DISCUSSION: NEW KING OF POLITICAL PATRONAGE IN STARK COUNTY?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned from a reliable source that Canton Municipal Court Clerk - Phil Giavasis - is playing patron saint (see prior blog on Nancy Reinbold - wife of Court of Common Pleas judge - Richard Reinbold), king maker, political patron or whatever at the expense of taxpayers.

The source has suggested to The Report that the appointment of former Stark County commissioner candidate Pat DeOrio (a long time Republican who recently switched over at the encouragement of Stark County Democratic chair Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. to run for commissioner) was at the behest of Phil's brother Louis (who is a Plain Township trustee).

The source further suggested that the justification given for the appointment was to enable DeOrio to have a source of income in order to pay off campaign debt incurred in the run for commissioner.

The Report remembers how former Canton mayor Janet Creighton (when she was county auditor) used the auditor's office to reward loyal county Republicans for their service to the Stark County Republican Party. Again, this was at the expense of county taxpayers.

Republicans will not doing much of this politicizing of local government for one simple reason; they hold very few county wide offices. Republicans can thank former chairman Curt Braden for this state of affairs.

Long out of power in Stark County, county Democrats now that they are ascendant are mimicking the Republicans. The difference between the Republicans and Democrats is that the Republicans were much more unified. All appointments were filtered through, then, party chair, Curt Braden.

With the Democrats, there are at least three factions that squabble of which loyalist Democrat gets what political plum at taxpayer expense.

There are at least three factions in the Stark County Democratic Party.

Of course, one starts off with Chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. His click most likely includes - as a partial listing - right-hand-man Shane Jackson (an employee of Maier at the Massillion Municipal Court Clerk's office and son of Gayle Jackson), former Stark County commissioner (now a political appointee Lottery official) Gayle Jackson (whose daugher works for the Plain Township trustees), the Giavasis brothers, Jackson Township fiscal officer Randy Gonzalez (whose son works for Rick Campbell), appointed Stark County clerk of courts Nancy Reinbold, Stark County recorder RickCampbell, Stark County commissioner Tom Harmon, Tuscarawas Township trustee Celeste DeHoff (a former Republican who is running for state representative in the 50th District), Stark County coroner P.S. Murthy, Stark County prosecutor (former chairman John Ferrero, Judge Eddie Elum (Massillon Municipal Court), Massillon City Council persons Catazaro-Perry and Maier's brother Chuck et cetera.

Another click is headed up by Stark County auditor Kim Perez and includes Stark County treasurer Gary Zeigler, Stark County sheriff Tim Swanson, Lawrence Township trustee Mike Stevens, political activists and son of a former Canton mayor Jimmy Babcock, et cetera.

A definite third faction within the Stark Democratic Party is the "union group." Headed up by Hall of Fame AFL-CIO chief Dan Scuiry and includes virtually every politically active organized labor group within the party.

The Report believes that there are two other centers of influence within the party. One headed by Stark County engineer Mike Rehfus and includes for Stark County Party chair Roy Gutierrez, who (in the opinion of The Report) ired the Maier camp by trying to run a candidate against Gayle Jackson the last time she ran for commissioner.

Finally, one shouldn't discount Stark County commissioner Todd Bosley. Although a political maverick which gives Maier, in particular, fits; Bosley has a significant following among Stark County Democrats and if he gain public notice as an elected official who gets things done in the county could, one day, rival the Maier faction as the preeminent political group in Stark County.

Question: How do the citizens/voters of Stark County benefit from public officials (Democrat and Republican) appointing their loyalists, relatives and friends to public jobs at taxpayer expense?

Are politically inspired appointments/hirings a betrayal of the public's trust?