Barack Obama himself was part of a recent (last Thursday) conference call which also included a local AFL-CIO official in a pre-planning process as a prelude for the Obama campaign to setup in Stark County.
Stark Countians will be seeing local unions being full steam ahead on three campaigns:
1. The Obama campaign.
2. Boccieri (D) versus Schuring (R).
3. Ferguson (D) against Hagan (R).
One campaign not on the list is the DeHoff (D?) and Snitchler (R). The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that the Hall of Fame AFL-CIO and the trade unions will not take an active part in the DeHoff effort as matters stand now.
Local 92 (the Teamsters) is in a fight with candidate DeHoff over a firing of two Teamster-member workers which the union accuses DeHoff being the mastermind of.
Undoubtedly, DeHoff sponsor - Stark County Democratic Party chair Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. has asked Ohio AFL-CIO head Tim Burga to intervene with local unions to get her local union support.
The Report has also learned that Maier has enlisted the support of state party chair - Chris Redfern.
Maier has "chilled" relationships with local unions after he failed to renew former ironworker Billy Sherer for his post at the Stark County Board of Elections. Instead, Maier opted to support local lawyer Sam Ferruccio - on the advice of - (if one believes Maier) Jennifer Brunner (Ohio secretary of state).
Mike McElfresh of Local 540 IBEW ran against Ferruccio and was defeated when Maier made the contest a referendum on his leadership. McElfresh in now president of the local trades union coordinating body.
The Report believes that Maier is desperate to redeem the union disaffection with DeHoff for several reasons.
First, DeHoff was up until four years ago a registered Republican herself. If voters remember that, there is little chance she can make any in roads into the 50th district Republican base. The 50th has been gerrymandered to favor a Republican candidate. The Report doesn't think that Snitchler (who remains a Republican) fears the DeHoff challenge in his wheelhouse of support.
Second, unions provide two things: manpower and money. Certainly DeHoff needs both to pull an upset in this race. And, it would be an upset if DeHoff were to win.
The Ohio Democrats are targeting this contest because it is an open seat (which are the easiest to turnover from one party to another) and Maier has put his political prestige behind the DeHoff campaign.
Were the Democrats to win this election, certainly this would mean that Ohio's statehouse would flip over to Democrat control. If Governor Ted Strickland (a union favorite) is to do anything to solve the public school funding problem, Democrats must win control of the Ohio House.
The Report has learned that the price tag for DeHoff (currently a Tuscarawas Township trustee) getting local union support is for her to lead a Tuscarawas Township move to reinstate the two union workers fired at her initiative.
The DeHoff lead effort is losing in a series and legal administrative and court proceedings and now is in arbitration.
Question: Local unions are convinced in their heart-of-hearts that DeHoff (being the former Republican she is) is anti-union (though she protests to the contrary) and will not pay the price to get their support. But even if she flips, wouldn't any support she gets be lukewarm at best? Should Governor Strickland be betting on the 50th district race to be a factor in the Ohio House to become Democrat controlled?
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