END OF LINE FOR COMMISSIONER MEEKS? CAN POLITI CAL PAL AND STARK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR GONZALEZ & FRIENDS THROW HIM A LIFELINE?

 

Talk about bad choices!  Commissioner Steven Meeks made one early this year when he opted out of the race that he was appointed to fill on December 15, 2009 when Tom Harmon's resignation from the Stark County Board of Commissioners became effective.

The lure of a four year term was more than Meeks could resist.

Had he elected to stay with the two years remaining on Harmon's term, he probably would not be looking at being forced (by Stark County voters) into retirement as commissioner not later than a week from tomorrow.  

November 23rd is the deadline for former Canton law director Tom Bernabei to be certified by the Stark County Board of Elections as the winner in his face off against Republican Jamie Walters and independent Stephen Todd.  Unless the certification is moved up to sometime before 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday (the 16th), Meeks will be doing his last meeting as commissioner on the 17th.  If the certification does get moved up, then Meeks is already done.

The SCPR believes he would have had a much better chance to retain office had he decided to stay with Harmon's unexpired term.

 

Actually, The Report believes that Meeks would have done better against Walters and independent candidate Stephen Todd than Bernabei did.  In fact, The Report's analysis is that had Todd not been in the race, Bernabei would have lost to Walters.  

Bernabei, who has spent all his political life in Canton and therefore - apparently - is not that well known and/or appreciated in suburbia.  Meeks could have held the predominantly Democratic areas as did Bernabei, but could have cut into Walters' strength at least in Jackson Township.  Perhaps, enough so, that he would not have needed the help of Todd to emerge the victor.

But the fact of the matter is that Meeks seems to not have counted on drawing Creighton in the full term race.  Originally, Walters filed for the full term Republican primary.  However, when Creighton determined she wanted to be commissioner, Walters was swept aside by the Republican "powers that be" and relegated to running for the Harmon unexpired term.

Meeks is only 52 years of age.  What is he to do?  Is he at the end of the line insofar as a political career is concerned?

Elected as Jackson Township trustee in 2000, he served two terms and then found that his key associations (i.e. then Chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., and Executive Vice President Randy Gonzalez - also a fellow officer holder in Jackson; now as fiscal officer) propelled him into a political plum of a job with the newly elected Strickland administration.  Meeks was appointed by Strickland to be his "eyes and ears" as Region 9 director.

Meeks served as Strickland's man until Tom Harmon (also a Maier devotee) decided (after getting appointed to former Commissioner Gayle Jackson's commissioner spot - she left to become a Strickland appointee to The Lottery Commissioner in mid-2007; Jackson also being a Johnnie A. Maier, Jr loyalist) to vacate his office effective December 15, 2009.

It is interesting to see Meeks, Harmon, Jackson and Maier himself snare state and/or local offices for themselves and those close to them as if public jobs were their entitlement.

So what is Meeks to do now that he is out in the political cold?  Or, is he?

He was making about $76,500 as commissioner.  How can he fill the financial void?

For one thing, the SCPR believes he will take on Jamie Walters for the trustee seat that Meeks once held in Jackson and tried to pass onto his wife.  But, even if he does and is successful, that is not enough one would think.

The SCPR believes the wheels are turning among the Gonzalez, Jackson and Maier political collaborative to find new political jobs for Meeks and Gayle Jackson (who undoubtedly will be replaced by Republican Governor-elect John Kasich). 
Of course, Maier himself faces re-election in 2011 as Massillon's clerk of courts.  Once has to wonder whether or not Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr. is not scouting around for someone to run against Maier.

Kind of a payback for the likelihood that Maier appears to be working to get either Councilwoman Kathy Catazaro-Perry or Judge Eddie Elum to run against Chicchinelli?

It is one thing for Steve Meeks to be out of a public job.

It would be a big time political earthquake of gigantic proportions if career politician Maier were brought to heel, no?

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: IF THE NUMBER OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS IS ANY INDICATION, CREIGHTON SWAMPS MEEKS IN TOMORROW'S FULL TERM STARK COMMISSIONER ELECTION

Yours truly has been going through pre-general election campaign finance reports to see what interesting tidbits of whom is contributing to him and the search has been successful.

In the Creighton versus Meeks (for the four year term being vacated by Todd Bosley), the reports find reveal a number of interesting facts.

First, Creighton out raised Meeks $56,257.00 to $13,140.00.  Moreover, in terms of contributions, Creighton outdid Meeks 924 (including "in-kind") to 35.  Now, mind you, the number of contributions does not equal number of contributors.  However, it is safe to say - even discounting the same person contributing multiple times - Creighton's actual contributor count is way up in the hundreds whereas Meeks is in double digits.

Second, of the contributions to Meeks, most of it came from organized labor.

So, one might say:  "he is a Democrat."  True.  But Meeks is not your normal "pound the flesh with the general public" type Democrat.  He is more of the Glenmoor set. 

Just ask Dan Scuiry, president of the AFL-CIO Hall of Fame what he thinks of Meeks and Meeks' close friend Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez?

Meeks' ability to raise money for his campaign against Creighton has to be down right embarrassing for his having been Governor Strickland's region nine director at its Akron headquarters.  Remember, he was to be "the eyes and ears of the governor?"

Some are saying that Meeks has just flat given up on this race.  And it's understandable that he would.  For the numbers on campaign finance alone make it clear that Creighton is going to be the people's choice tomorrow by a rather large number.

It appears that Meeks' did beat Creighton in number of large contributions ($1,000 or more).  However, Creighton got the largest single contribution in getting $5,000.00 from "Women Votes," a Stark County Republican Party front group created by the organized Stark County Republican Party that only endorses and contributes to Republican candidates.  The Democrats have such and organization called the Coalition of Women Voters.

Overall, it appears that Creighton has much more grassroots support than Meeks which the SCPR believes will be amplified come tomorrow's election!

(KUHN VIDEO) IT'S HARD TO CRITIQUE A WELL-MEANING ORGANIZATION, BUT NOBODY IS IMMUNE TO THE SCPR'S CRITICAL EYE. THE CANTON AREA LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS BOTCHED THE SO-CALLED 2010 STARK COUNTY OFFICES DEBATES! COMMISSIONER MEEKS DENIED THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR. MEEKS WILL BE LEAVING OFFICE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER NOT LATER THAN NOVEMBER 23RD.

Last night when yours truly arrived at the commissioners' debate sponsored by the Canton Area League of Women Voters, Commissioner Steve Meeks was spotted talking animatedly with League officials.

What could this conversation be about?

The SCPR had made a mental note that in none of the previous debates had anything been said about there being a Meeks/Creighton debate.

Meeks is a sitting Stark County commissioner who is filling out the term of Tom Harmon who quit on December 15, 2009.  As predicted by The Report, the Stark County Democratic Party poobahs saw to it that Meeks got the appointment. 

Rather than run for the term he was appointed to, Meeks decided that he wanted to run for the four-year term being vacated by Commissioner Todd Bosley who has decided to run for state representative - the 50th.  Again, something that the SCPR predicted that he would do.

Well, Republicans have been smarting that they are completely shut out of holding any non-judicial countywide offices.  So they did a smart thing.  And this was before "all hell broke loose" on what local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley has nominated as being "Zeiglergate."

Stark County Treasurer Gary Zeigler was removed from office on August 23, 2010 by county commissioners  under the authority of Ohio statutory law due to the loss of $2.96 million of county funds on his watch.  Zeigler was not implicated in any way in the actual loss of the money.  However, many Stark Countians (and, the State of Ohio auditor's office) take the position that he did not implement office procedures to prevent the opportunity for the loss to happen.

Now the Republicans are hoping to pick up the auditor's office and the treasurer's office.

In shifting from the two-year term, Meeks put himself in line for a sure electoral defeat.

How's that?

He drew former Bush administration official, former mayor of Canton, former Stark County auditor and former recorder Janet Weir Creighton as his opponent.

And one thing Janet knows how to do is campaign.  Meeks, not so much.

Meeks' campaigning inadequacies are readily apparent in this race.  But he did show up to the League of Women Voters event - which, but for the Canton City Schools covering the event with its television vocational school students and the SCPR videotaping the event, is pretty much a "non-event."

Attendance at the debates have ranged from about 15 to no more than 50 (if they are dripping wet).

Meeks has likely figured out by now that he is about to lose his commissioners' seat and lose it big.  So he is scrambling around at the last moment to try and salvage his seat.

It ain't gone to happen, but he can try.

Now this is where the Canton Area League of Women Voters comes in.

When the dates for the debates were being set up, a League representative gave candidates for the various offices (state representative, state senator, county commissioner, county treasurer and county auditor) a range of dates to select from.  Well, right out of the box, Creighton told them she could not make "any" Wednesday night.  The League's response:  (to paraphrase) - "Okay, then we won't have a debate for the four-year commissioner term."

Well, why not move it to a different night?

The SCPR believes it was because the League was locked into Wednesdays at the Timken High School auditorium and a time, place and availability for the television production facility and personnel to come together.  Apparently, no other night would do.

Steve Meeks had to know about this situation, but he showed up anyhow.

As The Report sees it, there was no reason why on "God's little acre" that the League could not have allowed Meeks to participate in the Bernabei/Todd/Walters debate held last night at Timken.

But no!  "The rules are the rules, the policy is the policy, and we'll look at it again but for tonight Steve Meeks is not allowed to participate."

The SCPR believes that there was an alternative to this inflexibility.

In talking with Janet Creighton today, she suggested that she could have, if asked, sent a representative were Meeks to be allowed to appear. 

But the League never suggested this alternative.

So the Meeks story is an anecdotal account of the League fumbling and bumbling with the debate/forum thing.

The SCPR has been all over the League to sharpen up its skills if it wants to sponsor debates/forums or whatever you want to call them.  It is hard for The Report to swallow the descriptor "debate" when Moderator Dick Kuhn seems to get unnerved when the candidates have a cross word for one another like Jamie Walters and Tom Bernabei did last night.

Todd Bosley and Todd Snitchler (candidates for the 50th Ohio House seat) are not exactly enamored with one another:  witness complaints being filed by them or their surrogates with the Ohio Elections commission.

Hello, Richard?  These folks are fighting for a public office.  Things might get a little heated here and there.  Nothing about to get out of control.  Just direct and pointed.  Ever heard the expression:  "If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen."

Another beef the SCPR has with the League is the location of the forum (yours truly gives up on the word "debate," folks these events are not debates).

Timken High School and the core of downtown Canton?  Maybe for the 51st Ohio House seat.  But not for the 50th, the 51st and the 29th (Ohio Senate) or even the commissioners' forum.

Very few Stark Countians are interested in going to downtown Canton in the evening!

Final point.  Where is the PR?  Wow!  The League of Women Voters' forums are the best kept secret in all of Stark County.

A second "final point" (ha):  Go get Ron Ponder (WHBC) or Gayle Beck (The Rep) to moderate these events.  God love him, but Dick Kuhn is no moderator.

So there are the reasons that the SCPR gives the Canton Area League of Women Voters an F grade for the quality (or better, lack of quality) of their election forums.

We all got to love them for trying, but there is too much time and effort expended by the candidates, the League members, the media and even the meager number who attend, and too much at stake in getting loads of citizens to attend these forums so that they are better equipped to pick the leaders of tomorrow's Stark County leaders.

Thank you Canton Area League of Women Voters for your good intentions.

But please, please rethink whether nor not holding public candidate forums is "Your cup of tea."

Here is a video of LWV Vice President Richard Kuhn explaining why Commissioner Steven Meeks was not allowed to participate in the commissioners candidate forum last evening.

NEW SET OF COMMISSIONERS (LIKELY, CREIGHTON & BERNABEI" ) TO BE A REHASH OF THE PAST?

With this statement in The Repository's piece yesterday:  Commissioner candidates sound off on legal powers, (material obviously discussed in the endorsement interviews of the paper's editorial board) to wit:

Candidates agreed economic development is needed to move the county forward. They aren’t sure, though, if creating a new economic development office is the way to go about it. Stark already has public-private partnerships, for example, with the likes of the Stark Development Board. (emphasis added)

Stark Countians should be despairing.  "Not sure" about "creating a new economic development office."  Whew!

Leave it or a hodgepodge of "private-public" partnerships?

• Well, the fragmented approach makes sense if public official wants to unaccountable.  Is this what Meeks, Creighton, Walters and Bernabei are about?

The SCPR would say that Stark County voters should NOT vote for any county commissioner candidate who hasn't offered up some sort of long term economic development plan against which to be measured in four and two years, respectively.  However, that would mean not choosing among the four candidates vying for office because none of them have come forward with such a plan.

So a secondary approach for voters has to be:  whom among the four is most likely to see the light, take the bull by the horns once in office and lead the way with a bold, creative and comprehensive economic development plan with success/failure built in measurement to make the proposer accountable to the voters in 4/2 years, respectively?

Yours truly has been fighting for years now to get Stark County's leadership to to "lead!"

Although it was naive to take former Stark County commissioner Tom Harmon at his word when he was appointed by the Stark County Democratic Party in 2007 that Stark County's economic development would be his main game, all one has in these times is to hope against hope that the utterances of the one likes of Harmon (a representation of the consummate politico) really means what he/she says rather than just spewing out the political rhetoric.

Harmon never did produce on his political blandishments.  Unless, that is, his promotion of Elizabeth Burick's idea of placing a horse show arena at the Stark County Fairgrounds is anywhere near being an economic development plan.

Burick's idea is a start.  But that is all it is.  The Stark County Fairgrounds are potentially a huge Stark County asset which could with creative and visionary leadership be the anchor of a rebuilt Stark County economy.  After all, agriculture is the major economic factor in all of Stark County.

Clark County, Ohio has done a magnificent job of redeveloping its fairgrounds.  Perhaps Stark Countians can learn from Clark's experience and build upon what already has been done.

A thoughtful, energized commissioner candidate could begin with Stark's fairgrounds as a hub and showcase for an economic redevelopment project.  He/she might want to push for the creation of a "Stark Fairgrounds Economic Redevelopment Project Committee" which would be staffed by graduates of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce's (CRCC)  "Leadership Stark County Signature Program."

Perhaps a retired Stark County leader of proven accomplishment in economical development in the private sector will step forward and volunteer his/her time to lead eager LSC graduates on such a quest.

Their mandate would be clear and to the point:  work with Stark County-based resources to create a concept plan for the complete reconfiguration of the Stark County Fairgrounds into a new and modernized facility that will yield manifold economic benefit for decades to come.

Concept drawings would be generated, cost would be projected and alternative and complementary sources of funding (e.g. bond, a countywide hotel and bed tax et cetera) proposed.

The SCPR has long been critical of Leadership Stark County (LSC) because it seems to The Report that its Signature and Government leadership groups are more credential and resume building phenomena than an effective producers of hands-on leaders who get things done for the benefit of Stark County.

It appears to The Report that Janet Creighton and Tom Bernabei will be the winning candidates in November.  However, whomever wins, it is essential for Stark County to dig itself out of its financial and economic morass for the victors to adopt a plan of action for long term economic action.

Moreover, the winning candidate need to have a financial responsibility plan in mind from day one of taking office.

Those Stark Countians (e.g. Vote No Increased Taxes Committee) who demand full and complete efficiency in government must be heeded.

Beyond making local government totally efficient, a forward-looking commissioner must find ways to fund local government in ways that Stark Countians buy into.  A likely candidate is a sales tax which is dedicated to funding criminal justice in Stark County.  Criminal justice expenditures account for 70% of the current general fund budgeting appropriations.

All five candidates have been disappointing to the SCPR in terms of them having affirmative and specific ideas on how to solve Stark County government's economic and financial problems.

The SCPR for one will be pushing, pushing and pushing still more until the commissioners get it.

Get it?

Yes, get it.

The days are long past that Stark Countians are going to allow a commissioner more than one term in office when that commissioner has been a "mere" occupant of a commissioner's seat.

Productiveness and accountability are now the markers for all who get elected to this office.

In terms of meaningful economic development and financial planning, none of the current crop of commissioners (Bosley, Ferguson nor Meeks) have measured up.  It is interesting to note that of the three, only Ferguson is likely to remain after November's election.

The question is:  will the new commissioner(s) be a spark for a re-energized and re-invigorated Stark County or will they mirror the staid and stale approach of commissioners of the past?

Because Bernabei or Walters will filling a two-year term, Stark Countians will have an opportunity to go to two new commissioners in 2012 if Ferguson and/or the new commissioner has not moved the economic development and financial planning model forward.

The 2012 elections will be a time of holding the incumbent accountable!

A REMATCH "OF SORTS" IN JACKSON TOWNSHIP IN THE OFFING?

Both (Commissioner Steven Meeks and Trustee Jamie Walters) appear to the SCPR to have only an outside chance to be elected Stark County commissioner on November 2nd.

So what are the respective back up plans?

At one time, Meeks (according to sources) was looking to replace Gary Zeigler as treasurer.  But that was only if Zeigler was to "see the light" and resign.  He didn't and the commissioners decided to remove him.


MEEKS

Even though the the treasurer's position is open, it does not appear to be an option for Meeks.

Why?

Beacause:

1.  It wouldn't be seemly.  After all, Meeks was one of three commissioners (Bosley and Ferguson being the other two) who voted one week ago today to remove Zeigler under the authority of Ohio Revised Code Section 321.38 from office.

2.  There is a remote (in the opinion of the SCPR) that the 5th District Court of Appeals could decide to return Zeigler to office.  Where would that leave an appointee?

3.  The appointee has to run for treasurer this November (not two years from now) which would be too short of time to shift gears, let alone a likely voter adverse reaction (in Meeks' case) at what would appear to be sheer political opportunism.

Though it will mean an even larger fall from the lofty heights of being Governor Strickland's Region 9 "eyes and ears" man, the word is that Meeks is already looking at running for his old post as Jackson Township trustee.

Meeks needs a backup plan, no?

WALTERS

It has been a topsy-turvy political run of it for Jackson Township Trustee Jamie Walters.

When he started out, it was to be a match up with Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley.  And Walters could not wait to get his political hooks into Bosley.

Walters probably figured that with Bosley voting to impose a 0.50 of one percent sales tax increase (along with then Commissioners Vignos and Harmon) in December, 2008 that he had a real chance to defeat a sitting commissioners.

And he was probably correct.

But then the political landscape did a kaleidoscopic-esque change and Walter's former bright political future turned into a bleak one overnight.

First, Bosley pulled out of the commissioners race when Ohio Speaker of the House Armond Budish paid a visit to him in December, 2009 with news from on high.  The Democratic House Caucus had done some polling in Stark County to figure out who would be its strongest candidate to go at Republican incumbent Todd Snitchler (the 50th House District).

Lo and behold the political seers had blessed Bosley with their designation as the person who could defeat Snitchler.

Second, with Bosley pulling out, former Canton mayor Janet Creighton who undoubtedly has been itching to get back into Stark County politics (once it gets in your blood, it nearly impossible to get it out) is saying to herself "Hmm," an opportunity.

So why didn't she pull petitions to run against Bosley in the first place?  Probably because she knows that Bosley runs mean and ugly campaigns.  Not that she was frightened.  But she's been there and done that with William J. Healy, II and likely was not wild about getting into the political cesspool again.

Now that is all changed.  Steve Meeks, appointed by the Stark County Democratic Central Committee to fill Tom Harmon's unfulfilled term on December 15th, elects to jump from "retaining" the Harmon seat (for two years) to taking over the Bosley vacated four year term.

If Steven M. Meeks is anything, he is a gentleman.  Creighton can run a high level campaign and defeat Meeks easily.

But what about Walters?

Well, all that gets handled in the back rooms of 2727 Fulton Ave, NW (the Stark GOP headquarters location).

A plan appears to have been hatched there  for Walters to step aside in favor of the Stark County Republican Party's most powerful countywide vote getter (Creighton) and for him to join party newcomer Dean Windham (from Lake) to fight for the right to run against Democratic Party candidate Tom Bernabei.

What a huge political tumble for Walters!

He has to fight for his political life in a primary against a political newbie (Windham) and if he wins (which he did) has to run against a man he has no issues to contend with on and a man who has been elected many times over to various positions in Canton government who has gotten tons of ink over many years in The Repository and the Akron Beacon Journal, not to mention The Massillon Independent and The Alliance Review.

Where Walters stands today is a long way from where he stood on November 07, 2007 when he defeated Steven Meeks' handpicked candidate (his wife,  Patty) to try to keep the Jackson trustee seat as a family heirloom.

Can there be any "reasonable" doubt that Jamie Walters needs a back up plan.

THE BACKUP PLAN

STEVEN M. MEEKS VERSUS JAMIE WALTERS, NOVEMBER, 2011.

WILL THE STARK COUNTY'S 9-1-1 FUNDING MAKE IT TO THE STARK COUNCIL ON GOVERNMENTS (SCOG)?

Recently, yours truly had a conversation with Commissioner Todd Bosley in which the topic of funding for the Stark County Council of Governments' (SCOG) came up.

Stark Countians will recall that Bosley spearheaded an effort to "impose" a sales tax increase of 0.50 of one percent in December, 2008.  The sales pitch for the sales tax was the repair of what he and many Stark County emergency force leaders tab as being a "broken 9-1-1 system."

However, a significant added reason (which was pushed into the background in justifying the tax) was getting more revenue for Stark County government general fund operations.

When "Vote No Increased Taxes" group got the retention or non-retention of the tax issue on the November, 2009 ballot, the pro-retention forces totally focused on the 9-1-1 aspect of the tax as being "the" reason why the tax should be retained.

Shortly after county voters overwhelmingly voted not to retain the tax (about 2 to 1 against retention), county commissioners began differing over putting the remaining revenue to be collected 50/50 into a 9-1-1 fund and the county general revenue fund.

Before former Commissioner Tom Harmon left office, he and Bosley had a public meeting difference over the division.  His successor Steve Meeks (joined by Commissioner Pete Ferguson) adopted the Harmon position and some of the early-on 9-1-1 designated money ended up in the Stark County general fund.

So why is the topic coming up again?

Because Bosley fears that if the money is not actually transferred to SCOG before he leaves office on December 31st (he is running for state representative for the Ohio House - the 50th - against Republican Todd Snitchler), the money or parts of it will never make it to SCOG.

Really?

Is Bosley's concern well founded?

The SCPR thinks so.

If the planned renewal of 0.25 of one percent sales tax does not fly by the May, 2011 election, Stark County departments of government are looking at about 30% to 35% in "across-the-board" cuts in 2012.

It seems to logical to The Report that if the "9-1-1" share of the money is still accessible to the commissioners after Bosley leaves office and the renewal does not pass, then the temptation to divert the money - or at least some of it - to the general fund will be strong.

If such were to happen, Stark Countians are likely to be looking at a scaled down re-work of 9-1-1, and if that were to happen, then taxpayers would be in a "We told you so" mode.

So look for Bosley to bring this matter up in the several months.

There could be a real donnybrook between commissioners in the offing!

VIDEO INCLUDED: A COMMISSIONER (BOSLEY & MEEKS) "POETIC" RESPONSE TO MASSILLON MAYOR FRANCIS CICCHINELLI & HIS CHARGE THAT THEY ARE NOT ACTING LIKE "COUNTY" COMMISSIONERS, BUT RATHER LIKE "TOWNSHIP" TRUSTEES?

Even before the Poets Glen, Massillon Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr had told the Stark County Political Report that Stark Commissioner Todd Bosley for sure was acting in legal capacity of being a commissioner as if he were still a Nimishillen Township trustee, at least, on the issues of annexation.

Cichinelli and Canton Director of Annexation Sam Sliman are two very aggressive Stark County annexers.  Sliman goes so far as to describe himself as the "Darth Vader to the Townships."

Consequently, Cichinelli and Sliman have earned the ire of their opponents.  In Cichinelli's case it's Tuscarawas Township and Perry Townships extraordinare.  For Sliman it is Plain Township and, though it's not a township, North Canton's government.

Cicchinelli and Sliman and Sliman's chief Canton sponsor Councilman Bill Smuckler think that annexation is a key component to economic development.

While Cicchinelli has some achievement to crow about, Canton does not.  Latest census figures show that Massillon is growing whereas Canton continues to plummet.  

So it is far from certain that annexation is a viable formula or even a factor in economic development.

On the Poets Glen annexation, Cicchinelli is on much stronger footing in the opinion of the SCPR with Commissioner Bosley having as his "hidden agenda" reason for voting against Massillon's annexation bid than for Meeks.

Why the differentiation between Bosley and Meeks?

Bosley is running for state representative against Republican Todd Snichler in the Ohio House 50th district.  Tuscarawas Township (Poets Glen's locale) is in the district as is part of Perry Township.

Meeks, on the other hand, is from Jackson Township and his good friend and staunch political ally Randy Gonzalez (Jackson Township fiscal officer and chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party) was one of the most ardent Jackson proponent of working out an annexation agreement with Sam Sliman and Canton.

But The Report believes that Cicchinelli perceives Meeks to be anti-Massillon.  If there is a justification for Cicchinelli's take on Meeks, it would have to be for reasons other than his position on annexations.

The Report's take on Meeks' vote on Poets Glen is that it was a "spur of the moment" decision and that he got drawn into voting against Massillon by virtue of the political skill that was demonstrated by Bosley in his structuring of the Poets Glen hearing.

Had either Republican Jane Vignos or Democrat Tom Harmon still been commissioner, the SCPR believes that Meeks would have voted with them to approve the Massillon annexation request,  That's how tenuous yours truly thinks Meeks' no vote was.

However, the SCPR has reason to believe it will cost him (mind you, both Cichinelli and Meeks are Democrats) Cicchinelli's support (covert, if not overt) in his race against former Canton mayor Janet Weir Creighton (Republican)  for the full four year term as Stark
commissioner.

Losing the most prominent Massillon politician's support was a high price for Meeks to pay, if The Report's analysis that he could have gone either way on the Poets Glen vote is correct.

For Bosley, there was nothing to lose and most everything to gain politically.  At most, Cicchinelli will be only a marginal factor in his race against Snitchler since the district does not encompass Massillon as it did when current Clerk of Courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. held the seat (known then as the 56th).

While the SCPR has already assessed that Creighton will win the commissioner seat, if Meeks is to have a chance to prove the SCPR wrong, he will need the all out support of Frank Cicchinelli and every other Democratic Massillon government official.

Massillon, of course, is a strong Democratic Stark County city.  Moreover, Creighton does not have the connection with Massillon that she has with Canton (having been a former mayor).  Another factor with Canton is that Sam Sliman is a Republican who first served in the Creighton administration.

While Canton is a strong Democratic enclave, the Republican Creighton has a likelihood of making a strong showing in the Hall of Fame city.  For her to have a similar opportunity via Cicchinelli would be a devastating blow to Meeks' chances to return as Stark County commissioner come January 1, 2011.

Before yesterday's commissioners' weekly meeting, the SCPR asked Bosley and Meeks to respond to Cicchinelli's response that they - on Poets Glen - acted as if they were still township trustees.

Here is the video response.

REVISION & UPDATE: STARK COUNTY'S TOP FOUR RACES - 2010

 

For Stark County only, the Stark County Political Report believes that the four listed in the graphic above will prove to be the most interesting and, perhaps, the most significant.

This blog is a revision of one published on February 18th.  Why a revision?  For a couple of reasons.

First, Richard Reinbold has made himself uncompetitve in the 29th Ohio Senate race by eschewing PAC money.  The saying is that "money is the mother's milk of politics."  Reinbold's action is admirable, but going up against the well-established Scott Oelslager is not a race one takes on without mucho, mucho campaign funds.

The SCPR is told that the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus has no money to put into the Reinbold effort.  And, The Report has learned, Reinbold was not the first choice anyway.  Both county Auditor Kim Perez and Plain Township Trustee Louis Giavasis were preferred over Reinbold to make the run at Oelslager.

 

As if the Senate Democrats are in a position to prefer anyone.  The Caucus is a pathetic excuse for an organized political entity.  Senate minority leader Capri Cafaro has proved to be an ineffective leader.

Apparently, Reinbold is looking to surprise us all and defeat Oelslager by being the unconventional candidate and thereby appeal to an electorate that seems to be tiring of "politics as usual."

The SCPR wishes him well, but The Report does not think this gambit will work to generate interest among Stark County voters.  Moreover, Reinbold by force of his personality does not generate excitement.  Couple having no money with a dull personality and you have a contest that loses its place in the SCPR top four Stark County races for 2010.

Second, The Report's listing of the Meeks/Creighton face-off as the number one attention getter in Stark County politics this year needs a little more explanation.

While the SCPR believes the Snitchler/Bosley match up will be the closest race this fall (likely to remain too close for the SCPR to call right up to election day), its intensity of interest will be for folks like yours truly, the pols in Columbus and, of course, the voters of the 50th Ohio House district.  Not as much in other parts of Stark County which also has the 51st district (Haines [Democrat] v. Schuring [Republican]) and the 52nd (Slesnick [Democrat] v. Secrest [Republican]).

The Meeks/Creighton square-off because the commissioner election will be on the ballot in every Stark County precinct.  

For the foregoing reasons, the SCPR thinks Meeks/Creighton is the top race.

MEEKS/CREIGHTON

Former Canton mayor Janet Creighton entering this field for the full-term commissioner seat being vacated by Commissioner Todd Bosley made this contest #1 on the SCPR's list.  Another factor in bringing this contest to the #1 ranking is that all of Stark County will be voting whereas on the Snitchler/Bosley match-up; only about 1/3rd of Stark County will be voting.

Steve Meeks was appointed by the Stark County Democratic Central Committee to the seat formerly held by Tom Harmon.  But Meeks wants no part of coming up for re-election in two years.  The next two years may be the most difficult that Stark County (in the government sense) has ever faced.  

Why?

Because there is no money and there is not going to be any new money for the foreseeable future. Maybe, and only maybe, there might be a renewal of the existing sales tax.  

How will this impact running for commissioner in 2012 for an incumbent?

This way.

The commissioners will have to make draconian cuts in county services to Stark Countians.  And the cuts are not going to set well.  The public really does expect the commissioners to take care of the entire county with a few fishes and loaves.  When the manna from Heaven stops raining, then the grumbling will start and in the end sitting commissioners will be the butt of citizen anger.

So 2012 is not a time to be running for re-election.  That's why Meeks ducked out of the two years left on his term for the four years that Commissioner Bosley would have stood for if he had not decided to run for state representative (the 50th).

Meeks might have made an unwise choice.  Had he stayed in the two-year term race, he would have won hands down as former Canton law director, city councilman, chief of staff and service director (Healy administration) will.  However, Bernabei likely just plans to be a commissioner for two years to do what he can to help straighten Stark County finances out and then move on with his life.

Another thing that Meeks had planned on was who his opponent would be on the full term.

Undoubtedly, his jaw dropped when he saw that former Canton mayor and countywide officeholder Janet Creighton had taken out a petition.

And so it should.

It is pretty clear to the SCPR that Meeks cannot defeat Creighton and that he will be giving up his commissioner's seat come December 31, 2010. 

A Creighton victory will be good for Stark County.  Democrats have had a stranglehold over countywide offices for a number of years now.  Such has turned out to be a bad trip for the county.

BOSLEY/SNITCHLER

Number 2 on the SCPR list.  

Why?

Because this seat is a Republican gerrymandered one designed to keep a "safe district" Republican in the Ohio House.  The gerrymandering sheltered the lazy, politically inept John Hagan for a full 8 years in the House.  Hagan proved his political ineptness when - notwithstanding his long run as a Stark County politician -  he lost to political novice Pete Ferguson over a 2008 commissioners position in a politically competitive environment.

However, with the entry of Todd Bosley into the 50th Ohio House district seat, there is a chance that the Republican "fix" will become unfixed.

Had he not been the leading architect for the imposing of a 0.50 of a percent countywide sales/use tax increase in December, 2008, Bosley likely would be a shoe-in to win the 50th.

Because he did the "politically" wrong thing to do, he is reduced in the SCPR's opinion to having a chance to win the 50th.

Bosley will be hammering away at Snitchler as being a "do-nothing," "right-wing ideologue" state representative. Moreover, Snitchler's political romance with the right wing of Stark County Republicans (the teabaggers) could end up costing him the election.  He spoke at the original teabagger event on April 15, 2009 and is scheduled to speak once again at a teabagger event in Navarre on June 27th.

Snitchler, on the other hand, will - one way or another - play to the imposed tax as indicating that Bosley will be a "tax and spend" Democrat if he were to be sent to Columbus.  The Report has been told that "Vote No Increased Taxes" member Tom Marcelli (Bethlehem Township - the home of Navarre) will be working on the Snitchler campaign.  

This could be a good development for Snitchler.  He could appear to be taking the "above it all" road while letting the likes of Marcelli and his "Vote No" friends hammer Bosley on the imposed tax.  If the Vote Nos can turn a substantial portion of the 60 plus percent of "no" voting Stark Countians on the retention of the tax into Snitchler voters,  such could be a difference-maker positive for Snitchler.

One other important note about the outcome of Bosley/Snitchler.

Could a loss by either be the end of a a Stark County political career?

BOCCIERI/RENACCI

This race will be won or lost in Stark County, Although the 16th congressional district includes Wayne County and parts of Medina and Ashland, Stark will dominate.

Jim Renacci has made a huge blunder in his campaign.  He has drifted to the right of the Republican Party.  In order to win in the 16th, one needs to be at least "right, center."  

The reason that three (Stark, Medina and Wayne) of the four county Republican chairmen endorsed Renacci in the Republican primary was that he was perceived to be the most moderate and therefore the most capable of winning in November.  Otherwise, the person to get behind would have been Matt Miller of Ashland County who gave Ralph Regula and Kirk Schuring (2008) all they wanted in terms of competition for the Republican nomination.

The SCPR expected Renacci to be way more moderate in his views than Miller, Smith and Schiffer.  But he wasn't.  Everything that The Report saw coming out of the Renacci camp was:  "How can I appeal to the Miller and Schiffer" crowd.  

Jim Rennaci should be going nowhere near the Navarre teabagger event scheduled for June 27th.  But he is.  And his doing so will help solidify in the mind of Stark Countians that Renacci is a Republican right type candidate.

Very few, if any, right wing voters are going to vote for incumbent Congressman John Boccieri (Democrat - Alliance).  However, Boccieri is a conservative Democrat who will play well in the district.  Especially well in the Stark County part of the district.

So for Reanacci to court the teabaggers is like preaching to the choir.  And the choir will vote for him.  There are just not enough of them in the 16th to elect him.

There is plenty for Renacci to go after Boccieri on:  Flip-flopping just to name one (cap and trade as well as healthcare).  However, he will be so hung up on the right wing lunacy that he, in critiquing Boccieri, will sound likes Michele Bachman of Minnesota.  The right wing message will not play in most of Stark County.

Also, in this election for Stark Countians, Renacci is the outsider.  Boccieri is a Stark Countian for two years now.  Rennacci is not even a native Ohioan.  Rather a Pennsylvainian.  So he will not be able to whip up the winds of discontent on Boccieri being a capetbagger.  No much of a loss for Renacci, as we all saw how much of a non-issue that was with voters for Schuring in 2008.

By the way, if Kirk Schuring were running this time around, he would do much better in Stark County and, perhaps, be able to eke out a narrow victory.

Even so (Renacci drifting to the political right), Boccieri/Renacci will be a competitive race.  Boccieri will not win by the roughly 10% (as predicted early on by the SCPR) he won by against Stark Countian Kirk Schuring.  More like about three or four percentage points this time around.

This is not a Democratic year for congressional races.  That Boccieri wins in an off year for Democrats means that he could be on his way to being a long-term congressman from Ohio's 16th congressional district.

 PEREZ/HAROLD

The main question here is:  Will Alan Harold stay in this race?

Two years ago he was slated to run against the now-beleaguered Gary Zeigler (Stark County treasurer).  But he didn't.  The "story on the street" is that Harold's employer asked him to step aside after high-level state Democrats complained about Harold's candidacy to Huntington.

The SCPR asked Harold about this story.  His response:  "No comment."

Harold's whole handing of the Zeigler thing leads The Report to believe that Harold has no stomach for "down and dirty" politics.

And if he gets queasy about roughhouse politics, taking on Stark County auditor Kim Perez is not the place to be in a run for political office.

Although somewhat of a maverick in Stark County Democratic politics with his own political base (much like Commissioner Todd Bosley), he is a political power broker and likely will teach Harold a political lesson that Harold will not forget for years.

Harold will learn that taking on Perez is not like showing up at a Congressman John Boccieri campaign event (at the Sunoco station on Tuscarawas) with a sign in hand and yelling at the top of one's lungs.

Perhaps, in the light of the BP Gulf of Mexico massive oil leak, Harold would like to do an encore performance of his "drill, baby, drill" chant at the Sunoco station?

And it is not like running for a place on the Stark County Educational Service Center (formerly known as the Stark County Board of Education).

Apparently, the board candidacy was a "dry run" for taking on Perez.  Well, if Harold duplicates that effort in his vying with Perez, he will be looking wistfully at his numbers achieved in the board race (he narrowly lost).

Another campaign like that one will leave him a distant, distant second in a two-man race!

SCPR POST-PRIMARY ANALYSIS ON COUNTYWIDE RACES: PEREZ OVER HAROLD, CREIGHTON OVER MEEKS & BERNABEI OVER WALTERS

The Stark County Political Report has created a Candidate Political Strength Index for the competitive countywide races this coming November.

By comparing indexes, The Report has come up with a statistical formula which when coupled with substantive factors, serve as a basis for projecting the likely outcome of countywide races for commissioner (2) and auditor.

For instance, statistically Auditor Kim Perez sets the benchmark for countywide running Democrats whereas former Canton mayor Janet Weir Creighton sets the standard for Republicans.

In pairing of actual candidates, the index provides quantitative guidance to which The Report adds subjective analysis in order to come up with a call as to whom is likely to win s particular match up.

First, the auditor's race:  Perez versus Harold.

This is a race that Republicans think they can win.

The Report expects Republican Harold and his Republican campaign force to invoke a strategy (already in evidence) of trying to tie Perez to Stark County treasurer Gary Zeigler and the troubles in the Stark treasury on the basis that both work with county finances and therefore by virtue of their responsibilities are somehow connected.

For this strategy to work, it will take "a smoking gun" revelation to turn a majority of the Stark County voting public against Perez on the apparent Harold strategy.

Perez is the strongest vote getting Democrat in all of Stark County.  The Report has heard him criticized by one leading Stark County Democrat on his lack of energy demonstrated in campaigning.  But The Report does not agree.  All Perez has done as a politician is to win and win with relative ease for each of he has run for.

The is a silver lining in this race for Harold.  He will get a lot of experience in what it is like to run against the wily politico Kim Perez.

The experience will put him in good stead to run for Stark County treasurer in 2012.  If Zeigler makes it to the end of his term, The Report cannot see any scenario that he can be re-elected should he decide to try.

If or some reason Zeigler does not serve out his full term, The Report sees the Stark County Democratic Party filling out his term with Steven Meeks who will likely be ex-commissioner Steven Meeks after his race against Republican Janet Creighton in November.

With the experience of having countywide twice, the Harold index will improve significantly and he will be in a position to actually win against either Zeigler or Meeks in 2012.

Second, the four year term commissioner race:  Meeks versus Creighton.

This is a race that Democrats hope against hope that they can win.

This is a corollary contest to the Perez v. Harold race.  Except this time it is the Republican who is the proven candidate.  Although Creighton did lose as a incumbent with a record to defend against Healy in 2007, that happened because Canton is a Democratic bastion on the slide (set in motion by Creighton's predecessors) and her normal "holding her own" with Democrats ebbed enough for Healy to win, but he had to work very hard to do so.

If Creighton had chosen to wait to 2011 and run against Healy, she would easily reverse that loss.

In running against former Jackson trustee Steven M. Meeks, Creighton is running in a highly competitive Stark County.  But Creighton has a strong track record of running and winning several times as county recorder and county auditor.

Moreover, she will run competitively in Alliance, Canton and Massillon whereas Meeks (being a suburbanite) will run weakly for being a Democrat.

Good luck to Meeks campaign advisers in coming up with a political strategy for defeating Creighton.

The former Canton mayor will run on having governed two county offices and the City of Canton.  Her never having had to co-govern on a board like the three member county commissioner board, could be the one question that Meeks could inject to question her suitability for the office of county commissioner.

If such a point were to influence voters,  the SCPR believes it will be lost in light of the fact that currently the board of commissioners in totally controlled by Democrats.  The Report thinks that if any such concern gets legs, it will be more than offset by voter desire to put come political balance into the staffing of the commissioner board by electing a Republican.  Not just any Republican.  Rather a Republican of the stature of Janet Creighton.

Another Creighton advantage will be the Creighton personality.  Some made light of her for being a cheerleader for the well-being of Canton.  But most Cantonians like the cheerfulness of Creighton and this personality trait will play well across the county.

Third, the two year term commissioner race:  Bernabei versus Walters.


Although the relative index appears close, the SCPR doesn't think it really is.  A factor here is that Jamie Walters (a sitting Jackson Township trustee) had a relatively close race against Lake Township Republican, an largely politically unknown, Dean Windham.

The SCPR termed the Walters/Windham contest as a flip-of-a-coin type decision for Republican voters.  The Report proved to be prophetic on this score.  And it appears that flipping a coin is exactly what voters outside of Jackson and Lake Township did.

Democrat Tom Bernabei (a former city councilman, law director and chief of staff/service director [Healy administration]) will roll up a huge majority in Canton for sure and very likely in Alliance and Massillon.

Walters' only hope is for him to run substantially ahead of Bernabei in the rest of Stark County.  This will not happen.  Why?  Because James N. Walters in no Janet Creighton. Bernabei will do in the rest Stark County (hold his own) as the reverse of what Creighton will do in Canton in her contest.

Walters is a rather obscure Stark County politician who has not distinguished himself as a Jackson trustee.  The Report believes he would never have become a Jackson trustee but for the audacity of Steve Meeks (when he left Jackson to serve in Democrat Governor Ted Strickland's administration) to try and keep the trusteeship in the family by having his wife Patty run.

Bernabei, on the other hand, is a well known Canton based political figure who Republicans and Democrats alike believe served Canton effectively and with distinction in the offices he has held.

Moreover, he has gotten tons of favorable press in the pages of the Canton Repository (like Janet Creighton) over many years and so he has very good voter i.d. notwithstanding the fact that he has never run countywide before.

Contrast the Bernabei public relations advantage to Walters sitting on his duff during the primary running (a time he could have been working on his low voter identity) a "front porch-esque" campaign.  Yours truly did not see one Walters political sign.  Did he send out any campaign literature? Hmm?

The election is about six months away, but the SCPR is confident that The Report countywide office Candidate Political Strength Index will be borne out come November.

TEN YEARS AND COUNTING: LOUISVILLE RESIDENT SAYS COUNTY HAS DONE NOTHING TO SOLVE FLOODING PROBLEMS

CORRECTION:  Kevin Ellis tells the SCPR the flooding issue discussion scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, April 6th at the Stark County commissioners "boardroom," (located in the Stark County Office Building) is to begin at 2:00 p.m.

Kevin Ellis of Louisville is one of Stark County's premier citizen activists.

He is so known for looking out for the interests of Louisville's citizens that Commissioner Todd Bosley tabbed him at last Wednesday's commissioners meeting as being the "deputy mayor of Louisville."

Undoubtedly, Pat Fallot, the newly elected Councilmember/Mayor of Louisville appreciates the efforts of Kevin to push Stark County into doing something about the chronic flooding problems being experienced in Louisville.

Ellis, was by the way, highly complimentary of the work being done by Mayor Fallot since taking office.  Commissioner Bosley seconded Ellis' laudation.

Recently, Louisville was hit by another flooding situation that necessitated emergency services.  Ellis at Wednesday's meeting pointed out that Commissioner Bosley went into action marshaling emergency forces to deal with the situation at hand.

But Ellis' real mission was to express concern about budget cuts (owing to current Stark County financial crisis) to the Stark County Soil and Water Conservation operation which he believes will further delay county action to solve a persistent flooding problem in the Constitution City.

He brought a copy of a petition to the current commissioners that had been submitted on July 27, 2000 to then Commissioners Gayle Jackson, John Dougherty and Jane Vignos, to wit:  "For Help in Solving Flooding Problems in Louisville, Ohio."

It's ten  years later and Ellis contends that nothing has been done to solve the Lousville flooding problem.

Ellis says he voted to retain the 0.50 sales/use tax imposed by commissioners in December, 2008.  It is a credit to Ellis that he did vote "yes" to retain the tax.    One would think that a frustrated citizen such as Kevin Ellis might not have supported retaining the tax.

How many of the affected in Louisville/Nimishillen Township were as generous as Ellis in the November, 2009 vote?  Not very many.  The retention went down  about 2 to 1.

The SCPR believes it is an outrage that the commissioners have sat on their collective duffs (multiple boards of commissioners) and have done nothing to solve the Louisville/Nimishillen flooding problem.

Commissioner Bosley has called a meeting to discuss the problem for Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the Stark County commissioners' offices located on the second floor of the Stark County Office Building.

But don't look for anything remedial to be put into action.

What Louisville and Nimishillen Township can expect plenty of is "talk."

What's the expression?  "Talk is cheap."

Yes, it probably is the case that there is no money to do the fix now.

But don't the commissioners have a responsibility to the residents of Louisville/Nimishillen to go all out to do the impossible and find the money somewhere?

After all, the Board of Commissioners have let down Louisville/Nimishillen residents for way too long now.  To repeat, ten years, that's how long!

Is it believable that there has been no money for ten years?

Or is it that the commissioners as a matter of deed has assigned the Louisville/Nimishillen fix a low, low priority?

Here is a video showing Kevin Ellis before the commissioners and Commissioner Steve Meeks' response.

IN RAISING THE LICENSE PLATE FEE BY $10 IN 2007, STARK COUNTY HAS BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE $2.4 MILLION INTO $10 MILLION. AREN'T YOU IMPRESSED?

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One of recently deceased Stark County engineer Mike Refus's contributions to the quality of Stark's roads and bridges was to get the commissioners to impose a $10 county allowed surcharge on Ohio license plates fees.

Commissioner Todd Bosley joined with fellow Commissioner Jane Vignos (now retired) in 2007 to impose the increased fee.  The third commissioner, Gayle Jackson, now a Strickland appointee to the Ohio Lottery Commission, voted no. 

In the accompanying video at yesterday's meeting, Mike Hanke (county administrator) is seen reading a report from the engineer's office detailing the condition of Stark's roads and bridges.

Newly appointed Commission Steve Meeks is seen making the point that the $2.4 raised so far by the increased fee has provided local match money that has enabled Stark County to grow the money to about $10 million in matching state and federal grants.

Apparently, not all imposed taxes are bad?

Here is the video.

HAS STEVE MEEKS STARTED MAKING PLANS TO RUN FOR JACKSON TRUSTEE NEXT YEAR?

It looking more and more like the plan of Steve Meeks, Stark Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez, former chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and Tom Bernabei to keep control of the Stark County commissioners, with Meeks remaining in office, is unraveling.

For the record, the SCPR believes that the Democrats will continue to have a majority of commissioners, but it is not likely that former Jackson trustee Steve Meeks will be one of them.  Rather the Democratic line up will read more like Bernabei and Ferguson.

Why does the SCPR say "unraveling?"

On Friday, the SCPR had a conversation with a leading Stark County Democrat who says he might well come out publicly in support of Republican Janet Creighton in her race for county commissioner against the Democrat-hand-picked Steve Meeks.

If this Democrat endorsement materializes, The Report believes that the political floodgates will open in favor of Creighton and that she will win big; not just win - as the SCPR is already projecting unless the unexpected happens.

Creighton is one of two, maybe 2-1/2 Republicans who The Report hears from a number of Democrats that they like and will consider voting for.

Another is Kirk Schuring and to a lesser degree Scott Oelslager (he's the 1/2).

But, depending on the mix, Democrats "saying" they might vote for a Republican is just talk unless and until the walk into a voting booth and vote for the Republican.

The SCPR was astounded when Schuring got waxed 57 to 42% (Stark County only results) in his 2008 match up with John Boccieri in the 16th district congressional race.

How did that happen?

The Report's answer:  Schuring did it to himself.  He became too much of a Republican. Evidence of the SCPR's premise?  The famous YouTube video with Schuring trashing the folks of Canton at a Ashland  County campaign rally (remember? - "those people").  Moreover, Schuring hung out, on the advice of his NRCC handlers, in the very Republican parts of the district and only pushed his Stark County connection at the end.

Big mistake!

Do not look for Janet Creighton to make the Schuring mistake of  becoming too much of a Republican.  Creighton does not shy away from her Republican ties (after all she served in the very Republican Bush administration), but she demonstrates in the three offices she has held in Stark County (county recorder, county auditor and mayor of Canton) that she can and does work with Democrats.

The SCPR has more than a few Canton City Council Democrats say that the lines of communication between Creighton as mayor and Council were infinitely superior to what is going on between Council and Democrat mayor Jamie Healy.

If Creighton does not change into someone else on the advice of others, she should get a considerable number of Democratic votes across Stark County.

Perception is very important in these races.  While Creighton herself says that she is an unabashed Republican whereas you never hear Steve Meeks brag about being a card-carrying Democrat even in the face of being in office due to insider Democratic politics; the SCPR's take is that general public sees Creighton a far less partisan than Meeks.

This means that she should do well with independent voters.

The Report believes that Gonzalez et al should have sought to put Bernabei in a Bernabei/Creighton squaring off.

Why?

Because Bernabei might actually beat Creighton.  A Bernabei/Creighton face off would end up being a "get out the vote" political exercise.  Creighton would work the suburbs and Bernabei the urban vote.

Who wins?  It would be a "pick-em" type of situation.  Either one could win.  The best organized campaign would end up being the winning one. A Bernabei/Creighton clash would truly be a Stark County political toss-up.

At least in that scenario - in the leftover race, Meeks has a solid chance to win against Republicans Walters and Windham, depending on whom comes out of the Republican primary.

With or without the Democratic elected official endorsement, the Stark County Political Report is already projecting a Creighton win.

With the endorsement, its a Creighton slam-dunk win!

THE PETITIONS ARE FILED: WHICH STARK COUNTY RACES WILL COMMAND THE MOST ATTENTION OVER THE NEXT 8 PLUS MONTHS?

For Stark County only, the Stark County Political Report believes that the four listed in the graphic above with prove to be the most interesting.

For sure there will be other exciting races for Stark Countians to pay attention to.  To mention a few, there is the governor's race as well as the 16th congressional district, a U.S. Senate seat and several statewide offices being contested.

But today the focus of the SCPR are four The Report believes could be very close races.

MEEKS/CREIGHTON

Former Canton mayor Janet Creighton entering this field for the full term commissioner seat being vacated by Commissioner Todd Bosley made this contest #1 on the SCPR's list.

Steve Meeks was appointed by the Stark County Democratic Central Committee to the seat formerly held by Tom Harmon.  But Meeks wants no part of coming up for re-election in two years.  The next two years may be the most difficult that Stark County (in the government sense) has ever faced.  

Why?

Because there is no money and there is not going to be any new money for the foreseeable future. Maybe, and only maybe, there might be a renewal of the existing sales tax.  

How will this impact running for commissioner in 2012 for an incumbent?

This way.

The commissioners will have to make draconian cuts in county services to Stark Countians.  And the cuts are not going to set well.  The public really does expect the commissioners to take care of the entire county with a few fishes and loaves.  When the manna from Heaven stops raining, then the grumbling will start and in the end sitting commissioners will be the butt of citizen anger.

So 2012 is not a time to be running for re-election.  That's why Meeks ducked out of the two years left on his term for the four years that Commissioner Bosley would have stood for if he had not decided to run for state representative (the 50th).

Meeks might have made an unwise choice.  Had he stayed in the two year term race, he would have won hands down as former Canton law director, city councilman, chief of staff and service director (Healy administration) will.  However, Bernabei likely just plans to be a commissioner for two years to do what he can to help straighten Stark County finances out and then move on with his life.

Another thing that Meeks had planned on was who his opponent would be on the full term.

Undoubtedly, his jaw dropped when he saw that former Canton mayor and countywide officeholder Janet Creighton had taken out a petition.

And so it should.

It is pretty clear to the SCPR that Meeks cannot defeat Creighton and that he will be giving up his commissioner's seat come December 31, 2010.

A Creighton victory will be good for Stark County.  Democrats have had a stranglehold over countywide offices for a number of years now which has turned out to be a bad trip for the county.

BOSLEY/SNITCHLER

Number 2 on the SCPR list.  

Why?

Because this seat is a Republican gerrymandered one designed to keep a "safe district" Republican in the Ohio House.  The gerrymandering sheltered the lazy, politically inept John Hagan for a full 8 years in the House.  Hagan proved his political ineptness when - notwithstanding his long run as a Stark County politician -  he lost to political novice Pete Ferguson over a 2008 commissioners position in a politically competitive environment.

However, with the entry of Todd Bosley into the 50th Ohio House district seat, there is a chance that the Republican "fix" will become unfixed.

Had he not been the leading architect for imposing of a 0.50 of a percent countywide sales/use tax increase in December, 2008, Bosley likely would be a shoe-in to win the 50th.

Because he did the "politically" wrong thing to do, he is reduced in the SCPR's opinion to having a chance to win the 50th.

Bosley will be hammering away at Snitchler as being a "do-nothing," "right-wing ideologue" state representative. 

Snitchler, on the other hand, will - one way or another - play to the imposed tax as indicating that Bosley will be a "tax and spend" Democrat if he were to be sent to Columbus.

One other important note about the outcome of Bosley/Snitchler.

Could a loss by either be the end of a a Stark County political career?

OELSLAGER/REINBOLD

Scott Oelslager should be vulnerable in playing musical chairs with now state Senator Kirk Schuring and they bounce from chair to chair between the 29th Ohio Senate district and the 51st Ohio House district. 

But he won't be.

The Stark County Democratic leadership decided to get behind former Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge Dick Reinbold to contest Oelslager in the 29th.

This match up will go down in the annals of Stark County political history as one of the most boring on record.

Both Oelslager and Reinbold are colorless.

Oelslager has been in the Ohio General Assembly well over 20 years and has very little to show for it.

Anyone with much background in the huge funding of public education problem would be highly troublesome to Oelslager as an opponent.  Democrat Dick Reinbold is not that person.

Reinbold is one of a growing number of Stark County leaders who are leaders because they have ingratiated themselves to the political powers that be, not because he has innate qualities of leadership.

He and wife Nancy (Stark County clerk of courts) have used Stark County Democratic Party organized political apparatus for feathering their own nest.  The SCPR take on Reinbold is that he fits in very neatly with the likes of party chair Randy Gonzalez, Commissioner Steve Meeks and former chair Johnnie A. Maier as being consummate politicians.

While Oelslager has been a gigantic disappointment to The Report, Dick Reinbold, who has not legislative bona fides, would never, ever take exception to the Democratic Senate Caucus.  Oelslager, as a redeeming quality, has - here and there - done so.

Oelslager should be politically punished for not having been effective on not taking a leadership role in solving the public education funding problem.  But with the Democrats picking Reinbold, Oelslager got a huge boost in terms of not being that great until you look at the alternative.

Maybe Reinbold has qualities the SCPR hasn't been able to discern over the years.

If he does, he better not wait until September to make them apparent.  For such a delay will ensure the re-election of Oelslager.

The Report doubts that Reinbold will ever be anything other than a mediocre candidate that hopes against hope that he can out I.D. Scott Oelslager.

Talk about not having a handle on political reality!

 PEREZ/HAROLD

The main question here is:  will Alan Harold stay in this race?

Two years ago he was slated to run against the now-beleaguered Gary Zeigler (Stark County treasurer).  But he didn't.  The "story on the street" is that Harold's employer asked him to step aside after high level state Democrats complained about Harold's candidacy to Huntington.

The SCPR asked Harold about this story.  His response:  "No comment."

Harold's whole handing of the Zeigler thing, leads The Report to believe that Harold has no stomach for "down and dirty" politics.

And if he gets queasy about roughhouse politics, taking on Stark County auditor Kim Perez is not the place to be in a run for political office.

Although somewhat of a maverick in Stark County Democratic politics with his own political base (much like Commissioner Todd Bosley), he is a political power broker and likely will teach Harold a political lesson that Harold will not forget for years.

Harold will learn that taking on Perez is not like showing up at a Congressman John Boccieri campaign event (at the Sunoco station on Tuscarawas) with a sign in hand and yelling at the top of one's lungs.

And it is not like running for a place on the Stark County Educational Service Center (formerly known as the Stark County Board of Education).

Apparently, the board candidacy was a "dry run" for taking on Perez.  Well, if Harold duplicates that effort in his vying with Perez, he will be looking wistfully at his numbers achieved in the board race (he narrowly lost).

Another campaign like that one will leave him a distant, distant second in a two man race!