EITHER FORMER TRUSTEE JIM HOLMES OR 2011 NEW ENTRY CHARLES RIEGLER SHOULD BE CAPALDI'S REPLACEMENT. BUT WILL POLITICS ALLOW THAT?

The word went out yesterday that Perry trustee aspirants to replace Republican Trustee Anna Capaldi, who surprised all at Tuesday night's trustee meeting in announcing her resignation, is 4:30 p.m. on January 10, 2011.

Two of the applicants will be former trustee Jim Holmes and newbie wannabe Charles Riegler.   Both confirmed to the SCPR that they will be submitting their applications.

But do either have "a snowball's chance in Hell" of getting appointed?

If you look at their credentials, they should be at the top of the list.

Both are Democrats as are sitting and appointing trustees Lee Laubacher and Craig Chessler.

For this reason alone, it would seem that consummate Republican Crisiva Varner (political sidekick of former Stark GOP executive director Travis Secrest) can forget applying although she came in ahead of Reigler but behind Holmes in the Holmes, Reigler and Varner effort to unseat Laubacher this past November.

It is hard to believe that office holding Democrats anywhere in Stark County would abide appointing a Republican after the Stark County Democratic Central Committee was pretty much forced by the underlying circumstances to appoint Republican Alex Zumbar Stark County treasurer and thereby likely lose the office for years if not decades.

Holmes (currently an elected member of the Stark County Educational Service Center, a body which yours truly's spouse is president of) by virtue of having been trustee for 28 years until his defeat by Laubacher in 2007 appears to be the logical choice to succeed Capaldi.

However, this is where the political/electoral history between Holmes and Laubacher gets dicey.

Laubacher was originally elected as trustee in 2001 along with Chessler was bounced in 2005 by Capaldi, necessitating his run against Holmes in 2007 if he were to get back in office.

If Holmes was to be selected to replace Capaldi, he would then be in an election cycle (if he wins in November, 2012) alongside Craig Chessler (two seats elected) and thereby avoid future face offs with Laubacher.

Of course, the same situation would attain, if Chessler and Laubacher appoint Riegler.

While he does not have experience as an elected official, he has been a lifelong educator and a member/official of some of the most powerful unions in Ohio and the nation in the guise of the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and the National Education Association (NEA).

Should Trustees Chessler and Laubacher decide not to appoint either Holmes or Reigler or, alternately, neither; then the SCPR believes that either or both, as the case may be, will be candidates once again in November, 2012.

It is possible that Chessler and Laubacher cannot agree on whom to appoint.

In that case, there would possibly be a way back into the hunt for Republican Crisiva Varner.

For as The Report understands the process, the choice would then fall to a Stark County Probate Court Judge Dixie Park.

Judge Park's political ID?

Republican.

Hmm!