Saturday, September 4, 2010

APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM TREASURER SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED DIFFERENTLY?


Stark County's interim Treasurer seems to be confident that she will be running to fill the term of deposed (by Stark County commissioners) Stark County Treasurer Gary D. Zeigler.

Maybe she knows something political insiders do not?

But the SCPR is told by one savvy Republican elected official that she has virtually no chance to defeat former Alliance Auditor Alex Zumbar (currently finance director of North Canton) next Wednesday's at the Stark GOP Executive Committee session to be held at the North Canton Civic Center at 6:00 PM.

In the video below (which includes her swearing in), interim Treasurer Jamie Allbritain says that she sees no problem in working with a new interim treasurer that Stark County Democrats will surely appoint on this coming Tuesday as they both (presuming the Democrats name the same person as interim and as the party's candidate) campaign for election to the office on November 2nd.



As readers of The Report can surely detect in her answers to the SCPR's questions about her preparations for the upcoming Wednesday selection process meeting, she is going sheering on faith.

On a related matter, the SCPR believes that the Stark Commissioners did not serve Stark Countians well in how they handled Allbritain's selection.

It appears that the commissioners appointed Allbritain for four reasons:
  • she is a Republican (Stark Democrats are the the most favored political species in Stark County these days)
  • she has worked in the office for about three years
  • she is a CPA
  • she had no political ambitions
Well, they were wrong on the fourth count.

So?  Why is that important?

Because by saying forthrightly that she was not interested in the office long term and then changing her mind, it sets her up for having the beginnings of a credibility problem.

She should have said "I'm thinking to over," or the like.  By taking the tack she did, Allbritain is showing indications that she may not be any different than any other political/office holding figure.

Moreover, vacillation is absolutely the last thing Stark County needs after going through what the county has gone through in county commissioners removing Zeigler from office. 

It has been a tumultuous 16 months plus since Zeigler fired former Chief Deputy Vince Furstaci.  In June, 2010 Frustaci admitted stealing $2.45 million in treasury funds and is due to be sentenced on Tuesday next.  Zeigler was not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

What the commissioners should have done is to bring Stark County GOP chairman Jeff Matthews and Stark Dems chairman Gonzalez in and asked them (in view of the circumstances) to consider recommending to their respective nominating committees a consensus candidate such as City of Canton auditor official Gary Young (a Democrat, but thought very highly of by former Canton mayor Janet Creighton and most likely all politically attuned Stark Countians)  just to fill out Zeigler's term through September, 2013.

Under normal circumstances, such an approach is not the way to go.  Political competition is America's system of government that, when it works correctly, has served us well

But what Stark County needs perhaps more than any other time in Stark County history is to have a person who has demonstrated long term competence in financial matters and who is largely seen to be "above politics."

The Report has learned that the alternative to Allbritain was a well-heeled Democrat who, had he been appointed, certainly would have caused a firestorm among the Stark County electorate.  Especially the Republicans.  However, there would have been unhappy Democrats, too.

The Report's plan probably would not have worked.  Political parties have a mission to be highly self-serving (focusing on electability and re-electability) and not on getting he most qualified and the most likely to succeed on merit into office.

But it was worth a try. 

What the commissioners have succeeded in doing is to create more of a mess!

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