Saturday, May 9, 2009

DENCZAK-HENDERHAN: (CLOSET REPUBLICAN?) TAKES ON SCHULMAN FOR PRESIDENT OF CANTON CITY COUNCIL

A SCPR search of the voting records of the Stark County Board of Elections list Pam Denczak-Henderhan as being a Democrat.

But is she?

A detailed search shows Denczak-Henderhan voted in the Republican primaries in May, 2006 and March, 2004.

Why is her party identification a point of inquiry?

Because she is running as a non-partisan candidate for Canton City Council president against incumbent Democrat candidate Allen Schulman.

There is one more interesting fact about Denczak-Henderhan.

What is that?

She is the daughter of long time Democrat and president (33 years) of Canton City Council Ray Denczak who died in 2006. Ray was recently described by Canton Rep writer Jim Hillibish as being: "an expert in back-room governance, preferably with cigars."

Other than her spotty Democrat/Republican primary voting record, the SCPR recently was in a discussion with a leading Stark County Republican who brought Denczak-Henderhan's name up as an example of how Republicans will try to win office in overwhelmingly Democratic Canton in future elections.

What is the strategy?

Run as non-partisan.

As the SCPR has been writing for some time now, the Stark County Republican Party is in such shambles these days, Republican candidates themselves are apparently looking more and more to run as non-partisans.

With a mere 21% of Stark County voters calling themselves Republicans these days, look for this phenomenon to surface in countywide elections, too.

1 comment:

STARK OBSERVATIONS said...

On 5/3/200 a comment left on your blog by "Notblue" said...

You chart indicates a greater number of the voting public are unhappy with the R and D's.

If you read the comments on the Rep site following the primary in Canton this week, you will see that a lot of people from both sides are VERY unhappy with the status quo, that includes MANY very staunch Dem's and Repub's.

My question is, does it really matter what a person is, as long as they are listening to the voters, are ethical and make some attempt to use COMMON SENSE and fact based decision making?

Maybe what the entire Stark County area needs, including the city of Canton, to create unity and resolve issues, is a few good years of non-partisan politics?