VIDEO
STARK CO. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
VP - JOHNNIE A. MAIER, JR
PRAISES DEAMETRIOUS ST. JOHN
(A SCPR ENCORE PRESENTATION)
At the end of yesterday's blog, The Stark County Political Report promised:
The SCPR was skeptical of this accusation, but - lo & behold! this is what The Report found when dialing up St. John's Facebook pages:
Lots of Black candidates and personalities, but "no Angela Alexander" insofar as the SCPR could find.
And there is a tie-in with the Stark County Black Caucus and the organized Stark County Democratic Party (SCDP). From the SCDP website calendar for May 21, 2015:
The St. John reference above is not exactly an endorsement however the SCPR is told by a highly credible source that the Stark County Black Caucus did in fact endorse Guardado over Canton native and African-American Angela Alexander.
What's more is that The Report is told by that same source that the SCBC endorsement was apparently done by St. John on his own and without the concurrence of SCBC members in a meeting specifically called to determine whether or not the SCBC would endorse either candidate.
Councilwoman Chris Smith of Canton's Ward 4 tells the SCPR that she has considered herself as being a SCBC member but that she was not a part of any endorsement of Guardado for Judge and that while she too has heard that Guardado was endorsed by the Stark County Black Caucus whose mission - she confirmed - is to endorse/support qualified African-American candidates (which Alexander clearly is) over others, she is on record as an African-American councilperson as is Councilman Thomas West (Ward 4) as having endorsed Alexander.
Councilwoman Smith questions the viability of the SCBC in that she says that at the moment to the degree that it exists, it:
- is not meeting as listed by the Stark County Democratic Party website,
- only consists of Deametrious St. John, his wife Dwan and one other person,
The Report has also been told that Councilman Thomas West is saying that he was not part of an SCBC endorsement of Guardado and that because of the reports of the SCBC endorsement he is disassociated from the caucus.
Yours truly has been trying to connect with West but so far has been unsuccessful in doing so.
The question becomes: Why would Deametrious St. John - apparently acting pretty much on his own - claim to be the voice of the SCBC in the organization endorsing Guaradao?
Answer: (from the perspective of the allegers of SCDP leadership unfairness).
St. John has been the uncritical loyalist to the likes of current SCDP chairman Phil Giavasis, former chairman Randy Gonzalez and going back further former chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.
While Gonzalez was chairman, St. John was appointed as one of the two Stark County Democratic Party members of the Stark County Board of Elections (BOE).
He appears to have demonstrated his loyalty to the SCDP, and in particular to Gonzalez and Maier, Jr. in that before the BOE heard the case on whether or not Maier, Jr. brother George T. Maier was qualified under the law of Ohio to be sheriff of Stark County; he announced beforehand that he had already determined that George was qualified.
After the announcement he did say that notwithstanding his determination, he was open to changing him mind if the evidence presented in that regard was convincing.
The SCPR and many other Stark Countians did not and continue not to believe that he was opened minded in any degree.
It is interesting that in February, 2014 effective after having completed his stint on the BOE voting to certify George T. Maier as qualified St. John was replaced by Ironworkers head Billy Sherer, II.
Here is a video of Maier, Jr. praising St. John during the proceedings to replace him. (Link to underlying blog)
It is interesting that in February, 2014 effective after having completed his stint on the BOE voting to certify George T. Maier as qualified St. John was replaced by Ironworkers head Billy Sherer, II.
Here is a video of Maier, Jr. praising St. John during the proceedings to replace him. (Link to underlying blog)
Suspicions deepened that Deameatrious St. John had been unalterably committed to vote to qualify George T. Maier and when Massillon mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry (whom many think takes her marching orders from Johnne A. Maier, Jr.,) - post BOE decision - hired his wife Dwan into her administration; the thinking on the part of some observers being that the hire was a reward for Deametrious having "toed the Stark Dems' leadership party line in the George T. Maier matter.
It appears that the Alexander folks are buying into the suspicions on the Deametrious St. John having an interlocking relationship with the Stark County Democratic Party leadership.
There is some similarity between the Guardado/Alexander primary election contest and the Lou Darrow/George T. Maier match up for the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee meetings in which an appointee was selected to replace the November, 2012 elected sheriff Mike McDonald.
Due to what proved to be having a terminal illness, McDonald was not able to take office on January 7, 2013 as scheduled.
The similarity of the two situations is that the SCDP leadership (Gonzalez, Maier, Jr and peripherally the brothers Giavasis) weighed in on behalf of George T. Maier and Guardado, respectively.
The difference has been:
- that in the Darrow/George T. Maier situation there was a "no bones about it" - "we are supporting George T. Maier" posture with Gonzalez in his official role as chairman of the entire Stark County Democratic Party leading the way,
- whereas, in the Guardado/Alexander contest, the SCPR is told that Chairman Phil Giavasis assured the Alexander campaign that it was "neutrality is the world" as far as the party leadership was concerned,
So the rub comes about as in "the proof is in the pudding," that rhetoric is just that.
The SCPR thinks that the Alexander camp believes that the SCBC endorsement, such as it is [whether there in substance in terms of campaign finance support and "boots on the ground" is beside the point, an endorsement, any endorsement looks good on paper; especially, in this case, in African-American precincts ] was arranged by the SCDP leadership who through Chairman Giavasis was supposedly committed to "neutrality."
Tomorrow the SCPR delves deeper into the list of specific allegations of the SCDP leadership being anything but neutral - as is said to have been Chairman Giavasis' word that the party would be - in the Guardado/Alexander race.
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