On a regular basis The Stark County Political Report checks public records in order to see whom is politically connected to whom in Stark County government and politics.
On Friday, The Report made a request of the Stark County auditor's office for a list of county employment records as of that date.
On opening the file, here is what jumped out! On August 29, 2016:
As the "adjusted" government service column in the above graphic indicates, her first hire was on May 4, 2012.
The job?
As an administrative assistant to then-newly elected mayor of Massillon Kathy Catazaro-Perry (KCP).
Already a part of the KCP administration then was George T. Maier as her first safety director.
Maier who maneuvered his way up through Stark County political subdivision and state of Ohio policing ranks to become as a political appointee the #2 rank in the Ohio Department of Highway Safety at the hand of then Democratic governor Ted Strickland who, in this election cycle, is trailing badly in his quest to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman.
George's brother Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. has to be grieving mightily these days at the prospect of a likely Strickland defeat on November 8th notwithstanding the Republican ticket being headed by the controversial Donald J. Trump.
What a plum that would be for Maier, Jr, no? National appointments in the offing? Maybe Maier, Jr. loyalist Kathy Catazaro-Perry is getting restless being the "mere" mayor of Massillon and has higher aspirations?
For back in 2006 when Strickland ran for governor, Maier, Jr.—then the Stark Dems' chairman—prevailed on the local Democrats to endorse Strickland in a contested Democratic primary.
Normally, local parties do not endorse in such races.
But Johnnie saw a political opportunity in the offing and it appears he made the most of some of his collection of political devotees that dot (past/present, some elected, some not) the payrolls a various Stark County political subdivisions.
Who knows how many political bouquets Strickland threw Johnnie's way owing to the Stark Dems' "first in Ohio" endorsement, but all but the completely politically naive have to think that getting brother George appointed #2 in the Ohio Department of Highway Safety (ODHS) was one of them.
Another, likely, was Maier political mentor and supporter Gayle Jackson (a former Perry Township trustee and Stark County commissioner at the time of her appointment to the local office of the Ohio Lottery Commission.
It seems as if Sheriff George has learned his political lessons well (for the most part, but see this LINK for an exception) from older brother Johnnie. So at the the ODHS he didn't do so well. Nobody is perfect, right?
As the SCPR sees the Maier brothers and their political consort R. Shane Jackson (Stark Dems' political director and chief deputy clerk of courts in Massillon in the office of elected clerk Johnnie who serves the judges of Massillon Muny one of whom is Margaret Elum's husband Eddie), they have done quite well at politicizing employment in Stark County government all on the dime of Stark County taxpayers.
There have been some tough times along the way on the pathway of making George Stark County sheriff.
As The Report sees, the Maier brothers plus R. Shane Jackson and a number of their allies (e.g. Jackson fiscal officer, former Stark County Dems' chairman and chief deputy of the Canton Muny Court Randy Gonzalez) bullied George through Stark County political mayhem into becoming Stark County sheriff.
Now Stark Countians appear to be witnessing the complete politicization who who gets a non-union-contract job with the Stark County sheriff's office.
A part of the graphic that leads this blog, shows political contributions by George and Phillip Elum to the George T. Maier campaign for sheriff.
They are owners of the Elum Music Company.
Take a look at this graphic:
As of February 19, 2015 Amster-Kirtz was no long the commissary supplier at the Stark County jail.
Interesting, no?
Especially in light of the "on the surface, as-a-matter-of-public-record" political connection between George, Phillip and George T.
Of course, it could be that the political relationship had nothing to do with the switch over from Amster-Kirtz to Elum Music Company.
But, even if so, who is going to believe it?
The close personal/political relationship between the Elums and Maiers goes way back beyond the contemporary political environment.
Non-Maier-politically-connected but taxpaying Stark County citizens need not apply? Is that the state of things that the George and Johnnie has brought to Stark County political subdivision government.
To boot, it appears that the Stark County sheriff's office (and in the case of Joel Smith) and Massillon is becoming a "retire from my career job at the State Highway Patrol" and get rehired in Stark County political division government haven courtesy of the Massillon Maier Brothers Political Machine.
All at Stark County political subdivision taxpayers and it seems that it would be fruitless for an non-Maier-politically-connected citizen to apply.
Wow!!!
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