FURTHER INDICATION THAT FORMER 16TH DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN JOHN BOCCIERI WILL BE RUNNING IN THE 6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT?

It could be that the John Boccieri family is preparing to return to the family roots in New Middletown, Ohio.

While it certainly had to be disruptive for the Boccieri family to move to Alliance from New Middlefield in the first place, politics takes strange twists and turns and the Ohio redistricting plan - if it does not get overturned by the Ohio Supreme Court or the federal courts - could be strange twist where he would rather be anyway.

Boccieri's opponent made such a huge deal out of Boccieri living outside the district (the US Constitution does not require living within the congressional district represented) that Boccieri felt politically compelled to move into Stark.  Apparently, it was no accident that he chose the eastern fringes of Stark County to be within the confines of the 16th to which he was elected in November, 2008.

Boccieri will not say that he definitely will be running in the 6th, however, a growing number of political writers including yours truly (see Former Rep. John Boccieri weighing another congressional run, campaign expenses show, The Plain Dealer, Sabrina Eaton, October 13th) are beginning to believe that the former Democratic congressman will take on Republican Bill Johnson of Marietta in November, 2012.  Johnson will be completing his first two-year term next year.

Recently, the SCPR received a call from a politically involved Stark Countian who claimed to have good information that Boccieri was considering a move deeper northwest into Stark County to run once again against Republican Jim Renacci of Wadsworth.

Such a scenario is not likely in the judgment of the SCPR, but possible.

But then the contact told yours truly that a stronger possibility is that Boccieri is considering running against Republican Christina Hagan of the Ohio House's newly reconstituted 50th District which in its new configuration includes Alliance.

The Plain Dealer article and its focus on Boccieri's Federal Election Commission campaign finance report showing activity at the federal level of politics puts the claimed Boccieri interest in the 50th Ohio House District in the "highly unlikely" category to say the least.

See the next most recent blog on Boccieri's future political plans by CLICKING HERE.