Friday, September 5, 2008

DISCUSSION: OLESLAGER IS BEING WHAT A REPRESENTATIVE OUGHT TO BE, HOW ABOUT THE OTHERS?

Several months ago the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) checked out the Ohio Elections Commissions web site.

What a shock!

In the words of Steven Meeks (former Jackson Township trustee and now Region 9 Director for Governor Ted Strickland), the web site a embarrassment to the state of Ohio.

The Report is impressed with Scott Oelslager for responding to a Meeks communication letting Region 9 representatives and senators know about the "citizen unfriendly" Elections Commission online presence.

Oelslager is the only one- not my actual representative/senator (Hagan/Schuring) and not the other Region 9 legislators.

The Report's actual Ohio House representative out to be taking a page out of Oelslager's book. But Scott Oelslager is a mature man who looks out for Stark Countians even if he has been criticized by a given person.

Not John Hagan. He is so utterly insecure as a human being, which carries over into his public responsibilities, that he reflexively violates his duty (which he gets paid to perform) to look after the concerns of constituents - if the constituent has demonstrated the effrontery to challenge him on the issues.

Just imagine John Hagan as county commissioner?

All I can account for with Kirk Schuring is that he is too busy to attend to constituent matters because of his 16th District congressional race against John Boccieri. No excuse though. Snubs like this should factor in to whether or not he becomes Stark County's next congressman.

For the others, they are just in the vicinity and do not have a direct obligation to The Report. But they should care as to whether or not their direct constituents have access to public records electronically.

Recorder Rick Campbell (who, by the way, is on the ballot in November), has done the best job of any area officeholder in making public records accessible to all Stark Countians online.

And, then there is The Repository. Once a year the editors make a big splash about the availability of public records. The editors may even chide candidates for the Ohio General Assembly for not being creative enough and insistent enough on making public records available.
But, except when The Rep has a need, these editors are not to be heard.

Question: Is Scott Oelslager the only legislator in the Stark County delegation who has it right in being attentive to constituents?

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