You talk about a massive rebuke of previously elected members of the North Canton Board of Education, last's night's election was a HUGE repudiation of member Hunt, Greenwald, VanVranken and Cross.
Member Cross apparently saw "the handwriting on the wall" and decided not to run for a new term.
Member Marion, the only board member to demonstrate that she understood and was in touch with the North Canton City School District (NCCS/NCCSD) voters in twice voting "no" on putting Issue 44 on the ballot.
Unfortunately for the constituents of the school system, Nancy Marion decided not to run for re-election.
One can imagine the guff she had to put up with in being the "only" board member to have gauged the sentiment of the school district community, which, by-the-way, includes a large part of Lake Township. Lake has no income tax and chances are that, when precinct numbers are published by the Stark Board of Elections, the Lake precincts in the NCCD will be shown to have voted overwhelmingly "no" on having a local income tax placed on them.
Another person to be singled out for special commendation is Jessica Stroia (out fundraised $13,455 to $2,308) who ran against what had to appear to be the political juggernaut of Hunt, Rhoden (a former NCCS superintendent) and Ziarko and, to boot, her openly and avowedly being against Issue 44.
- (see graphic below showing Stroia coming in third in three to be selected in the 2017 NCCS BOE race)
She shows that a determined, focused citizen can make a difference.
Holdover board members Jordan Greenwald and Suzie VanVranken ought to consider resigning in light of the gigantic rejection of their work product which they, combined, were 50% of. Last night's election is clear indication that they have lost the confidence of the district's voters.
A specific really big political casualty of the "no" on Issue 44 outpouring last night was board president Bruce Hunt. (see CFR summaries below)
Hunt lost last night despite being hugely advantage in campaign finance resources.
Moreover, he and his sidekick at the Ball Corporation, George Smart, kicked $5,000 to both the "yes on Issue 44" and the Hunt, Rhoden and Ziarko (ran as a trio) campaign.
In a way, the failed steamroller effort by Hunt et al is a testament to voters ability, here and there, to be unaffected by big political money being thrown out in support of candidates or issues, to wit:
A negative on the Vote "no" group is that a SCPR effort to ask questions of Gregory was not responded to.
But the Vote "no" SCPR contact person was quite willing to respond to SCPR questions as to why the "no" position was the correct one for voters to adopt.
Mr. Gregory needs to step forward and answer questions about how he came to be involved in the Vote "no" effort and why he was willing to contribute $6,000 to the cause.
Through the pre-general CFR the "yeses" outspent the "noes" $5 to $1 dollars.
The post-general CFRs might show even a greater disparity.
It is refreshing to know that in a few instances abundant campaign financial resources is reduced to being like throwing money into a bottomless pit in the mistaken notion that more money will "always" solve being on the wrong side of an candidate or issue.
Finally, a SCPR word of admonition to North Canton elected city officials (i.e. North Canton City Council and Mayor David Held).
As The Report has written before:
As The Stark County Political Report sees it, North Canton government in being "asleep at the switch" on the administration of its Community [Rei]nvestment Area [CRA] ordinance gave birth to what The Report thinks is a full blown rift between that government and North Canton City Schools (NCCS).
Ohio law and the failure of North Canton government to limit the use of a Community Reinvestment Area tax credits (i.e. limiting to four units or less) resulted in the planting of a seed in 2012 that has matured into a horrific (in terms of community cohesion) rupture in schools/community relations that threatens the ability of the North Canton's overall ability to work together in the best interests of its citizens.
In 2012, an unelected Housing Officer (as provided for by Ohio law supposedly as a way to keep "politics" out of tax abatement decisions) decided on his own, and, if you believe it—unbeknownst to any elected city official—to award a 100% tax abatement to North Ridge Place, LLC for the building of an apartment complex near the intersection of North Main Street and Applegrove.
When the decision came to light (March, 2016), city officials scrambled to mitigate its effect on all property tax recipients (including to a small degree North Canton government itself) but mainly North Canton's schools.
One of loudest opponents of Issue 44 was Mayor David Held.
Ok, Mr. Mayor, you and your fellows have prevailed.
It is now up to you and former NCCS superintendent and newly elected NCCS BOE member Robert Rhoden to form a joint effort to heal the rift that now separates North Cantonians and school district constituents from one another.
You, Mr. Mayor, (re-elected to a seventh term last night) needs to sit down NOW with Rhoden and discuss coming up with ways and means to heal the North Canton School District/North Canton government divide.
Are you up to the task: Mayor David Held?
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