DISCUSSION: MATTHEWS APPEARS TO HAVE A CONFLICT-IN-INTEREST; EITHER HE SHOULD RESIGN OR THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHOULD ASK HIM TO RESIGN?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) has learned that at or proximate to a regular meeting of a Stark County Board of Elections that Deputy Director Jeff Matthews (also chariman of the Stark County Political Party) told Stark County Democratic Party chairman that Stark County commissioner Todd Bosley had threatened Board of Election finances if Matthews went public with any opposition to the commissioner imposed 1/2% sales/use tax voted on and passed in January, 2009.

In his discussion with Maier, Matthews invoked the name of an area Republican elected official as the person who communicated the alleged Bosley threat.

On Wednesday, Matthews took the stage with Matt Patrick of WHLO-AM (640 on your radio dial) and announced he was at the Tax Day, Tea Day - Canton, Ohio rally to join in the protest to national, state and (with an obvious flourish) local taxes.

A audio recording of the Matthews Tax Day, Tea Day comment can be heard at the end of this article.

The Report connected the "middle man" that Matthews identified to Maier. This official owned up to having had a conversation with Matthews cautioning him not to go public with opposition to the sales/use tax for obvious "conflict-in-interest" reasons.

The official emphatically denied that he passed on a Bosley threat to Matthews and that Matthew's attribution was a total and complete fabrication and that, he, the official was not conveying a Bosley message.

The Republican official also pointed out to The Report that on the one hand Matthews
and his bosses at the Board of Elections have a stake in the Stark County commissioners have sufficient revenues to fund regular and "extra" (an extra request was made in the 2008 election cycle) of the board on the one hand.

On the other hand, Matthews, as the chairman of the Stark County Republican Party is recruiting candidates to run against Bosley (2010), Harmon (2012) and Ferguson (2012) and to assist fueling them with campaign issues by making a stink about matters such as the "imposed" sales/use tax.

The Report agrees with the Republican source who quite articulately and forcefully pointed out this obvious conflict-in-interest.

The Report takes the further position that Matthews should resign his board of elections post. If he doesn't, the full board should call a meeting to discuss the future of Matthews as a board employee and move to immediately resolve any conflicts-in-interest!

Conflicts-in-interest is not something the Stark County public will abide.

DISCUSSION: STATE REP TODD SNITCHLER (R-LAKE) WANTS TO SEND BACK $9 BILLION OHIO STIMULUS SHARE TO WASHINGTON?

What a difference a legislator makes?

In the piece immediately preceding this one, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) plays an audio for readers in which Canton Tax Day, Tea Day event master of ceremonies (Matt Patrick of WHLO-AM/640) is obviously impressed that Boccieri, at his own initiative, appeared before a hostile crowd (Patrick's words; not The Report's) and handled the adversity very well indeed.

As one must be impressed with Boccieri, one should be totally unimpressed with Todd Snitchler (Republican - Lake) who was among friends.

Rather that be thoughtful and measured, Snitchler got caught up in the hysteria that was rampant at the event and made what appears to be an absurd statement that Ohio ought not accept the $9 Billion in federal stimulus money.

In fact, Snitchler got inflammatory by terming the money as being "bailout" money in an apparent attempt to whip this highly Republican supportive crowd into a frenzy. And, the suggestion is highly disingenuous. Snitchler knows that a rejection/return of the money is not about to happen. So it's safe to demagogue as Snitchler was doing.

Before this little ditty, The Report was beginning to think that maybe Snitchler was not a "red meat," simplistic solution type of politician. Now, The Report doesn't know what to think.

Perhaps he is, after all?

For now The Report is going to chalk this one down as Snitchler having a bad day. One wouldn't expect him to be the equal of John Boccieri because Boccieri has quite a few years under his belt as a public official. But The Report believes that Snitchler can do better than he did yesterday and will do better in the future when he reflects on how utterly partisan and reactionary he appeared to those us looking on from the sideline.

In all, Snitcher was on camera for about 5 to 6 minutes. The Report will be presenting follow up segments over ensuing days. And, unfortunately, the Sntichler performance does not get any better.

It never does when one get caught up in the hyper-emotion of a crowd. Hopefully, Snitchler has learned a lesson.

Here is the "reject the stimulus" portion of the video. Judge for yourself.

DISCUSSION: YOU JUST HAVE TO LOVE THE POLITICAL GRIT OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN BOCCIERI!

Andrew Jackson said "one man with courage makes a majority." There could not be a more apropos statement to describe 16th district congressman John Boccieri.

John put himself into the "lion's den" yesterday by requesting time on the dais at Tax Day, Tea Day - Canton, Ohio.

Listen to the audio below of WHLO and Tax Day - Tea Day as host Matt Patrick lauds Boccieri for seizing the opportunity to face Patrick and his incisive questioning in front of an unfriendly crowd.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) salutes Congressman & Major Boccieri (USAF - Reserves) for demonstrating what courage is in terms of actual conduct.

Here is the audio in which Patrick lauds Boccieri for showing up at his own initiative.

DISCUSSION: STARK COUNTY ANTI-SALES TAX PEOPLE OUT IN FORCE AT CANTON TEA PARTY EVENT

UPDATE: 04/16/2009 at 11:10 PM. A source (no full name or return e-mail address given) who claims to be close to Jason Wise, the person who organized Tax Day, Tea Day - Canton, Ohio, tells The Report that Wise did not personally pay the bill referenced below that somehow ended up at the Stark County commissioners' office though, according to the source, the Stark County commissioners' office address was not on the invoice.

ORIGINAL POST

Stark County Republican operative Jason Wise was in his glory yesterday as he viewed the thousand or so folks who showed up for the Wise-organized Canton, Ohio Tea Party.

A funny and perhaps ironic twist to this event as told to the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) by a source, is that an invoice for an event expenditure directed to Jason Wise showed up at the Stark County commissioners' office. The Report's source said the bill was for nearly $800.

Hum? Found its way to the Stark County commissioners' office? Could it be that Wise is telling folks that he plans on running for commissioner next year (against Commissioner Bosley) and he was misunderstood as currently being a commissioner?

Wise did take command of the microphone for a time (see video below) and asked the crowd to find one of the "green-shirted" Stark County Right to Vote Committee members to sign up to put the 1/2% sales/use tax (passed in December, 2008 by county commissioners for funding to fix 9-1-1 countywide and for additional general revenue fund monies) on the ballot for repeal in November of this year.

The Report continues to believe Canton Tea Party was opportunely adadapted by the organized Stark County Republican Party as a preparatory prelude to taking Bosley on in the 2010 general election. Although the WHLO provided emcee insisted that this was a non--partisan effort focusing on state and national tax issues, it seemed to The Report that the Stark County sales tax issue got major play at the party.

The "Green Shirts" were all over Canton's Central Plaza trying to coax attendees to sign up on the sales/use tax repeal petition.

The Report is not sure whether Bosley's opponent will be Wise or fellow Republican Travis Secrest. Secrest spoke with yours truly and did definitely commit himself as running for commissioner. However, he is still determining whether his run will be against Bosley in 2010 or Ferguson or Harmon in 2012.

Secrest lost to Harmon by a substantial margin in 2008.

DISCUSSION: IS THE CANTON CITY HALL FLAP ABOUT RECORDING/NOT RECORDING THE REAL ISSUE? HOW ABOUT A LACK OF TRUST?

On the surface it appears, according to Repository reports (Canton mayor's taping of meetings irks some in council, Ed Balint, April 13, 2009) that there is a fight between the Mayor and council members about recording or not recording Canton City Council committee meetings.

But the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) does not believe that this case. Rather this is a fight grounded in "a lack of trust."

If it were just a recording issue, count The Report has being on board with Mayor Healy except for his "sorta" secreting the recording activity. His actions should be front and center. The meetings are public meetings and any citizen is entitled to record the event.

The real issue is that Mayor Healy has created an environment of mistrust beginning with the firing of former service director and chief of staff, that he now has to deal with "irreparable harm" in his relationship with council.

The Report believes that a majority of Canton City Council members were not favorably disposed towards Healy from the beginning of his administration. His projected "I'm smarter than the rest of the world" attitude (intentional or not), got him off to a rocky start.

Bernabei was Healy's salvation. However, it became unacceptable to Healy that his chief of staff had the ear of council whereas he did not. Hence, the firing. The Report does think there were reasons Healy could not abide Bernabei, but the "council thing" really ate at Healy.

Many of the council members know Healy to be a vindictive type and they "really" do worry that he will parse the recordings and use the snippets as negotiating and political weapons.

And The Report can see these members' concerns. Nevertheless, the law of Ohio does not allow Council to stop the recordings.

It was a smart move by Healy (for the sake of his relationship with the distrustful council members) to have the recorder turned off. However, this is not a efficacious solution.

A productive solution is for Healy to work 24/7 (in a metaphorical sense) building what he has never had: a trusting relationship with the Canton City Council.

DISCUSSION: THE FRUSTACI SAGA - STARK TREASURER & STARK GOP LEADERSHIP FAILS STARK COUNTIANS?

On March 03, 2008, primary election day, there were a number of significant vacancies on the Republican side of the ballot for countywide offices (non-judicial):

Stark County treasurer,
Stark County prosecutor, and
Stark County engineer.

Unbelievable, simply unbelievable! Current Stark GOP chairman Jeff Matthews has failed Stark voters as has his predecessor Curt Braden.

On March 31, 2009, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) received a tip that Stark County treasurer Gary Zeigler had fired his chief deputy Vince Frustaci was fired amidst allegations of theft from the treasurer's office.

So the days of March 03, 2008 (primary election day - no Republican candidate for treasurer), November 04, 2008 (as an alternative no independent or write-in candidate for treasurer) and March 31, 2009 are days that signal major failures within Stark County political and governmental leadership.

An aspect of the Stark County treasurer office theft caper not discussed in the media so far (except in The Report) is the lack of leadership in the Stark County treasurer's office in terms of the lack of effective oversight and structure so as to have prevented the theft from taking place in the first place.

Another aspect of the Stark County treasurer office theft caper not discussed so far in the media is the role the Stark County Republican Party and its inability to provide political competition in the Stark County treasurer's race in 2008 played in enabling a lacakadaisical leadership attitude to set in within the Stark Treasury leadership and thereby helping to set up conditions for the theft to occur.

THE STARK GOP FAILURE

While Stark County treasurer bears prime responsibility for not having or not properly monitoring checks on Vince Frustaci, the Stark County Republican bears at least secondary responsibility in the sense of giving Zeigler a "free ride" to another term as treasurer.

Now Zeigler has 3-1/2 years to hope the voters forget his failure in leadership. Had the Stark Republicans.

Listen to the audio below as WHLO-AM (640 on the dial) talk show host and politically supportive of Matthews and Stark Republican candidates presses Stark Republican Party chairman on the question of why the Stark GOP is not competitive countywide in Stark County.

All yours truly hears from Matthews is an excuse.

Stark Republicans can't do any better than this guy?

ZEIGLER'S FAILURE

The Report believes Treasurer Zeigler got way too comfortable somewhere along the way in his ten years as treasurer and lost touch with the day-to-day operations of the office. And, when he had no opposition at all in 2008, he had to be feeling especially relaxed.

But the Stark GOP failure to provide an alternative to Stark voters does not excuse Zeigler.

There had to be signposts along the way (that Zeigler apparently ignored or was oblivious to) that trouble was on the horizon.

First, we now know (and s "due diligence" Zeigler should have known) that he did not have adequate structural safeguards in place within the office and in relations with an area banking institution which housed county money.

Second, despite acting as if he barely knew Frustaci in a brief interview yours truly had with Zeigler; The Report believes that Zeigler and Frustaci had become political pals and Zeigler let down his guard which, when coupled with the structural deficiencies, presented a ripe opportunity for the alleged theft to occur.

Third, a source has told The Report that it was known (certainly Zeigler had to know) that Frustaci liked to play high stakes poker and go to Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort to gamble.

Talk about a red flag? Duh?

The Report has learned that Zeigler is working the Democratic office holding crowd to put out the word that "he is a good guy."

A good guy (in the personal sense) Treasurer Zeigler may well be. That is not the question.

The question is this:

How much money are Stark taxpayers going to be out because he did not adequately lead as Stark County treasurer?

The Report wonders whether or not the thought has ever crossed Zeigler's mind that perhaps he is not up to being treasurer?

Now listen to Stark Republican Party chair Jeff Matthews trying to explain the failure of the Stark GOP to provide political competition in Stark.

GUEST COMMENTARY - FORMER NORTH CANTON COUNCILMAN CHUCK OSBORNE - ON NORTH CANTON TAX ABATEMENTS

Periodically, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) publishes commentary by Stark Countians on pertinent public issues.

Today's guest, Chuck Osborne, has formerly served on North Canton City Council and he is a regular at council meetings and frequently makes comments during the public speaks portion of the meeting.

His topic today is: Whether or not North Canton City Council is acting in the public interest in providing unsolicited tax abatements to the Fred W. Albrecht Company?

Fred W. Abrecht Company operates Acme Fresh Markets in North Canton among other Stark and Summit County communities.

Folks like Osborne have some difficulty getting their points taken credibly because public officials who are the object of their criticisms in a subtle sort of way insinuate to the general public that such persons are offbeat and therefore not deserving of the public ear.

Public officials who engage in these tactics are themselves a disservice to the public that has elected them or, in the case of public official appointees; an ensconced bureaucrat that disdains the public that they are supposed to be serving.

As far as The Report can determine, North Canton City Council president Daryl Revoldt is not one of Osborne's detractors. Here is a link to a Repository article North Canton council debates tax abatements (Edd Pritchard - April 13, 2009) that provides the current context of the tax abatement issue discussion.

Osborne's commentary follows:

NORTH CANTON CONTINUES TO GRATUITOUSLY PROVIDE TAX ABATEMENTS TO ABLE CORPORATIONS

My comments tonight deal with an issue I have addressed before to this council and that is the issue of tax abatements and how they are given out simply for the asking in North Canton.

Nearly two years ago, council was considering tax incentives for the construction of a Sherwin Williams Paint Store on Applegrove Street. In remarks to council regarding the tax abatement for Sherwin Williams on May 14, 2007, I said “Tax abatements for businesses in North Canton took on a whole new meaning at last Monday night’s Council of the Whole meeting when Economic Development Committee Chairman Jim Repace brought to the table a request for a CRA Tax Incentive for a Sherwin Williams Paint Store on Applegrove Street, NE.” Continuing, I asked “...if the taxpayers of North Canton are now expected to subsidize a public corporation, traded on the New York Stock Exchange with sales last year of $7.8 billion with an exemption from property taxes.”

The discussion of tax incentives for the Sherwin Williams Paint Store subsequently ended and the Sherwin Williams Paint Store was later constructed without the need for tax incentives. Imagine that!

On tonight’s agenda, titled as Ordinance No. 33-09, is yet another request for tax incentives for a corporation. This corporation also has sizeable annual sales and financial clout.

And typical of tax abatement requests before North Canton City Council, the legislation is being considered as emergency legislation.

The emergency legislation is for an abatement of taxes under the city’s Community Reinvestment Area Tax program for remodeling and improvements that are planned at the Acme Fresh Market Store located on North Main Street. The store is operated by the Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company.

The Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company is a privately owned corporation that has sales in excess of $400 million dollars a year. I am gratified that the Acme Fresh Market store here in North Canton is going to be remodeled and expanded and I look forward to the expanded services that the new Acme will provide to me and the community, but are tax incentives actually needed in this situation?

As I stated in my opening statement, tax abatements are given out simply for the asking in North Canton and they have not been a factor in any of the decisions by businesses who have received them to invest in the city. They have been an afterthought and simply a handout.

In the case of the Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company, the tax incentives being offered are more than a handout. Last Tuesday, I met with a representative of the Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company at the company’s headquarters in Akron. In that meeting, the company’s secretary/treasurer told me that Albrecht Grocery Company does not generally ask for tax incentives and in regards to the planned improvements of their Acme store here in North Canton the city simply offered the tax incentives carte blanche, with no questions asked. Sort of like last week’s council meeting when not one single council member posed a single question regarding the request for tax incentives.

The secretary/treasurer for the Albrecht Grocery Company advised me that tax incentives offered to the company have no bearing on plans for the remodeling and improvement being made to the Acme Fresh Market on North Main.

Do I need to refresh everyone’s mind that North Canton is still facing a fiscal crisis? President Revoldt, in Town Hall meetings has indicated that the city could face fiscal emergency and state takeover of the city’s finances. Has anyone forgotten the $1.0 million plus deficit that the city is facing for 2010 and beyond?

And what is truly sad in terms of each and every one of these tax abatements is the fact that the majority of the tax monies that this council is talking of abating are funds destined for the North Canton City Schools

Is anyone on this council aware of the financial constraints that the North Canton City School District is facing over the next three years?

The North Canton Education Association has just been told the following in a recent meeting of its members: For the school year, 2009-2010, if the district is able to trim this year’s expenditure by $1.5 million, the school district can end the school year with a $2.4 million carryover. For the school year, 2010-2011, the carryover will have dwindled to $660,000. For the school year, 2011-2012, the North Canton School District expects a deficit of $1.7 million.

In last week’s Council of the Whole meeting, Finance Chairman Jon Snyder remarked that the dollar amounts that have been abated in previous tax abatements by council were insignificant. Mr. Snyder, the only thing insignificant about the amounts of those tax abatements is how insignificant the tax incentives were in persuading those businesses to locate and build in North Canton.

The tax abatements given in this city are corporate charity and they take away money from the North Canton City School District and if this council continues to hand them out like party favors you will drive the city’s school district into budget deficits that we now face in the City of North Canton.

Mr. Snyder, an abatement of $6,600 a year on property taxes for a corporation that does $400 million a year in sales is insignificant. It is also tax deductible. Downsizing the City of North Canton and the North Canton City School District is not insignificant.

Last Friday, I delivered a letter to the President of The Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company, Steve Albrecht, asking him to decline the city’s offer for tax incentives. I am appealing to his moral sense of duty for a community that is in deep financial distress.

Lastly, I must say that I am disheartened that no one in North Canton City Government knows that his fiduciary responsibility is to the citizens and taxpayers of this city first and foremost. Offering tax abatements just because you can clearly is irresponsible.

I am hoping that The Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company is a good corporate citizen and will be a strong supporter of our community and decline the offer of tax incentives.

The North Canton City Schools need all the money they can collect and most certainly the City of North Canton needs all the revenue it can collect.