On April 13th of this year, there was a spill of what turned out to be diesel fuel contaminated drilling mud being used in the installation of the Rover natural gas carrying pipeline.
The accidental spill occurred in the process of boring a passageway for the pipeline under the Tuscarawas River near Canton's Sugarcreek well field and near water sources used by Aqua Ohio to service homes and businesses of a number of Stark County's townships.
The contractor installing the pipeline placed the accidently spilled—contaminated with diesel fuel drilling mud—in two quarries: one near Beach City and Sugarcreek; one near Massillon near Aqua Ohio wells.
There are concerns that notwithstanding Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC) finding and demands made on Rover Pipeline LLC ("Rover," Houston, TX) that Rover is not acting quickly enough to remove the contaminated mud from the vicinity of well fields that service the homes and businesses of Canton and highly populated areas of Stark County.
Canton's water superintendent Tyler Converse updated Canton City Council at last night's regular council meeting on the issue of the potential pollution of Canton's Sugarcreek well field water resource that is the source for water supplied to Canton-based homes and businesses.
In the foregoing video, Converse says that his Canton city enterprise department is continuing to monitor the location of the contaminated mud.
Council members last night were front and center in expressing concerns that Canton government would simply sit back and let Rover dictate the timetable for dealing with the problem.
There was talk that Rover might resist moving on to remediation in appealing an Ohio EPA directive (see entire OEPA finding/remediating directive report at the end of this blog) issued about one week ago.
Converse reassured council that such is not and would not be the case.
Canton has retained a consultant and law firm to assist in dealing with getting a satisfactory solution to the spill induced threat.
Superintendent Converse says that each day that the contaminated drilling mud stays in place is another day that the mud might migrate towards the Canton owned well field.
A resource which council president Allen Schulman says is Canton's most valuable financial/economic asset.
Even more important than Canton's approved investment of $5 million in the $700/$800 million Pro Football Hall of Fame Village Project
Stark County stakeholders who should be paying close attention to remediation efforts include residents of:
Jackson Township,
Hills & Dales,
Lake Township,
Lawrence Township,
Massillon,
North Canton,
Perry Township,
Plain Township, and
Tuscarawas Township,
The SCPR has published two prior blogs on this highly important issue which has the "potential" to threaten the well-being of Cantonians/Stark Countians, to wit:
Blog of June 22, 2017 featuring a video of Stark County commissioner Richard Regula who lives in the general area in which the contaminated drilling mud is located,
Blog of July 10, 2017 which has a copy of the OEPA findings of contamination and corollary demand for clean up action to be taken,
As reported in the July 10th blog, the SCPR has learned that initially Rover officials told the OEPA that the company was only going to deal with FERC on the matter as it deemed the OEPA not to have jurisdiction over its operations.
However, as can be seen in the FERC document below, the federal agency is having none of it in terms of playing a federal agency off against a state agency and has in the document fully embraced the Ohio EPA findings and demanded action.
Area media reports indicate that Aqua Ohio is also monitoring the situation on a continuing basis and so far is not detecting any problem with its wells water quality.
Recently, the Stark County Water District on its website published a report on Aqua Ohio water quality as of December 31, 2016, to wit:
Here are the two base documents from FERC and the Ohio EPA.
From time-to-time, The Stark County Political Report (SCPR) publishes a blog which focuses on the positives of Ohio, Stark County, the cities, the villages, townships and boards of education and the county's ordinary citizens as they function in making Stark County a good place to live, work and play.
By and large, the SCPR is a "hold 'em accountable" media outlet.
No "the official newspaper of the Pro Football Hall Fame-esque" line on the masthead of this publication.
How can a media outlet hold itself out as being "the official newspaper" of anything and have readers believe that—that "whatever" can in any sense of objectivity be held accountable by that same official newspaper?
Answer that one Mr. Executive Editor (Derosiers) of The Repository!
Moreover, the focus of The Report is a dedication to telling the stories of "everyday," unheralded Stark Countians who work day-in, day-out to make our county a better place to live.
There is no play in this blog to the "pooh-bah," elitist, credential collecting segment of Stark County society.
It was a serendipitous moment at yesterday's Board of Stark County Commissioners meeting as Commissioner Janet Creighton departed from the normal course of county government considerations to heap praise on the manner in which the Stark County Job & Family Services functions on an everyday basis for the well-being of Stark County's families.
Many commissioner meeting agendas have over the course of a year a number of Stark County Job & Family Services (SCJ&FS) items for commissioners to consider.
It was inspiring to hear Commissioner Creighton to extol the manner in which the agency handles the critically important matters dealing with quality life of family issues that the agency is charged with as a matter of Ohio law to handle 365 days each and every year.
Here are Creighton's SCPR videotaped initial comments.
In a Stark County Political Report follow up after the meeting was adjourned, I drilled down with the commissioners on the specifics of why SCF&JS deserved being held out as a superb example of what local government services should be and which is exemplified by an "actual" functioning government unit.
Here is a video of that follow up session:
As Commissioner Creighton stated in the video, the excellence in service at SJ&FS starts at the top with Executive Director Deborah Forkas.
Forkas competed with 81 other applicants to fill the shoes of former director Julie Barnes when Barnes was hired away to Summit County.
That she won out over 81 other applicants (selected, February, 2014) some of whom were prominent Stark County political/government notables, tells a lot about how clear it must have been to the-then commissioners (Bernabei, Creighton and Regula) that she stood out as having superior qualities that militated her hiring.
She has not disappointed.
Here is her bio from the SJ&FS website:
DEBORAH FORKAS, M.ED.
Executive Director
When Deborah Forkas, M.Ed., joined Stark County Job and Family Services (SCJFS) as executive director in 2014, she brought with her 30 years of extensive experience and commitment to children.
Ms. Forkas has served as Director of Children, Youth and Families in Fairfax County, Virginia; Director of Children and Family Services, Cuyahoga County; Deputy Executive Director of Social Services, Summit County Children Services, and as a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division Deputy Director.
As executive director, Ms. Forkas is responsible for a triple-combined agency—Human Services, Children Services and Child Support—with an annual budget of nearly 52 million dollars. SCJFS provides programs and services which include Medicaid, food assistance, child care, Ohio Works First, establishment, enforcement, collection and disbursement of child support orders, assessment of child abuse and neglect, and foster care and adoptions services.
Ms. Forkas earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Toledo and a Master’s in Education from John Carroll University. She enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and entertaining with her husband Ronald.
Standing out among Forkas' achievements as executive director, has been the agency's performance (one of a few agencies selected) in implementing a "pilot" project in manner in which child support payments are collected.
Specifically singled out for "kudos" by Commissioner Creighton are SJ&FS representatives (on Wednesday of last week) Rob Myers (with agency since 1990) and Brian Kandel (with the agency since 2012), the latter of whom doubles down as Nimishillen Township's fiscal officer. They along with other representatives, including Forkas herself (all equally prepared on and committed to transparency of agency operations) from this unit of Ohio/Stark County government appear frequently before the commissioners "at the ready" to handle "in depth" questioning by the commissioners antecedent to the commissioners acting on various resolutions before them regarding SJ&FS operations.
However, I took Creighton's comments (fully endorsed by Commissioners Bill Smith and Richard Regula) to another level.
While I appreciate hearing accounts of "job well done" by local government officials and give same full play in these pages, the SCPR does not cheerlead for any entity or person.
This second video is the SCPR digging deeper (as The Report always does) with the commissioners for concrete examples upon which Commissioner Creighton took (as she mentioned) the extraordinary move by her or any other commissioner to pause the meeting to accord a recognition of the exemplary work of an agency of Ohio and Stark County government.
It gives me great joy to do this type of blog.
But I am not about to give up the nearly ten-year-old SCPR format of holding Stark County sited government at all levels to the highest standard of living up to being the servants of the people of Stark County.
No surprise to The Stark County Political Report! (SCPR). Here is a copy of the entire decision:
It was with an August 14, 2014 Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals decision (In re: Finan) blogged upon on September 22, 2014 that the SCPR picked up on Stark County Court of Common Pleas - Probate Division Judge Dixie Park's gross deficiency in her understanding of constitutional law of the United States of America and Ohio.
An "not" understanding the law can be very costly indeed.
A consequence of Park's 2013 misapplication of constitutional law, a "everyday" Stark Countian spent 11 days in jail.
Sometimes folks dismiss dire consequences of court decisions as "only going to happen to someone else."
Undoubtedly, that was the thinking of the Alliance "day-in, day-out" citizen who was jailed by Judge Park's manifest lack of understanding of how to apply the due process of law clauses of our federal and state constitutions.
The SCPR thinks any citizen who appears before Judge Park in which fundamental constitutional considerations are in play should expect the worst of her.
This demonstrated application of "constitutional law" legal jeopardy notwithstanding (see links at the end of this blog); Park was selected by the University of Mount Union in October, 2014 to deliver its annual Constitution Day speech. As an amusing aside, as a matter of "fair use," I used a Mount Union taken picture of Judge Park delivering her the Constitution Day speech. It was just a few hours after I published the blog that I received a telephone call from Mount Union officialdom demanding that I take town the photo. It was apparent to me that either Judge Park or somebody close to her had contacted Mount Union officialdom demanding that they get petty, if not wrong on the law of "fair use," with me. Believe me, I have plenty of photos of Judge Park from her periodic appearances before the Stark County commissioners whose meeting I cover on a regular basis. So even though I think I could have prevailed in any legal action had I stuck to using the Mount Union photo as a matter of "fair use," I opted to substitute my own photo of her. If my surmise as is articulated above is correct, the objection to the use of the Mount Union photo only shows how utterly petty Judge Park or somebody close to her and perhaps at her direction can be. One more thing.
Think maybe Mount Union officialdom needs to do some vetting before selecting Constitutional Law Day speakers?
As it turns out, the August, 2014 "run afoul of the fundamental law of the U.S. and Ohio" decision has been follow up by a number of 5th District Court of Appeals reversals of Park on a misapplication of constitutional law grounds.
The July 10th decision is a continuation of Park's constitutional law "blind spot."
What should be alarming to Stark Countians, is the "passes" it appears that the Stark County bar including the bench is giving Park.
For the SCPR, this is a no doubter. Judge Dixieline Park does not belong on the bench of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas.
And yet there she sits.
Local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley has been alone in his quest to get Park off the bench.
Having been a active attorney (inactive since June, 2014) for 41 years (and, "no," I never had a problem with Park in my appearances before her as an active practitioner), it is simply unbelievable that Conley pretty much stands alone in courageously and publicly telling the world about Park's deficiencies as a judge.
One of Conley's favorite quotes is: "The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men[women] to do nothing."
While I do not think Judge Park is evil but merely "incompetent" (opinion based on her being reversed multiple times on constitutional grounds) in applying the "due process of law" provisions of the U.S./Ohio constitutions. If you are the lady who spent 11 days in the Stark County jail on account of a misapplication of due process of law, I could fully understand it if that lady was to think of Park as being evil.
De Ploribus Uno has left a new comment on your post "PROBATE COURT JUDGE DIXIE PARK: A SIMON LEGREE-ES...":
Still Carrying that Craig Conley torch eh Martin?
For the record, I have not exchanged communications with Conley as I prepared to write this blog.
I did miss seeing the decision when it was first published by the court.
But a person other than Conley who knows that The Stark County Political Report is the only Stark County media outlet that has the spunk to critique "performance in office" of Stark County elected officials (and, yes even judges), gave me the "heads up" on this latest infringement of constitutional law by Judge Park. Let me pause here to say that the Stark County Court of Common Pleas bench is a quality group. However, it is a puzzlement to me that they appear to be standing idly by as Judge Park with her string of "unconstitutional" reversals taints the quality of justice meted out by the Stark County justice system. I have discussed Judge Park's administration of the probate court with persons who have had a inside look at the imperious manner in which she runs not hers but the peoples court.
To say such is not a distancing from Conley. I received the "heads up" late yesterday and have not had the space to be in touch with him for his reaction.
Conley pretty much, among Stark County jurists, stands alone in bringing Park (and other judges) to public accountability.
How sad!
Though I appreciate all that Conley does (whether I agree with him or not on a particular matter), "I know, you (he) knows and everybody knows" that I am my own person and do not take marching orders from anybody.
That is why Stark Countians who want the unvarnished truth read these pages.
Readers do not necessarily agree with what I write, but they know what I write is me speaking for myself and not the handmaiden for anybody else.
De Plorbus Uno holds himself out as a blogger. He has, so far as I can determine, written two blogs. One in February and one in April of this year.
But the coward he/she is, De Plorbus Uno writes anonymously.
No such thing for The Stark County Political Report. Here is a list of previous blogs I have written on Judge Park:
At the June 26, 2017 meeting of North Canton City Council, long, long, long time North Canton civic activist Chuck Osborne (a former councilman), got tossed from council meeting by acting council president Doug Foltz for displaying an sign that was sure to offend North Canton law director Tim Fox.
Osborne feels that his removal was a violation of his U.S. Constitution rights as extended to the states (including its political subdivisions such as city governments) by virtue of the 14th amendment to the Constitution.
Here are parts of e-mails (except the entire July 10 e-mail) that he sent (or copies of) to The Stark County Political Report, to wit:
July 10th
For tomorrow night, I have a shirt with the words “Remove Law Director Tim Fox” printed, front and back, that I intend to wear.I have consulted my attorney ... on both the sign and the shirt and he did NOT think it should be an issue.He took pictures of both items when I was in his office last Wednesday.
July 8th
Hello Martin,
The attached state statute [see insert below] has been brought to my attention in regards to interference with the civil rights of citizens by public officials .
Wanted to share this with you.
Generally, Law Director Tim Fox is obsessed with following state law. Do you think he will be influenced to any degree with this law?
I would like to clarify a point you made in your blog of the North Canton meeting where Vice-President of Council, Doug Foltz, at the urging of Law Director Tim Fox, took exception to my little protest sign.
I had not spoken out until Mr. Foltz addressed me, and then at that point I was simply responding to Mr. Foltz.
Until that time, I was sitting there quietly.
I think you mischaracterized the situation incorrectly in your blog post.
When Mr. Fox took notice of my little sign and prompted Mr. Foltz to act (after it had been on display for about five minutes and which no one else in the chamber knew of or could see), only then did I speak out and that was to respond to Mr. Foltz.
At any rate, I will provide this for the moment and we will see where all of this leads.
Thank you, Chuck
June 27th
Hello Guys,
I know most of you did not get to see the small sign I had displayed at Council tonight so I have attached the 8 ½ x 11 inch sign for you to see. (note: see SCPR blog link above)
From thirty feet or more, I am surprised it was readable from the front of the Council Chamber but apparently it was.
...
For something so small and unobtrusive, I believe Council is overreacting but that is what they do. And always at the direction of Law Director Tim Fox.
...
Several weeks ago, I used the word “Hell” and Law Director Tim Fox made a Federal case out of it, but when Councilmember Domonic Fonte used the word “Hell” tonight, Mr. Fox had nothing to say.
In the 2004 hearings to remove former Mayor Tom Rice from office, a resident wore a complete body suit of a Kangaroo to the hearings and no one questioned it.
A small 8 ½ x 11 inch sign and I get removed from the Council Chamber.
No tolerance for democracy in North Canton.
A little “civil disobedience” is a good thing but it is not tolerated in North Canton.
It is what it is.
...
I had no doubt Citizen Osborne would follow through on his plan as set out in his July 10th e-mail.
What I was unprepared for was the timid manner in which he exercised his First Amendment rights at Monday's meeting.
My take on Osborne is that he has not in my experience of seeing him in action had any reluctance whatsoever to do a "in your face" routine when sparring with a North Canton government official.
On Monday, as he often does, Osborne spoke during a time allotted by council (5 minutes) to members of the general public under agenda item Recognition of Visitors which the SCPR tabs as being "public speaks."
Notice that he was wearing a sport jacket which in my recollection is not something that he generally, if ever, does.
To me, doffing the jacket would have been a true test of whether or not North Canton Council president Dan Peters would have been prompted to gavel him down and compel him to cover up or remove the "Remove Law Director Tim Fox" shirt.
To repeat, I am surprised that Osborne was so reticent about "showing his 'civil rights' colors" on Monday.
Could it be that Osborne is changing his ways in terms of less confrontation?
Insofar as I could tell, Osborne's jacket masked the Fox message during the entirety his addressing of council.
It was only when he sat down near his camera set up with which he records council meetings that one could discern the "Remove Law Director Tim Fox" on blue shirt imprinted plea.
In a post-meeting Q&A, Osborne told me that a motivating reason for his covering up the shirt was to ensure that he would be permitted to do his public speaks in the first place.
He had noted that a North Canton policeman was stationed just outside council chambers. Was the policeman placed at the ready by council leadership in case needed to escort Osborne from the meeting room. That, apparently, was Osborne's thought as another reason why the jacket remained on covering the anti-Fox slogan.
Near the end of the meeting during his space to address any matter he wished with council and the Held administration , Fox pointed out that he had noticed Osborne's "Remove Law Director Tim Fox" shirt.
In doing so, he proceeded to launch an attack (my take) on Citizen Osborne in saying that he (Fox) considered it a "badge of honor" that Osborne was calling for his removal as law director and as justification for his deeming the call a "badge of honor" he recited a number of causes that he says Osborne opposed over Fox's five year tenure as law director which causes Fox said were good for North Canton.
Monday was not the first time Fox has used a North Canton taxpayer forum to single out Osborne for a tongue lashing.
Here is a LINK (July, 2015) to a SCPR blog in which it appears that Fox used the city's website to in effect excoriate Oborne for using a citizen's right to challenge city actions in a court of law.
And, my recollection is, that Fox has caused to be published at least one other account of holding Osborne up to what I think was purposeful public ridicule (i.e. costing North Canton taxpayers money to defend against an Osborne initiative) for his use of various constitutional devices to hold the city accountable.
I missed it, but Osborne tells me that Fox took his picture with him wearing the "Remove Law Director Tim Fox" shirt at an earlier point in the meeting.
On reviewing my video, apparently Fox pulled out his cellphone and snapped Osborne's picture during Councilman Dominic Fonte's report time. Fonte sits at the end of the council dais and looking at Fonte meant that Fox could not miss Osborne's sitting in the line of sight with his jacket open revealing the "Remove Law Director Tim Fox" script.
Just to be a little bit funny, one has to wonder whether or not the picture Fox is said to have taken is a public record subject to a public records request.
While done with his "personal" cellphone, he is an appointed North Canton official participating in an official meeting of North Canton City Council.
Could make for an interesting courtroom challenge, if Fox resisted such a request, no?
Backing up a bit, what was the picture taking all about?
A case of public official intimidation?
A picture he wants to have framed and placed in a prominent place in his home for all to see the likeness of his favorite civic activist?
Or, perhaps, to throw darts at? That's how much animosity that I think North Canton public official Tim Fox has for Citizen Osborne.
To be fair, I think the feeling is mutual.
I do not disagree with Osborne that since Fox has come on board as North Canton's law director, he, and number of council's members (mostly through whomever happened to be president of council at the time) and even Mayor Held, on occasion, have exhibited considerable hostility to Osborne.
Osborne has given at least given as much as he has gotten.
At times, it seems as if there are no adults in the room when it comes to Osborne's interaction with council, the law director and other city officials.
However, one always hopes that there are some "cooler heads" in the room among officialdom to play the adult and calm things down and, where called for, tell their fellows (Fox in this case) that he has gone too far.
Democracy can be messy.
Government officials are certainly entitled to defend themselves when criticized by citizens, but it is part of the territory for elected and appointed officials to be critiqued and they need to have a temperament of measured response.
For the rest of North Canton government (i.e. council members and the mayor) to sit by and allow the city law director (selected in North Canton by council) to chastise a citizen for opposing this or that policy, practice or program suggests to me that they are enablers of Law Director Fox going on the attack on a citizen exercising his/her due process rights (i.e. the right to be heard) and that folks puts them in a pretty bad light in my judgment.
It's not only Osborne who appears to be a target of the law director and the council through its president.
There are a number of North Cantonians who, since Fox came on as the hiree of council, had the audacity in coming before council in the manner of not being there to "praise Ceasar" but rather to tell the "King, he had no clothes."
North Canton officials seem to obsess about being told how great they are. Undoubtedly, they are out to make "North Canton Great Again." Not unlike a certain person who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
I have written quite a few blogs providing chapter, verse and video of some of those occasions when things get testy when council members are being told they are not so great.
The shy way Osborne exercised what he thinks is his exercise free speech Monday evening, leaves it open to question whether or not there has been a change of attitude on the part of council expressed through its president and its legal advisor on the matter of citizens exercising their constitutional free speech (verbal and non-verbal) rights.
It is always a constructive thing when the public's business can be conducted without disruption.
That Osborne did not flagrantly show off his shirt as I expected that he would was refreshing.
He says that his low key approach was purposeful so as not to inflame.
It is encouraging that President Peters did not react to obvious Fox's unhappiness that Osborne was wearing a protest-Fox shirt.
However, it is disappointing that we really do not know if Osborne's removal from the June 26th meeting (Foltz as acting president) provoked a reevaluation of silent protests on the part of the council president/law director and that going forward there will be no reactions so long as there is no verbal interjection outside the "Recognition of Visitors" forum.
It is totally out of order and disruptive for Osborne or anybody else to shout out from the audience during an ongoing council meeting.
That he did none of that on Monday, is also encouraging.
The only discouraging thing that happened at Monday's meeting was Fox's "badge of honor" speech.
As I said earlier in this blog, Fox should have been called out for what I think was an attack on Osborne. Very unbecoming of a professional and city official, no?
If there is a change of approach vis-a-vis the likes of Osborne underway, it would have been helpful for President Peters to have articulated same, no?
But maybe his "silence" and non-action is the best we can hope for given the present climate.
Ohio EPA issues comprehensive findings on potential Canton/Stark County-sited townships (the latter through Aqua Ohio) drinking water supplies that shows The Stark County Political Report (SCPR) that Canton City Council in inquiring of the Mayor Thomas Bernabei administration (specifically, Tyler Converse, Canton water supervisor) and, of course, the Bernabei administration itself working with the Ohio Environmental Protection Administration (OH EPA) have been successful in getting the Ohio EPA to take strong remedial action vis-a-vis an April 13, 2017 discovered spill at the hand of Energy Transfers Partners ([ETP], apparently a subcontractor of Rover Pipelines, LLC, against whom the OH EPA findings/orders were issued) at least with regard to the Navarre area, Stark County spill as set out in area media reports including the SCPR in a June 22nd blog.
The SCPR has learned that there was a challenge to the authority of the OH EPA to deal with Stark County spill.
Here is a copy of the OH EPA report (more commentary later is this blog) for readers to see for themselves the effectiveness of local and state government working together to protect this highly important resource:
With the April 13 discovered by the Ohio EPA Energy Transfers Partners (ETP) spill in Navarre (potentially jeopardizing the city of Canton's Sugarcreek well field), the question arose as to whether not government would act swiftly to protect Canton's most important resource.
According to Canton City Council president, Canton's water resources are more important as an economic development factor than the reportedly $800 million, more or less, Pro Football Hall of Fame Village Project.
Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor announced at the Cleveland City Club (LINK to podcast of the announcement) on Friday that she is a Republican candidate for governor in 2018.
About five months ago, Governor John Kasich said he would support Mary should she decide to get into the race.
So the immediate question is: Does a Kasich endorsement harm or hurt Taylor's chances come the Republican primary in the Spring of next year?
Answer:
It depends on where one sits on the Republican political spectrum these days?
If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Trump supporter, there is no way Mary Taylor accepts Kasich's embrace in any way, shape or form and still gets your vote.
If you are not "a-wedded-to-Trump-Republican, then maybe.
My take on the state of the Ohio Republican Party voter support is that the dyed-in-the-wool variety will dominate the May 8, 2018 Ohio Republican gubernatorial primary election.
It such proves to be the case, then Taylor's announcement for governor on Friday the 7th will likely to turn out to be a futile effort.
Although Kasich handily defeated Donald Trump in the Ohio presidential primary of 2016, a couple of relatively recent polls suggests that a head-on-head between Kasich and Trump may be reversed in Trump's favor.
Ohio's May 8, 2018 primary election will not have President Trump's name on it, but perhaps in a surrogate way his name will be.
Current 16th District Congressman Jim Renacci seems to positioned himself best to be the Trump stand-in next May.
The internals of the People's Pundit Daily poll show that the major categories of voters for a candidate to be aligned with in terms of tapping into Trump core support in terms of Trump approval percentages as of May 3rd are:
Republican (91%),
Conservative (82%),
White (62%)
Male (61%)
A less reliable groups in terms of being toss-up categories includes:
Female (54%)
While Trump has a 52% rating with "independent" voters, nominal Republican "independent-esque" voters in the May 8th primary likely will be far and few in between come next year's primary.
Moderate Republicans may be a significant factor, but not independent-minded Republicans.
Of course, linking to Trump is a gamble inasmuch as nationally his polls are not doing that well, and, moreover as we approach May, 2018, there may revelations out in the public domain on what is reportedly an "in process" FBI investigation into whether or not Trump campaign officials colluded with Russians to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and whether or not the FBI assesses that Trump has obstructed justice in the presidential election collusion probe.
Ohio's Republican gubernatorial candidates cannot have it both ways.
For those like Renacci who all-out embrace Trump will be either viable or a bust depending on what happens in the Ohio public's view on approving or disapproving of Trump over the next eight months.
Secretary of State Jon Husted seems to be flirting with an "all-out-for-Trump" position in proudly adopting be deemed a "deplorable;" a term Democrat Hillary Clinton used to describe "core" Trump supporters in the course of the 2016 presidential campaign.
But, recently he was put in a bind when the Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission (PACEI) on Election Integrity and it demanded of secretaries of state that they make available to the commission data including sensitive information such as date of birth and social security numbers of the respective state voter registration databases.
Husted has refused to provide the sensitive information to PACI.
Attorney General Mike DeWine appears to me to be the best positioned on that score. He certainly has not been anti-Trump but neither has he wholeheartedly cottoned to Trump.
So highly visible local supporters of DeWine (i.e. Stark County commissioner Janet Creighton, Stark County treasurer Alex Zumbar, North Canton mayor David Held and former state Rep/mayor of North Canton Dave Johnson) likely will have hope for success come the primary election even if Trump reverses his polling fortunes nationwide.
Mary Taylor seems to be "between a rock and hard place" politically in the Trump/Kasich feud that has gone on since right before the Republican National Convention in mid-July, 2016 held in Cleveland.
Taylor is definitely waffling on the Kasich endorsement thing.
For her, the Kasich endorsement has to be "bittersweet."
On the one hand she wants to be identified with what she thinks are accomplishments of the Kasich/Taylor administration (without naming Kasich as the prime architect of the successes, LINK) and on the other differing with her governance mate on the desirability of Obamacare and most importantly the continued expansion of Medicare in Ohio which has been a very big deal for Kasich over the past several years.
In January, 2017 when Ohio's Republican leadership met to decide who was going to be the the party's chairperson going forward, Taylor initially sided up with Kasich political protege Matt Borges.
However, as decision time arrived, Taylor switched over to ardent Stark County-based Trump supporter Jane Timken (a key figure in terms of being connected to a Stark County-sited major industrial employer [Timken]) who had the support of then-president-elect Donald Trump.
Taylor may not do all that well statewide come next May, but she should be a major player in Stark County.
She lives right on the northern border of Stark County just over the line in the City of Green which is located in Summit County. Prior to politically bursting onto the statewide scene, she was involved in City of Green politics and governance.
As State of Ohio Auditor, Taylor played a major role in the political demise of then Stark County Democrat and Stark County treasurer Gary D. Zeigler by virtue of her office issuing a scathing report chastising Zeigler's administration of the office in the wake of an April 1, 2009 revelation that then Chief Deputy Treasurer Vince Frustaci had stolen what turned out ultimately to be nearly $3 million in Stark County taxpayer money from the county treasury.
The-then Democratic county auditor Kim Perez and other "organized" Stark County Democratic officials accused state Auditor Taylor of being "asleep at the switch" in terms of chastising Zeigler only AFTER the April 1st revelations.
Nevertheless, for the general Stark County voting public, the name Taylor is likely to be highly positive when it counts next May.
With Jim Renacci having a toe-hold in north-northeast (with a spur down to the Timken Company complex in the heart of Canton) Stark County, and major Stark County political players being on board the DeWine candidacy, Taylor might eke out a win in Stark, if she stays in the race.
The Stark County Political Report has had doubts that she would enter the race in the first place given her current straggler status in a couple of polls on Republican on 2018 gubernatorial prospects and her personal misfortune of having two sons reported in the media as having opioid addiction problems.
The polls:
It is amazing that Taylor with all her years as state auditor and lieutenant governor only mustered 10% in the January and May 2017 polls.
While Ohioans in general are concerned about the mounting opioid addiction problem statewide and nationwide, it is not issue of the magnitude of healthcare including Medicaid insurance coverage.
Accordingly, dealing with the opioid problem is not likely to be a top issue concern of voters.
Taylor may however, because of her personal closeness to and familiarity with the matter, be able to neutralize a negative chord that the family misfortune might strike with Republican Ohio voters who have not had the experience her family has had.
For Taylor, the main question is: Can she hang in the race through the Republican primary?
The SCPR thinks it is a tall order for her and she may well be the first if not the only of the four announced so far to drop out early.
It would be a stunning political happening, should she gain the Republican nomination for governor.
And it might be that the Kasich endorsement factor proves to be overall hurtful in the current slanted towards aligning with Trump Republican state of affairs in Ohio.
REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE & CURRENT ATTORNEY GENERAL
MIKE DEWINE
DENIED OHIOANS
THE RIGHT TO VOTE ON FAIR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS IN NOVEMBER, 2017 UPDATED: 10:26 AM
It appears that Attorney General Mike DeWine is not much of a small letter "d"emocrat.
The Stark County Political Report thinks he is into foot dragging on an initiative generated early this year allows to speak through the franchise on a fairer way for Ohioans to choose congresspersons after the 2020 U.S. census becomes official.
According to the graphed-above Columbus Dispatch article, on May 4th DeWine:
... rejected it because it didn’t say challenges under the proposed constitutional amendment would be heard directly by the Ohio Supreme Court and because the summary didn’t cite the part of the Ohio Constitution under which the Supreme Court would have that jurisdiction
Executive Director Catherine Turcer of Common Cause—Ohio, the lead in the effort under a coalition effort known as Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio said that DeWine's objections "seem very minor."
Oh yes, Mike tell us. Ohio voters are going feel that he in doing his job as attorney general didn't protect us in not holding out for the inclusion of the Ohio Supreme Court language. Although nearly every Stark County Republican that I talk to (e.g. Commissioner Creighton [regional chair of DeWine for Governor], Treasurer Zumbar [the county chair] and North Canton mayor David Held say that DeWine in a high quality individual on a personal basis, my take on the guy is that he wears his Republicanism on his sleeves and he knows that right now gerrymandered congressional districts favoring Republican candidates is a huge advantage in giving "organized" Republicans a 12 to 4 advantage in the United States House of Representatives. Ohio in pretty much a 50/50 state in many statewide elections going back quite a few years. Here and there, one political party or the other will dominate. Now is the Republican time. Eventually, "the worm will turn" in Ohio and elected legislative Democrats will try to subvert the fairness of our election districts if the Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio does not get on the ballot and pass. If anyone doubts that "organized" Democrats are just as capable of constructing "in effect" rigged elections take a look at this piece about 2011 Maryland elections in The Atlantic:
Getting back to DeWine, I think he abused his attorney general discretion in favor of a Republican Party interest in dealing in the picayune. His nitpicking will not prevail. But a consequence of DeWine's hyper technical if not constitutionally illegal approach is to delay a statewide vote on the issue until November, 2018 rather than the originally sought November, 2017. Hopefully, Republicans in the May 8, 2018 primary election will remember DeWine being a ninny on the issue as a factor in whether or not to vote for him. In 2015, Ohioans/Stark Countians overwhelming passed a similar measure having to do with state legislative races.
The date for correcting ballot language to DeWine's satisfaction and circulated to sign up sufficient numbers of qualifying registered voters so that the initiative could appear on this year's general election ballot was this past Wednesday, July 5th. More and more voters are eschewing the label Republican/Democrat and donning a "non-partisan" mantle. Too many "organized" partisans beginning with Elbridge Gerry (July 17, 1812) as Massachusetts governor signed legislation into law a measure that violated the "one person, one vote" principle of the U.S. Constitution.
The contorted district is said to have looked like a salamander and hence the Gerry action came to be known as "gerrymandering." On July 17th, 2017, the Fair Congressional District for Ohio folks are planning a party celebrating the group's work to undo in Ohio what Gerry and his fellow political partisans started in Massachusetts in 1812. One of the reasons why Americans are increasingly distaining partisan political alignment is evidenced by what I think is a silly but nonetheless damaging partisanship on the part of the likes of DeWine in helping those who are intent on adulterating our congressional election district configurations into being "unfair" districts. The Common Cause-led Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio is undeterred by the DeWine set back and in a telephone discussion with initiative supporters (including myself), Director Turcer discussed the details (LINK to a recording of the event) of the process in a session which lasted a little over one hour.
This is what Turcer had to say about the signature on petitions effort to date in an e-mail sent out on Wednesday:
We have been thrilled by the level of enthusiasm we’ve seen in volunteers picking up petitions. We have thousands of volunteers spread across the state, carrying tens of thousands of petitions. A big thank you to all of you who have helped us get this far. For only being one month into the petition signature gathering, we are way ahead of schedule. That’s a real testament to all the hard work of you, our Fair Districts volunteers.
A consequence of DeWine's delaying tactic, the collection of signatures effort should be complete about September 1st. It could slip further into the fall if additional signatures are needed once the validation of signatures process gets under way. In Stark County, it appears that the "organized" Stark County Democratic Party volunteers are doing the heavy lifting in circulating petitions. In yesterday's telephone conference, Turcer shared with conferees that the 2013 Republican dominated Ohio General Assembly legislatively via Senate Bill 47, (apparently in reaction to a "overwhelmingly successful" initiative petition repealing Senate Bill 5 anti-union law by referendum of 2011) burdened future initiative petition drives with an electronic filing requirement (shortening the time frame in which signatures could be collected) which, of course, makes the process more difficult and time consuming, to wit: (from Ballotpedia website) Note: Stark County Republicans Scott Oelslager (Senate, District 29), Kirk Schuring (House, District 48), and Christina Hagan (District 50) voted for the restrictive on initiative petition Senate Bill 47. Submitting signatures
When a petition is submitted, an electronic copy must also be filed and the petition must be broken into parts that are all numbered sequentially and labeled by the county in which it was circulated. The petition must also include a summary of the parts of the petition and the signatures on each ...
An initiative or referendum committee cannot collect additional signatures for a petition after it has been submitted, except for in a ten-day window beginning after the secretary of state notifies the committee that petition, as submitted, was insufficient and provides the required official form for additional signature collection, which must be used when collecting supplemental signatures in the ten-day window allowed. ...
A petition that has been rejected cannot be resubmitted. ...
DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 1g, Ohio Revised Code, Title XXXV, Chapter 3519.06 and Senate Bill 47 (2013) (emphasis added)
Another indication, in the estimate of the SCPR, that these folks are not small letter "d"emocrats. In making the process more burdensome, Ohio legislators feed the growing disenchantment that many of us have with partisan political parties and their "card-carrying" members, especially the elected officials. However, political party negativity is offset by civic groups like Common Cause and the coalition of civic partners helping with the redistricting petition initiative.
B.A. - Political Science
J.D.
AN INDEPENDENT MINDED POLITICAL COMMENTATOR
Until 1976 I was a Republican. Since then I have considered myself a Democrat. So after long term stints of being a Republican, then a Democrat, I have come to the political position I feel most comfortable with - being an INDEPENDENT MINDED ANALYST who demands effectiveness of our politicians - Republican, Democrat or whatever.
I have changed my political affiliation to "non-partisan" by not voting in either political party primary election.
