(VIDEO OF COM'R CREIGHTON) DOING THE CHEERLEADING OF HER POLITICAL LIFE?

At tomorrow's meeting (1:30 PM in the commissioner meeting room on the 2nd floor of the Stark County Office Building), commissioners will be making a decision as to how much of a sales tax levy to put on and for how long on November's ballot.

Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton was at her "cheerleading" best earlier today at a county commissioner work session on the question that was open to the public but which had very few, if any, citizens present.

The cheerleading was for county office holders and their employees.  As seen in the video at the end of this blog, Creighton was in fine form in exhorting county employees to take up the challenge of working to get the tax passed.

Creighton was not very flattering of Stark Countians.  She called Stark Countians apathetic based on her experience along with fellow commissioners Pete Ferguson and Tom Bernabei of going around Stark County in a series of 22 community meetings.  The meetings were poorly attended and, in fact, no citizens attended the Canton meeting.

Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson advocated for a 1% sales tax as did Prosecutor John Ferrero.  Swanson said he would like to see the levy be a permanent levy.

Do not look for Swanson and Ferrero to get their wish.  It appears to the SCPR that the commissioners will be going with a 1/2 cent sales tax for a period of anywhere from 5 to 8 years.

One of the county employees talked about the dearth of county revenues (with the expiration this year of the 1/4 cent sales tax) as being a county commissioner problem.

Creighton shot back: "It's not our problem, it's a county problem."

As far as the SCPR is concerned she is right on the mark.  The commissioners and other county elected officials will do what they can to with revenues provided by Stark Countians.

The dramatic fall-off in county services (if a November measure fails) will impact everyday Stark Coutians in ways they do not fully understand now.

The SCPR will be running a series of video between now and November detailing specific consequences to Stark Countians of a failure to pass a new sales tax.