Congratulations to Messers Duff, Resnick and Smith, candidates for the Canton City Schools (CCS) Board of Education.
Each managed to pretty much ignore the the question posed by the Neighborhood Associates Votes Empower (NAVE) moderator on the October 14th candidates night.
Readers can see what the SCPR means in viewing the videos of each included at the end of this blog.
One doesn't expect local school board candidates to do what veteran politicians do: i.e. either ignore an undesired question altogether and just talk banalities (family history, et cetera or make it into a predetermined question of their own making).
Each candidate did the latter on the 14th.
Such is problematical to consumers of Canton City schools education. Will the successful candidate listen to and answer "head-on," the questions of his constituents?
In the judgment of the SCPR, the field of Duff, Resnick and Smith is not a distinguished field of candidates. But Resnick and Duff show some promise. William Smith and his "fresh face" promotion is too much of a risk for Canton voters to take.
Resnick gets high marks for persisting in talking about whet most politicians do not like to talk about: raising taxes.
The SCPR believes that Resnick is correct and courageous in calling for Canton voters to be given the option to solve their $3.8 million deficit (by 2010) with a local levy increase.
One problem The Report has with Resnick being on the board is his having filed (2005) and completed (2008) a bankruptcy. (Canton Repository, October 10, 2009, Finances a concern in Canton Board of Education race, Denise Sautters)
Here you have Resnick calling for a increase in revenue for a school system that has not managed its finances well. Add to that a board member who has demonstrated a lack of personal foresight. Is this a good combination?
While Resnick appears to have a better grasp of key issues facing the Canton City Schools (hence the SCPR recommendation among a field of weak candidates), Duff may, end up in the mind of a majority of Canton voters as being the better choice, perhaps, because Resnick did not go far enough in his personal financial troubles explanation.
Why is the Resnick follow-on missing?
Likely because the lack of foresight was a failure in judgment by Resnick and there is no explanation.
If there were, Resnick certainly would have shared it. His bringing the Chapter 13 filing up on his own, shows a person of some political skill trying to get out in front of a problem and putting the best "spin" on a negative situation.
Will he have learned from his personal experience, if elected? He says yes.
That is one of the judgments Canton voters will have to make on Resnick.
The SCPR is impressed with the citizen activism as described by incumbent Ron Duff in his answer to The Rep's candidate questionnaire. His persistence with Ohio Schools Facility Commission to stop the closing of Souers is impressive.
Such is a "grassroots" demonstration of collecting citizens into an effective political action force. Tough times lie ahead for the Canton City Schools and having a Ron Duff on the board could be a terrific asset to the CCS in being able to connect with the day-in, day-out citizens of Canton.
Here is the video of all three candidates.
Forget taxs and other political bs. The real problem with the schools are teacher and administration that could care less about actually teaching these kids. I wen to Canton City Schools all the way till high school and no one ever took the time to help me study or talk to me about the importance of grades. I went to Perry for high school and it was awesome. The teachers care. They are willing to spend the time you to make sure you get the grades. They talk to you about the importance of a good education and how that will help you in life. I think that this is the real issue in our school districts. If more districts were like Perry then maybe we would not have such ignorant non educated chldren walking around. They are our future and that terrifies me. How about you? Maybe they should talk about that instead of just money, money, money.......
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