In the spirit of bipartisanship, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) makes two awards for Christmas, 2008.
First on tap is Stark County Democratic Party chair Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. for the following reasons:
Maier failed to field a Democratic candidate against Republican Scott Oelslager in the 51st House District.
Maier did field a candidate for the 50th Ohio House District but chose personal political loyalist Celeste DeHoff (who he had to know could not win). He not only supported DeHoff . He went out and helped her raise over $200,000 and brought leading state Democrats (e.g. Strickland, Brown, Cordray, Glenn) to Stark County to campaign on her behalf and made robo calls for her.
What he didn't do was get Lawrence Township trustee Michael Stevens to wholeheartedly support DeHoff after he narrowly lost the Democratic primary to her.
Maier has always made a big deal out of being a political realist. But it must be that everyone has their exceptions.
Sad thing for Democrats is that this was a winnable "open seat" with the right candidate.
Second up, John P. Hagan (Republican - Marlboro).
Senate Bill 221 is this politician's legacy. The bill that was suppost to protect electric users from gigantic increases.
SB 221 was a monumental failure and consequently many Stark Countians have a 52% (residential users), 62% (commercial and industrial users) American Electric Power (AEP)/Ohio Power increase in electric rates on the table.
On the other hand, Hagan opposes a proposal by Commissioner Todd Boxley to impose the Stark County sales/use tax by 1/4% to fix 9-1-1 deficiencies and to provide county revenues to match 2007 levels.
It is truly astounding that John Hagan had the temerity to run for county commissioner (after being term limited out of the Ohio House - 50th) with a track record like this.
5 comments:
How about those that do not deserve a lump of coal, what kind of award to they deserve?
See Thanksgiving Day post.
Who is the best and worse going into 2009 in your opinion? Not whom we should be thankful for last year was my question?
Thanks for refining your point.
The BEST OF THE YEAR GOING INTO 2009?
TODD BOSLEY, STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER.
Bosley took considerable political risk in proposing the imposition of the 1/4% county sales/tax increase.
If the restructured 9-1-1 does not meet expectations and if the county commissioners cannot stabilize the annual budget, his political opponents will be all over him.
The Report sees Bosley as the kind of political risk taker that the county needs to get Stark out of the doldrums and into a "restore Stark County to her former greatness" modality.
The Report hopes that a blooming politician will see Bosley as somewhat as a model and will look to rematch Tom Harmon in four years.
Harmon is "a go along to get along" politician that doesn't have a vision for a better Stark County.
THE WORST OF THE YEAR GOING INTO 2009?
JOHN P. HAGAN IN A CAKEWALK.
Hagan by virtue being a tradesman (a plumber) should be in tune with ordinary people than he has demonstrated.
His failure to protect ordinary Stark Countians on the proposed AEP/Ohio Power rate increase (52%-residential; 62% commercial/industrial) shows better than anything else how married he is to economic forces that ravage everydays.
How can you on one hand enable 52%/62% increases that will drain the economic power of day-in, day-out citizens, but on the other fight a 1/4% increase in the county sales/use tax increase that promises to get Stark County headed in the right direction?
Hagan will seek to establlsh himself as the anti-Bosley candidate between now and the 2010 election. Perhaps, to be joined by Richard Regula.
Regula will be the less obnoxious of the two. But this kind of political opportunism will be a detriment to Stark County moving forward.
Neither Hagan nor Regula have the mind for developing innovative approaches for healing Stark County's economy.
Moreover, Hagan is the worst type of partisan who hooks his fate to being a party loyalist - the public be damned.
Hagan (in running countywide)doesn't get it. When he gets out of his Republican manufactured cocoon (Ohio's 50th House District - gerrymandered for the likes of him; he simply cannot win.
But that is good for Stark County.
Sooner or later, political reality will even sink in with John Hagan.
When he gets it, The Report predicts he will run once again for Marlboro Township trustee and end his days in political oblivion as a township trustee.
"The Report hopes that a blooming politician will see Bosley as somewhat as a model and will look to rematch Tom Harmon in four years."
In the reports opinion who will that be? Will it bge a councilman, a fomer mayor, a trustee? Who do you see s someone that should run county wide in 2012 or for the state Legislature in 2010? WHO FITS THE BOSLEY MODEL OR SOMEONE THAT WILL GET IT DONE?
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