VOLUME 12 - SCPR SERIES ON GENDER EQUITY: "SHOCKING!" ONLY 13.5% OF JACKSON TWP EMPLOYEES ARE FEMALE!!!

 UPDATED AT 11:00 AM

Even The Stark County Political Report was not prepared for this one.

In Stark County's Jackson Township, only 13.5% of the township's 207 full time and part time employees (the number not including elected officials) are female.

With the revelation of these numbers, nobody should be surprised that Jackson Township government appears to be under investigation by the United States government (see September 5th SCPR  blog)  for gender discrimination among its police officer force.

What the SCPR did not write about on the 5th is that The Report has been told that there may also have been a "racial discrimination" employment case filed against the township.

The federal government does not confirm or deny the existence of employment discrimination complaints being filed until and unless either a settlement has been reached or litigation filed.

However, the SCPR has information from a source in a position to know that the United States Department of Justice is or will soon be in Cleveland conducting an investigation of at least one such complaint (i.e. employment discrimination) but which may be as many as six.

As the SCPR has done throughout this series in which Stark County departments of government and City of Canton departments of government have been written about by The Report, here is the famous "blue" for the men, "pink" for the women spreadsheet listing which poignantly shows the degree to which Stark County's women (who constitute 51.5% of Stark County's population) are denied their fair share of jobs and, moreover, "top paying" Stark County government and political subdivision jobs.

(SCPR Note:  Underlying data was provided by Jackson Township officials on The Reports public records request)

In Jackson, only 28 of 207 local government employees are female.  Jackson at 51.4% female nearly mirrors Stark County as a whole in terms of percentage of the township's total population.

While Jackson's top paid employee is a female, she is all alone at the top because you have to go to 38 employment slots to get to the next female.

Shocking!!!, Truly shocking, no?

And you could ask for a more fitting the stereo-type of females being ideally suited to be a secretary than what this part of the spreadsheet shows.

And, of course, these jobs are at the bottom of salary level for Jackson Township full time employees.

Stark County auditor Alan Harold (a numbers guy in his own right) once complained to the SCPR:  "Martin, you make us look like a bunch of sexists."

The SCPR's response:  "Hey, Alan, the numbers are the numbers!"

Readers of the SCPR know that with The Report blogs "the chips fall where they may!"

As bad as the tilt towards males that the employment numbers are in Harold's office (a situation he inherited to some degree from previous auditors), Jackson Township officials make him and his predecessors look like "flaming liberals" on gender equity issues.

Another tell-tale sign on Jackson's officials (this time the elected trustees) is that they cannot even do equity on the "hourly paid" township commission.

One of the Stark County Political Report's very "favorite" public officials is Jackson fiscal officer Randy Gonzalez (former chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party).

Gonzalez, historically, has whined, whined and whined some more about SCPR blogs.  Moreover, he has self-promoted to The Report as working in the public sector "in the spirit of a family tradition of public service."  He, does not, however, recite the ample taxpayer provided compensation he has received for his "public service."

A typical SCPR response is:  "Randy, they (the blogs) are only my opinion."

Gonzalez:  "But Martin, they sound like fact."

Of course, the reason for that is that the SCPR goes out and gets solid evidence supporting SCPR opinions.

Well, it is apropos that this particular blog is about Jackson Township where Gonzalez is fiscal officer and a former trustee.

Undoubtedly, Gonzalez will be heard to complain at Jackson Township Hall about today's blog.

It is likely that he is saying what Harold did.

"The numbers are not what they appear to be!"

Interesting, no?

Well, if there is not, how about doing some Sarah Palinese "explainin" to the Stark County/JacksonTownship public?

But maybe Gonzalez, when he sees that the SCPR points out (which shows The Report's basic fairness) that in his department of Jackson Township government 75% of the employees (Gonzalez himself being the fourth as a "part time" employee) are women and two of them are paid more than he is, will be less whiney.

The SCPR is now on blog 12 in this series and despite one reader (a male, of course) admonishing The Report to get onto another topic, which, of course, the SCPR covered many, many, many topics in some 2500 plus blogs published since March 12, 2008, The Report intends to examine every "nook and cranny" of Stark County government so that Stark Countians can know how unfairly over half the county's population is being treated with taxpayer dollars.

Here are links to the SCPR's previous blogs.

• Volume 1, April 21, 2014
• Volume 2, April 28, 2014
• Volume 3, May 5, 2014
• Volume 4, May 12, 2014
• Volume 5, May 19, 2014
• Volume 6, May 27, 2014
• Volume 7, June 2, 2014
• Volume 8, June 9, 2014
• Volume 9, June 16, 2014
• Volume 10, August 20, 2014 
• Volume 11, August 25, 2014

(VIDEOS) COUNCILMAN EDMOND MACK: "A POLITICAL BAPTISM" BY FIRE?

 UPDATED (FINAL - 11:00 AM)

WARD 8 RESIDENT

DEBRA BERBELIS

OBJECTING 

TO

PARK PLAN
================== 
TOM BERBELIS
OBJECTS
================== 
CHARLES COX
OBJECTS
==================
 COUNCILMAN MACK
RESPONDS

================== 
DEBRA BERBELIS
INTERVIEW
==================
TOM BERBELIS
INTERVIEW
================== 
CHARLES COX
INTERVIEW 
================== 
DON McVEHIL
INTERVIEW 
================== 
COUNCILMAN EDMOND MACK
INTERVIEW
 

In a flyer sent out to Canton Ward 8 residents regarding the creation of a park within the ward, Councilman Edmond Mack was being politically wise in inserting this disclaimer:

However, to the SCPR; Mack was politically naive to think that he could (from how the SCPR interprets the perspective of objecting Ward 8 residents) be less than forthcoming on how the proposal got started and in failing to disclose that some might think that Healy administration Canton Parks Commission director Derek Gordon had a personal and private interest in the city working out a deal with St. Mark's Episcopal Church out on 48th Street in the Mack represented 8th ward.

Gordon is a member of St. Mark's and therefore is understandably suspected by those "objecting to the park proposal" as being part and parcel of developing a plan to relieve the church of the burden maintaining a recreation area which the SCPR understands has been in existence some 15 to 20 years.

It is interesting to the SCPR that Ward 8 residents (see videos below) seemed to The Report to be more irate with Mack than Gordon.

It could be that the residents know that they have a way to make Mack accountable whereas Gordon is insulated as long as Mayor Healy has confidence in him.

The SCPR did talk with the mayor after last night's regular Canton City Council meeting.  While he was careful not to weigh in on the controversy, he agreed with The Report that "the political firestorm of protest" against the plan as registered by a handful of residents during council's "public speaks" portion of the meeting agenda was a very tough political experience for Gordon and Mack.  However, the SCPR detected no waning of support for Gordon whatsoever.

The SCPR's take on last night's brouhaha was that Mack did indeed make a huge political mistake in the way he managed rolling out the proposal.

Rightly or wrongly, the SCPR thinks, Ward 8 residents got the perception that Mack, Gordon and church officials had cooked up the deal and endeavored to slip it through to fruition "under the political radar."

This is an appropriate place in this blog to share with SCPR readers an email received from Councilman Mack, to wit:

 St Marks

        Edmond J. Mack
        Today at 7:24 AM

To:  Martin Olson

Martin,

I read your blog with great interest this morning. However, I must take issue with your suggestion that Director Derek Gordon's status as a parishioner at St. Mark's was not fully and completely disclosed in connection with the park proposal under contemplation.  More specifically, this was expressly disclosed by both Director Gordon and myself during the first day that this was discussed with Mr. and Mrs. Berbelis, the neighbors that addressed City Council last evening.  It is also disclosed during the informal conversations that take place throughout the neighborhood, and will again be disclosed during the neighborhood meeting that is scheduled to discuss this potential project on Oct. 23 at 6 PM at St. Mark's.

Thanks for allowing me to clarify.

Edmond J. Mack

In response to Councilman Mack.  The SCPR is not suggesting anything but merely conveying The Report's take on what objecting Ward 8 residents have to say.  

The Report has added to the blog's original comment clarifying language (that is to say: "from how the SCPR interprets the perspective of objecting Ward 8 residents") to make it clear that the SCPR is not making a judgment as to whom has the accurate take on the matter.

Debra Berbelis was particularly pointed in this regard in the SCPR interview with her (see below).

The Report sees Mack and Gordon as the essence of Canton's future political leadership.

Along with Ward 5's Kevin Fisher, and Ward 7's John Mariol (recently married, and, in fact, missing from last night's council meeting as he was on his honeymoon trip), Mack and Gordon likely will ascend to top-of-the-line leadership positions in Canton government.

But make no mistake about it.  Mack has a major political repair project in his hands to cope with.

And his handling of the repair may well determine whether or not he has a future in Canton's leadership.

Right now, the residents are "mad as Hell" and are hurling "the fires of Hell" at Councilman Mack.

Mack's ability to adapt to the political reality that "there is no way in Hell" the park proposal is going to fly and to skillfully and gracefully jettison the project is his pathway to political salvation.

And he did leave himself a "straight and narrow" pathway to redemption, to wit:

Here are a series of videos made last night by the SCPR of various residents' public speaks, separate SCPR interviews as well as Councilman Mack's responses.

(SCPR Note:  Mrs. Berbelis' first name is misspelled in the videos featuring her.  Correct spelling is Debra)

DEBRA BERBELIS "Public Speaks."



TOM BERBELIS "Public Speaks"



CHARLES COX "Public Speaks"



COUNCILMAN RESPONDS DURING MEETING



DEBRA BERBELIS - SCPR interview



TOM BERBELIS - SCPR interview



CHARLES COX - SCPR interview



DON McVEHIL - SCPR interview



COUNCILMAN EDMOND MACK - SCPR interview

VOLUME 1 - SCPR SERIES - ARE THE OLD DAYS/WAYS WITH THE STARK COMMISSIONERS & COUNTY GOV'T ON THE REBOUND?

When former Jackson Township trustee Steven Meeks was a Stark County commissioner, he used to "wring his hands" in frustration and complain as he and his fellow commissioners at the time (Bosley and Ferguson) were unable to jawbone independently elected county officials into showing fiscal self-discipline in the face of an impending county tax receipts crisis.

Local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley had led a successful drive to undo an "imposed" sales tax of 1/2 cent put on Stark Countians by Bosley and his, then, fellow commissioners Tom Harmon and Jane Vignos in November, 2009.

One of key proponents of the "imposed" sales tax was the-then sheriff Tim Swanson, to wit:

Why bring that up?

Because Swanson's statement is the leading edge of an ironic twist in which Swanson and Conley (remember? the defeater-in-chief of the tax) are now united in an effort to hold Stark County Democratic Party appointed sheriff George T. Maier liable in some $90,000 in claimed monetary damages on account of Maier (according to the Ohio Supreme Court) having usurped to the position of sheriff for the period February 5, 2013 through November 6, 2013.

The predominant theme in this blog is how things can change in politics, political stances and political relationships.

To the SCPR the Swanson/Conley turnabout is roughly analogous to what the SCPR sees as being a "flip-flop" in fiscal attitude by the current Board of County Commissioners; namely, Republican Janet Creighton, Democrat Thomas Bernabei and Republican Richard Regula.

As readers of the SCPR know, The Report has been Stark County's foremost observer/analyst of county and political subdivision government for going on seven years now.

When Bernabei and Creighton were first elected (November, 2010), the changes they brought to county government were on the stunning side.

The two took office in the later stages of the tenure of Gary D. Zeigler's time in office (resigned/retired October 19, 2011) as Stark County Treasurer.

Negotiating a deal with Zeigler to make him part of Stark County government/political history was likely a key commissioner generated factor in persuading Stark Countians to approve a "new" 1/2 cent sales tax.

Throughout the levy campaign the neophyte commissioners said and did all the right things of a fiscal nature to lure Stark County's voters into supporting the levy.

However, as early as November 30th, the SCPR detected that the commissioners were waivering on their fiscal austerity stance notwithstanding the fact not $1 dollar of the newly passed tax had been collected.

The issue?

The amount that Stark County's employees would pay as their share of healthcare insurance coverage.  Stark County is a self insurer.

The question?

Would county employees continue to pay at 10% or would there be an increase in the range of one to six percent and thereby enable the county to save as much as $217,000 annually in taxpayer supplied revenue.  Moreover, there is a Kaiser Foundation study which shows that on average private sector employees pay 27% of their health care premiums.

The answer?

No change.

The SCPR's problem with the answer?

From the November 30th blog:

But the commissioners did not discuss in public in much detail as to why there should not have been an increase for 2012.  Bernabei did say (is sort of an after thought fashion) as justification for holding the rate at 10% that employees have not had a pay increase in several years.

The question the SCPR has is this:  why didn't the commissioners discuss the matter in a public meeting and provide chapter and verse detail why Stark County employees should maintain their 17% advantage on their health insurance contribution rate over private sector employees?

So in about a year, Bernabei and Creighton were beginning to show signs that either:

• there was one standard for themselves, contrasted with a more exacting standard for other county officeholders, 

Moreover, it became obvious to the SCPR through 2012, 2013 and so far through 2014 that:

• they could be more understanding of the needs of some departments of county government but coldly unsympathetic with others

Today's blog is the first a series that the SCPR will be doing over ensuing weeks presenting a detailed analysis which The Report thinks supports the premise that the Stark County commissioners are reverting to "old days, hence old ways" of governing which led to the 2010, 2011 and 2012 financial crisis in county government.

Bernabei ran unopposed in 2012 and now we have Creighton running unopposed in 2014.

Never a good thing for government official accountability!

IS JACKSON TOWNSHIP ABOUT TO BE SLAMMED WITH A FEDERAL LAWSUIT?

(source of DOJ building/logo photo is Wikipedia commons)

(Jackson Twp logo from the township website)

The Stark County Political Report has learned from a number of sources that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) apparently has referred the matter of EEOC complaints filed by a number of Jackson Township's police force to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for investigation.

From what The Report has learned, the DOJ has or soon (within two weeks) will be setting up shop in Cleveland as the base from which its inquiry is to be undertaken.

The SCPR does not have confirmation from the DOJ itself that it has embarked on an investigation at the behest of the EEOC.

Nevertheless, The Report is persuaded that it is at a stage of proceedings that could lead to the federal government filing a lawsuit against Jackson Township.

In examining the EEOC complaint process published by the agency on the Internet and putting together pieces of the puzzle in the overall scheme of things, the SCPR believes the following has occurred since of at least one such complaint early in 2013:

• that the EEOC has made, it appears, at the very least, a preliminary finding that one or more Jackson Police Department EEOC complainants have made out a prima facie (on the face of it) case of discrimination, and, 
• that the EEOC has endeavored to reach a mediated/negotiated settlement with township officials, but that the efforts have been unavailing, and therefore it seems
• that the EEOC has made a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice as to whether or not the EEOC proceeding(s) meet the criteria needed to be satisfied before the federal government files a lawsuit in any case of alleged employment discrimination.
• A quote from the EEOC website:
• EEOC files employment discrimination lawsuits in select cases. When deciding whether to file a lawsuit, we consider several factors, 
• including the seriousness of the violation, 
• the type of legal issues in the case, and 
• the wider impact the lawsuit could have on our efforts to combat workplace discrimination. 

On January 30, 2013, the SCPR wrote its first blog on the acrimony within the Jackson Township police department (JTPD).

The SCPR is not going to rehash the material written in that blog and by this LINK (also, a second blog [June 5, 2013] LINK) refers readers that particular blog in order to get up to speed on the background that generated the complaints filed with the EEOC.

Suffice it to say that Zink agreed in a Ohio attorney general brokered agreement to retire, to wit:

Some may have thought that the Zink retirement was the end of the matter.

The well known expression on "thoughts" is "a penny for your thoughts."

Well, when all is said and done, it may turn out to be that those 'thoughts'" appear to be worth just that: $0.01!

Undoubtedly, Jackson Township officials are bracing for what may be yet to come.

And if being the subject of a EEOC lawsuit proves out to be the case, the SCPR thinks that township officials have nobody to blame but themselves in failing to deal effectively with what appears to have been a long festering problem.

They are likely "hoping against hope" that nothing materializes between now and November 4th; this year's general election date.

If the EEOC acts before November 4th, township officials have to be concerned as to what, if any, impact that such an action has on its police levy requests being voted upon by Jackson voters.

The SCPR has written that The Report thinks that Jacksonians are getting a very bad value on township policing services.

Not only have troubled police department employee relationships been problematical for township officials, which, of course, - one would think - has to spill over in one way or another in terms of deteriorating department morale and the effect of such on the providing of policing services to township residents; additionally, there is the very steep cost that Jacksonians pay for having their very own police department.

The Jackson Police Department currently stands at some $7.5 million.

By contrast, Plain Township (a larger population township [about 52,000] which probably has more crime than Jackson [about 37,000]) pays about $1.5 million, more or less, on policing services by contracting with the Stark County sheriff).

The SCPR's calculation is that a mill of property tax brings in about $1.64 million dollars.  So multiplying 5.75 * $1.64 million, if the November 4th renewal and increase pass; it appears that the Jackson Police Department will have future operating budgets at about $9.5 million.

Astonishing, no?

We all know that Jackson is Stark's wealthiest community, but $9.5 million for what Plain gets for $1.5 million?

An irony about this prospect is that when James N. Walters ran for Stark County commissioner in 2010, one of his big campaign items was "fiscal austerity."

While the SCPR thinks that the man who defeated him (Thomas Bernabei) may be losing his fiscal bearings (along with fellow commissioners Janet Creighton and Richard Regula), witness their not exploring what appears to The Report to have been an opportunity to upgrade the county's 9-1-1 system for $1.5 million less than the commissioners approved in awarding a CAD contract; if Walters had been elected, one has to wonder - given his Jackson impact - about his actual commitment to "fiscal austerity."

If Jackson voters approve the JPD renewal/increase levies, the department's budget will be - by the SCPR's calculation - increasing by 27%.

Jackson Township's officials appear to the SCPR to be among the top fiscally irresponsible officials in Stark County.

And their overall handling of police department matters put their management skills in serious question.

With the EEOC's consideration seemingly ratcheting up; it may be that "the worse is yet to come?"

DEMOCRATS FOR DORDEA COMING TOGETHER?

UPDATED & REVISED AT 11:00 A.M.

Former sheriff Tim Swanson and current prosecutor John Ferrero remain - the SCPR thinks - the top two local Democrats, in terms of political appeal, to Stark Countians.

Each has rolled up large majorities in the elections that they have run for re-election.

Swanson has retired (again), but Ferrero is still Stark County's top-profile Democratic officeholder.

So it was one the biggest political mistakes that former Stark County Democratic Party (SCDP) chairman Randy Gonzalez made during his term as chair when he demeaned Ferrero in front of the 177 voting SCDP precinct committeepersons when the Dems met to appoint a successor to 2012 sheriff-elect Mike McDonald.



In the foregoing video, Ferrero said that he would support the Stark County Democratic Party appointee, whomever that might be.

And, the SCPR's recollection is that Tim Swanson has said the same thing.

But since those statements were made, "a lot of water has flowed over the dam."

The SCPR believes that the animosities between Ferrero/Swanson and many other Democratic precinct committeepersons (present and past) and appointee George T. Maier that a significant number of registered Democrats who nearly always, if not always, vote exclusively for Democratic candidates will make an exception on November 4, 2014 and vote for Republican Larry Dordea.

Recently (August 22nd), Dordea campaign officials stopped by former sheriff Tim Swanson's home and obtained a "photo-op" of Swanson family members Tim Swanson (the former sheriff's son and grandson) wearing a Dordea for Sheriff campaign shirts.

While Swanson himself was not in the photo, guess who snapped the picture?

You've got it!

Tim Swanson!!

What do you think the odds are that Swanson will follow through on his declaration that he would support the Democratic candidate, whomever it might be.

The SCPR has been told by Dordea supporters that efforts are underway to get Swanson and Ferrero to publicly endorse Dordea.

There is little doubt in the mind of The Report that both Swanson and Ferrero are privately telling all their "over the years" political supporters that they should vote for Dordea.

And that is a "thin" layer of "icing on the cake" in what the SCPR thinks is going to be a Larry Dordea victory in November because the Democratic "top of the ticket" gubernatorial candidate (Clevelander Ed FitzGerald) is going down big-time and he is likely to drag all the "down-ticket" candidates including George T. Maier down with him

FitzGerald, the SCPR thinks, will beat expectations if he get 35% of the vote.  If he should get 40%, he will think he won.

The biggest problem for Maier and all those Democrats running "down-ticket" is that registered Democrats (very likely to vote a de facto "straight-Democratic-ticket") will stay home in droves.

The "thin" icing on the cake that the SCPR thinks Dordea is benefiting from among Democrats who take their political marching orders from the likes of Swanson and Ferrero could become "thick and overwhelming" if the Dordea supporters can convince Swanson and Ferrero to make public statements of support.

Do not look for that to happen.

While the campaign button pictured at the beginning of this blog may not actually go into production, the Swanson photo session indicates that political wounds within the Stark County "organized" Democratic Party are about as fresh as they were on December 11, 2013 when the Dems under the guidance of then chairman Gonzalez did an "in-your-face" routine on the anti-Maier forces within the central committee.

The SCPR thinks Maier will do better than FitzGerald in Stark County.

And, if he had a solid SCDP structure behind him, The Report thinks he might win notwithstanding FitzGerald.

But he doesn't!

Accordingly, it is hard for the SCPR to see George T. Maier, the SCDP appointed sheriff he is, serving beyond December 31, 2014.

A SCPR "POLITICO-TOON:" - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? THE DEBBIE CAIN FOR STATE REP CAMPAIGN

As the Stark County Political Report has written.  In Stark County - on the coattails of what will be happening statewide Ohio - 2014 will be a banner year of Republican candidates

Though he hasn't been a stellar governor, Republican John Kasich is several notches above of Democrat Ed FitzGerald who is the process of self-destructing.

The SCPR thinks that the Kasich/FitzGerald match up could challenge the outcome of the 1994 gubernatorial election.

Even if the Democratic gubernatorial candidate was first-rate, Lake Township resident Debbie Cain would have an up hill climb to defeat incumbent Republican Christina Hagan in the 50th Ohio House District.

For Cain to win, she will need to find politically cagey "mission impossible" operatives to work with her campaign.

Here is the second in the SCPR's new feature of "politico-toons" that sums up the Cain dilemma in a little over a minute.

SEPTEMBER 01, 2014 - CELEBRATING THE WORKERS WHO HAVE MADE AMERICA GREAT!

Full text of Perez remarks.