HEALY AT IT AGAIN. COLLECTING MUCH OF HIS CAMPAIGN MONEY FROM OUT-OF-TOWNERS! WHY?

After William J. Healy, II was elected mayor of Canton in November, 2007, it came to light that he got significant contributions from out-of-town.

And not just from anybody.  Two of notable contributors were Jimmy Dimora (a Cuyhoga County commissioner) and Frank Russo (Cuyahoga County's auditor) were two names that stood out in post election campaign finance reports. 

The question is this:  Why would Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Akron area folks be bolstering a Canton Democrat?

For good government?  

Apparently, they have lost their political affection for Canton's mayor as Dimora and Russo do not appear as contributors in a TeamHealy campaign finance report filed in January 29, 2010.

However, plenty of out-of-towners still do.

The out-of-towners outnumber Stark Countians by a count of 41to 28.  Moreover, by SCPR calculations the out-of-towners contributed 54% ($8,530 of the $15,780)  of the contributions reported on the January 29th filing.

Dimora and Russo did not contribute during 2009 according to Healy's 2009 annual report.

You can bet that Councilman-at-Large William Smuckler with be analyzing Healy's campaign finance reports with a fine toothed comb between now and the May, 2011 primary.  The Report expects Smuckler to run against Healy next year in a rematch of the 2003 primary when the two went up against each other with Smuckler winning.

One would think that one of the Smuckler campaign strategies will to be bring into question whether Healy really has his heart in Canton.

Here is a compilation of the Healy 2009 out-of-town contributors for 2009:

SERIES: HOW ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE STARK COUNTY DELEGATION TO THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOING? TODAY: SCHURING 1

Ohio state Senator Kirk Schuring has come under a lot of criticism from the SCPR as a legislator who cannot get bills he is the prime sponsor of through the legislative body he is a member of.

In what The Report continues to believe was primarily a campaign ploy by Schuring in preparation for what turned out to be an ill-fated run against Democrat John Boccieri to succeed Ralph Regula in the United States House of Representatives, Senator Schuring offered this resolution in the Ohio Senate in December, 2007:

Needless to say, the resolution went nowhere.  The Report thinks the effort was a political gambit which Schuring had to know had no future.

Had to know?

Yes, had to know!

The Ohio House was and continues to be controlled by the Democrats.  Moreover, the governor was and continues to be the Democrat Ted Strickland.  Besides that, Strickland says that he loves Schuring opponent "as a brother."

So they (the Dems) were going to let Schuring pull off a stunning legislative coup?

What's that saying about swamp land in Florida?

So far as the SCPR is concerned Schuring and his sidekick, W. Scott Oelslager, have been pretty much worthless to Stark County in terms of "bringing home the bacon" to the county.  Together they have about 40 years in the Ohio General Assembly.  But to what end for Stark County?

The Schuring/Oelslager duo for some reason (which totally escapes the SCPR)  have been able to endear themselves to Stark County voters and by playing their version of musical chairs (varying from the classical kids game in that each gets a seat - just a different seat:  a House (the 51st) or a Senate (the 29th); depending on the demands of term limits, seem to be guaranteed a place in the Ohio General Assembly for as long as they live.

In this year's game Schuring needs to occupy the 51st and Oelslager the 29th.

The Report's analysis is that neither will have any trouble being re-elected.

CANTON SCHOOLS UNION AGREES TO PARTICIPATE IN "RACE TO THE TOP" OHIO APPLICATION. COULD MEAN $2 MILLION PLUS. EIGHT OTHER DISTRICTS ALSO APPLY. APPARENTLY THE REMAINING 8 DO NOT NEED THE MONEY?

UPDATE 05/19/2010 AT 08:30 AM


Here is the final list of Stark County school districts (public only) which applied for federal stimulus funds (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - ARRA) tailored to the restructuring of how instruction is delivered.

 UPDATE:  05/14/2010 AT 3:30 P.M.

The SCPR has just learned from a leading Stark County education official that by the end of today Stark County could have up to 11 of Stark County's 17 school districts participating in Race to the Top federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus program specifically tailored to education infrastructure improvement.

The official told The Report that 2 or 3 of the districts are touch and go at this point in discussions, but that 9 total Stark school district participation is pretty certain as of the date and time this update is published.

ORIGINAL POST

In January, 2010 Stark County school districts were in a panic to get their applications together to participate in the Obama administration's (Department of Education) - Race to the Top (RttT) competitive funding of worthy programs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Only three districts (Marlington, Canton South and East Canton) were able get their acts together.

Canton City Schools passed up an opportunity to possibly get up to $3 million for this financially strapped school district. 

Why pass up this opportunity? 

Because school officials could not get the Canton Professional Educators' Association (CPEA) on board.  Race to the Top requires that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education signed by the president of the school board (BOE), the district's superintendent and by the head of the local union.

The CPEA told the SCPR that it was a "mutual" decision not to apply in the first round of competition because too little was understood about the ramifications of getting RttT money.  While the Canton schools administration did not directly dispute the CPEA statement to The Report, the SCPR believes that the Canton BOE and the superintendent was ready, willing and able to go forward but that the CPEA was not. 

The CPEA did tell the SCPR at the time that when a second round came up, it was very likely that the CPEA would be on board. 

Earlier today the SCPR received a call from Canton Public Schools Superintendent Michele Evans telling The Report that the Canton Professional Educators’ Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding along with Superintendent Evans and Nadine McIlwain (president of the Board of Education).

If Ohio is selected as a RttT grantee, Canton stands to realize $2 million plus.  The plus comes in with Ohio’s promise additionally fund Canton’s early childhood program, its early college effort as well as a program to close the educations gap that Canton City schools are experiencing.

Local teacher unions have been seen by many RttT advocates as being the obstacle to school district participation.  Why?  Because they see RttT as a disturber of the comfortable status quo position that they know enjoy.  A kind of "if it's not broke, why fix it" attitude.

Canton schools constituents should be pleased that the CPEA is demonstrating  union members willingness to take a new look at the delivery of public instruction within the guidelines laid out in the RttP grant application process.

CPEA’s cooperation shows that there is a new willingness on the part of local teacher unions to work collaboratively with the policy making and administration branches of school governance to solve problems that schools all across the nation are experiencing in delivering quality education.

All of Stark's districts are feeling financial distress to one degree or another.  Governor Strickland's office has let it be known that school districts across Ohio could be losing up to 30% of their state funding.

While it is true that this federal program mainly benefits urban school district which are heavily involved with federal government Title 1 funding, each Stark County district stands to benefit from participation in this second round on the hope that Ohio will be awarded a grant.

The SCPR believes that taxpayers throughout Stark County will be very displeased with the BOEs and superintendents of Stark school districts that do not apply.

Other Stark County schools who have applied for RttT funding as of early afternoon (May 14th - the deadline for applying) include Canton Local (Soutn), Jackson, Marlington and Northwest.

The SCPR is particularly pleased to see that Northwest applied inasmuch as Superintendent William Stetler had told The Report, post-Round 1, that the RttT was not worth the effort.  Such as position was hard to swallow in light of the Northwest financial problems.

As The Report sees the Northwest situation, the district is far from out of the woods on adequate financing of school operations notwithstanding the recent passage of the 1% earned income tax.

It is a credit to Canton, Canton South, Jackson, Marlington and Northwest that they have elected to participate to RttT.  To The Report, applying is a "no-brainer."

School districts still have time to apply today.  Bit with the close of business at the Ohio Department of Education (unless an extension is asked for and granted), district residents of Stark’s remaining 13 school districts will be justified in believing that those districts are financially well and do not need the RttT funds.


Again, the SCPR asks:  why would any Stark County school district not apply?

SERIES: HOW ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE STARK COUNTY DELEGATION TO THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOING? TODAY: OELSLAGER 1

One of the SCPR's favorite legislators:  W. Scott Oelslager.  A man who has been in the Legislature for a quarter of a century with very little to show for it.  A good part of his time in the Ohio General Assembly has been as a member of the majority and for a time a supermajority.  Also, for the most part (except for Strickland), the governor has been a Republican.

He and fellow Republican Kirk Schuring (about 16 years in the Ohio General Assembly) have this little game going on between them called "musical chairs." However, there is one important difference from the classical game we all played as kids.  In the Oelslager/Schuring version, they both get a seat. Just a different seat.  A Senate seat or a House seat, but still a seat.

In this way they are both thumbing their noses at the voters by defeating the spirit of term limits

Oelslager is term limited out of the Ohio House this election year as Schuring is in the Ohio Senate.  Solution?  Oelslager is running to get back in the Senate a second time whereas Schuring is looking to get back to the House for a second time (the 51st).

Oelslager's claim to fame as a legislator is his work on open access and open records laws.  But he has achieved little else.  Even his work on openness in government needs work.

Oelslager has the good fortune to be up against a Democrat (former Common Pleas judge Dick Reinbold) who has virtually no chance to unseat Oelslager.

SERIES: HOW ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE STARK COUNTY DELEGATION TO THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOING? TODAY: SLESNICK-1

The SCPR continues this series of analyzing the legislative record of the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly.

This blog is the first on state Representative Stephen Slesnick (Democrat - Canton).  More reports will follow in the days leading up to the general election in November.

In the opinion of The Report, Slesnick is far too timid of a legislator for coming from a safe district for a Democrat.  If Slesnick had to run in a more competitive district in Stark, it is very unlikely that he would be electable to the Ohio House.  Slesnick is a big name in Canton on the basis.  Representative Slesnick comes from a family that has been in the scrap metal business in Canton since 1957.  As far as the SCPR is concerned, the family connection (in terms of name identification familiarity) is a major reason Slesnick made it to Columbus.

He seems to The Report to be "ho-hum" about his legislative work.  Moreover, he is not an articulate public presenter and, most importantly, he ignores the likes of the SCPR because he cannot or will not handle the tough questions.

Slesnick does have a significant Republican opponent in Stark County Republican Party executive director Travis Secrest this time around.  However, despite his negatives as a legislator, The Report does not see Slesnick losing to Secrest.

It will be interesting to see what Secrest has to say about Slesnick's legislative record.

From the SCPR perspective, it appears that Slesnick is very much a follower and not much of a leader.

SERIES: HOW ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE STARK COUNTY DELEGATION TO THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOING? TODAY: SNITCHLER-1

With this blog, the SCPR is initiating an Statehouse series.

We start with state Representative Todd Snitchler (Republican - Lake Township) today.

Snitchler is, in the opinion of the The Report, the political fight of his life.  Ohio Speaker of the House, Democrat Armond Budish, personally recruited Stark County commissioner Todd Bosley to run against Snitchler.

Snitchler is scheduled to debate Bosley on June 17th at a Stark County Township Association sponsored event (hosted by Nimishillen Township trustees).

You can bet that Snitchler's actual legislative record will be a topic that comes up in the debate.

The SCPR has analyzed Snitchler's record by looking at sponsored and co-sponsored bills for the 2009-2010 legislative year.  He has sponsored 10 bills and co-sponsored 81.

None of Snitchler's sponsored bills have seen the light of day.  Snitchler complains about being bottled up by the Democrats who control the Ohio House.  Snitchler's prime sponsored legislation is House Bill 65 which would establish state performance audits for departments of Ohio government to be done by the State of Ohio Auditor phased in over a period of years.  However, he cannot get a smell from the Democrats.  Snitchler points to a Ohio Senate version of his bill that has passed the Senate that performance audits have bi-partisan support.

Today's report on Snitchler is the first in a series that The Report will be doing between now and the run up to November's election on all member of the Stark County legislative delegation.

STARK COUNTIANS HAVE INVOLUNTARILY PROVIDED MILLIONS TO CENTRALIZED DISPATCH; WILL THEY VOLUNTARILY VOTE FOR 9-1-1 TO GET $100,000 MORE?

Back in December, 2008 Stark Countians were "muscled" into paying an additional sales/use tax to take Stark's fragmented 9-1-1 emergency services and convert it into a centralized system.

The SCPR believes that when Stark Commissioners (Bosley, a Democrat, Harmon, s Democrat and Vignos, a Republican) voted to impose the tax, they jaundiced the voting public against any county revenue measures.  As a consequence of the imposition, The Report believes county officials will have a difficult time getting "even" a renewal of a 0.25 of a percent tax which certainly be on the ballot this November. (emphasis added).

And for the record, Commissioner Vignos could have blocked the tax from becoming permanent, by voting no.  But for the successful ballot initiative by the Vote No Increased Taxes Committee, the tax would be an enduring piece of the Stark County revenue scheme of things.

Vignos concurrence in the unanimous commissioner vote makes it impossible (in the name of fair play) for Republican commissioner candidates (Creighton and Walters) from making the issue a partisan one in November.

Voters soon realized (after the December, 2008 imposition) that the 9-1-1 centralization/enhancement was not the only beneficiary of the imposed tax.  Somewhat hidden (let's say de-emphasized) was the fact that one-half of the monies generated were designated to go to the Stark County general fund.

As it turns out only 1/4th of the money collected went to 9-1-1.  The other 3/4ths of the money collected went to Stark's general fund.

While Commissioners Ferguson and Meeks were not in office when the imposed tax was approved, they opposed Commissioner Bosley in his efforts to make the split of revenues a 50/50 proposition.

In all fairness to Ferguson and Meeks, 9-1-1 Governance Committee chair Randy Gonzalez said that 9-1-1 could be transitioned into a centralized operation without the full 50% of the imposed tax revenues.

Now comes word that a northeast Ohio non-profit Efficient Government Now (EFFGOV)is handing out money to northeast Ohio governments who commit to efficiency in their operations.

Here is more about EFFGOV from its website:

EfficientGovNow is presented by the Fund for Our Economic Future  as part of the ANEO Choice Awards.

The EfficientGovNow program is a competitive grant awards program that encourages and accelerates government collaboration, cooperation and efficiency by providing rounds of funding to government collaboration projects as selected by the residents of Northeast Ohio.

The Catch?

It takes a vote of the people to put their community effort (e.g. Stark County 9-1-1 centralization) in the top three of all the northeast Ohio local government contenders for a $100,000 grant.

So Stark Countians can do voluntarily what many (2/3rds of the voters on repeal of the imposed 0.50 of a percent sales/use tax) feels was involuntarily foisted upon them.

And it will not cost any Stark Countian "one red cent."

All anyone has to do is to go to the EFFGOV website and vote for the Stark County proposal.

Here are the steps:

 

To make it easier for SCPR readers here is a direct link: CLICK HERE.

Simply follow the steps outlined on the EFFGOV "vote page."

See the video below of 9-1-1 Project Manager Joseph Concatto making a plea to Stark County commissioners to support an effort of encouraging Stark Countians to vote.