UPDATE! (March 28, 2008)
Can Stark County benefit from either (Hagan or Ferguson)?

In the past few days, articles are running in The Rep detailing due to a Stark County budget shortfall how Stark County Recorder Rick Campbell has had trim employees because of a 15% cut in funding by county commissioners, how Stark County Treasurer Gary Ziegler may have to initiate staff reductions, how Stark County Clerk of Courts Nancy Reinbold has had to put pay raises aside and how Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson has had to suggest that he may be turning convicted criminals out own the street.

My questions is this. Is this what Stark County voters want from the commissioners? Should who can make deeper and faster cuts be the test of who wins in November as between Ferguson (the Democrat) and Hagan (the Republican)?

ORIGINAL POST

Can Stark County benefit from either?
In November Stark Countians will have to choose between Democrat Peter Ferguson (who likes to be called DOCTOR - a chiropractor), and current State Representative (50th) John P. Hagan - a plumber by trade.

During the campaign Ferguson postured that the Stark County commissioners have not done a good enough job being efficient with taxpayer money. I attended a meeting where Ferguson claimed that Stark County government officials had in the last allocation of the county budget put in requests for $79 million but that they only had $50 million to parcel out.

Now I ask you, on the face of it, doesn't this seem like a suspect claim? Recently, the commissioners made a new round of cuts. Question to Ferguson: were these enough? If not, where do the additional cuts come from, in specific?

I have asked sitting Stark County commissioner Tom Harmon about Ferguson's claim. Harmon - a fellow Democrat who contributed to the Ferguson campaign - said that Ferguson's numbers were not accurate (isn't this great - Ferguson [and keep in mind Harmon's close friend and possibly our next new Stark County commissioner] cannot get is numbers correct?)

John Hagan, on the other hand, seems like a rather vapid candidate. He had no real opposition in the primary and therefore said nothing significant as to why he would be a difference maker for Stark County. Hagan certainly hasn't been a difference maker in the Ohio Legislature for Stark County. Just ask all of the boards of education, administrators, parents, teachers and children of Stark County's school districts.

What is this: the "twiddly-dee; twiddly-dum" race?

Who would be better? Why?

This will be a hotly contested race in Stark County. It is an open seat with Republican Commissioner Jane Vignos retiring. If Democrat Ferguson gets elected, then he will team with Commissioner Tom Harmon to control the commissioners' office.

If Republican John Hagan wins, then he can continue "career politician" path and he will join with Democrat Todd Bosley to wrest control of the commissioners' office from Tom Harmon.

The stakes are high for Stark County and the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT promises to provide Stark County voters with information and independent analysis so voters can make an informed choice as to who would be best for Stark County come November.

DISCUSSION: John Boccieri at Stark County Farm Bureau meeting.

Is John Boccieri a - the more government, the better: Democrat?

Apparently, Ohio Senator John Boccieri (candidate for the 16th congressional district) does not trust Stark Countians to able to figure out which products are produced in America. The Repository reports that Boccieri, appearing at the Stark County Farm Bureau recently: "advocated requirements for country-of-origin labeling."

We all know what this means. More government bureaucracy. Is this proposal a indicator of Boccieri remedies to come for what ills America's economy?

Boccieri's appearance was in front of the STARK COUNTY FARM BUREAU. Maybe a better proposal would be to ask Stark County farmers (at their own initiative) to put sticky labels (like we see on much produce) indicating that the item was grown in Stark County?

Stark Countians then would be equipped when going to the grocery story to buy "Stark County" identified produce over non-labeled produce (presumably produced elsewhere) and contribute to conservation of energy (no long haul shipping costs) and because of increased demand create new jobs to be staffed by Stark Countians.

DISCUSSION: A Bosley/Harmon feud?

Is there a Bosley/Harmon political feud? If so, will it cost Democrat Ferguson a commissioner's seat? Is Bosley seeking an ally to gain control of the Board of Commissioners?
Look at the quote from a post primary article in the Alliance Review (i.e Bosley would be just as happy to see Republican John Hagan as commissioner as Democrat Peter Ferguson. Does this look like Stark County commissioner Todd Bosley (Democrat) is not all that hep about Ferguson (also a Democrat, I repeat) becoming the successor to Republican Jane Vignos?

Commissioner Tom Harmon is a long time friend of Ferguson. He gave money to Ferguson's primary campaign. Harmon and Bosley have voted differently on several issues before the Board of Stark County Commissioners.

Perhaps Bosley sees Hagan as an ally in his desire to dominate the Board of Commissioners? I can remember a day when Bosley was telling me how disgusting he found Hagan to be.

Has political ambition overtaken Bosley? The man who was talking about running for Congress fresh on the heals of being elected commissioner.

DISCUSSION: Snitchler v. DeHoff - Ohio House (50th)

Who can deliver for the 50th, Stark County and Ohio?
"What if you could leverage a couple of million dollars to get $1 billion in capital projects, keep or create 10,000 jobs, and attract and retain young professionals and innovative entrepreneurs?"

This is the question posed by Paula Schleis (Akron Beacon Journaql business editor) in her column of March 15th.

The question is relevant to this Ohio 50th because candidate Todd Snitchler is the front and center candidate not only of the Ohio Republican Party in its quest to keep control of the Ohio General Assembly but also of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

My question is will Snitchler (a past president of the Lake Chamber) bring this Greater Akron Chamber project to Stark County? If he does and if the goal or a good portion of it is reached by November, 2008, then I'd say he's the odds on favorite to win the 50th Ohio House seat.

Why? Because raising economic development money funded by private sources that will not be burdened by the siphoning off of government bureaucratic overhead costs that finds its way in to the local economy producing real jobs is more than rhetoric. It is action. Stark Countians, and, indeed all Ohioans crave action.

The burden that Snitchler bears is that the Ohio Chamber of Commerce allied with the Ohio Manufacturers Association and the Ohio Republican Party have jointly presided over the tanking of the Ohio economy over the past 17 years.

Snitchler (who will be the endorsed candidate of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce) owns this history whether he was part of it or not. One cannot choose the good and not the bad. One way for him to overcome this negative history is to go about re-inventing the way the Chamber does business.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT would not be surprised if Snitchler were to be the impetus to adapt the Akron Chamber's plan to Stark County. Will/does DeHoff have an answer?

Snitchler probably has an edge on new- Stark County Party chair Johnnie A. Maier controlled-Democrat Celeste DeHoff because the 50th District was gerrymandered in the last redistricting plan to keep a Republican in office.

But it will take more than the gerrymandering this time around. This is an open seat. Statehouse Democrats realize that if they are going to be able to get Governor Strickland's "Turnaround Ohio" plan moving; they must win districts like the 50th.

If the Republicans are successful in keeping control of the Ohio House, then Governor Strickland will very likely be a one term governor who had a lot of promise but could not deliver on his promises because of lack of legislative support.

The 50 District will be a battleground district and we at the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT promises to provide 50th District voters with information and independent analysis so voters can make an informed choice as to who would be best come November.

DISCUSSION: Who is best suited to succeed Regula?

U.S. CONGRESS - 16TH DISTRICT - BOCCIERI VERSUS SCHURING

A match made in Heaven? Hardly. John Boccieri, who comes from outside the district, and, Kirk Schuring are not the dream candidates each (especially Boccieri) likes to portray.

Witness that in the March 4th primary Boccieri had 38,372 negative votes (i.e. votes for Mary Cireilli) and Schuring had 36,217 negative votes (i.e. votes for Matt Miller and Paul Schiffer). In fact, in Schuring's case, he only got 32,503 votes. So more Republicans disliked Schuring than liked him.

Does this mean that Schuring has big problems come November? Keeping in mind that the 16th District is a gerrymandered district created by the Ohio Republican leadership to favor keeping a Republican in this office, does the "disaffected Republican vote" bode ill for Schuring to the point of overriding the "gerrymander" factor?

On the other hand, how much of a problem does John Boccieri have by virtue of the fact that he has not lived in the 16th District and therefore has to deal with the "carpetbagger" charge?

The 16th Congressional District will be a battleground district for control of the U.S. House of Representatives and we at the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT promises to provide district voters with key information and independent analysis so voters can make an informed choice as to who would be best serve the 16th District come November.

Whom of the two have an advantage going into November?