TODD SNITCHLER GETS "NASTY" BACK AT BOSLEY? OHIO HOUSE 50TH. BOSLEY SAYS HE IS GOING TO FILE OHIO ELECTIONS COMPLAINT AGAINST SNITCHLER.

 

On October 13th Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley (Democrat - Marlboro) and state Rep. Todd Snitchler (Republican - Lake) will have a face-to-face confrontation at the Stark County League of Women Voters debate at the Timken High School auditorium.

It should be a highly charged debate.  However, if Richard Kuhn is the moderator, he may try to sit on Bosley and Snitchler to keep it civil.

But is that possible?

The acrimony all started with the Bosley (or should one say the Ohio Democratic Party - ODP) calling Snitchler a rat in ODP flyer mailed out a week or so ago.

Snitchler a rat?

Yes, according to the Bosley forces.

On what basis?

In co-sponsoring House Bill 400 in which Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich proposes to terminate Ohio's income tax over a ten years span.  According to Bosley et al, HB 400 if it passes (probably not any time soon), it would cost tens of thousands of teachers, fire fighters, parole officers (and the like) jobs.

Moreover, the Bosleyites claimed that Snitchler has been investigated three times by the Ohio Election Commission (OEC) and that he misrepresented himself on his website of being a member of the Ohio House Republican Caucus leadership.

All of which promoted Snitchler to have an complaint filed against the ODP saying that both the investigation claim and the leadership claim were false charges.  The OEC has found probable cause and a full blown hearing is set for October 14th in Columbus.

Then came the charge by Bosley in a Repository Editorial Board interview that Snitchler voted three times against HB 19 which was a bill that got passed with Republican support (the Ohio Senate) and Democratic support (the Senate and the House) whereby school districts are mandated to provide "teen date violence" instruction - a minimum of 20 minutes per year - and which changed Ohio law on who can and who cannot drive a school bus.

Bosley's folks claim that the school bus part of the bill was to tighten up the law and that Snitchler in voting no on it was in effect voting to allow the likes of sexual predators to drive buses whereas they could not prior to HB 19.

But the SCPR disagrees.  What HB 19 did was allow for the "rehabilitation" of certain offenders (not all) and thereby allow school districts to consider hiring rehabilitated offenders to drive school buses.

The SCPR spoke with the office of Republican state Senator Jim Carey (who amended HB 19) with the rehabilitation provision and was told that it is designed to allow persons who otherwise have spotless records to become employable as bus drivers.  Senator Carey had a specific situation in his district that fell in the the category of his amendment.

One could argue that those who voted for the bill were in fact those who loosened the bill up on the school bus driver issue.

The telling criticism on Snitchler is that he seems to have been unconcerned on the subject matter of the bill.  He voted no three times, he says, because it contained an unfunded mandate on the teen dating instruction provision.

Apparently, Snitchler was being "true" to his political principles in voting no (i.e. keeping the state out of local school matters).  However, he has a problem with this tack.  No one from the schools objected to the "new" requirement and, in fact, the conservative Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) testified in favor of this aspect of HB 19.

Most school observers and the neutral Legislative Service Commissioner do not see the instruction requirement as being burdensome or costly to local school districts.

So Snitchler's devotion to principle is lost on the local school folks.

What he has to do is to explain to parents of students who have their loved ones harmed,in the context of dating violence, why his principle trumps having their children maimed.

Now we have a new flyer out.  This time by Snitchler.  In it he accuses Bosley of being a tax dodger.    But it appears he (or his researchers) got it wrong on at least one of the two counts his flyer alleges.

Snitchler correctly identifies Bosley as having voted in a sales tax and a license plate increase.

So far, so good, no?

Well, in accusing Bosley in not paying his property tax, he appears to have gotten it wrong.

One of the real skills of any political campaign is what is called "opposition research."  These folks can be worth their weight in gold.  Or, they can be the "death knell" of a campaign if they do sloppy work.

Both the Bosley and Snitchler campaigns appear to be guilty of sloppy research.

Bosley's folks were sloppy in erroneously claiming that Snitcher had be investigated three times by the Ohio Elections Commission.  Bosley's ODP supporters have already amended their claim by admitting that there were no more than two investigations.  The Snitchler folks claim there was only one.

Snitchler's researchers needed to check with the Stark County auditor's office more closely.  Apparently, the researcher only checked the "online" records of the auditor's office.

The Bosley camp has obtained a letter from interim Stark County Treasurer Ken Koher attesting to the fact that Bosley was never behind in his real property taxes.

One other thing.

Bosley says that the Snitchler flyer is also false in saying he was behind in his corporate taxes.  The closest thing Bosley can figure that Snitchler is talking about is a glitch (repaired immediately - so says Bosley - when it became evident) in reporting and paying workers' compensation by an independent contractor hired by Bosley. 

Bosley says that he will be filing an Ohio Elections Commission complaint directly against Representative Snitchler, perhaps, as soon as today.

So how does all this net out?

The SCPR believes that any "high moral ground" Snitchler may have had as an outgrowth of "the rat" flyer and Bosley's assertion that he voted in such a way to facilitate the likes of sexual predators drive school buses will now be lost.

When voters see dueling OEC complaints being filed, they are very likely to conclude that the nasty campaigning has taken up residence in both the Bosley and Snitchler campaigns.

VIDEO (PART 7): BOSLEY DISTANCES FROM OBAMA; SNITCHLER FROM McCAIN & TALK ABOUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

It is interesting what political candidates will do "under the pressure of the moment."

The SCPR's take on Bosley and Snitchler is that both "for appearances sake" made statements under questioning by Ron Ponder of "Points to Ponder,"  WHBC-AM1480 in their July 28th radio debate that belie their true positions.

For instance in the video that accompanies this blog each takes a turn distancing from their political party's top national guy.  With Bosley, of course, this is President Obama.  With Snitchler, less obviously, it was the 2008 GOP national standard bearer John McCain.  The appearance?  "I can critique my side's leadership."  But can they, really?

On to the next topic of the debate.

The accomplishments of each candidate.

The Report's take on them.

Both are thin indeed.

Republican Snitchler had to piggyback his HB 77 (conceal personal information of Federal law enforcement officers) on to a Democrat Representative Kathleen Chandler (Portage County) sponsored bill.  This, he says, is an example of his ability to work bipartisan.  Really?  And that is Snitchler's lone success in his first (and, perhaps, only) two year term.

Democrat Todd Bosley was practically as desperate.  One of his achievements he talks about being his most "fun" accomplishment is his work on Solid Waste District (includes Stark, Wayne and Tuscarawas Counties) recycling.  He really stretches when he claims that his Solid Waste work is an indication of his ability to work bi-partisan.  Most of the commissioners members of the Solid Waste Board (i.e. Tuscarawas and Wayne) are Republican.

Bosley does have a stronger claim on his 9-1-1 work.  He has been pushing this issue since his days as Nimishillen Township trustee.  However, he "borrowed" it from Nimishillen Township Fire Chief Rich Peterson.

Here is the video of each speaking for himself.

VIDEO: PART 6 "BATTLE OF THE TODDS," BOSLEY SAYS THAT SNITCHLER IS A "JUST SAY NO" STATE REPRESENTATIVE. IS HE CORRECT?

Todd Bosley "got up close and 'personal'" with 50th District Ohio Representative Todd Snitchler (Republican - Lake) in their "Battle of Todds" debate on Ron Ponder's "Points to Ponder," (WHBC-AM1480) on July 28th.

In this segment of the debate (see the video below), Bosley accuses Snitchler as being for cutting $250,000 million from Stark County schools in that Snitchler was a sponsor of House Bill 400; a bill to phase out Ohio's income tax over 10 years.

That's a specific charge.

A more general charge was that Snitchler is like his counterpart Republicans at the national level (popularly known as "the party of no") in that he has no consistent, positive agenda for Ohio and the 50th House District and that all Snitchler has to say is no.

The SCPR does note that during this entire debate, it does seem that Bosley had Snitchler in the "defending" himself position.  One has to wonder why Sntichler didn't attack Bosley as a "tax and spend" Democrat because of Bosley's two votes as a sitting county commissioner for the "imposed" sales tax in December, 2008 and, before that, having - as a relative new commissioner - having voted for a license plate fee increase.

As the SCPR sees it, Bosley is being somewhat disingenuous in scoring Snitchler for not getting his sponsored and cosponsored legislation passed.  Anyone who knows anything about how Columbus works, knows that in modern legislative times (Republican or Democrat), the majority party pretty much shuts out the minority party from getting significant legislation passed.

Here is video segment six in which Snitchler goes back to his effort to get performance audits of all departments of state government enacted.

VIDEO: PART 5 - "BATTLE OF THE TODDS" CONTINUES; BOSLEY ACCUSES SNITCHLER OF FAVORING LEGISLATION THAT WOULD RESULT IN "LESS" SUPERVISION OF SEX OFFENDERS & FOR THE DISMISSAL OF 18,000 PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS?

WHBC's ("Points to Ponder") Hour 2 of the "Battle of the Todds" (Republican incumbent Todd Snitchler - Lake and Democrat challenger Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley - Marlboro) got "hot."

Because he signed on as a cosponsor of House Bill 400 (which provides for a income tax phaseout over 10 years), Todd Bosley is accusing Todd Sntichler of favoring the loss of 18,000 Ohio teacher jobs, the loss of many, many fire and police jobs and and the relaxation of supervision of convicted sex offenders.

As readers of the SCPR will see in the accompanying video below, the Bosley charge got Snitchler HOT!  The two are vying to be the state representative in Ohio's 50th House District.

Snitchler explains why he signed on as a cosponsor of HB 400.  However, that is not a place he wants to be in this campaign (on the defensive).

Todd Bosley, undoubtedly, is spreading the 18,000 less teachers, less fireman and policemen and the loosening of controls on sex offenders in every nook and cranny of  he 50th District.  And, of course, in the door-to-door Snitchler is not there to defend himself.

Just wait until the campaign literature starts flowing.

Wouldn't surprise the SCPR if there is charge after charge after charge filed with the Ohio Ethics commission (from both sides) when the literature shows up in the mailboxes of 50th District residents.

By the time election day rolls around, Stark Countians will be shaking their heads in amazement when reflecting on the "down and dirty" nature of the campaign.

Bosley is having his fun now, but The Report expects the Snitchler campaign to get rolling on its "Taxing Todd BOSLEY" probably somewhere right after Labor Day.  It likely will feature surrogates attacking Bosley, while Snitchler himself will appear to take the high road.

Watch this compelling segment video of the appearance on WHBC's "Points to Ponder."   Well known radio personality and local celebrity Ron Ponder is the host!

VIDEO: PART 4 - "BATTLE OF THE TODDS" - CAMPAIGN FINANCE ON WHBC'S "POINTS TO PONDER" JULY 28, 2010

Stark County radio personality and celebrity Ron Ponder had Ohio 50th District candidates in for a debate he and his producer Stephon King dubbed the "Battle of the Todds" as both the Republican candidate and Democratic candidate share the first name, but likely - in reality, very little else.

Republican state Representative "Todd" Snitchler (Lake) and Democratic Stark County Commissioner "Todd" Bosley (Marlboro) squared off on July 28th on WHBC1480 AM with Ponder as the host.

Today's topic:  campaign finance.

Before or after viewing the video posted below, readers of the SCPR can see a list of Todd Bosley's contributors in the last reporting period by clicking on this link and a list of Todd Snitchler's by clicking on this link.

As Ponder points out on the video, the candidates are evenly matched in fundraising as of the middle of June, 2010.

"The Battle of the Todds" centers on the claim of Todd Bosley that Todd Snitchler is the captive of Ohio's corporate interests whereas Todd Snitchler says that Todd Bosley is beholden to unions.

Who is right and who is wrong?

As far as the SCPR is concerned, both are correct.

There does not seem to be a middle ground in terms of allegiance to "all" the people of Ohio as between the two Todds.

If this race is too close to call as the SCPR has billed it, then, perhaps, the winner will be the Todd who can convince 50th District voters that he is the Todd who will "truly" and primarily represent the interests of the greatest number of 50th District citizens.

The video.

.

PART 3A - PRODUCING JOBS FOR OHIO - 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.

Today's video of the "Battle of the Todds" focuses on their plans to create jobs in Ohio.

Snitchler says:

• Ohio needs to correct its unfavorable tax structure to attract entrepreneurs and companies.
• Ohio needs to reduce its regulatory burden of businesses.
• More generally, state legislators need to work on creating a climate that attracts business and jobs.  Legislators, he says, do not create jobs.
• Multiple bills designed collectively to attack the jobs shortage problem (presumably introduced by Republicans in the Ohio House) need to get a fair consideration.  More over he said that there is "no silver bullet" to create 500,000 jobs.

Bosley says:

• Snitchler has mediocre ideas and no idea how to market his ideas.
• Ohio needs to consider implementing an aggressive tax incentive program in which companies would not be taxed at all during the first year of coming to Ohio.
• That the 50th district is languishing.

Here is the video, you be the judge of who states the better case.

OHIO HOUSE - THE 50TH: DEBATE SCHEDULED - JULY 28, 2010 AT 10:00 AM.

REVISED & REPUBLISHED 07/12/2010 AT 12:14 PM

The SCPR has learned that the first political debate of the 2010 political season has been set up between state Representative Todd Snitchler (incumbent Republican of Lake Township) and his challenger Todd Bosley (currently Democrat Stark County commissioner.

A debate has been scheduled for July 28, 2010 beginning at 10:00 AM on 1480WHBC on Ron Ponder's "Points to Ponder" daily (Monday through Friday) radio talkshow.

Commissioner Bosley says that he is aiming for four debates with Snitchler:  one this month, another in August and then filling out the hoped for four with one each in September and October.

The SCPR puts this race in the "too close to call" realm, but there is a poll out showing Bosley with a low double digit lead.  However, there are about 10% undecideds according to the poll.

Snitchler's advantage is that this district is a gerrymandered Republican seat designed to be "safe" for Republican candidate.  Troublesome for Snitchler is the knowledge that Bosley came out of nowhere to defeat Republican Richard Regula (son of the former congressman) in 2006 for the commissioner's seat that Bosley currently holds.

Normally, incumbents are not that willing to debate challengers.  But if the Snitchler camp knows about the poll numbers, that could be the reason for this representative's willingness to engage Bosley on the SCPR and in other Stark County venues.

The SCPR believes this race for the 50th Ohio District could decide which political party controls the Ohio House of Representatives.  The Report expects record levels of campaign fundraising and spending between now and November.

The host for the July debate will be well-liked and respected radio talk show personality Ron Ponder.

Ponder and WHBC render outstanding public service to the Stark County public in providing Stark County government leaders and politicians with a forum in which to explain their actions and motivations in governing, and to take questions from Ponder and his radio audience that probe and test their answers.

This week the SCPR has gotten Bosley and Snitchler into a "blog debate" of sorts focused somewhat on who better represents the interests of everyday Stark County working men and women.

The last communication by Bosley on the blog challenged Snitchler to an immediate (in the sense of being held sometime in the remaining part of July.  Bosley had indicated to The Report that Ponder was ready, willing and able to provide the WHBC/Ponder "Points to Ponder" as an available forum.

Snitchler and Bosley both tell The Report that they have been in contact with Ron and he has confirmed that he is willing the host a debate.  The SCPR understands that each candidate is putting together a list alternative available dates so that they and Ponder can coordinate a date compatible with the schedule of all three.

A Stark County Political Report "tip of the hat" to Ron Ponder and 1480 WHBC!