PART III - A MULTI-PART "ANALYTICAL" SERIES ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE ON KEY "STARK COUNTY" RACES: THE SHERIFF CONTEST

(NIXON PHOTO REFERENCE)

As a child it dawned on me, that the general public thought Republicans were in a political party of the rich and Democrats were the party of the working class.

My family was working class.

So the question I posed to my father?

"Dad, why are we (the Olson family) Republicans?

Dad, would get red in the face and say:  "Son, don't believe that bunk.  The Republican Party is the party of Abraham Lincoln and there wasn't a more common man who has ever been president of these United States of America!"

Being considerably older now, it is now apparent to me that neither political party's province is of any economic class.

They both have rich and poor and to the degree to which it exists due to he "dumbing down" of America's wage structure - the middle class.

So it has been "eye opening" to me (switched to the Democratic Party in 1976) and out of both main political parties (with the initiation of the SCPR, March 2008) as to how "out-of-touch" both the Republican and Democratic political parties are vis-a-vis huge segments of the American public.

Not sure what is going to replace them, but I am convinced that over the longer course we are in for a political convulsion the likes of which this great country has never seen.

Both political parties have become about themselves and empowering and enriching those who man the party posts of leadership by which the parties commandeer (in the sense that ordinary people are not buying) our institutions of government at the national, state and local levels (thereby excluding most of them from "meaningful" participation) and consequently are sowing the seeds of the parties' demise over the long haul.

Okay, Martin, it's time:  "Off the soap box!" and get on to the Dordea campaign finance report and DO IT NOW!

THE DORDEA CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT

The SCPR uses the Nixonian "Republican Cloth Coat" (LINK) analogy to set up this blog's discussion on:

• the Dordea campaign, 
• its structure, 
• the level of contributions, and 
• the campaign not focusing, as far as The Report can tell, on seemingly benefiting a specific person or company with ties within the Republican party structure (contrast:  Kody Gonzalez and the Democrats) in terms of campaign expenditures on the part of various campaigns

First, there are really no Big Kahunas apparent in the Dordea CFR as there are in Maiers (LINK to yesterday's blog).

Compare the Dordea list with Maiers:

Hmm?

Two to one, Maier trumps Dordea.

And Maier's list of high end donors is quite a bit longer than Dordea's.

Interesting, no? for the political party who likes to portray Republicans as "the party of the rich."

It could be that the Maier Political Machine is much more comfortable with the "hob-nob" crowd than local Republicans?

Remember, former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr has had a fight or two or maybe even three over the past decade or so?

The evidence is there for one to think that perhaps the brothers Maier do not feel all that comfortable with the so called "working class?"

Maybe that is part of the "unstated reason" why former Democratic sheriff Tim Swanson has endorsed Dordea?

And it could be that George (in his political sophistication; largely at the schooling of brother Johnnie, Jr.) did not appreciate the decorated American military hero, no-nonsense, day-in, day-out, working class 27 year sheriff deputy named Dan Altieri?

Maybe Swanson is right?

• (remember though, he merely recommended Dordea as being the only candidate "qualified under Ohio's sheriff qualification law" to be sheriff)

The SCPR is speculating as to what else may have been in Swanson's mind as he mulled over whether or not to endorse a Republican.

For lifelong Democrat Swanson to endorse a Republican and have his picture taken with him, had to be one tough process for this staunch Democrat, no?

Given what is revealed by the Maier CFR,  for many rank-and-file Democrats, the candidate of choice on Tuesday might be Republican Larry Dordea as a personification of what most ordinary Stark Countians want in the sheriff's office?

Other differences in the Dordea CFR as contrasted to Maier's is that there is "NO!" list of employees under his management who have contributed to his campaign.

There was no solicitation like this:

Yet another difference is the complete absence in union contributions to Dordea.

To the SCPR this is a sad thing.

The Report's heart goes out to the working men and women of America.

Democrats like the brothers Maier - The Report thinks - use unions for their personal political aspirations but appear to want nothing to do with them when it comes to "hob-nobbing" time.

And, to boot, most organized/elected Republicans work them over big time.

More than any other factor, the SCPR sees unions has the key American phenomenon that made the middle class what it was in its heyday in the 1950s, 1960s and even into the 1970s and is a sort of "Custer's Last Stand" for the middle class nowadays.

Republicans who are anti-union should be ashamed of themselves.  They should find ways to work with them.

As sheriff, if elected, Republican Larry Dordea will have the opportunity to be a model for Republicans in working with unions.

Doing such could be a way for him to get re-elected in 2016.

The election of 2016 will be "a whole kettle of different fish," in that it is a presidential election year.  Republicans have a tough time winning countywide in Stark County in presidential years.

The SCPR's overall assessment of Dordea campaign finances is that he has raised enough to put on a campaign that might well turn out to be the winning campaign.

Dordea has been able to get by on significantly less than Maier because the overall political environment favor him, to wit:

• Republican governor John Kasich is going to politically obliterate Democrat Ed FitzGerald on this coming Tuesday,
• Dordea will benefit because many Democrats will stay at home in the face of the expected onslaught,
• While some Republicans will likely vote for Maier (the SCPR thinks a Republican Stark County commissioner will be one of them), the number of those doing so should be washed out if not surpassed by Swanson/Ferrero/Darrow Democrats (who opposed Maier's appointment on February 5th and December 11th of 2013) who vote for Dordea

Despite the disadvantage that Dordea has in having been significantly out fundraised; in the 2014 political Republican landslide environment, he might still surface as Stark County's next "elected" sheriff.

One acquaintance of the SCPR thinks Dordea will win comfortably.

The Report does not share that sentiment.

If Dordea wins, the SCPR thinks it will be relatively close.

As in the Maier Campaign Finance Report blog, the SCPR has transformed the BOE filed paper reports ("Hey! Representative Schuring, let's get into the 21st Century with Ohio's campaign finance information") so that you, the SCPR reader has an easy way to find out who is supporting Dordea/Maier that either speaks well for him or not so well.

To the SCPR, it looks like Dordea is wearing a CFR that is tantamount to him donning a "Republican cloth coat."

In this election, it appears that Democrat George T. Maier is wearing the "mink coat."

Here is a LINK to the report.

PART II - A MULTI-PART "ANALYTICAL" SERIES ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE ON KEY "STARK COUNTY" RACES

 MAIER FOR SHERIFF CAMPAIGN

Last Friday the SCPR started this series on campaign finance and the November 4, 2014 election.

As far as The Report is concerned, only the sheriff's race and the the Hartnett/Werren Stark County Court of Common Pleas contest merit an examination of campaign finances.

Working with and analyzing campaign finance reports for state level and state level reporting campaigns (i.e. court of appeals) is "a piece of cake."  

But it is difficult to know who some of the big buck bangers are in local elections.

A couple of years ago the SCPR asked Representative Kirk Schuring to sponsor legislation to require candidates "below the state level" (i.e. filing with county board of elections) accepting donations of $100 or more to list their occupations/vocations/businesses.

Schuring did sponsor such a bill.

 But he proved to be ineffectual in getting such a "minor" adjustment made so that you the voter might have more information as to whom is supporting a given candidate with more money than most of us can afford or care to invest (in the sense of promoting good government) in political campaigns.

If our state legislators really cared about disclosure of campaign finances, they would find a way to require all candidates (state or local level):

• to file online, 
• and "on demand" (meaning up-to-date within a day of receiving a donation)

so that you and I can determine whether or not we think a candidate is being "bought and paid for" as the election unfolds.

There are, of course, candidates who are computer illiterate and do not generate enough campaign finances with which to afford hiring someone to keep the report up-to-date on a day-to-day basis as the election cycle progresses.

For the illiterate, "I can't afford to hire somebody types," the Ohio secretary of state office could be charged with the responsibility to determine whether or not an exception should granted to the SCPR's proposed electronic - on demand - electronic filing requirement.

Of course, the very people who have control of providing such legislation do not themselves likely want to make up-to-date information on who is financing their campaigns.

They say that they care about transparency and facilitating Joe and Mary Citizen knowing about who has a financial stake in certain candidacies, but "the proof is in the pudding" of the Legislature doing absolutely nothing to bring campaign finance reporting into the 21st electronic dominated century.

These same folks should not complain as more and more citizens give up on the fairness (i.e. being informed, being heard) of the structures of our democratic republic system, and, in increasing numbers, bail out of the system.

It is a very dangerous game our politicized elected officials are playing in undermining our "best in the world" system of government.

Folks like Schuring (R - Ohio House, 48th District), Oelslager (R - Ohio Senate, 29th District), Hagan (R - Ohio House, 50th District), and Slesnick (D - Ohio House, 49th District) will be to blame should our democratic republican form of government ultimately fails.

George T. Maier does have some "big buck bangers" betting on him to win next Tuesday.

And because of Schuring's failure, the SCPR has had to dig and dig and dig to get information on Maier's "high rollers."

The question we all should be concerned with is what, if anything, "the big buck bangers" have to gain from Maier's election.

For one thing, Stark County's unions, to wit:

 (Note:  East Central's total of $3,800 includes a $2,500 "in-kind" contribution)

While unions in general (except for the Stark County Deputies Association) may not have a whole lot to benefit on from a Maier controlled sheriff's department, it will not be lost on Stark County Democratic Party chieftains that unions - should Maier win - played a very large role in helping the Dems to continue to control the sheriff's office since the Republican Party Berens debacle of 1981 - 1984.

Democrats control government in many different sectors of Stark County-based governments (cities, villages, townships and boards of education) and those who help keep them in power (e.g. unions) can expect to be looked favorably upon (e.g. Plain Township and Canton City's Project Labor Agreement legislation) at, of course, taxpayer expense.

With such a close relationship between unions and Democratic officeholders, one might ask:  who looks out for the taxpayers' interests as "at the cost of taxpayer funds" play into decisions the officeholders make?

On the other side of the things (the entrepreneurial class), it appears that Maier (in a collective sense of entrepreneurs) has done even better.

Just a handful of this category more than match the union contributions, to wit:

Of course, Guy Cicchini, a well-known Stark County McDonald's franchise holder headlines the list with his $3,500 "in-kind" footing the bill for the Maier campaign.

The SCPR has talked with a senior Stark County Democrat who has seen zillions of Democratic Party candidate campaign finance reports and is not familiar with quite of number of the names on the list presented above.

Here is what the SCPR has discovered from the Ohio secretary of state website on a couple of the names:

What's in it for Cicchini, Coram and the DiMichele?

Just good government?

If Maier gets elected, you can be sure that the SCPR will be scrutinizing each and every contract and others "at the cost to the tax" maneuvers he engages in to see whether or not it appears that there might be a connection between those activities and campaign finance contributions.

In The Report's time in the Stark County Democratic Party, many union officials complained how they were not respected by the hierarchy of the party.

And the SCPR's take is that they were and likely to continue to be correct.

Guess who The Report thinks "the chief disrespecters were?

You've got it.

Former chairmen Gonzalez and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

The Report has heard Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. diss the unions frequently.

AFL-CIO president Dan Sciury got in a big tiff with Gonzalez (openly screaming at him in public)  over his refusal to support a union member for Jackson Township trustee.

And the unions keep coming back for more?

Another category the SCPR fills out in this segment of The Report's analysis of the Maier CFR is contributions from sheriff department employees.

While it is legal to take contributions from employees, the SCPR thinks it is ill-advised from an ethics dimension and is heartened that should Larry Dordea be elected sheriff he has committed to The Report that he will not accept employee contributions.

Still another category to look at is who is benefiting from expenditures made by the Maier campaign in this reporting cycle.

But some providers of political services and products do better than others.

In looking at the above-chart in alphabetical order, note how well K & R Industries did with the Maier campaign.

K & R Industries is run by Kody Gonzalez, son of former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez.

Kody has lived a charmed political/public employment life, of late; but, according to Randy, he has not lifted a finger to help him.

Of course, what Randy says might be true.

But the SCPR says:  Who is going to believe it?

There may be another answer that gives Randy's statement "a possibility of" credibility.

When you are the Big Kahuna, people just want to do things to please you.  You haven't asked for a thing.  But people just figure it is a smart thing to do to please a powerful person, no?

He was hired off-the-street (so to speak) by Stark County recorder Rick Campbell back in the mid-2000s because "it was obvious to me," he says, "that Kody had special attributes" (a paraphrase).

It must be true (please don't miss the sarcasm) that Kody is a step above everybody else because "lo and behold!" Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts Phil Giavasis (also Stark County Democratic Party chairman who succeeded Randy as chairman) hired Kody away from Campbell in December, 2013 as chief deputy clerk of courts to replace the retiring Randy.

How about that!

Good thing after good thing after good thing just happens when you have the talent of a Kody Gonzalez, no?

And good things continue to happen with his K & R Industries political paraphernalia business.

For this blog, the SCPR is, of course, dealing with just the Maier campaign.

It will be interesting to see, going through Democratic candidates campaign finance statements for the past couple of years, how Kody is doing overall, no?

The SCPR just might check that out.

At a little over $8,000 for just this CFR cycle in one campaign, it appears Kody is doing quite well.

And we all should know that it is "pure coincidence" that father Randy was George T. Maier's biggest "non-family" booster and that the connection has nothing whatsoever do to with K & R's success with the Maier campaign.

Good things ought to happen to folks who come from a family that, again, according to Randy, views their working for Stark County government and its subdivisions as being a family tradition of public service, no?

As readers of the SCPR have come to expect, The Report now makes available to the general public a list of contributors to Maier's campaign in a concise and organized format.

If you are curious:

• who contributed cash (most likely in check form), 
• who contributed in-kind, 
• who benefited from Maier campaign expenditures, and 
• which sheriff department employees contributed,

then just go to the spreadsheet which follows and look up your "party of interest" all in alphabetical order.

Presented as a public service to the voting, taxpaying people of Stark County.

LINK to spreadsheet.

MASSILLON MAYOR KATHY CATAZARO-PERRY "SCARY" IN TERMS OF MASSILLON'S SAFETY?

VIDEO

MASSILLON CITY COUNCIL

DISCUSSES

MASSILLON'S

"UNSAFE"

POLICE CARS

(CHANNEL 8 CAMERA PRESENT)

A SCPR apology to Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry for not writing about "the State of the City of Massillon" of late.

But The Report has been preoccupied during the last month or so with the campaign of her old safety/service director George T. Maier and his "campaign of desperation" to move from being the Stark County Democratic Party "appointed" sheriff to the elected sheriff.

It appears that Republican Larry Dordea has a good chance of putting George in the unemployment line once again.

A couple of days ago, the SCPR received an e-mail which caused The Report to move off the Maier/Dordea story for today to deal with a potentially horrifying chain of political events transpiring in the "black and orange" city this Halloween - leading up the the November 4th election - season, to wit:

You may want to contact a Massillon city council member or the chairman of the citizens income tax committee regarding an ad that appeared in the Independent over the weekend.

It was a full page ad paid for by the committee and featured the endorsement of every elected city official except for the mayor and president of city council. 

I talked with a councilman about it and was told that the mayor simply refused to participate. 

Townsend apparently took his cue from her. 

I was told that the mayor was recently reprimanded by the state finance  oversight committee for her weak support of the tax issue  She then made a financial contribution but has done nothing else to help. 

I was also told that city council has completely lost faith in her since the racial charge was made in July.  In fact, the mayor has not been called on to speak a word in council meetings since then.

The SCPR has confirmed the points made in the e-mail with persons in a position to know.

And should the income tax/coupled with a conditioned income tax reduction go down, Massillon would be "in a world of hurt" the likes of which Tigerland has not seen in many of a Halloween moon.

Equally if not more dire is word that there is a dispute between the mayor and a majority of Massillon City Council (MCS) over when, how many and in what financial structure (purchase or lease with option to buy) the city will implement in replacing what is described to the SCPR as being "an 'unsafe' collection of Massillon Police Department police cars."

The major difference is whether Massillon should "act NOW" (council's position) or "wait to LATER" as The Report is told is the iron lady mayor's position.

The SCPR was at Monday night's MCS meeting and taped this segment (each and every Massillonian should view this video) of the meeting which dealt with the unsafe police vehicles.

• SCPR Note:  The Report understands that WJW Channel 8 (Cleveland) was in Massillon earlier in the day Monday doing a story on the dire police car situation.
• In the view, the SCPR circles a Channel 8 cameraman who was at the meeting.

It is Halloween and Massillon with its revenue problems and the safety of its police in nightmarish conditions has to be the scariest place in all of Stark County.

Maybe if one happens to be in Massillon during Halloween week and even afterwards continuing until new police cars are put in place, one should pull off to the side of the road (even if the sirens are not blaring and the lights flashing) until that oncoming MPD vehicle has passed by?

OUT-AND-OUT POLITICAL WARFARE! THE MAIER - DORDEA FIGHT! CARRIED ON BY PROXIES?

Of late, there is not a day that goes by that The Stark County Political Report does not get an e-mail, telephone call or personal entreaty from either a Maier campaign functionary or a Dordea campaign functionary making this or that allegation about the campaign practices of the other.

It seems that the two main protagonists are:

• staunch Democrat and Plain Township trustee Louis P. Giavasis:
• who is a chief deputy clerk of courts for Democrat Nancy Reinbold,
• who also happens to be the brother of Stark County Democratic Party chairman Phil Giavasis 
• who (Reinbold) took over years ago from brother Phil after he left the county clerk's position,
• Phil also happens to be clerk of the Canton Municipal court,
• staunch Republican and former candidate (2004) for Stark County prosecutor Jeff Jakmides. (probably Stark County's foremost criminal defense attorney)

Last week Louis Giavasis sent out a letter to the editor apparently to various Stark County media.

A copy that the SCPR was provided came from The Alliance Review which happens to be candidate Dordea's hometown.

The complainer to the SCPR was Jakmides.

Initially, he was in a fit of outrage saying that Giavasis had committed a total fabrication in saying:

He helped in getting the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force [U.S.MFTF] to expand into Stark County and has assisted in getting 300 of the most dangerous fugitives off our streets.

After the SCPR verified that Maier was involved in a "formal" expansion by the U.S.MFTF at least from the standpoint of the Marshal's Cleveland office contacted Maier (as the appointed sheriff of Stark County) and (the part Giavasis omitted from his letter) various other Stark County-based law enforcement entities, to wit:

Giavasis, very sloppily and, perhaps, conveniently for "political" purposes, does not distinguish between what part the sheriff's department and other Stark County law enforcement agencies may have had in assisting in the U.S.MTFT effort in getting violent fugitives off Stark County streets.

And he does not talk about pre-June, 2013 (when the formal arrangement was reached) when former Stark County sheriff and Maier foe Tim Swanson was in charge at 4500 Atlantic Boulevard.  (Note:  Swanson filed a successful quo warranto resulting in Maier's ouster as sheriff on 11/06/2014 [he was reappointed on 12/11/2014] and recently endorsed Dordea).

The SCPR has contacted the Marshal's office and asked for a breakdown between the Maier year and the Swanson years.

No response so far.  However, when one is forthcoming, the SCPR will supplement this blog with that information.

This is what Swanson has had to say to the SCPR:

We were originally apart of the task force and had personnel assigned to the unit. However due to budget issues we couldn't participate on a a fulltime basis through the years.

During that time period we contributed with personnel on as needed or we could spare.

The task force was very helpful when called upon and shared intelligence with the SO and the drug unit. I can't remember any specifics .

After the SCPR pointed out to Jakmides that there was a least some "incomplete" truth in Giavasis' statement, he moderated his charges against Giavasis to "he misrepresented."

And The Report thinks that being the zealous advocate he has been and continues to be for Maier, that Jakmides' charge that Giavasis' misrepresented the matter is well founded.

In light of the foregoing and other Giavasis seeming "over-the-top" pro-Maier campaign activities (e.g. his Facebook page publishing of the Canton Police car/auxiliary officers displaying a "Maier for Sheriff" shirt and his involvement if not initiation of a online petition drive to put pressure to Secretary of State Ted Husted to find for Maier in and election eligibility contest), it is interesting that Giavasis would have the apparent audacity to send out this e-mail late last night, to wit:

Important message.

lougiavasis1  Oct 27 at 11:28 PM

To:  crborello@aol.com  jrichards13@neo.rr.com  damsel16@aol.com  fredrossetti@sbcglobal.net  djriley5159@gmail.com  and 56 more...

The Sheriff has maintained and demanded that his campaign remain professional and deliver a positive message about what he has done and plans to do that will improve the Sheriffs Office and make Stark County a safer place. I am sure that most people by now have noticed the difference in the two campaigns that are running for Sheriff. In the 30 years I have been involved in in local campaigns, I have never seen the vitriol and just outright untruthfulness being thrown at a candidate for local office by their opponent than this Sheriff has happen during this campaign. It is simply amazing that our Sheriff through all of this, in spite of what has been thrown at him, he has maintained such a high level of professionalism and class. He has continued to move the Sheriff Office forward and be a positive force and example to his employees and deputies. I am very proud to call this professional law enforcement officer our Sheriff!

Lou Giavasis
Plain Township Trustee

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Of course, Giavasis says nothing about Maier himself in January, 2014 refusing to re-commission American military hero Sergeant Major Dan Altieri (a 27 year veteran of the sheriff's department and decorated U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq) because (according to Altieri) he had been (exercising his U.S. Constitution rights) to hand out Lou Darrow flyers at the December 11, 2013 conclave of the Stark County Democratic Central Committee which 101 to 66 reappointed Maier sheriff after he had been ousted.

When The Report gets anything from Giavasis or Jakmides, both are suspect in terms of "there has to be more to the story" given the respective propensities of each "to put the best spin possible" on whatever is being communicated.

The SCPR knows Giavasis much better than Jakmides in terms of the public sector activities because Giavasis holds public office whereas Jakmides does  not.

The Report has written numerous blogs about Giavasis both positive and critical.   In the view of the SCPR he has a checkered record.

He is part of the team of trustees that has made Plain Township perhaps the most fiscally responsible township in all of Stark County.

But the SCPR thinks he has played politics in influencing placing certain persons in taxpayer supported positions in Plain Township government.

Of course, Jakmides and Giavasis are not the only "out-and-out" partisans trying to use the media to get their respective candidates' spin into public circulation.

There is Ralph Spampanato of the Stark-Tusc  912 Group.

Yesterday, Ralph sent the SCPR this e-mail:

David Pepper commits a felony in his new ad | Third Base Politics

rspam64  Oct 27 at 1:38 PM

To:  tramols@att.net
http://www.thirdbasepolitics.com/david-pepper-felony/

Marty,

I share this story only because the Maier posted a picture of a vote for their candidate on his FB account.

I will try to forward that photo to you.

Ralph Spampanato

Followed up by this one:

Ralph Spampanato

rspam64  Oct 27 at 1:41 PM

To:  tramols@att.net

Here's the photo from their campaign fb page.

Happy Connecting. Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S® 5 Sport

The photo which The Report takes to be a Spampanato allegation of a Maier campaign use of an "actual" November (absentee?) ballot in "apparent" violation (according to a Columbus Dispatch article on the Pepper/DeWine attorney general race) of Ohio statutory law.

The Spampanato provided photo which he says he got from the Maier campaign page:

 From the Dispatch article:

Under Ohio laws written before anyone ever heard of Facebook and when tweets were associated only with birds, it is illegal to show off how you voted by revealing your completed ballot to someone else.

The law says it is a fifth-degree felony for a voter to “allow the elector’s ballot to be seen by another … with the apparent intention of letting it be known how the elector is about to vote.” Another section of law prohibits displaying a marked ballot while in the polling place.

The gist of the Columbus Dispatch article, as the SCPR interprets it, is that "nobody takes the law seriously."

But partisans take such matters and seek "to make a mountain out of a molehill."

Another of the Maier "over-the-top" campaign zealots, the SCPR thinks is Sheriff's department employee (June, 2013) Derrick Loy.

Loy, Alliance-based (a former Alliance City Council commission appointee) has been the subject of a number of SCPR blogs which depict him as an out-and-out George T. Maier partisan.

And he appears to have a particular thing for Dordea in that he has written the SCPR with a scathing indictment of Dordea as a former Alliance police chief and as a city councilman (a body Dordea still serves on).

Loy has the distinction (along with Giavasis) of being a few of the "outside-of-Massillon") members of the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (brother of George T. Maier and former Stark Dems' chairman) instigated "Maier Loyalty Club," to wit:

Right now Loy is the center of a controversy in which he is reported to be displaying within the confines of the Stark County taxpayer supported Stark County sheriff's department a photograph of Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero and former Sheriff Tim Swanson.

Up until a few days ago, it purported show two darts on or about the photo.

But, apparently, because of SCPR reporting on it, there as been a change as indicated in this e-mail from a SCPR source:

From: ...  Oct 27 at 2:27 PM

To:  Martin Olson

Martin,

    From what I learned this afternoon, I guess someone in George Maier's clan must read your blogs. . . .

   I hear that Derrick Loy removed the throwing darts from the picture of Sheriff Swanson and Prosecutor Ferrero.  I guess he replaced them with tooth picks.

   Keep up the good work.

So the question to Louis Giavasis is whether or not he thinks this is an example of "I have never seen the vitriol"  right under the nose of the man he describes as being a man who
"has maintained such a high level of professionalism and class?"

Surely, the purported Loy use of a taxpayer supported facility to express his disdain of a sitting and former Stark County official cannot have escaped the Maier folks.

The substitution of the tooth picks for darts clearly indicates that the Maier folks are well aware of Loy's outrage.  Likely including George T. Maier himself.

Yes, the Dordea/Maier faceoff has been a nasty campaign.

But the SCPR thinks most, but certainly not all, of the nastiness has come from the Maier side of things.

For one of what the SCPR thinks is one of the Maier main players in the political hanky panky to assign to himself and to George T. Maier "the high road" is the quintessential Stark County Democratic Party stalwart Louis P. Giavasis.

Louis can try to paint that picture of himself, but the SCPR does not buy it.

His conduct belie his words!

Not long ago Dordea wrote an entry on his Facebook campaign page decrying conduct of Maier campaigners.

But then he went on to discuss a very serious incident in which he says that someone lossened lug nuts on his campaign vehicle.

Here comes the disingenuous part.

Dordea says that his relating the "lug nuts" incidents is not an attempt by him to link the Maier campaign to incident.

Really?

Who believes that?

The SCPR has castigated Dordea for the ingenuity.

The SCPR is here to hold Giavasis, Loy and Dordea apologists Jakmides and Spampanato and the candidates themselves accountable for their words and deeds!

The SCPR's problem with George T. Maier is that there are a number of character assessment questions out there as cited in previous blogs which he has not answered.

The Report has challenged Maier to sit down with the SCPR on camera and answer those questions.

Certainly, The Repository has not and is apparently not about to address those questions.

After all, Maier loyalist Louis P. Giavasis has assured us all that George T. Maier "is as pure as the white driven snow."

That's all we need, isn't it? (please do not miss the sarcasm)

(MULTIPLE VIDEOS) CANTON WARD 8 NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING: IMPRESSIVE!!!

DEMOCRACY & REPUBLICANISM IN ACTION!

On Thursday evening, Canton Ward 8 Councilman Edmond Mack (a Democrat) hosted a Townhall-esque meeting at St. Mark's Episcopal Church out on 48th Street NW.

The question?

Whether or not Ward 8 shall have a park.

Hmm?

Why would citizens want to reject the establishing of a park and their share of tax dollars that comes with it?

Well, the overwhelming majority of the northern reaches of Ward 8 do want to "turn down -in effect - 'free' money" and have been in a public argument with their councilman and the Healy administration "at least" since Canton City Council's meeting of September 8, 2014.

After the meeting, the SCPR asked Councilman John Mariol (Democrat, Ward 7 and along with Mack one of four councilmen The Report has tabbed as being "the four young turks), his take in action.

His answer?

"Democracy-In-Action!"

And The Stark County Political Report agrees.

About 20 Ward 8ers took to the lectern at Thursday's meeting.

While the SCPR does much more video than any other Stark County media outlet, The Report made a special effort to publish each and every public comment/question registered with Messers Mack and Gordon (see appendix videos below).

There was one humorous moment during the exchange when near the end of the session Director Gordon opined that "one more speaker" would be allowed, then two more speakers would be allowed, then three more speakers would be allowed," to wit:



As it turns out, "things did not go Mack's way" at the St. Mark's meeting, so the SCPR thinks.

In order to find a way to keep $10,000 annually as Ward 8's share of annual money to be divvied out to Canton's nine wards for ward park projects in Ward 8, Mack got together with Canton Park Commission Director Derek Gordon and they came up with a plan to improve the northern end of Ward 8 (which happens to be Mack's immediate neighborhood).

The plan presented to Ward 8 residents involved Canton city government leasing from St. Mark's, a church owned playground park with a picnic shelter building, and putting the complex in "Grade A shape" over a three year period of time.

Though he never claimed to be absolutely committed to convincing his constituents of the wisdom of his and Gordon's idea, the SCPR thinks Councilman Mack has been "bullish" on the St Mark's idea.

As committed as The Report thinks Mack was to selling the St. Mark's park rehab project to area residents and taxpaying citizens, the SCPR came away from the meeting believing that Mack is even more committed to making our democratic-republican form of government work at the grassroots level.

And he demonstrated in commitment on Thursday night "in spades."

Whether they agree with or disagree with Councilman Mack on a given substantive issue, Ward 8 residents should be immensely pleased with him on process.

Though resident Tom Berbelis (who many Ward 8 residents credit with organizing the effort to stop the St. Mark's playground/shelter rehab) did not seem to realize the success of his effort after Thursday's meeting, to wit:



Contrast the foregoing video of Berbelis with one done in September.



Their persistent effort did pay off.

Here is a video of Councilman Mack on Thursday conceding that the plan to rehabilitate the St. Mark's grounds is dead.



The SCRP commends Mack and the residents of Ward 8 for engaging one another in coming to a resolution of the issue.

Mack showed great maturity and civility in working through the "give and take" with his constituents.

More importantly, he heard them and responded as he should have in our democratic-republican system of government and politics.

Mack presents a model of civic engagement that should be adopted by all Stark County elected officials in cities, villages, townships, boards of education across the county.

Even the Stark County commissioners could stand instituting a re-commitment to the fresh start that then newly elected commissioners Bernabei and Creighton gave the county with their election in November, 2010.

The Report thinks they have slipped quite a bit from their beginnings.

Mack is politically sophisticated beyond his age and his time (three years) in government.

The SCPR thinks that Canton will not solve its' severe problems (upwards of 40% poverty level existence in areas of the city) until there are more Edmond Macks in Canton government.

The Report thinks that he and "his fellow turks" are a promising start of Canton developing leaders that - over time - will develop ways, means and workable ideas that eventually will bring Canton back to a semblance of her former self.

But until the mantle of leadership passes from the likes of William J. Healy, II and Kim Perez (the likely candidates for mayor in 2015) to the likes of "the four young turks" Canton is going to continue to stagnate at best or decline in a worst case scenario.

But with Mack and fellow councilmen Mariol (Ward 7), Fisher (Ward 5) and Morris (Ward 9) waiting in the wings, Cantonians can now "see light at the end of the tunnel."

However, "the four young turks are not enough."

Additional young, energetic, forward thinking, imagination embracing and visionary Cantonians need to come forward and inject themselves in the Canton - Rehab project.

In today's blog, the SCPR is going to take you (the reader) video step-by-step (relatively short video clips) through Thusday's meeting so that you can see democracy (everyone having the right to be heard and express her/his opinion (vote), and republicanism (to the man they have twice elected "to represent" them in the councils/counsels of Canton city government) in action!

First, allowing the SCPR to get on the "soapbox" for a moment.

Thursday's meeting is in stark contrast to what The Report has been seeing at North Canton City Council meetings of late.

In this paragraph, The Report links to several blogs done on what has been happening in "The Dogwood City" of late and, in the opinion of yours truly, it "ain't pretty in terms of democratic-republican processes.

The SCPR is convinced that Mayor David Held and at least four North Canton City Council members (four being a majority of seven) have given over their respective executive/legislative functions to Law Director Tim Fox.

As much as the SCPR is impressed with Mack and his "respect the people" processes, The Report is horrified with the "disregard the people" process going on in North Canton councils/counsels of government.

BACK TO THURSDAY NIGHT

Several very democratic/republican enhancing important things happened in the collaborated opening with Mack and Gordon.

VIDEO SEGMENT 1
THE OPEN

First, Gordon did a disclaimer as to his interest in seeing the project go forward. (1 min, 16 sec; correction on video title:  Gordon is director, not a commissioner)



He is a member of St. Mark's which stands to benefit in offloading its deteriorating park to the city for repair and upkeep.

Moreover, he made the point (rather empty in the view of the SCPR) that he "does not have a vote" on whether or not the church, Canton City Council, the Canton Park Commission proceeds on the question.

• Empty?  
• Yes!
• While indeed he does not have a vote, Gordon is the "go-to" guy on Canton park matters and in a sense is an "E.F. Hutton figure, (i.e. when E.F. Hutton speaks:  "people listen") and therefore the less entanglements the more comfortable citizens can feel about the integrity of the process.
• Moreover, remember he is the director and an "overall" key figure in the Mayor William J. Healy, II administration.

The Report thinks that Thursday night's ultimate rejection of the park plan was influenced - to some degree - by Gordon's connections, whether or not he thinks he has a conflict in interest.

BUT he did lend credibility to the discussion by owning up to his connection with St. Mark's and being a key figure within Canton government.

VIDEO SEGMENT 2
FORMULATION OF WARD 8 PARK PLAN

Next, Gordon informed those assembled at St Mark's on Thursday evening as to how what the SCPR calls the Gordon/Mack Ward 8 Park Plan got started.



VIDEO SEGMENT 3
COUNCILMAN MACK PRESENTS PLAN

Next, on Gordon's heels, Councilman Mack took over. (Video:  2 min. 10 sec.)



SLIDE PRESENTATION

 

VIDEO SEGMENT 4 (3 min. 58 sec.)

COUNCILMAN MACK WRAP UP
"If you don't want this, I don't want this."

ST MARK'S OFFICIAL SPEAKS



VIDEO SEGMENT 5 (7 min. 20 sec.)

FIRST QUESTION - Q&A SESSION



At the end of this blog, the SCPR presents the remainder of the Q&A between Ward 8 residents and Director Gordon and Councilman Mack.

These additional videos are in process, please check back as the SCPR fills out all the Q&A session.

A SCPR "tip-of-the-hat" to those Ward 8 residents who participated in Thursday's meeting!

APPENDIX: ADDITIONAL VIDEOS

PART I - A MULTI-PART "ANALYTICAL" SERIES ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE ON KEY "STARK COUNTY" RACES

MAIER FOR SHERIFF CAMPAIGN

UPDATED:  5:50 PM

Not long ago, The Stark County Political Report did a blog on what appears to be a George T. Maier attempt to intimidate the top brass within the Stark County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) into contributing to and supporting his campaign to make the transition of "merely being the" Stark County Democratic Party Central Commitee (SCDP-CC) "appointed" sheriff to becoming the elected sheriff.

Maier did hold his fundraiser on the 4th as evidenced by this campaign finance report (CFR)  expense statement on his pre-General CFR.

And the results of his "recommended level of support" solicitation are interesting to say the least.

As shown in the graphic above, the only one among the majors, captains and lieutenants part of the solicitation getting anywhere near "the recommendation" is one Timothy George; promoted by Maier to captain in May, 2013, to wit:  (source:  SCSO Facebook page)

Hmm?

Since he was promoted, Stark County Board of Elections filed Maier CFRs indicate that George contributed another $150 in the post-Primary report and therefore is relatively close to what George T. Maier thinks a captain should contribute.

Tim George, as far as the SCPR can determine, has contributed $800 so far.

Of course, we will not know what he or any other of the top brass at the SCSO does between October 16th and up to and beyond the election until the post-General election CFR are filed.

And that we will not know until December 12, 2014.

Just call the SCPR cynical when it comes to the Maiers (George and his brother Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., a former Stark Dems chairman), but The Report suspects that there might be a "wink and a nod" operation going on whereby other top SCSO officials/employees will make sizable contributions (or have since October 15th) in line with "the recommendation according to the rank," but they will not be known by the public until December 12th.

The SCPR's take on the Maier brothers is that "personal political loyalty" is an obsession with them and that for anyone who violates any test of loyalty with them (contributions, voting for a sheriff candidate or other Maier approved candidate within the SCDP-CC scheme of things, and the like) will forever be suspect with them as having the requisite loyalty so as to be considered part and parcel of the Maier Loyalty Club.

While he is still short of George T. Maier recommended $1,000 for a captain,  Timothy George is far and away (again, according to Maier filed BOE CFRs) ahead of his peers.

Making him, as far as the SCPR is concerned, the most loyal of George T. Maier's loyalists in terms of SCSO employees contributing to the boss' political campaign.

And as seen in the SCPR's blog on Sergeant Major and U.S. Marine par excellence Dan F. Altieri (at least from Altieri's perspective), personal political loyalty seems to be an obsession with George T. Maier.

Altieri thinks he did not get a renewed "reserve" deputy sheriff commission because he had handed out flyers when Maier was vying for the SCDP-CC appointment as Stark County sheriff on December 11, 2013.

As the SCPR understands it, Maier's denial of Alteri's commission, threatened his ability to earn a living.

The SCPR has searched high and low for a photo of Timothy George and cannot find one.

Would someone please send the SCPR a copy of a Tim George photo?

Why would the SCPR want a photo of Tim George?

Answer:  Don't you think he should be included in the SCPR generated graphic of "The Maier Loyalty Club?"  He does deserve to be rewarded for his "all-out-support" for George T. Maier, no? Does anyone dispute that he is entitled to be thought as being a member of the club?

And, one final thing.

Speaking of photos.

The SCPR has a report that there is (or has been) a photograph of former Democratic sheriff Tim Swanson (who, yesterday, endorsed Maier opponent and Republican Larry Dordea) and Democrat and Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero.

So?

Well, the word is that on the photo there are two darts.

Hmm?

So the questions are, if the report is accurate:  (the SCPR has a source that claims to have seen the photo)

1. What does such a mix in a photo suggest?
2. Does George T. Maier know about it?

With Swanson's endorsement of Dordea, no indication whatsoever that Prosecutor Ferrero is reconciled to Maier, are there a greater pair of disloyals to Maier in all of Stark County?

And the Maiers ain't ever going to forget that!!!