Hagan petition filing
Back in November, 2017, The Stark County Political Report wrote off former state Representative John P. Hagan as a viable political candidate going forward.
Hagan, by the narrowest of margins, lost his seeming secure toehold as a Marlboro Township trustee as a consequence of former trustee John Battershell deciding to run for one of two trustee slots up for election for which he and fellow Republican Ken Eddleman were incumbents.
Something had to give and it was John P. Hagan who was relegated to a giver.
(Unofficial Results)
In addition to his political history as a Marlboro Township trustee, John P. Hagan served as state representative in the 50th Ohio House District (which includes Marlboro Township) from 2001 through 2008. Like many bitten by the political bug, Hagan after being term limited out of the Ohio House after 2008 ran for Stark County commissioner in the 2008 general election but lost by a surprising margin to Democratic Party political neophyte Pete Ferguson. In 2009 Hagan ran to return to the Marlboro Township trustee board (from whence he came in 2000) and was elected in the context of two incumbent trustees (Wise, defeated; Wolf, did not run) providing a pathway for Hagan's return.
But, as shown above, he lost as Marlboro trustee in 2017.
All of this corresponded with his daughter Christina at father John's lobbying the Republican Ohio House Caucus getting appointed in March, 2011 to his former 50th District seat when incumbent and recently re-elected Republican Todd Snitchler resigned to become the director of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (a position which John P. Hagan himself applied for).
On the heels of John P. Hagan losing his trustee seat, daughter Christina got the crazy idea of running for the United States Congress for the 16th District in light of current representative Jim Renacci opting to drop out of Congress and run for governor which in the light of other political developments became his current run for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.
Christina Hagan started wackily thinking that she, John P. and a brother (Josh, who ran to replace her in the 50th Ohio House district on her abandoning the 50th with one term of eligibility remaining) were in the process of creating a Stark County-based Hagan political empire.
Christina (joined at the hip with Donald J. Trump) lost handily to more or less mainstream Republican Anthony Gonzalez of Westlake.
So it appeared that the Hagan aspirational political juggernaut was DOA.
Just a few days ago, this blogger was running through the list of candidates published by the Stark County Board of Elections.
Lo and behold! - this:
It appears (from the below included petitions filed with the Stark County Board of Elections) that somewhere around July 19, 2018, Hagan decided to run for the State Board of Education - 8th District.
So maybe there is a flicker of a flame left for Christina to focus on if the Hagans are one day to achieve her dream of being a Stark County Republican powerhouse.
Its not a pretty thought especially when it comes to primary and secondary education issues, policies, programs and practices, but which political party controls the state board of education is paramount to both the Republican and Democratic "organized" state parties.
At last count, Republicans control the 19 member board (8 members appointed by Republican governor John Kasich) numbered 12 to 7.
Elected members are limited to two successive terms.
Both Dahman and Purdy are Democrats.
It was imperative in the quest for majority control that Republicans find someone to try to preserve the eighth district (which includes Stark County, the largest of the 13 county district) as Republican seat with the Hollister decision not to run for re-election.
(Source: Stark BOE)
John P. Hagan's two Democratic opponents do have credentials that seem to qualify them to be running for a state board of education seat.
Link for Kathleen Purdy.
Link 1, Link 2 for Melissa Dahman.
Dahman is particularly impressive to the SCPR.
As The Report understands her effectiveness as a player in solving some of Ohio's educational environment problems (i.e. school violence), she currently has state Senator Joe Schiavoni and state Representative John Boccieri (a former Democratic congressman of the "old" 16th Congressional District which included "all" of Stark County (elected in 2008 but denied re-election in 2010) working to gain passage of legislation (S.B. 314) to help solve some of Ohio school violence issues.
SOURCE: SCHIAVONI OHIO HOUSE WEBPAGE
So there could not be a greater contrast between the "politico" John P. Hagan and political neophyte Melissa Dahman who is running not primarily to be a place holder for a political party. But rather as an energized, seemingly effective 18 year old who undoubtedly will create some positive waves if elected in some 84 days.
Another loss for John P. Hagan certainly will be the political end for the Hagan clan, no?
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