GIBBS SNUBS STARK COUNTY; HARBAUGH GETS LOUDEST APPLAUSE AMONG ALL THE CANDIDATES

CANTON NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS
HIP COUNCIL CANDIDATES NIGHT
OCTOBER 8, 2018

It seems to The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) that Republican incumbent congressman Bob Gibbs (7th District which includes most of Stark Count7) first elected in November, 2012) is digging an awfully deep hole for himself.

The SCPR has reason to believe that there are polls out there that suggest that the Ken Harbaugh campaign is feeling ebullient about the prospect that Harbaugh will pull the upset of the night come November 6th.

Each of the candidates who participated in the Canton Neighborhood Leadership Council (CNLC, a civic endeavor of the Stark Community Foundation) were each asked to tell a little bit about themselves and then answer a question presented by Moderator Martin Zawacky.

When it came to Harbaugh's turn, Zawacky was somewhat dumbfounded as to which question to ask him in view of the fact in the years Zawacky had never had as many "from-the-audience" questions to select one from in presenting question to Harbaugh, to wit: (4 min, 55 sec)

Ultimately, Zawacky chose the one on what he would do as congressman to protect/enhance health care for Americans.

Harbaugh's heartfelt response which elicited a robust audience applause that trumped any other audience response to the other eight candidates, to wit:

One has to wonder what the excuse was for Gibbs and other Stark County connected candidates who failed to respond to the CNLC invitation to last evening's Town Hall.

The CNLC did not comment on the above-listed candidates not even doing the civil and respectful thing and respond to the CNLC and at the very least submit written answers to the questions posed.

But the SCPR will in this blog single out several candidates who have an opponent but elected not to participate in the CNLC Town Hall.

Republican Scott Oelslager who is running in the 48th Ohio House District.  Oelslager who has been in the Ohio General Assembly (OGA) as either a state representative or state senator for about 35 years by switching offices every eight years with Kirk Schuring (a total of 25 years in the OGA) thereby making a mockery of term limits instituted in the early 1990s in Ohio.

Oelslager by virtue of his inaccessibility to nearly every Stark Countian who asks for his ear, to wit:

• his current opponent says she decided to run against him because he refused to meet with her as a constituent of his, and
• he refused a demand a number years ago by Canton City Council president Allen Schulman that he appear before council to answer questions about Governor Kasich on concert with the Ohio General Assembly dramatically cut "local government funding" thereby placing Canton and many other localities in financial distress,

Obviously, Oelslager has become "to big for his britches" and consequently thinking himself to being invulnerable to losing an election apparently thinks connecting with his constituents and the voting public is too much of a bother,

Mysteriously, his opponent Democrat Lorraine Wilburn did not respond either.  So who is she to complain about Oelslager's arrogance?

Kirk Schuring did respond to President Schulman's cry for a hearing on Canton's financial plight and did offer a very weak legislative response that went absolutely nowhere.

The SCPR's take on Schuring is that he is an example of a legislator who is "a respecter of persons.  If you are a "big" at The Repository or an executive at the Professional Football Hall of Fame or the mayor of Canton, Schuring is all ears and will move heaven earth to meet your needs.

Several years ago, Schuring feigned to the SCPR that he wanted to get legislation passed which would require local (county, city, village and board of education) candidates who get contributions of $100 or more to list the vocation/employment of the contributor so that voters could ascertain whether or not the candidate might be owing to the contributor.

The Report thinks that exercise was "all for show."

Again, mysteriously, his opponent Lauren Friedman in Schuring's " it's time to  switch with Oelslager" 29th Ohio Senate District which includes most of Stark County failed to respond to the CNLC invitation.  With an opponent who seems not to figure out that it might to appear in front of the 150 or so Stark Countians who were at last night's Town Hall, Oelslager's arrogance predictable.

Quite a few local officials think Oelslager and Schuring have been effective for Stark County over their combined 60 years in the OGA.

There is no doubt that both have produced some benefit in terms of "bringing home the bacon" to Stark County.

But, the SCPR think the combined 60 years should have brought far more than they have produced.

Under their watch, Stark County:

• has lost millions upon millions to charter schools and in the case of ECOT online charter schools,
• has been engulfed with gigantic cuts in state local government funding, and
• has been chopped up into highly gerrymandered districts designed to keep their Republican Party in power (including themselves), and 
• has been burdened with "unfunded mandates" by state government

Now tell me, what is so laudable about that?

Additionally, in not appearing Oelslager, Schuring, Friedman and Wilburn (as well as all others on the non-responsive list above) undermine our democratic-system of government in that their non participation in civic events sends a message that communication with voters in not worthy of their time.

One person who is not a candidate but who has a stake in the quality/viability of Canton's neighborhood associations is Canton mayor Thomas Bernabei.

What follows is a SCPR interview with Mayor Bernabei.  Anyone who cares anything about the rebuilding of Canton's neighborhoods should definitely view these videos:

First, a "video montage" of most if not all of the neighborhood association displays which ringed the Town Hall meeting room.



Second, Canton mayor Thomas M. Bernabei speaking about the key role that Canton's neighborhoods play in rebuilding Canton's infrastructure.  (5 min, 20 sec)

The Stark County Political Report joins Mayor Bernabei in lauding the Stark Community Foundation and Canton Neighborhood Leadership Council's Marilyn Thomas Jones for planning and implementing last night's Town Hall.

APPENDIX

Candidate statements submitted to the CNLC.

Copy of brochure published by CNLC

The entire video of the candidate Q&A session. (35 min, 53 sec)