STARK DEMS LEADERSHIP SHOULD RESIGN EN MASSE! STARK TURNS SOLID "RED!"

UPDATE:  11/10/2018

STATE DEM CHAIR DAVID PEPPER "ON HOT SEAT?"

UPDATED:  11/08/2018
UPDATED:  11/08/2018 - 4:00 PM (SO AS NOT TO SLIGHT THE STARK GOP)
UPDATED:  2:08 PM 11/18/2018 - MORE ON FERRUCCIO

AND

THE JEFF MATTHEWS LED STARK CO GOP

IS NOT EXACTLY THE FRIEND OF

EVERY DAY CITIZENS WHO FANCY THEMSELVES AS REPUBLICANS

HAVING A MEANINGFUL ROLE IN STARK CO POLITICS

Note:  The SCPR did not mean to slight the Stark County Republican Party in focusing on the Democrats in this particular blog.  At all, everybody knows that his blogger is an "equal opportunity critic" on the processes or lack thereof of government/political ways of dealing matters that affect the quality of government.

The short-circuiting of everyday citizen participation in a "taken seriously and not manipulative" manner undermine the trust that the general public has in our democratic-republican process.

One has to wonder whether or not local Republican/Democratic leaders "give-a-damn" about the integrity of political processes.

So, again, The Report apologizes to Chairman Matthews at what he might perceive as a slight.

Before The report received a e-mail from a Republican precinct committee person today, a number of Republicans have shared with the SCPR that Chairman Jeff Matthews (executive director of the Stark County Board of Elections) is highly dismissive and unsupportive of those Republicans who want to be active at the central committee grassroots level.

Here is an excerpt (in part) from the e-mail:

...

The Republicans run the Central Committee as if it doesn't exist: they won't even give the members a way to contact other members with an email or phone number in order to exercise their rights to call a meeting.

The GOP Central Committee is essentially dead.

Instead of a living, breathing, grassroots body of interested citizens, the Stark County GOP Central Committee is a dead body.  I recruited several people interested in participating: I have more who, if the Central Committee was alive, would like to participate.

I have told them to forget about it and not waste their time.

The organizational meeting of the GOP Central Committee was a joke.  Nothing was done according to the bylaws of the Stark County GOP.  It was as much of a sham as a Massillon City Council meeting.  

The only real business conducted was the adoption of a resolution commending the POTUS for his efforts in denuclearization of Korean Peninsula.  Submitted by who?

Guess. [Stark Countian and Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken?]

The Central Committee has not met since.  Efforts to gain access to information for the purpose of organizing and communicating with other members has been stonewalled and ignored.  The Stark County GOP isn't interested in an actual living, breathing body of concerned citizens participating in self government.

...

[see resolution in the appendix to this blog]

ORIGINAL BLOG

Stark County's "organized" Democratic Party found a reason to celebrate last night?

And in the zeal to celebrate, the Party website forgot one race, to wit:

Looks like some pretty sloppy work on the part of the communications/publicists folks, no?

Chairman Samuel J. Ferruccio, Jr. has to be kidding us on the "congratulations" factor, no?

Political cognoscentis were surprised that Ferruccio was named chairman in June.

The SCPR was not.

He is hand-in-glove with various Stark County Democratic Party leadership officials (who control the Party through its executive committee and maintaining a core of loyal precinct committee persons) and undoubtedly does nothing without getting prior concurrence.

Three of the five victorious candidate cited on the Stark Dems' website this morning lost in Stark County last night.

It was "virtually" a clean sweep for Republican candidates "at all levels" (federal down through county offices) yesterday.

One member of the Stark County Dems "executive committee" says he is totally embarrassed (the SCRP's characterization; not the member's) at the poor, poor, poor showing of the party of Jefferson/Jackson.

Just look at the graphic at the lead of this blog.

See all the highlighted yellows?

These are ultimately winning candidates who "lost" in Stark.

They including Sherrod Brown (who was strongly endorsed by former Democrat now "independent" mayor of Canton Thomas M. Bernabei) have the anemic Stark County Democratic Party leadership for their poor showing in Stark.

Perhaps the primary victim of what this blogger thinks is the self-serving leadership ineptness of "organized" Stark County Democratic Party was 7th Congressional District candidate Ken Harbaugh.

It has been a while since Stark County (in terms of representing most if not all the county) had a quality congressional candidate to vote for.

One has to go back to John Boccieri (2008) and longtime congressman Ralph Regula (last ran in 2006.  Ten years ago, wow!

Ken Harbaugh ranks right up there with Boccieri and Regula with his Country Over Party" campaign theme.

However, to win in the highly, highly, highly Republican gerrymandered (Jane Timken, Scott Oelslager, Kirk Schuring and Christina Hagan as Stark County-based participants) 7th, Harbaugh had to come out of Stark  County (the most populous part of the district) with a very large plurality.

Harbaugh is from Avon, Ohio which is in the 7th as a consequence of the grotesque map drawn by the Republicans.

Accordingly, he had to have all out support of local Democrats to get the name ID and voter familiarity with his high-minded-campaign for a large plurality to become a reality.

This blogger covered many Ken Harbaugh campaign events.  It was striking that the only leadership Democrat who showed up at these events was Canton treasurer Kim Perez.

The Stark County Political Report  (SCPR/The Report) goes way back in Stark County politics (early 1980s) and the 2018 general election stands out as one the Democratic Party's biggest "butt kickings" that The Report has experienced over the course of that span of time.

The last "effective" Dems' party chairman was Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (2004 - 2009). During Maier's tenure as chairman, Democrats held all Stark County wide elective offices except for several 5th District Court of Appeals and Court of Common Pleas posts.

But one must put an asterisk (*) by Maier, Jr's name.  It appears that he was largely motivated not by convincing voters that Democrats had better ideas, practices and policies for ordinary people than Republican do, but, rather, by selfish political interest.

Over time, John Ferrero (the current Stark County prosecutor), Randy Gonzalez (the current fiscal officer of Jackson Township), Phil Giavasis and now Sam Ferruccio seemingly similarly afflicted, have reduced the "organized" Democrats to a "pile of political rubble!"

Only in the heavily registered Democratic city of Canton do Democrats dominate office.  All of council and the city treasurer (Kim Perez, a former Stark County auditor), the city auditor (R.A. Mallonn) and the city law director (Joe Martuccio, succeeded by, but not yet elected, Kristen Bates-Alyward). It was a hard pill for Canton Dems to swallow when lifelong Democrat Thomas M. Bernabei bolted the party and successfully ran for mayor as in "independent" 2015.

Next month Bernabei promises he will announce whether or not he will run for a second term.

The SCPR thinks he will but that the Democrats in the form of Louis Giavasis (brother of recently stepped down Dem chair Phil Giavasis and current clerk of the Canton Municipal Court) will seek political revenge of Bernabei.

If Louis Giavasis does end up challenging Bernabei, you can bet your bottom dollars that the likes of Feruccio, Maier, Jr, the father and son Gonzalez team and other members of the Stark County Democratic Party "establishment," will awaken from their political slumber and go all out to defeat the politically traitorous Bernabei notwithstanding that Bernabei is said to be "best friends" with Chairman Ferruccio.

Of course we all recall humorist Will Rogers' quip:  "I am not the member of a organized political party, I am a Democrat."

There are currently multiple centers of competing power bloc within the Stark Democratic Party.

Front and center and the most powerful is the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr political loyalty group.  Maier, Jr was able to make his brother George T. Maier Stark County sheriff with a stop as safety director of Massillon (courtesy of then political ally and Massillon mayor Kathy Catazaro Perry) after George lost his job as the #2 guy in the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The SCPR believes that Maier, Jr was the force (having maneuvered, as Dems' chairman, the Stark County Dems' to endorse Ted Strickland for governor in 2006) to get brother George the #2 job.

After the Maier group are:

• the Kim Perez faction,
• the John Ferrero faction,
• the "organized labor" faction,

and various other Democratic elected official political following who float among the three main factions who collectively constitute the Stark County Democratic Party "establishment" in a sort of "cold war" model of politics.

Rancor within the Stark County Dems is a major contributor the the decline of the party's ability to elect its candidates to office.  While today's organized Democrats do hold:

• the sheriff's office,
• the prosecutor's office,
• the recorder's office,
• the engineer's office,  
• the coroner's office, and
• the county clerk of  courts office
• Note:  this office seems to be since Phil Giavasis held it seems to have been a keepsake for The Giavasises in that it appears to the SCPR that it was kept safe for Phil's brother Louis to "inherit" while held by former Phil Giavasis chief deputy Nancy Reinbold until her retirement at which point Louis Giavasis was appointed as county clerk by the Stark Democrats' Central Committee 

the Dems came pretty close to losing the sheriff's office (2014, Dordea v. Maier) and the prosecutor's office (2016, Jakmides v. Ferrero).

If the party leadership continues its ineptness, then when John Ferrero "finally" decides to retire look for Stark County leadership Republicans to pounce on that office with a vengeance to take yet another countywide office out of Democratic Party control.

Rick Campbell is also vulnerable if the Republicans can come up with a name Republican to oppose him the next time he up for election.

There are rumblings that the SCPR is hearing about the management style of Sheriff George T. Maier.

He and the commissioners are currently defendants in a federal lawsuit in which a couple of deputies are accused of mishandling a County jail prisoner.

In short order, the SCPR plans to explore this story in more detail.

There is no doubt that George T. Maier is in a technical sense a first rate policeman.

However, the SCPR during his rise to become sheriff has continually written that his administrative/management shortcomings may prove to the "achilles heel" which ultimately cost him his job as sheriff.

Maier, Jr, and the Democratic Party leadership should be very nervous about George T. Maier's ability to keep a lid on employee relations and corrections officer conduct at the Stark County jail.

More on current chairman Sam Ferruccio, Jr and his predecessors:

One public official who knows Ferruccio well says that he (a person in a position to have had a heads up on the Phil Giavasis resignation) was surprised too by the Ferruccio and says that the SCPR and others need to realize that Ferruccio is new and (impliedly) cut him some slack.

The Report is not interested in be generous in the fashion.

If the Party is willing to go with an inexperienced chairperson then it ought to be a "next-generation-person" who starts with "a clean slate" in terms of not being controlled or unduly influenced by the current set of Party power brokers.

Despite his newness, Ferruccio needs to explain how statewide candidates did so poorly in Stark County under his leadership or lack thereof.

The Stark County Democratic Party and from Tuesday's results the Ohio Democratic Party (under David Pepper) are pathetic in effectiveness.

Ohio and Stark County need political competitiveness in order to hold their respective opponent Party accountable.

The Stark  County Republicans for instance have no presence on Canton City Council.

And this is not a good thing for the citizens of Canton.

On the other hand, as an example, Stark County Democrats have very little leverage with Republicans Scott Oelslager (the 48th Ohio House-elect) Kirk Schuring (the 29th Ohio Senate-elect) and Reggie Stoltzfus (the 50th Ohio House-elect) because they come from HEAVILY GERRYMANDERED REPUBLICAN DISTRICTS and therefore have very little incentive to interact with registered Democrats Stark County citizens and according to multiple reports and this blogger's personal experience do not respond to activist Democrats and "the politically independent" and "critically inclined" Stark County Political Report.

But Schuring/Oelslager will spend time with persons they perceive to be among the elite/uncritical set of Stark County leaders.

Uf your name is:

• Sam Ferruccio, Jr,
• Phil Giavasis,
• John Ferrero,
• Johnnie A. Maier, Jr

both Oelslager and Schuring would turn cartwheels to get back to them even though they come from different political allegiances.

Neither would never, ever have the fortitude to go one-on-one with the SCPR. 

Schuring and Oelager and their ilk are beyond hypocritical.

And is being so denigrate the American political system and sew seeds of distrust of government by many, many of their constituents.

Hopefully, Stoltzfus will not take on the arrogances of Oelslager and Schuring and will realize that voters who likely or possibly did not vote for him are nonetheless entitled to the ear of the District 50 representative.

His predecssor Christina Hagan took on the characteristics of Oelslager and Schuring.

In addition to the gerrymander factor, Oelslager and Schuring have to feel secure in the fact that neither has had a viable Democratic opponent for many, many years, if ever over the combined 60 years they have been in the Ohio General Assembly.

Such is why the SCPR is especially hard on the likes of Ferruccio, Phil Giavasis, John Ferrero and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (all Dems' chairmans in the order listed).

To repeat, he SCPR's take on all of them is that they look after themselves and their political friends and are about as unresponsive and unsolicitous the general membership of the Stark County Democratic Party and the general public as The Report thinks Oelslager and Schuring are of the general public and those they think can ignore and still get re-elected.

There is a cure for what ails the Stark County "organized" Democratic Party and its current leadership.

Really?

Yes, the likes of Lauren Friedman, Lorraine Wilburn and their political friends should target the next Democratic Party precinct committee persons election.

A key to the likes of Maier, Jr, the Giavasises, the Gonzalezes, John Ferrero and Kim Perez (Establishment) maintaining control and their self-interest is by having their people run for and get elected as precinct committee persons (LINK to Ohio's authorizing statute).

Under the leadership of the Establishment, folks like Friedman and Wilburn are nothing more than sacrificial lambs.

They are political un-sophisticates with the best of intentions and motivations (community over self) who get chewed up by the likes of the Establishment.

It would be helpful to get quality (community over self) Democrats in office if the likes of Friedman, Wilburn and other like minded everyday Democrats boned up on their political sophistication IQ and challenged the Establishment in the field of grassroots politics.

In the primary election of 2020, the Democratic precinct committee persons will be up for election:

Here is a list of the current set of Democratic precinct committee persons for a courageous person to grab on to and work to change in order to make the "organized" Stark County Democratic Party into a community serving organization.



Will somebody step forward to save the Stark County Democratic Party from itself?

If not, the 2018 election results are like to be the harbinger of Stark County becoming even redder and that would not be a good thing for Stark County government!

APPENDIX

Copy of Jane Timken? generated Korea in-support-of-Donald Trump resolution.



The list of Republican central committee persons.

STARK CO. REPORT "2018" GENERAL ELECTION VOTE PROJECTIONS

UPDATED:  09:20 AM

At Lake Township precinct 13, this blogger and spouse voted around 06:45 a.m.

Some 35 Lake/13 citizens were either at the voting machine or standing in line to vote.

The Olson family has had a tradition of voting the first thing in the morning at the opening of the polls and then going to breakfast at a nearby restaurant.

Since the general election 1975, the Olsons have voted in Lake.

When the daughters were at home (last one graduated from Lake High in 1996 being the last of the three to leave home for college) we parent-Olsons have voted at each and every election without fail.

Even when daughters were infants, we would place them in "baby-carry-alls" and take them with us.

Of course, for breakfast, the infants had, before the trek to the polling place, "breast" fed milk.

Mama and Papa Olson were determined to infuse the daughters with the notion that it is unpatriotic not to vote.

Now that they are their own family units, all three are committed voters.

Kasi is now an U.S. Air Force M.D. (Lt Col) is heading up the medical group at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.

Heidi is an attorney working for a Guthrie, OK district attorney.

Kirstin is a retired USAF/Active/Reserve (at the rank of Colonel) Public Relations Officer living in the Colorado Springs, CO area.

Needless to say, the elder Olsons are extremely proud of the daughters especially on their patriotism in serving in the military (Kasi and Kirstin) and being election in, election out voters.

If you, Mr/Ms Reader haven't voted, show your patriotism by doing your civic duty to vote.

It is always exciting to observe the results of our having voted.

Here is a  projection who among Democrats and Republicans have showed up and will show up today.

If as the chart shows and Democrats vote in the percentages indicated over Republicans, this could be the "Blue Wave" many in the national media have been talking about.

In Ohio and Stark County the biggest winner on November 6, 2018 in Ohio is likely to be incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, so The Stark County Political Report projects.

Brown will win Stark County handily across Ohio except in reddest of Ohio's "red counties" where President Donald J. Trump plays best and even in those counties Wadsworth Republican and Brown challenger Jim Renacci (currently congressman in the 16th congressional district which includes a portion of Stark County).

If there is an upset on Tuesday, the 6th, it will come at the expense of sitting U.S.7th Congressional District (which includes most of Stark County)  Congressman Bob Gibbs and will be a product of a tilted Democratic turnout over Republican voters.

The Stark County Political Report's "upset special," if a predominance of Democrats voting materializes, will send Democrat "Country Over Party" Ken Harbaugh to the U.S. Congress.

LINK TO CLEVELAND. COM ARTICLE

If Gibbs hangs on which is totally possible if not likely, it will because he is running in a highly Republican gerrymandered district even if Democrats outvote Republicans.

If Gibbs wins, he will be needing to thank the Ohio General Assembly (OGA) Republican Caucuses' members and the likes of Stark County Republican OGA delegation members Scott Oelslager, (R, Senate District 29), Kirk Schuring (R, Ohio House 48) and Christina Hagan (R, Ohio House 50th).

The foregoing candidates  have amply demonstrated that they are not "Country/State/Stark County Over Party" types.

In the 16th Congressional District political neophytes Republican Anthony Gonzalez and Democrat Susan Moran Palmer are squaring off.

This may well turn out to be a "Blue Wave" year for Democratic candidates across the county but not likely in the 16th to the jeopardizing of this "solid" Republican seat.

 Highly gerrymandered Republican is the 16th. Also, Moran has the misfortune to be running against one of the most moderate Republican candidates for congressional office and she has been badly out-fund-raised.

Mark this one up for Anthony Gonzalez.

The race that is exciting Ohioans statewide is the gubernatorial contest between Democrat Richard Cordary and Mike DeWine.

Real Clear Politics "average of polls" as of  November 1st showed Cordray with a slight lead.

The SCPR thinks that it is plausible that Cordray will eke out a win statewide.

However, The Report thinks DeWine will win in Stark County largely due to the efforts of Republican Stark County commissioner Janet Creighton (regional DeWine chairperson) and Republican Stark County treasurer Alex Zumbar (Stark County chairperson).

Other down ticket statewide races (attorney general, state treasurer, state auditor, et cetera) will likely mirror the outcome of the DeWine/Cordray face-off except the SCPR does not think any of the Republican candidates have the odds of winning Stark County as does DeWine.

Of the "slam dunk" variety in Stark County are the following:

Stark County Republican commissioner Janet Creighton over Democrat Katherine Baylock.

Baylock has surprised in a prior race she has run for county commissioner  She bested former commissioner Pete Ferguson in a  contested Democratic primary in 2016 with former Democratic Stephen Slesnick coming out the winner.  Slesnick lost to Republican Bill Smith in the general election.

Running against Pete Ferguson, Kevin Fisher and Stephen Slesnick is one thing.

But running against one of Stark County most vote popular Republican (Creighton) is quite another.

Republican Scott Oelslager in his bid to return to the Ohio House  (the 48th) handily defeats Democrat Lorraine Willburn.

As does Republican Kirk Schuring in his bid to return to the Ohio Senate being challenged by Democrat Lauren Friedman.

Democrat Cassie Gabelt who appears to have put on virtually no campaign at all.

Gabelt's anemic effort is in contrast to Friedman and Wilburn who have worked hard but whom the SCPR face insurmountable odds in contesting Schuring (25 years in the OGA) and Oelslager (35 years in the OGA).

There is promise for Wilburn and Friedman going forward if they start laying the groundwork for a "next-time-around" in 2020 and 2024, respectively.

There is absolutely no way that either Schuring or Oelslager can be defeated by campaigns put together some six months to a year out from the election.

The 50th Ohio race has to be a disappointment for Stark's "organized" Democrats.  Of all the gerrymandered Republican seats that might have been competitive this election cycle, it should have been in the 50th.

Incumbent Republican Christina Hagan got way "too big for her 'political' britches" in deciding to abandon the 50th (see was eligible to run for one more term before being term-limited-out) to run in the 16th Congressional District.

Paris Township trustee Reggie Stoltzfus took full advantage of Hagan's hubris and from the get-go (as a "for partisan office" first time candidate) and put together the most impressive "first-time-out" that the SCPR has seen in nearly 40 years of this blogger closely following Stark County politics.

Gabelt apparently has made no effort to connect Stoltzfus to former Ohio Speaker of the House who reportedly is under FBI investigation.

Stoltzfus to win "in a walk over Gabelt" notwithstanding that 2018 might not be a good time for a "first-time-out" Republican to be running in what many political pundits think will be a "Blue Wave" year over much of the country including Ohio.

In Ohio's 49th House District, Democrat Tom West should win comfortably over Republican James Haavisto.

Haavisto has made West work this time around.  When West was elected in 2016 his opponent was a well-respected but unimaginative Republican candidate (McMasters).

If  Haavisto does not defeat West, he in a negative way can thank the OGA Republican caucuses for jamming a concentration of registered Democrats as they gerrymandered Ohio's legislative districts to minimize the likelihood of Democratic victories.  A clear manifestation of the Republican placing political party interests over the interests of the public in have competitive elections.

If Democratic voters listen to Haavisto closely, he clearly carries a message that would not appeal to many if not most Democratic voters.

His core message as interpreted by the SCPR is: "I pulled myself of by the bootstraps" and "you can too" and "I am going to do all I can, if elected, to dismantle government programs designed to help everyday Ohioans."

Tom West is the total opposite.  He has spent years as a social worker and his highly committed to using the tools of government as a "safety net" for middle class and below voters who happen onto hard times.

In the 49th, it is difficult for The Report to "wrap arms" around the Haavisto candidacy being viable in terms of an expectation that he is likely to win.

However, the SCPR applauds Haavisto for the energy and thoroughness of his campaign.  He stands out as the very best example of what emerging, challenging campaign ought to look like.

Defeating West is not a hill that the SCPR thinks Haavisto can climb.

Somewhat of a surprise is the emergence of Democrat Natalie Haupt as a replacement for, by force of Ohio law (upon reaching 70, judges in Ohio cannot run for re-election), John Haas.

On the ballot this time for the last time as a judicial candidate are Scott Gwin (a Democrat) and John Wise (a Republican) because of the age factor.

Haupt did have a tough primary election fight.

But the SCPR projects that she will easily defeat Republican James Matthews.

In other races within Stark County, Democrat Linda Litman (Democrat Ward 6 councilwoman in Massillon) will make things interesting for Alan Harrold in his quest to remain as Stark County auditor.

The SCPR does think that Litman (with staunch "organized labor" campaign worker/financial support) can make Harold sweat.

By and large Harold has been a first-rate auditor.  However, he seems to be afflicted with an arrogance (not quite as bad as Scott Oelslager's) that is even turning key Stark County Republican leaders against him.

Moreover, the SCPR figures that Harold lied to this blogger in maintaining that he had nothing to do with Litman losing her job at Huntington Bank because of a bank policy regarding employees running for office.

Harold himself was a victim in 2008 of the Huntington policy as he endeavored to run for Stark County treasurer (which, in fact, could be a "conflict-in-interest" situation).  The auditor's position presents "no" conflict for Litman had she remained a Huntington employee while running for the auditor's position, if consequently elected.

Litman's main problem has to do with her maintaining at a recent Mount Union University candidates' forum in the view of the SCPR is her assertion that if elected she wants to return to the methods used by former  Democratic Stark County auditor Kim Perez.

This raises the question:  If elected, is Kim Perez going to be the de facto county auditor, while Litman learns the ropes of being auditor?

So there you have it folks, The Stark County Political Report projections on the 2018 November general election!

STARK CO. BD OF ELECTIONS "EARLY VOTER" LINEUP, NOV 4, 2018

UPDATED:  10:05 AM

541 VOTED IN STARK EARLY VOTING 11/04

SOURCE OF INFORMATION:  STARK CO. BOARD OF ELECTIONS
WHAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY AT THE POLLS?  A MUST READ RCP ARTICLE

NOTE:  (FROM A SCPR READER)

There appears to be a mistake on a Republican flyer which was received by voters from the Ohio Republican Party.  The flyer contains language which reads "Return your Absentee Ballot Today Or Bring It to the Polls on Tuesday, November 6th.

I contacted the Board of Elections and was told that they do not accept Absentee Ballots on the day of in house voting.  I also contacted the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and was told the same thing.

ORIGINAL BLOG

Many Ohio African-American leaders believe that "organized" Republicans (i.e. those elected to the Ohio General Assembly) have been working at least going back to the early 2000s to suppress the Black American's vote.

One of the responses has been the promoting of "Souls to the Polls" which is a program that many African-American churches participate in a "the Sunday before an election" to encourage parishioners to move en masse from the church pews to the prescribed by law polling places to "early vote."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in the technical sense Ohio law does not provide for early voting.  However, Ohio does permit absentee ballot (without an excuse ['in person" voting]) and the casting of the ballot in one trip to the designated polling place which in Stark County is the Stark County Board of Elections, 3525 Regent Ave NE, (Plain Township), Canton, Ohio.

Yesterday at 1:00 p.m. about 60 Stark Countians were lined up outside BOE offices waiting their turn to vote before Tuesday's November 6th election date which is the last opportunity for Stark Countians to vote by visiting their designated precinct polling places.

1520 WINW "JOY Radio" which specializes in "Urban Gospel" music teamed up with WINW "Start of the Union" host and state Representative Thomas West (49th District, held by a Democrat since 1974) to promote "Souls to the Polls" yesterday.  West is opposed by Republican James Haavisto in tomorrow's election.

LINK to SCPR Blog on Haavisto/West

Note:  Friedman's opponent is J. Kirk Schuring who though sitting by allowing Stark County's public schools to lose millions of dollars attempts to bamboozle Stark County voters that he is pro-public education, to wit: (also, see this LINK)

The Stark County Political Report does not have an exact count of the number of  African-American (responding to Souls to the Polls) were in line yesterday.  However, perhaps as many as a third of the 1:00 p.m. lined up "in person" voters were Black voters.

There is a strong African-American preference for Democratic candidates.

Accordingly, it is not surprising that Democratic state Representative Tom West was the host for yesterday's "Souls to the Polls."

7th Congressional District Democratic candidate Ken Harbaugh did make a "cameo appearance" at the West hosted event.

On Saturday, the Harbaugh campaign was "out-in-force" from its assembly point at the Stark County Democratic Party Headquarters and fanned out to know on 9,000 doors (according to Harbaugh) within the portion of the 7th that encompasses Stark County.

Stark County is the largest voting population center in the 7th.

Harbaugh appears to banking on Stark to take him "over-the-top" on Tuesday.

The Harbaugh campaign is planning a Victory Party? at the Canton Brewing Company.

WHO WINS IN THE 7TH, 13TH & 16 ACCORDING TO POLITICO?

POLITICO LINK

IS THE STARK CO DISTRICT LIBRARY DESERVING OF REPLACEMENT LEVY?

LINK TO BIO PAGE

NOTE:  This blogger is a frequent user of the Stark County District Library "online" presence.  Moreover, The Report uses SCDL facilities to conduct interviews of various Stark County candidates for office.

Here is Stark County District Library (SCDL) CEO/Executive Director Mary Ell Icaza's message to affected Stark County voters on Issue 4.  (restructured by the SCPR for clarity and emphasis)

On November 6 our country goes to the polls to make many important decisions nationally, regionally, and locally. You may have heard that your library’s future will be among the issues you consider. As CEO and Executive Director of Stark Library, I wanted to take an opportunity to encourage you to vote and explain why Issue 4 is on your ballot.

Stark Library supports our community in so many important ways. 

• We serve more than 240,000 residents [SCPR note:  there are about 378,000 residents in Stark County]  in Stark County, circulating almost 4 million items. 
• Last year, we held more than 9,000 free programs and provided more than 220,000 computer sessions free in our ten locations. 

These programs and many more support our mission of lifelong learning for all residents of Stark County.

• More than half of Stark Library’s funding comes from our local property tax levy.
• The remaining funds come from the state of Ohio’s Public Library Fund (PLF). 
• Over the last decade, our PLF funding has declined 17%. 
• The current 1.7 mill levy, passed in 2012, expires next year. 

Issue 4 replaces the current levy with a 2.2 mill levy, a .5 increase, helping the library recoup some of the deficit created by the decline in the PLF.

In return, Stark Library will be able to sustain and enhance our offerings to the community

•  from early literacy programs to homebound and outreach services, 
• bringing the library to those who otherwise might not ever visit a library building. 

In addition, we will invest in our library facilities for much needed maintenance, updates, and improvements to allow us to best serve our community. 

Please take the time to learn more about everything on the ballot, including Issue 4. 

However you choose to vote, I encourage you to exercise your democratic right and make your voice heard on November 6.

More from Icaza on the SCDL website:

First, be sure to see/hear some prominent Stark County officials on the value to the Stark County on the linked SCDL webpage.

Continuing with Icazo:

... Issue 4 ... would 

• extend the existing levy for eight years and 
• [i]ncrease it by about $29 a year for a home valued at $100,000. ...

The additional funding will allow:

• the Library to sustain and enhance our current offerings, including books, databases, music, movies, eBooks and eMaterials, streaming content, and other new items, such as our popular Library of Things. 
• In addition, levy funding will enable us to invest in our buildings for much-needed repairs and to update our facilities to create more dynamic, flexible spaces for meetings and events. 
• Updated technology will allow us to increase free access to computers, internet, and other innovative technologies, providing communities with critical information access and bridging the digital divide.

Our Library supports our community in so many important ways. 

• For example, our SPARK Parent Partner program impacts thousands of children in Stark County, helping to make sure they’re ready for school. 
• Our bookmobile and mobile services team goes into the community and meets people where they are—providing library services to daycares, senior centers, schools, and homebound patrons—residents who may have no way to get to the library. 
• Our expert trainers work with those in need of job assistance, enabling people to improve their job skills and career path.

A key reason that the 8 year replacement levy is likely to pass is that library officials listened to the Stark County commissioners when the officials at a regular commissioners meeting on July 18, 2018 asked the commissioners (who merely do the Ohio law obligatory and place requested library issues on the ballot by resolution) to place a "continuing" issue rather than a limited in duration (recommended 8 years as with the Stark County Justice System 1/2 sales tax).

Though the commissions as a matter of Ohio law were required to place the "continuing' version on the ballot, they did in the meeting (primarily Commissioner Janet Creighton but with the concurrence of Commissioners Bill Smith and Richard Regula) and in "bully pulpit" fashion encouraged the library officials to reconsidered "continuing" to "for a term of years" on the implicit threat that the commissioners would not support the replacement levy if it was not modified to a term for years.

Library officials did reconsider and as noted above in this blog and returned to the commissioners regular weekly meeting of August 1, 2018 with a proposal that changed the duration of the levy to a term of years.

 Commissioner Janet Creighton is fully behind Issue 4 for a term of eight (8) years.

Readers who want to refresh themselves on the controversy can do so by going to the following Stark County Political Report blog (LINK) which contain chapter and verse on the differences and the resolution of those differences.

SNAPSHOT OF OHIO GOVERNOR'S RACES AS OF 10/30/2018

LINK

AN INTERNAL OEA FIGHT OVER SCHURING ENDORSEMENT!

UPDATED:  09:23 AM
UPDATED:  09:41 AM
UPDATED:  10:00 AM

ENDORSEMENT COMMITTEE VOTED 7 TO 6 TO ENDORSE SCHURING
&
CONTRIBUTED $8,000 ON THE PRE-GENERAL CFR

CPEA ENDORSED DEMOCRAT FRIEDMAN 25 - 0

The Ohio Education Association (OEA) is "incredible!"

Which is an astonishing thing to say about a 125,000 member organization with ties to 700 Ohio local school entities in its 150 years of existence.

On the one hand the OEA is "Mad as Hell!" that the Ohio attorney general and secretary of state "ripped [public education] off re:  the ECOT scandal.

On the other, the OEA gives a pass to state Representative J. Kirk Schuring who was actually as a matter of legislative authority enabled/empowered ECOT to rip off Ohio education and in 2015 took over $12,500 in ECOT connected campaign contributions.

The only solace for those of us who "truly" support public education in the context of being infuriated that the likes of 25 year Ohio General Assembly (OGA) Republican Schuring and his supermajority fellows in the OGA create conditions for the rip-off to occur is that it appears that Stark County delegation members of the OEA endorsement screening committee put up a fight to stop a steamroller effort within the committed to unanimously endorse Schuring.

Two of the OEA's Board of Directors members (56 in total) are from the Canton City Schools.

One would think that they support the position of the CPEA as set forth in this blog.

The SCPR asked the OEA for an explanation of why the organization (which this blogger's spouse was a 35 year member of as an Akron public school teacher) why Ohio's supposedly premier "representing the interests of teachers" would endorse Schuring.

The OEA spokesperson made it appear that the endorsement of Schuring was a "no doubter" and that that Canton Professional Education Ass'n (CPA) was on board, to wit:

Prater, Michele [OH] <praterm@ohea.org>  Today at 2:05 PM

To:  Martin Olson

“The decision to endorse Kurt Schuring was made by OEA members who are on the local screening committee, which includes a representative from CPEA, based on their belief that Rep. Schuring is, and will continue to be, an effective advocate for OEA members and their students.” -Becky Higgins, president, Ohio Education Association

The CPEA was furious on seeing the OEA response to the SCPR inquiry.

Educator members of the OEA should be ashamed of the manner in which the OEA handled the Friedman/Schuring endorsement process.

To show:

• that the CPEA was "all-in" for Friedman, here is a copy of a press release announcing the 25 to 0 CPEA endorsement of Friedman, and
• which details numerous "lack of support for public education" sins of Schuring as a legislator.

Not only was the CPEA upset with the OEA's (what a CPEA official told the SCPR) "misleading" statement about the CPEA's role in the endorsement.  The CPEA was very unhappy about the way The Repository Editorial Board (singling out Publisher Jim Porter's cousin Todd Porter) questioned Schuring's Democratic opponent Lauren Friedman.

On June 1, 2018 the Stark County Political Report is told that officials (presumably Jim Porter)

sought out Schuring's wife Darlene to hire her to head up a marketing position at The Rep.

This disclaimer by The Rep editors:

(Disclosure: Kirk Schuring’s wife is an employee of GateHouse Media in a marketing position. Publisher Jim Porter recused himself from this endorsement decision for that reason.)

What a bunch of phony-baloney, no?

Jim's cousin Todd was part of the endorsements editorial committee.

Now, pray tell the SCPR,  who thinks that Todd was on his own in how he handled himself during the interview?

Jim Porter (a self-announced Republican) is so utterly laughable as being Porter has to be the most self-deceived "by virtue of his having the job of being publisher of The Rep (not because he has "real leadership ability) Stark County leader.

credible in stepping aside that the SCPR need say no more.

But The Report will anyway. 

Only the politically most naive would buy Porter's feign at "doing the journalistic ethical thing" on the Schuring/Friedman endorsement interview.

There can be little doubt about it, Porter was in the room in the personage of Todd.

Porter thinks he can make The Rep "the official newspaper" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, be a member of the HOF Board of Trustees and have extremely cozy relationship with those whom The Rep is to critically cover and then have a colleague have the audacity to tell the SCPR that The Report is off on a tangent somewhere in thinking that Porter in managing The Rep has no "conflicts in interest."

Wow!

The SCPR has heard some Stark Countians say they suspected that the Darlene Schuring hire at The Rep had to do with Schuring's role in being the lead Stark County legislator in bring state monetary and legislative aid to the Professional Hall of Fame (PHOF) village project (HOF-VP).

Several Stark County political subdivision officials have told the SCPR that Porter/The Rep just loves Kirk Schuring.  And, one reporter, is said to have told the candidates running against Schuring and Oelslager that the reporter is friends with both of them.

Accordingly, neither Lauren Friedman (Schuring opponent) nor Lorraine Wilburn (Oelslager opponent) had any chance whatsoever to get The Rep's endorsement.

In its endorsement, The Rep made it appear that Schuring has been a flawless legislator

• over his 25 years of switching back and forth with Scott Oelslager in Stark County senate/house seats to override the will of Ohio's voters (1992) approving 8 consecutive years limits in either chamber of the OGA

and failed to mention his legislative participation in:

• empowering/enabling "for profit" charter schools like ECOT at the expense of revenues taken from Ohio/Stark County public schools,
• voting for numerous unfunded mandates imposed on Ohio's political subdivisions (cities, villages, townships, boards of education and the courts),
• Republican governor John Kasich's 2011 and going forward cutting of various sources of local government funding, and
• doing nothing to stop the gerrymandering of Ohio congressional and state legislative districts so as to take the competition out of most districts within Ohio,
• and blowing off the likes of the CPEA's Greg Soper which is a sure sign of unbecoming arrogance of a public official who thinks they have grown so impervious to accountability that the pick and choose only those constituents who tell them how wonderful they are, and
• the aspect of Schuring's Tax Increment Financing (TIF) economic development legislation which takes a portion of school property tax money and thereby "on the backs of local school districts" provides a taxpayer subsidy to private sector businesses

to mention just a few.

Schuring himself once told this blogger that he knew he was the "fair-haired-boy" to the bigs at The Rep.

As far as Canton is concerned his support for legislation that may take away local control of Canton City Schools is astronomical.  Canton City Schools member Eric Resnick asked candidates who appeared in Stark County at a Ohio School Board Association Candidates Forum about SB 5 and HB 70.

(Schuring's Former Legislative Aide Moderated the Forum)

Guess who was not at the forum to take Resnick's question.

You've got it:  Kirk Schuuring (thought to be working on a HOF legislative matter with Stark County officials) and Scott Oelslager who is even more removed from Stark Countians who might ask him "hard to account for" questions.

One should not forget that Schuring is not enamored with the city of Canton.

In his 2008-16 congressional district race against John Boccieri, Schuring in a campaign appearance in Ashland, Schuring warned attendees not to go to Canton on fear that they might get shot.

For a person who at the time had been a 15 year Stark County political figure, it was truly amazing to see Schuring lose to what some say was carpetbagging (from Mahoning County) Democratic John Boccieri.

(SOURCE:  STARK CO BD/EL)

The Ralph Regula (long term 16th District Republican congressman from Beach City, now deceased) had to be shocked that he lost Stark County by some 26,000 plus votes and thereby left the Ralph Regula succession to a Democrat.  And not just any Democrat. But one with his political roots in Mahoning County.

Schuring in proving that in particular he has no love lost for Cantonians by his support for SB 5 and HB 70.

One of Schuring's contributors listed in the current campaign finance report is Canton mayor Thomas Bernabei ($50).

What a disappointment to the SCPR.  As readers know, The Report regards Bernabei as the highest quality political/government leader in all of Stark County.

Schuring went along with the Kasich program of dramatically reducing/eliminating various forms of local government funding which put the city of Canton into running a deficit and necessitating Canton voters passing an income tax increase this past May.

Undoubtedly, Bernabei has to work with Schuring and in particular on the Market Square Project at 3rd and Market, N for which Schuring is reported trying to get $6 million of Ohio taxpayer money for an "iconic' structure to be built on the site in what the SCPR thinks is a desperate attempt to get PFHOF visitors to downtown Canton.

But even if he gets the $6 million, Schuring has done much more damage to the Canton City Schools in the millions of dollars and a possible state of Ohio takeover of Canton's school system (which Bernabei's daughter works for) that $6 million pales in comparison to (i.e. the millions of dollars lost to ECOT and other "for profit" charter schools).

Schuring appears to have been stung by the SCPR's hammering away on him and Oelslager on their legislative work to undermine public education in Stark County.

At the end of this blog are three flyers that he has put out trying to make himself a "friend of public education."

Kind of like the national Republican candidates now trying to appear to be in support of Obamacare's mandate that insurance companies must not deny healthcare coverage because of "pre-existing" conditions.

Schuring and the national GOP candidates in their political "sleight of hand" show the contempt the have for thinking Ohioans/Americans.

Mark the word of the SCPR, Kirk Schuring has proven in supporting the general Republican legislative hostility to public education that "talk is cheap" and "actions speak louder than words!

It is hard to imagine any Stark Countian who cares about the financial viability of public education voting for Kirk Schuring.

It is hard to imagine a Cantonian who cares about respect for the city voting for Kirk Schuring.

Nevertheless, The Report thinks Schuring will win .  Of course, most of us thought Eric Cantor (#2 in the U.S. House) would handily win a number of years ago. But he did not.

Anything is "possible," if not likely.

If Schuring does win as expected, this blogger does not want to hear complaints when as state senator he supports the Republican Party positions (i.e. anti-public-education; anti-Ohio-urban-areas)

The SCPR thinks that Kirk Schuring (a short-lived Speaker of the House) is all about Party Over Community!

He can be sure that the SCPR will be tracking his every move as state senator over the next four years.

Of course, The Stark County Political Report is another that Schuring refuses to answer questions from.

Everybody knows that despite his 25 years in the Ohio Legislature, he would be hard pressed to account credibly to the SCPR  for his deficiencies as a legislator which clearly outweigh the good he has done.

And be sure, Schuring has done some good for Stark Countians and Ohioans.

However, on the SCPR "scales of helpful/undermining," the "undermining" significantly outweighs the helpful.