HAS TODD BOSLEY PACKED HIS BAGS YET?

November 3, 2009 will go down, in his personal political history, as Commissioner Todd Bosley's absolute worst night as a Stark County politician.

His Issue 5 got slammed bigtime.  Nearly 64% against; 36% for!

A deeper sign that Stark Countians are highly negative on the sitting Stark County Commissioners can be found in the vote on a proposed electric aggregation program.

Readers will note that the issue (45 in Stark County) got trounced 3 to 2 in Stark, while it won with a comfortable margin in Massillon.

Hmm?

After all, this is a program that would save Ohio Edison customers about 6% on their monthly electric bills.

Only plausible explanation to the SCPR is that Stark Countians are completely turned off by anything the commissioners come up with these days and voters have an opportunity to have a say.

Apparently, the "imposed" 0.50 sales/use tax (December, 2008 by Bosley, Harmon and the now retired Jane Vignos); has done political damage to the commissioners beyond their wildest imaginations.

Other Bosley loses last night?

Fire Chief Richard Peterson's stand-ins Michael Lynch and Lisa Shafer (Nimishillen) won going away for trustee.  Peterson has dogged Bosley saying that he has the wrong plan to fix Stark's 9-1-1.

Marlboro voters roundly rejected a Bosley favorite (Bosley lives in Marlboro):  Trustee Tim Wise.  As trustee, Wise (in concert with fellow trustee Dave Wolf [who did not run for re-election] had taken on Marlboro icon Police Chief Ron Devies over what the SCPR believes was a miscommunication but which got turned into a criminal prosecution.

So does this mean Bosley is toast when it comes for his own re-election bid next November.  Is he going to be political "toast" one year from today?
 

The year 2010 will be the year that Todd Bosley will be fighting for his political life.

Bosley has told the SCPR that he feels that in a year's time, the voters will have forgotten his association with the imposed tax.

The SCPR's take is this.  The rub-off on Bosley will be a function of the numbers.  A huge loss like this one will taint Bosley and anyone the Republicans run against him will loom large in 2010.

The 64 to 36 margin will bring more than one Republican out of the woodwork.  It is very likely that we will be looking at a contested Republican primary in May, 2010.  Walters of Jackson, Peters of Massillon and others will now be taking a close, close look at this race.

There is strong irony to this turn of events.

Bosley came out of the oblivion of Nimishillen Township politics riding on a "let's fix 9-1-1 countywide" platform blaming his Republican opponent Richard Regula for not getting the job done and eked out a 1,700 plus vote victory over the powerful Regula name.

Who was one of Bosley's strongest supporters and who, in fact, persuaded Bosley to embrace the 9-1-1 fix?

Nimishillen Fire Chief Richard Peterson, that's who?

But Bosley was not able to effectuate the Peterson plan.  In Peterson's mind, Nimishillen's CenCom at Nimishillen Station #3 was to be the cornerstone of a countywide 9-1-1 "state-of-the-art" emergency dispatch service.

One last important point.

Who was to be the project manager to put the new 9-1-1 together?

You've got it:  Nimishillen Fire Chief Rich Peterson.

When Bosley couldn't sell CenCom as the hub of centraiized 9-1-1 and could not persuade fellow Democrat and Stark County Democratic Party power Randy Gonzalez to accept Peterson; the Nimishillen chief turned on Bosley and shall we say:  "the rest - on November 4, 2009 - is history."

Over the next 365 days Commissioner Bosley will be into repairing the damage done to his political aspirations.

For the likes of the SCPR, there will be a lot of interesting material to write about as the political melodrama plays out in Todd Bosley's struggle to remain Stark County commissioner post 2010.

The effort to unseat Bosley will be a "knock down - drag out" battle.  Whoever takes Bosley on can bank on a bitter, bitter, nasty "take no prisoners" campaign.

Any Republican who takes Bosley on had better thoroughly self-assess and have trusted (in the sense of being totally candid) vet him/her before making the leap.

Stayed tuned, folks; 2010 is going to be a very, very exciting political year in Stark County politics.

COMMISSIONER PETE FERGUSON OUT TO PROVE THE SCPR WRONG? TERRIFIC!

On April 4, 2009 Stark County commissioner Pete Ferguson (Democrat - elected in November, 2008) announced he was going to use his "Department of Defense" contacts to try and get the formerly known "Doctors Hospital" (Perry Township) closed in 2008 converted into a veterans medical treatment facility.

At the time, the SCPR wrote skeptically of Ferguson's effort because of his reference to Department of Defense contacts.  The SCPR believed then and continues to believe that the Department of Defense contacts reference is fanciful.

Putting that aside, Ferguson proposal is an excellent idea.

At the October 28th commissioners meeting Ferguson read a letter (see video below) written by Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray (and referred to a letter written by Ohio treasurer Kevin Boyce) to US Department of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki promoting a veterans hospital at the former Doctors Hospital facility.

 

Okay, so Cordray and Boyce are not Department of Defense officials.  They are somebody.  Of course, it would have been nice for Ferguson's Department of Defense contacts. if they exist, to come front and center.  But apparently they were unavailable.

And there is US Senator Sherrod Brown is weighing in. (reference:  county administrator Michael Hanke's remarks in the video).

Is somebody missing?  How about Congressman John Boccieri.  Undoubtedly, he is in the mix.  Ferguson must have forgotten him.

So what does Cordray, Boyce, presumably Boccieri and Brown do for Ferguson and his idea?

It remains to be seen.

Commissioner Harmon was back-slapping happy about the letter and catigated those who "scoffed" at Ferguson's April 4th initiative.

Apparently, Harmon was referring to the SCPR's skepticism of the Department of Defense (DOD) factor.

If so, the skepticism remains.

The SCPR hopes, whether or not the Ferguson effort ends up getting "his friends" at the DOD involved, he is successful on bringing veteran medical care to Stark County.  For if he succeeds, Ferguson's "name dropping" will have been amusing but inconsequential.

A primary role the SCPR has taken on is to goad Bosley, Ferguson and Harmon into action bringing jobs, jobs and more jobs to Stark County.

Bosley's BioMass idea with Chevron has real promise to bring some temporary construction jobs to Stark along with significant annual heating cost savings to the county in its operation of the Stark County jail.

Harmon's adoption of Elizabeth Burick's idea of a horse show arena at the Stark County fairgrounds is a start, but way too limited as presently conceived. The SCPR has long pushed Harmon to something - anything - moving on economic development.  If he will carry it further and make it a multi-year project that sees the Stark County Fairgrounds take on the dimensions of what the folks in Clarke County have done.

A Burick-magnified project - many times over - might be a Harmon legacy in the making.

Maybe one of these days we will be celebrating the renaming of the Stark County Fairgrounds to the Harmon Agricultural Expo Center.

Back to Doctor Ferguson.

What will become of Ferguson's initiative?

It's hard to say.

But the SCPR applauds his work to bring this project to reality even if his referenced DOD contacts are likely ghosts of the past which have long ago evaporated.

Cordray and Boyce are state politicians who have tough statewide races coming up next year and are only too happy to put their names to paper for the publicity of it.  It doesn't hurt to have had them write letters.  But really Commissioner Ferguson?

How much weight does he think this duo is going to carry with Shinseki?

Brown is a different story.  He, by far, is the most important person in the mix.  He will be in office for at least four more years to devote time and effort to the fruition of this idea.

Hanke's contribution of making the point that Brown has two staffers working on Ferguson's idea is the most significant of all that was said at the October 28th meeting.

Here is the video of Ferguson reading the Cordray letter on October 28th:



The SCPR says go, go, go Doctor Peter Ferguson!

Show me, show me and show me!

What a prospect for Stark County:  "The Bosley BioMass Demonstration Project of Stark County," "The Harmon Expo Center," and last but certainly not least "The Ferguson Memorial Veterans Hospital!"

These times demand county commissioners who are visionary, persistent and productive in turning their ideas into "real" jobs for Stark Countians.

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES" (VOL 31): CAN CANTON AFFORD A COUNCILMAN WHOSE MAIN JOY IN LIFE IS "BEING COUNCILMAN?"

First, let's get the niceties out of the way.

Undoubtedly, 3rd Ward Councilman James Griffin (Democrat) is a grand guy.

So the SCPR's failure to recommend him for re-election has nothing to do with his personality.

Now, let's get to the dire need of Canton to have all the energetic, forward and innovative thinking council persons that the city can find among its nearly 80,000 inhabitants.

Recently, the SCPR was at the Neighborhood Associates Votes Empower (NAVE) candidates forum videotaping the candidates.

It is okay for a candidate to say that he enjoys being councilperson.   But when such seems to be the emphasis and that same candidate has very little of substance to say about the question asked, then it may not be okay.  More appropriately, the "I enjoy being councilman should become troublesome to Canton Ward 3 voters when the substance is largely missing.

The Ward and Canton (both in huge need of someone with a robust bent towards problem solving) require more from a councilman than contentment on being a councilman.

It was okay for incumbent councilman Griffin to talk about his spouse, the length of his marriage, his children, his grandchildren and how Ward 3 used to be, but such should not have taken up the bulk of his alloted time to answer the presented question at NAVE.

His only substantive talk was to speak of  how he was fine with tearing down abandoned premises in the Ward, but that he preferred not to.  Nothing else.

Compare what yours truly has written about Griffin as well as what you see on the video below to what his Republican opponent Christopher Hoetzle had to say in selected parts of his answer to a questionnaire he submitted to The Repository:

I will bring the people of my ward together, show them how much we can accomplish if we work as a team, and we will create an environment where business can move in and be successful.  ... Once neighborhoods are safe, schools are stable, and streets are consistently safe to drive on we will see an incline in residential development. People aren’t moving to Canton, they are leaving Canton. I will give our neighborhoods a voice in city government, give the community the chance to better itself and together we will create an area worth building homes in.

If Canton Ward 3 voters want to give the Ward a brighter future and help the entire city at the same time, the ought to be voting for Hoetzle rather than Griffin.

Here is the video on Griffin at NAVE (focusing on his substance and his stated pleasure at being councilman).

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES" (VOL 30): PERRY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE - CHALLENGERS GIVE NO REASON WHY INCUMBENTS CAPALDI AND CHESSLER SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO OFFICE

Most of us who live outside Perry Township have had the impression that the trustees in Perry do a good job running the township.

This impression was brought into question this past June/July when Perry Police Chief Tim Escola abruptly resigned.

The first reaction by trustees (including incumbents Craig Chessler and Anna Capaldi) was to "deep-six" the whole matter.

Why would they do that?

The SCPR believes it was because the full story - when it became known - would reflect on the bad judgment exercised by township trustees.

How's that?

Mistake number one.

The trustees (which did not include Capaldi but did include Chessler) either knew or should have known that Escola had a well-known history which should have signaled to them (especially Chessler, being closely tied to law enforcement as he is) that Escola was a risky hire.

Mistake number two (which did include Capaldi).

Not providing enough oversight to the internal operations of the Perry Police Department and keeping an appropriate employer-employee distance so as to be able to read the tea-leaves long before the situation escalated to the point of Escola resigning.

At the time, the SCPR said that the mistakes were so large - in terms of damaging the public confidences in the administration of Perry Township government - that neither Chessler or Capalidi should be retained come November.

Had quality candidates surfaced in Perry, The Report would have be prone to reiterate the points.

However, the two challengers Brock Ryan and Mike Burris have not said anything (at least from what the SCPR has heard/seen) about the Chessler/Capaldi failure.  How can you not focus on this poor oversight of key township personnel if you are a challenger candidate for township trustee?

The challenger's failure means one of two things.  Either they do not have the insight to see the significance of the failure to the public's take on Perry local government or they lack the courage to bring the matter out into the open for a thoroughgoing discussion of their plan to ensure that a similar incident will not happen under their watch.

Undoubtedly, Chessler and Capaldi have learned from the Escola matter.

Outside this major failure on Escola, the two incumbents appear to have been effective stewards of Perry government.

The SCPR believes for whatever shortcomings Chessler and Capaldi have demonstrated, their challengers have not articulated any reason why they should not be re-elected.

On a more positive note, the SCPR  makes special mention of Trustee Capaldi's take on what the role of a trustee should be.  Here is a quote from a questionnaire she returned to The Report:

"I believe the role of a trustee is to govern according to the ORC, to be a strong community advocate and to be responsive to citizen requests all while to being a good employer to our employees who work so hard for the community every single day.  I believe that even if a resident request falls outside of our jurisdiction, we as Trustees should be a good advocate and help them get to the right resource to solve their issue.  Being a good advocate only costs us our time and may help a resident who has a real problem but they don’t know where to turn.  Many times we are their first call for help.

This statement is most insightful and thereby the most impressive articulation that the SCPR has received by any Stark County trustee candidate."

SCPR FINAL WORD

In large part because the challengers have not provided a reasoned alternative, The SCPR retracts the prior assessment that Chessler and Capaldi should not be returned to office.

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES" (VOL 29) LAKE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE RACE - SUGGESTIVE OF A BATTLE WITHIN THE STARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY?

Having lived in Lake Township since 1975, yours truly knows all the local leaders pretty well, Republicans and Democrats.

Democrats?

Are there any?

Not many!

So the political fights in Lake Township are always "within the Republican family."

There is a doozy of a Republican fight going on in this election cycle to determine which Republicans (out of four running) will lead the township.

Four years ago Ellis Erb (a local contractor and Republican political activist) and Galen Stoll (brother of a long time Hartville mayor) ran as a tandem to go in and "clean up" a mess they claim was the work of former (now deceased) trustee Sue Ruley (also a Republican) and staunch, staunch Republican Don Myers.

One of their chief targets was cutting off what they said was a "cash cow" for township legal counsel Dave Herbert (himself a Stark County Republican Party power going back to the days that Dave Dowd/Jim Unger were Stark county prosecutors).

And Erb and Stoll made good on their promise.

But now they are the target of allegations of mischief by long time Lake Republican activist Jeff Heimbaugh (he ran against Phil Giavasis for Canton Municipal clerk of courts just last year)

He is joined by Melissa Link with her own set of grievances against the Erb/Stoll dominated Lake Board of Trustees.

And the Stark GOP has weighed-in on behalf of Link and Heimbaugh as evidenced by their endorsement on the Stark GOP website TO THE EXCLUSION of Erb and Stoll, to wit:

Candidate Heimbaugh.

What does Republican Heimbaugh have to say about fellow Republicans Erb and Stoll?

Charge 1 (in bold type)/support for charge:

• "Financial shenanigans.  Remember when the Trustees refused to pay the unused vacation time for a former employee.  A press release was issued stating the township '…did not incur additional legal fees..'. "  
•  Wrong, the township violated the contract and was ordered to pay $15,806.86 in legal fees to the Union ’s attorney.  They then buried this information from the public by approving the payment under “bills as of April”.  Should a $15,000 judgment be treated the same as a utility bill?

 Charge 2:

• The townships failure to retain fees from ambulance billing is now under review by the State Auditor’s Special Investigative Unit.

Charge 3:

• Lake Township taxpayers fund the Hartville Fire Department to the tune of $528,000 compared to the Village’s contribution of $417,000.  Fair?   

SCPR Note:  (Heimbaugh serves as an official for the Uniontown Fire Department)

Charge 4 (in bold type)/support for charge:

• Did the Trustees review the Uniontown Police Department’s budget before asking the voters to approve additional funds?    (SCPR Note:  obviously, the implication is that they did not)
• The levy increased the police department’s budget a stunning 65%.  The UPD now collects $1.4 for 7 full-time policemen.  A look at Plain Township ’s website show they spend $1.4 million for 20 full time deputies.  

Charge 5:

• The trustees have set aside $1.3 million for a new township hall that will house 5 full-time employees.  That equals $260,000 per office. 
  

Now onto candidate Melissa Link.

By the way, Link works for the Stark County Board of Elections which prompts the SCPR to believe she is the recipient of political patronage at the hand of Deputy Director and Stark Republican chair Jeff Matthews.

Here is what Link as to say:

• We need to create an open-information climate. Currently, township meeting agendas are full of abbreviations and meeting minutes contain more information than was stated at township meetings. Little if any information is ever provided about meetings attended by our trustees (Ohio Township Association, Regional Planning, etc.)
• Our leaders need to pursue partnerships to maximize our tax dollars and improve services and the quality of life here.
• Our leaders also need to value the service of township employees. I do not believe that residents would agree with their rewarding an employee with over a decade of service by showing him the door.

SCPR Note:  Yours truly believes the employee that Link is referring to is recently resigned Road Department Superintendent Rick Criss who The Report believes was an ally of former Trustee Ruley.  His association with Ruley was not a good thing for him in the eyes of Erb and Stoll (see Erb/Stoll/Ruley flap above).

And finally from Link:

• When the township has “Reserve Funds”, why are we eliminating needed full time employees?

The SCPR does not think Erb is vulnerable in the race.

Stoll, because he is a "lesser known" could be.  Especially with a well-known community (Uniontown-based) figure Jeff  Heimbaugh running.

One can admire Heimbaugh's honesty in questioning the need for additional finances of the Uniontown Police Department.  But to do so in this election could take away any chance he might have had to come in second to Erb in a race where four candidates are seeking two places.

Heimbaugh, being from Uniontown and being an official at the Uniontown Fire Department) could have worked a Uniontown versus Hartville (Stoll's political base) election framework to his advantage.

But his attack on the Erb and Stoll on the Uniontown Police Department "need for additional financing (i.e. the levy passed within current Erb/Stoll term) is sure to erase any Uniontown advantage he might have been able to muster.

Could Melissa Link sneak into second place?

Perhaps.

It appears that she is a new "political darling" of the Stark GOP and obviously Matthews is trying to help her make the grade.

November 3rd might be an interesting election night in Lake Township!

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES" (VOL 28): IS FORMER STARK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR JOHNNIE A. MAIER, JR LOOKING OUT FOR REPUBLICAN MASSILLON WARD 5 COUNCILMAN DONNIE PETERS, JR?

Last week the SCPR learned that the Stark County Republican Party is leaning on Massillon Ward 5 councilman and Republican Donnie Peters, Jr. to run for the seat of incumbent (2010) Todd Bosley.

But the tale will not be told on who is running against Bosley until Stark County voters speak on Issue 5 Tuesday nest.

If the tax is retained, then Peters, Jr. and the likes of Jackson trustee James Walters will think twice about wanting to take on Bosley.

If the tax retention loses narrowly, Peters, Walters et al (remembering that Bosley has every prominent Republican politician in Stark County chomping at the bit to take him on), then the potentials will only be thinking once.

If retaining the tax loses bigtime, then Bosley could be right.  There may well be a huge fight within the Stark County Repubican Party as to gets the opportunity to take Bosley on.

Of all the candidates discussed, Donnie Peters, Jr. could well be the choice no matter which scenario set up in the preceding three sentences.

Why so?

Because Peters, Jr has "an ace in the hole."

Really?

Yes, really.

The "ace in the hole" is former Stark County Democratic Party chairman and current Massillon clerk of courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

What's the connection?

They are both juniors (i.e. Donnie Peters, Jr/Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.)

Only kidding.

The word is that both have daughters that play basketball for the Massillon Tigers and that is the "tie that binds."

Really?

Sounds crazy, but if you get Maier in a conversation about Massillon Lady Tiger basketball he will go on and on and on and on about what a terrific player his daughter is.

To be expected, no?

Of course, but isn't it a bit far fetched to suggest that a bond like this filters into Stark County politics?

Yours truly thinks so, but SCPR sources insist that the Peters/Maier basketball tie is why Democrats do not put anyone up against Peters (Peters is running "unopposed" on Tuesday, ran  "unopposed in 2007" but not in 2005) in the heavily Democratic Massillon 5th ward.

And Ward 5 is heavily Democratic.  Look at the numbers in the Obama/McCain race circa 2008:  30, 40, 38, 34 and 45 per cent in the five precincts.

For the SCPR, Maier's affinity for Republicans is nothing new.  Last time around, Scott Oelslager had no opposition in the 51st Ohio House District.  Moreover, yours truly knows from one-on-one conversations that - even as party chairman - Maier was sitting on his hands for some Democratic candidates.

An example?

Yes, Jan Schwartz when she ran for the Ohio Senate against Kirk Schuring.

The SCPR does not think that Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. is particularly fond of Commissioner Bosley.

So if  "basketball friend" does run and does survive a Republican primary, it doesn't take much of a stretch to see former Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, JR pulling for (and, perhaps, sub rosa) campaigning for the Republican over the incumbent Democrat.

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES" (VOL 27): FROM A LESS THAN STERLING LIST OF CANDIDATES - SCPR RECOMMENDS SEESAN & PETRILLI

In reading the candidates answers to questions posed as to their reasons for running, their backgrounds and solutions to problems to pressing school problems, the SCPR is only impressed with one candidate's answers:  Thomas Seesan, former MRDD superintendent.

Elaine is "passable" as a second candidate to fill one of the two slots to be filled in this coming Tuesday's election.

THOMAS SEESAN

Some "highlights" about Seesan:

• Thirty-three years in education.
• Recognition that all "stakeholders" must be at the table in order to make education viability (in the financial/economic sense) a reality.
• His ardor for education.
• His recognition of the need to be creative as a policymaker for Massillon schools.
• His commitment to accessibility of board member constituents.
  

Some "lowlights" about Seesan:

•  He cites working with legislators as a positive.  How can this be?  Funding is "the" major crisis facing public education.  While he has lived and worked in Stark County, what has he done to get the likes of state legislators Oelslager, Schuring, Slesnick, Okey, Snitchler, Healy (former), Hagan (former) and Boccieri (former) off their collective duffs and onto effective governance of the public school system of Ohio, which, of course, includes Massillon.
• "Massillon is an "excellent school system" based on anecdotal accounts of his children processing through the schools?  Isn't that bit of a narrow and incomplete assessment.  Wouldn't one expect a former superintendent to take a broader look and provide "more " objective data?
• Sort of a re-hash of the first bullet point in the form of this specific question:  What has Seesan done in terms of direct political action to get Stark County legislators to take the lead in solving the financial dilemma of Stark-based school systems.
• He's "on the fence" about extending the school year.  Wow!  A person running for school board hasn't figured this one out?
  

 ELAINE PETRILLI

Some "highlights" about Petrilli:

• Thirty-three years working in education and being a former member of the Massillon Board of Education.
• Her specific knowledge (from the inside) of the intricacies of the Massillon City schools.
• Unlike Seesan, Petrilli has figured out that an extended school year would be good for Massillon education and derivatively for Ohio and all of America.
  

Some "lowlights" about Petrilli:

• She wants to "give back."  Responses like "give back" should be disturbing to voters.  Such responses are designed to make voters think that the responder is a "good person."  Who doubts that she is a good person?
• She hopes that the state legislature will fix public school funding?  Isn't this weak?  Shouldn't she pledge to dog our Stark County legislators and push them to getting on with a solution to the school funding problem?
  

Elum and Liossis from their responses do not appear to the SCPR to offer anything whatsoever to the betterment of Massillon schools.

All Massillonians could do is to hold their collective breath and "hope," in the event of one or both of these two get elected, that they demonstrate by action what they fail to communicate by word.

Be sure to vote on November 3rd!