Hi
Martin!
I read with interest your blog on the Canton Mayoral race, but was taken aback by your reference to a contribution by Brian Zimmerman to Mayor-Elect Bernabei. You said that a " source " with a " credible opinion “ told you that Brian's contribution was designed to be " a burr in the butt of Schulman.”
Ordinarily I would let that comment pass but it seemed so peculiar and out of place for the purpose of the article that I feel compelled to answer.
Brian
is a fine lawyer. In fact, we are still working on a very significant
case. Whether he contributed to Mayor-Elect Bernabei, or not, is of
no consequence or concern to me and I am sure Brian feels likewise.
Tom
Bernabei is my friend and I am delighted that he is our new Mayor.
However, since I am a staunch Democrat and President of City Council, I chose to remain neutral in the Mayor's race.
The fact that a contribution was made to either candidate by anyone would never be a " burr " to any part of my anatomy!
As
always, I enjoy your political coverage. We wish you and your family
a very joyous holiday and a healthy and happy New Year !!!
Allen
Allen
CANTONIANS MORE OR LESS REJECTED
"OUT-OF-TOWNER FAVORITE, UNION CAPTIVE"
DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT
WILLIAM J. HEALY, II
When on November 3rd Cantonians voted longtime Canton Law Director and political independent Thomas M. Bernabei in as mayor; they may not have been all that aware of it, but Bernabei is much more of a Cantonian than is William J. Healy, II.
At least that is what the 2015 Campaign Finance Reports (CFR) show in terms of locals supporting either's campaigns.
CFRs filed by the Healy/Bernabei campaigns on Friday last confirmed what was apparent in the pre-General-election filings.
From the Bernabei/Healy pre-General CFR blog (LINK) of October 25th:
However, Healy did improve his Canton/Stark County ties in the post-General CFR, to wit:
On individual contributors, Healy improved to 18% of in post-General reported contributors.
Including Canton-based unions bumps the Canton/Stark County contribution total up to 36% of all contributors.
But that still leaves Healy with a whooping 64% of his contributors being from out-of-town at such far flung places as Washington, D.C., Hanover/Lanham, Maryland and Bexley, Cincinnati, Columbus in Ohio and Parkersburg, WVa.
Bernabei's campaign, on the other hand, shows 100% of his contributors post-General being from Canton/Stark County.
Here is Bernabei's complete list of contributors as reported for the post-General-election-reporting period:
It should be clear to one and all that Healy is politically owned lock, stock and barrel by out-of-town political interests including and predominately unions.
While Bernabei's pre-General report showed a predominance of low dollar amount contributions, his campaign contribution composition did move up the scale in the post-General report but still paled in comparison.
Healy raised 24% of his post-General money from contributions of $2,500 or more whereas Beranbei only raised 4% from $1,000 and $2,000 contributors.
At the other end of the spectrum, Healy had no contributors from the $50 and $25 categories.
Interesting, no?
Now let's get into whom some of the candidates contributors were.
For Healy:
OHIO DEMS' CHAIRMAN DAVID PEPPER
FORMER GOV. TED STRICKLAND HONCHO
JOHN HASELEY
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID LELAND
CINCINNATI COUNCIMAN CHRIS SEELBACH
For Bernabei:
Local—Canton/Stark County— luminaries such as:
- former Repository managing editor Mike Hanke, Bernabei's campaign treasurer,
- a sprinkling of the Timken family members,
- former Canton safety director Thomas Nesbitt, now of Nebraska from whence he came,
- Nancy Reinbold, a former Stark County clerk of courts,
- fellow county commissioner Janet Creighton,
- Charles Brown:
- a former head of the Stark County Republican Party,
- a retired judge of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas,
- members of the Belden family,
- sitting Stark County judge of the Common Pleas Court Chryssa Hartnett
- Roger DeVille, a leading Stark County real estate developer,
- Senior in terms of service Canton councilman Bill Smuckler (Democrat, at-large) who has become Mayor-elect Bernabei point-man on council, and
- Brian Zimmerman, a Stark County personal injury attorney formerly associated with Healy supporter and Canton city council president Allen Schulman,
- Note: Yours truly was told by a source in a position to have a credible opinion that Zimmerman, who is said to not be generally interested in participating in political campaigns finance or otherwise, decided to weigh-in on the Healy/Bernabei fracas as a burr in the butt of Schulman. Hmmm? Interesting, no?
In the rush to get something out on Friday, a local media outlet headlined that Bernabei has spent $116,452 to elected elected as mayor of Canton.
Hmm?
Really?
That's the headline!
Well, $116, 452 is significantly short of the $171,529 that incumbent, endorsed by the Ohio Democratic Party Democrat William J. Healy, II spent.
But maybe there's a subtle point to that headline?
$116,452 almost exclusively from Canton/Stark County sources whereas the heavy predominance of Healy's $171,592 came from special interests (mostly unions) and huge portions of it from outside Stark County.
The SCPR thinks that William J. Healy, II has always thought he is better than day-in, day-out Cantonians/Stark Countians.
After all he came back to his "hometown" from The Big Apple where he had attained the awesome credential of having graduated from the highly touted New York University Stern School of Business.
Finally in the 2015 elections, Cantonians figured out that Healy was not really one of them?
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