With this periodic updating of the SCPR "Bottom 10 List" (List) of Stark County Political Subdivision Elected Officials, The Report makes up for a huge oversight in not including state Representative Stephen Slesnick.
In hindsight, it seems to yours truly that it was a blunder of extraordinary proportions in not including Slesnick.
But mind you, the competition for one of the ten slots on the SCPR "Bottom 10 List" is about as "knock down and drag out" as it gets.
Undoubtedly, Slesnick as a person is a splendid human being.
But as an "elected" public official, he perfectly matches the expression as being as "worthless as tits on a boar hog."
It was a stunner for those of us who follow Stark County politics closely when Slesnick in the 2008 Democratic primary came out as the Democrats' nominee for the general election.
This blog is an ironic twist in that The Report found space for Slesnick on "The Bottom 10 List" because it was vacated by Canton councilman Jimmy Babcock who yesterday was "promoted" to being #7 on the List.
The Report thinks there is a marked similarity between the two in terms of both being a "wallflower" type as an elected official and both trading on prominent (political [Babcock], business [Slesnick]) family Canton-based names in successfully running for public office.
But one shouldn't make too much of the Slesnick 2008 Dems' primary win.
Twenty-nine percent (29%) of the vote!
That is hardly and "ass-kicking" unless one embraces the mathematical skills of one Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. who touts Kathy Catazaro-Perry being re-elected as mayor of Massillon in a three-way race in which she gained a plurality of 40%.
Had the race been a two person race, let's say the top two vote getters (Slesnick/Rinaldi), the SCPR is reasonably sure that Rinaldi would have won by a wide margin and Stark County voters would never have heard from Stephen Slesnick in political circles again.
The Report's view is that Rinaldi would have made a far more effective elected representative of the constituents of the 52nd and now the 49th Ohio House District.
Having won the primary, Slesnick was appointed by the Ohio House Democratic Caucus to replace William J. Healy, II on March 11th who, of course, we know took office as mayor of Canton on January 1, 2008.
And running in a heavily Democratic district, it was "sit back and relax time" for Slesnick from 2008 on out, to wit:
The Report went to Slesnick page on the Ohio House of Representative website on which Slesnick "puts his best foot forward" in self-promotion at, of course, taxpayer expense (like all state representative and senators do) and this is the best Slesnick can say about himself so far for the 2015-2016 term of the current Ohio House session (LINK to website):
Slesnick is one of the relatively few Stark County-based elected officials who will not talk to the SCPR.
And, of course, with the camera on face, how could he plausibly argue that he has been an effective representative.
His answer would likely be that as a Democrat he is a member of a decidedly minority political party in the House and therefore gets stymied at every turn by the Republicans.
A SCPR response would be: "Representative Slesnick you have needed to get creative and innovative in overcoming the 'I grant you' Republican roadblock, what have you done in this regard"?
The evidence is clearly that he hasn't been creative, innovative and therefore not productive.
If he were to survive the Democratic primary on March 15th and the general election against the Republican nominee in November, what kind of situation would Slesnick once again likely face?
Answer: Being the lone Democrat in a board of commissioners composed of Republicans Janet Creighton and Richard Regula.
While Regula will have a Democratic opponent on the horizon in the general election (John Mariol, Ward 7 Canton councilman), it would be the upset of upsets were Mariol to win.
Accordingly, a Commissioner Stephen Slesnick would likely be a continuing candidate for being among Stark County Political Subdivision's "Bottom 10" Elected Officials.
And it could happen.
Slesnick once again is nested among a group of Democrats seeking to replace Bernabei.
As one Stark County political observer cautioned yours truly: "Don't count Slesnick out!"
The Report does not. Indeed, the could win in "ass-kicking" fashion a la the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. math model with - let's say - 29% percent of the vote. It could be that "29" is his lucky number, no?
However, it appears that former Commissioner Pete Ferguson will be the likely survivor in the Dems' primary.
Naturally, The Report likes to have fodder for future blogs.
So?
Go Slesnick! Go Slesnick!! Go Slesnick!!!
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