taxes are owed to Stark County and its political subdivisions, Zumbar has put together lists of properties for the Stark County prosecutor's office to pursue in order to get much needed revenue into the hands of the county and the subdivisions. 

This despite being bounced in and out of office like a yo-yo. 

Indeed Stark Countians should be thankful that Alex Zumbar had the fortitude to stand tall and do what's good for Stark County.

Zumbar continues his restructuring of the Stark County treasurer's facilities in order to achieve maximum protection of Stark County taxpayer money to the degree it is still kept at the treasurer's office which is located on the second floor of the Stark County Office Building.

Zumbar has done sterling work as the initiator of (March 21, 2012) and guiding factor in the formation of and development of the Stark County Land Reutilization Corporation (SCLRC, aka Stark County Lank Bank).

A number of Stark County political subdivisions have benefited from the formation of the SCLRC.

Canton with some 4,000 of 5,000 blighted and abandoned residential units remaining (the 1,000 removed so far coming from SCLRC administration of an Ohio attorney general office grant and Canton's $1 million local match) has been a major beneficiary of the existence of the SCLRC.

However, as stated by the SCPR in this series about Commissioner Tom Bernabei and Auditor Alan Harold, as well as The Report thinks of Zumbar, he is not perfect.

It was alarming to the SCPR when it appeared that Zumbar:

• was being a hindrance and not helpful when expeditious SCLR action was needed to get Canton more time to advantage itself on Ohio and federal demolition funding in voting with then-member and Plain Township trustee Scott Haws in a 2 (against) to 3 (for) vote on Canton's request, and
• Yours truly got the feeling that Zumbar and Haws (who the SCPR views as among Stark County most consummate Republicans) were "playing politics" with the Democratic Canton officials,

• appeared (in July, 2014) to be trying to increase the pay of his chief deputy (Jaime Allbrittain, a former Stark Co. treasurer herself) at the expense of the SCLRC without bidding the "to be created SCLRC position" out to the general public,

To his credit, the SCPR thinks Commissioner Bernabei put a stop to that.

Needless to say, Zumbar was furious with yours truly about the blogs on the incidents described above as he has been from time-to-time on other SCPR blogs.

What public officials like Zumbar can't quite seem to figure out is that yours truly does not seek to be liked by Stark County officialdom.  In fact, The Report gets just a tad nervous if a given relationship with a public official gets comfortable.  The question always becomes:  Am I doing my job as a journalist?

The Report gets along well with most of Stark County officialdom.  But things do get testy from time-to-time and that's the way it should be.  Zumbar has been among the most unhappy with the blogs that the SCPR publishes.

And, of course, word filters back to The Report that Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. and elected official members of his Maier Massillon Political Machine go absolutely "bonkers" at some of the SCPR's incisive blogs on how they perform as Stark County officials.

The Report see these folks as cowardly types who only answer questions posed by the "fawning" press.

The SCPR does not mind elected officials having a strong political party loyalty side to them except when The Report thinks that party connections seem to unduly play in the discharge of the official functions.

The Report suspects that Zumbar and his sidekick Allbritain and Stark County Probate Court judge Dixie Park were into some sort of political quid pro quo (something for something) in Park's daughter ending up on the Stark County treasury payroll and Allbritain's showing up on Judge Park's payroll.

Moreover, Zumbar hired into his office the child of a Republican Alliance councilman (Roger Rhome) apparently without making the job available to the general public.

There is probably nothing more odious to the SCPR than these types of "do not meet the smell test" personnel transactions.

On the Democratic Party side, Sheriff George T. Maier is the personification of the "does not meet the smell test" on the question of his non-union hirings.

Notwithstanding Zumbar's warts, the SCPR thinks that he is a superb Stark County official.

And he can be assured that The Report's thinking well of him will be no barrier whatsoever in terms of writing blogs chastising him for what yours truly thinks is this or that inappropriate public action.

A vigilant press helps make the likes of Zumbar better public officials.  Unfortunately, Stark County's only countywide newspaper all to often give certain public officials a pass on intense scrutiny.

On balance the SCPR thinks well enough of Zumbar to make him make #5 on the Stark County "Top 10" List of Stark County political subdivision elected officials.

Tomorrow the SCPR will feature #6 on the list.

Hint:  He is in the context where partisan elections are held for public office, Stark County's only "independent."

PART 1: "NEW" SCPR FEATURE - QUARTERLY REVIEW OF STARK'S "TOP 10" ELECTED OFFICIALS

Tomorrow: #2 on the SCPR "Top 10" List

With the recent coming and going of March 12th, The Stark County Political Report is now into its 8th year.

On reflecting over the past seven years, it dawned on yours truly that there is now enough familiarity with "elected" Stark County elected officials that The Report is in a position the meaningfully evaluate who is doing an exemplary job, who is mediocre and who the dregs of Stark County political subdivision are.

Today, the SCPR states with the initial Top 10 listing.

Quarterly, The Report will reevaluate the listings to determine whether or not the ten listed in the-then current list merit continuing on the list and, if so, whether or not the list has that official in the appropriate ranking slot.

All of which means that it is possible for future quarterly assessments to drop down/move up the various listed persons and finally whether a given official should be on the new list at all.

A corollary is that an official heretofore not on the list could catapult to a place on the list on the basis of new actions which the SCPR thinks is a major move for the improvement of one level or another of Stark County Political Subdivision (i.e. villages, cities, townships and boards of education).

The next edition will appear beginning on July 1st and then continuing on the first day of each ensuing new quarter thereafter.

The first list of course is the brainchild of yours truly.

However, The Report is open to nominations from the SCPR reading public.  Nominators should send nominations to tramols@att.net with a convincing argument why the nominee deserves a place of honor on list.

No anonymous nomination will be considered.

While the SCPR is pleased to point out those officials who have provided exemplary leadership; The Stark County Political Report would not be The Stark County Political Report if the derelicts of Stark County political and government leadership did not also get their quarterly "day in the sun."

Accordingly and soon, the SCPR will initiate a Bottom Ten of Stark County leadership.

After all "fair is fair," no?

THE FIRST QUARTERLY "TOP 10" LIST

#1:  STARK CO. COMMISSIONER THOMAS BERNABEI

Tom Bernabei is a lifelong resident of Stark County and lives in Jackson Township. He graduated from Canton Lehman High School in 1964, Brown University in 1968 and The Ohio State University School College of Law in 1975. Between college and law school, Tom served four years in the United States Army, including one tour of duty in Vietnam.

Tom's first public service job out of law school was as Assistant Prosecutor in Massillon Municipal Court. He later served as an Assistant Law Director in Canton. In 1998, he was elected Canton Law Director. Tom retired in 2000 and subsequently -- after his wife tired of having him around the house - served one term as Councilman at-Large in Canton. Tom then worked as Director of Public Service in Canton from 2008 to 2009, and as SARTA's interim Executive Director in 2009. In 2010, Tom was elected Stark County Commissioner.

Tom proudly practiced law with his father, Joseph, from 1975 to 1989. He equally is proud to be married to his wife, Bebe.

Source: Stark County commissioners website

To the SCPR, Bernabei is "the best of the best" of Stark County political subdivision leadership.

Not perfect, to be sure.

But The Report thinks he is "head and shoulders" above the rest.

Stark County is really, really, really deficient in leadership that is forward looking in its planning and developing a vision of a future that captures the imagination of Stark Countians.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Village concept is an example of what Stark needs more of.

While Greater Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce (GCRCC) CEO and president Denny Saunier himself has demonstrated some of the leadership qualities the SCPR has in mind, The Report sees the Chamber's leadership training and development component as being "a credential gathering" watering hole for those who want to get leadership positions on the basis of polished résumés and not upon real leadership skills and ability.

The GCRCC needs to completely overhaul its leadership development mechanism and thereby convert it from "a spit and polish" operation into "a boot camp-esque" (figuratively speaking) regime that produces fewer but more highly prized leaders-in-the-making (as contrasted to the merely "credentialed") and thereby provide a resource that over time will provide all sectors of the Stark County community with visionary direction and accomplishment.

Returning to Tom Bernabei.

He is long-time Canton law director and short-time service director in the first William J. Healy, II administration, he appears to be to the SCPR pretty much "his own man" who by and large (but not always) "calls them as he sees them" which of course are characteristic that the SCPR likes the most in public officials.

In January, 2009 (having been hired in January, 2008) he got fired as Canton's service director/chief-of-staff because Mayor Healy could not handle his incisive critiques of the fumbling and bumbling going on under the neophyte mayor.

Seven years down the road it seems to The Report that things have improved with Healy's leadership style but a casualty of his slow and grudging improvement has left a number of sacrificial lambs (Bernabei being the foremost example of) strewn along the pathway.

Healy learned early on that there are those in government and politics who will not bullied nor can they be finessed.

Healy may not admit it, but Bernabei's time on his staff was a blessing in terms of his modeling what "real" leadership looks like.

The major mark that Thomas Bernabei has made on Stark County government has been as Stark County commissioner.

With the onset of Stark County government troubles with the charges in early 2009 that Stark County Deputy Treasurer Vince Frustaci had stolen perhaps as much as nearly $3 million of Stark County taxpayer money (to which he plead guilty stealing about $2.46 million and was sentenced to federal prison for ten years), Stark County government was reeling in public distrust of "who was minding the store."

It took Democrat Bernabei and former Stark County recorder, auditor and Canton mayor Janet Creighton (a Republican) to put together a plan of action to restore public confidence in the integrity of Stark County government to the point that the commissioners were able to convince Stark voters to approve an increase in the county sales tax of 1/2 cent in November, 2012.

It was truly remarkable to see a turnaround in the public attitude in the brief time span of some eleven of Bernabei and Creighton taking office.

While the SCPR thinks Creighton has been an above-average commissioner; she is not - in The Report's judgment - at Bernabei's level.  She and the third commissioner (Richard Regula) make a good supporting cast, but Bernabei appears to be the decider-in-chief.

She has not let their different political perspectives be much of a factor in doing what's best for Stark County.  But from time-to-time she will team up with fellow Republican Regula to advance what seems to the SCPR as being a partisan interest.

It is clear to the SCPR that it has been Commissioner Bernabei who has been the driving force behind structuring and implementing core democratic-republican values of accountability, accessibility, openness, communicativeness and transparency into Stark County government.

Moreover, he been the "due diligence" commissioner who vets each and every commissioner action in coming to position on the many various issues that the commissioners had had to deal with over the past four plus years.

The Report has disagreed with a number of his positions (e.g. to hire the commissioners' very own legal counsel and the awarding of the Computer Aided Dispatch contract process among a number), but there is no doubt that he was convinced of his take on his interpretation of his due diligence.

The SCPR shutters to think what the county would have been in for had Jackson Township trustee Jamie Walters been elected in 2010 (as the The Report thinks he would have been had it not been for an "independent" candidate being in the race).

But for Thomas Bernabei being a Stark County commissioner, the SCPR thinks Stark County would be stuck in a quagmire of bickering and infighting and fiscal chlaos and therefore in a mode of governance that nurtures public cyncism.

Another quality that Bernabei brings to the commissioners' office is "a wry sense of humor."  He is apt "at the drop of a hat" to make some pretty bizarre associations that provoke hearers to laughter.

Here is a SCPR videotaped example:



All the foregoing is why the SCPR thinks Commissioner Thomas M. Bernabei is "the best of the best" in Stark County Political Subdivision governance.

Tomorrow, #2 on the SCPR "Top 10" list.

Hint.  From Massillon.  And not Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry!