POLITICAL-LEAKS-FIXER-IN-CHIEF: DAVID KIRVEN?

EXTRACT OF BASE INFO/PHOTO FROM http://www.plumbersandpipefitterslocalunion94.com/about-plumbers-pipefitters/leadership-team.php

The SCPR has a number of informants from deep in the bowels of the Stark County sheriff's office providing information to yours truly about the day-to-day activities of Sheriff George T. Maier as to his internal political manipulations with sheriff department personnel.

In prior blogs, The Report  has needled Sheriff Maier about his need when elected in November, 204 about his need to hire a plumber to fix all the leaks at 4500 Atlantic Boulevard.

It could be that yours truly has found the perfect man for the job.

And The Report thinks he is uniquely qualified.

He has an impressive record as a plumber in terms of time in the vocation, having been one for some 29 years.  Plus, he likely is a top flight administrator inasmuch as he has been the business agent for Local 94, Plumbers and Pipefitters Union for some 12 years.  

To top things off, Kirven appears to have political ambitions as a  back room political organizer and massager of Stark County politicians for the benefit of union causes.

Back in 2010 Kirven (LINK) couldn't have been happier with the SCPR as evidenced by his invitation for your truly to attend a labor event designed to pressure local developers to use "local" union members in putting together their business/industrial park projects.

Yours truly has always been supportive of organized labor for the reason that the union movement seems to be the only thing left supporting America's dwindling middle class.

One of The Report's favorite Stark County unions has been the Local #94 and its former leader Dan Fonte and current leader Barry Evans.  Another is Hall of Fame AFL-CIO president Dan Sciury (pictured above at the extreme left of the photo).

Yours truly gauges David Kirven as being a step short of the likes of Fonte, Evans and Sciury.

Kirven, the current president of the Stark County Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Club,  is said to be knee deep in plumbers political putty on the issue of whether or not Canton is to become a charter government city.

If reports of his consuming interest in the Canton charter issue are accurate, yesterday's decision by Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge Frank Forchione 

• that Ward 8 Councilman Edmond Mack's petition drive to get the issue on the ballot
• has burst through the pipes of the Stark County Board of Elections (BOE, Board)
• on the authority of Forchione's decision 
• in response to a Mack filed Writ of Mandamus, and 
• consequently the measure will make it to the November ballot 

has to be totally frustrating to Politico-Plumber Dave.

Councilman Mack thought he was on the road to recovering from a hyper-technical problem on a petition circulated by one of his volunteers when the BOE voted to reconsider the petition's prior disqualification on July 2, 2015 at a BOE meeting of July 13.

On the 13th, the Board tied 2 to 2 on the question of reconsideration.

Off to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted to break the tie, no?

Well, that's what the Board announced with exception from Republican member and lawyer William S. Cline but lo and behold! the Board meets again on July 30th and guess what?

Ironworker and Democratic BOE member William V. Sherer, II changes his vote!  With the change, the hyper-technical question is removed in the thinking of local board members (prompted by William Cline) from a tie breaking vote by Secretary Husted.

Given his track record, to wit:

• the Maier as a candidate for sheriff question, November, 2014, 
• the Bernabei as an independent candidate for mayor against incumbent Canton Democrat William J. Healy, II, and 
• the Cicchinelli as an independent candidate for mayor against incumbent Massillon Democrat Kathy Catazaro-Perry

Husted surely would have broken the Canton charter question in favor of ballot access, no?

Thankfully,  Judge Forchione with yesterday's decision erred in favor of ballot access and unplugged the pipe blockage which threatened prevent the measure from getting through to Canton voters in November.

But the question is:  Who created the blockage in the first place or phrased in terms of who persuaded William V. Sherer, II to change his vote?

A source in a position to know says that the strong suspicion is that the culprit was Politico-Plumber David Kirven.

 Kirven from the SCPR's vantage point is an inartistic political "wannabe."

Such became apparent to yours truly in February, 2013 in an account written by The Report of Kirven "behind the scenes" political manipulations on behalf of former Democratic Canton councilman Joe Cole as he and the Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Cirelli tried to outfox each other as to whom was going to run for what.

The net result was that Kirven's candidate (Cole) made what The Report thinks was the wrong choice for his own political survival which The Report posits as showing Kiven's political ineptness.

Readers really should go and read that blog (LINK). 

It is absolutely hilarious!

For those readers who do not wish to link up with the  prior blog, here is an excerpt in order to get the import of the ridiculous political thing that Kirven did.

Back in May, 2012 Kiven as a emissary from the Jefferson-Jackson Club communicated to yours truly that The Report was no longer permitted access to the meetings of the club blog purposes.

What a laugh!

Practically nobody attends those meetings and candidates who appear are surely wasting their time inasmuch as these are certainly captive votes for Democratic candidates.

Generally candidates spew out their political "red meat" in order to excite the hard core party loyalists.  To the general voting public, such material is a real turn off.  

Political parties are so bankrupt these days on new approaches, it is no wonder they do not want to hide from the public.

It's kind of like another of one of Kirven primary political pals Mayor William J. Healy, II and his "turn the camera off, Martin" demand of several months ago.

No way! Mayor!!!

In a way the Jefferson-Jackson ban is compliment to the SCPR.

Apparently, many of the Dems' candidates are so insecure that they that the recording SCPR camera will catch them in a politically embarrassing moment.  Perhaps another Phil Davison event?

Surely, Thomas Jefferson would be disgusted with anti access to the public stance of Kirven and his Jefferson-Jackson Democrats.  For the denial is not to yours truly, but rather to the public who is entitled to see candidates as they really are and not a la campaign flyer literature and to have them subject to incisive questioning.

So if a candidate is endorsed by Jefferson-Jackson under Kirven's leadership, is that a plus or a minus? 

Kirven and Healy appear to be cut of the same political cloth:  Manipulate, manipulate, manipulate.  Neither has any credibility whatsoever in the political arena insofar as the SCPR is concerned.

To sum it all up, Kirven needs to go back to plumbing and union administration and forget the politics.

He may be a terrific plumber and union administrator but one couldn't be dumber as a politician!

The Report is salivating at the prospect of Kirven as Maier's political fixer.

With Kirven on the job, undoubtedly the political pipes at the Stark County sheriff's offices will be bursting wide open with a flood of information of the politics at play within the bowels of Stark County's only countywide law enforcement factor.

Please Sheriff Maier hire David Kirven as your political dumber plumber!

   

(VIDEOS) UNIONS/DIVERSITY CONCERNS AND OTHER TURF INTERESTS DOOM CANTON'S CHARTER GOV'T FLIRTATION?

In order for Canton Ward 8 Councilman Edmond Mack to get the issue of Canton's going to a charter form of government before city voters, it is going to take a dramatic turnaround on the thinking on the part of most Canton City Council members.

A vote on the legislation, which Judiciary Committee chairman Tom West has said he will sign off on (on the condition of Monday night's town hall meeting having been held) in order to get the Canton Law Department to work drafting the legislation, will likely take place between January 6 and March 6, 2014 in order for the question (if council approves the legislation) to make the filing deadline for it to be on the May, 2014 primary election ballot.

By the SCPR's nose count of councilpersons, it appears that Mack has an uphill fight to get council to approve presenting the matter to voters.

Co-sponsor Mary Cirelli will not be around to be one of his "yes" votes inasmuch as she - having opted not to run for re-election to council - will not be around.

Additionally, Cirelli announced Monday that she will not be a candidate for the charter commission should city council place the question on the ballot.

Come January, he will acquire a superb ally to aid him in the cause.  Longtime charter advocate and former councilman Bill Smuckler will be returning to Canton council.

On Monday council minority members West (D - Ward 2) and Chris Smith (D - Ward 4) said flat out that they will not be voting for the legislation.

The SCPR is disappointed in West in that he argues for citizens and fellow council members to be educated on city issues (e.g. Redflex traffic cameras) before forming a position while seemingly, in The Report's estimate, having made up his mind on the charter issue.

In an interview with him Monday night post-meeting, West appears to be open to the possibility of changing his mind.

However, The Report thinks that his seeming hedging on having made up his mind is more a case of wanting to give the impression of openness rather than being genuinely open to changing his mind.

After all, it is a tad hypocritical to decry others for not being informed and then close one's own mind to perhaps mind-changing information - is it not?

Another SCPR criticism of West has to do with what yours truly thinks is unfounded focus on the diversity issue.

Canton now has two African-American council persons out of total of thirteen total councilpersons when one includes the council president.

Okay.

A little math lesson is in order:  2/13 = 15%.

Hmm?

Canton has a 24% black population.

So why is he and why is Chris Smith (D - 4) zealously protecting the status quo?

Are they willing to settle for a mere 15% of black leadership roles in Canton government in the face of African-American composing 24% of Canton's population?

It is hard to see how African-American representation in any proposal that a charter commission might come up with would be less than 15 per cent.

The potential is there for African-American politicians to achieve citywide and countywide offices.

Kelley Zachary ran a very respectable race for Stark County treasurer and Canton treasurer.  West himself ran well against Kirk Schuring a number of years ago for the state Senate in a district that covered about 90% of Stark County.

There is a case to made that BUT FOR Mary Cirelli being a candidate for Canton treasurer that Zachary would have defeated Kim Perez.

But for African-Americans to improve their numbers one would think that a Canton/Stark County African-American needs to step up to the plate having designed a workable plan for electing blacks citywide, even countywide.

Of course, it is not enough to come up with a plan. Someone will have to actually "roll up the sleeves" and do the hard work of selling the plan to the electorate.

Who better than Councilman West?

Being the social worker, politician, businessman and educated man he is, West should have inner characteristics, qualities and resources to get creative and be a pro-active Stark County minority leader that gets results.

To boot, he has been a councilman ten years.  Hardly a novice, no?  But in all fairness one has to ask what does he have to show for it?

While yours truly personally likes Tom West, it seems that he needs to be challenged "to be all that he can be" in terms of making his mark in Canton and Stark County as a leader among leaders.

That is not what The Report is seeing in Tom West of 2013.

West is no different than another other Stark County-based elected official who is not measuring up.

The Report typically prods those Stark County political subdivision "a day late and dollar short" leaders holding public office who are not delivering a quality of leadership that Stark County cities, villages, townships and boards of education so sorely need.

Stark County does have a model of county level of leadership being ratcheted up to a higher level with the election of Tom Bernabei and Janet Creighton in 2010.

Before Bernabei and Creighton, SCPR readers will recall what a mess Stark County government was in.

It is encouraging to see that Canton in Edmond Mack as a person who is willing to take on a "the odds are against me" issue and seek to turn the negative thinking around. Folks, this is leadership.

Not to pit them against one another, but yours truly thinks Councilman Edmond Mack (only now finishing up his first two year term) demonstrates far more in the kind of leadership that the SCPR is looking for than West does.

There is no doubt about it.  Mack seemingly faces insuperable obstacles of bringing charter government to Canton.  But do not tell him that.  He embraces the challenge of adjusting and accommodating to various perspectives in quest of reaching his ultimate goal.

The Report presents via video the entire formal presentation of both from Monday's town hall meeting on the charter government issue.

Edmond Mack.



Thomas West.



The Achilles Heel of Mack's presentation was his failure to tie in creating a charter government to specific benefits to be derived by everyday citizens.

West was far too much into "the fear factor" and resting on the security of the maintaining the "status quo" in appealing to the base instincts of people.

Lastly, yours truly has a special word for Stark County organized labor as personified by Stark County trades union president David Kirven.

Kirven did what he is paid to do which is look out for the interests of unions.

But for elected public officials to factor special interests into their decisions as to what structure of government is best for the public is not a responsible basis for decision making.

While The Report personally favors Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), prevailing wage laws and protecting public workers' pensions, it doesn't follow that maintaining a statutory form of government has anything whatsoever to do with those matters.

To sum it all up, it appears to the SCPR that the private, political and special organization interests of a number of Canton city councilpersons (i.e. turf interests) are playing into the decision on whether or not Cantonians will have the democratic right to determine their own structure of government.

The overall interests of the citizens of Canton appear to be taking a back seat.

The obvious decline of Canton that is underway should be an wake up call to the city's councilpersons.

As one citizen said on Monday night on recounting the dramatic loss of population since 1950, "don't you think we might be doing something wrong" in terms of how we do government in Canton.

And it is noteworthy that Cantonians took a look at fashioning charter government in 1962.  Unfortunately, the 1961/62 set of commissioners came up with an ill-founded plan of electing all of of the commission member at-large.  In doing so, they took away the ability of Cantonians living in clustered neighborhoods (e.g. Vassar Park) to hold individual councilpersons accountable.

Cantonians reacted the way they should have at the ballot box in voting 78% against that proposal.

The beauty of the chartering process is that the voters can always say "no," if out-of-touch charter commissioners loose their heads.

But does anyone think that a new commission would repeat the mistakes of the 60s era group?

Canton council needs to approve letting a new group of 15 give formulating a charter a new try.

Having at the ready flexible tools (whether or not they are ever used) to do a more efficient and effective job for the taxpaying public equips government to more responsive to public demands to fix things gone wrong.

The Report understood Ward 5 councilman Kevin Fisher on Monday night of having talked about getting the Ohio General Assembly to change the formula for the election of charter members to reflect the demographics of a city.

Fisher's idea is a good one that the Canton's representative to the Ohio House (Stephen Slesnick - D/Canton) and Stark County's representative to the Ohio Senate (Scott Oelslager - R/Plain Township) should pick up on.

For Canton, such a change could mean electing a 13 member charter commission:  Nine (one each) from the existing wards plus four at-large members.

But there is no chance that any change in state legislation will be forthcoming over the next six months.

Nevertheless Canton desperately needs a fresh start with as much flex as Ohio law allows for charter cities to structure themselves for the maximum benefit of the citizenry.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of Ohio's cities are charter cities.

If statutory status meets the optimal need of cities, why have 3/4ths of Ohio municipalities opted for the charter form?

As long as Canton is represented by the self-centereds who pretty much flesh out a "public be damned" underlying attitude in pursuit of their perceived special interests, the city will continue its downward spiral.

More and more Cantonians should be asking themselves this.

Is a Detroit scenario really all the far away from Canton's doorstep?

(CANTON: COLE V. MORRIS) THE "POLITICAL STAKES" (IN TERMS OF HEALY ADMINISTRATION AGENDA SUPPORT) COULD NOT BE HIGHER. HOW MEAN, DIRTY ARE THE CANDIDATES GOING TO GET?

UPDATE:  11:00 a.m

About 15 minutes ago, the SCPR received an email response from Frank Morris on The Report's question as to whether or not Morris will be filing an ethics complaint with the Ohio Ethics Commissions regard the "re-elect" part of Joe Cole's campaign signs being put up in the 9th Ward.

Here is Morris' response:

From: [F]rank [M]orris"

To: "Martin Olson" <tramols@att.net>

Martin,

A complaint with the Ohio Ethics Commission is definitely being considered.

I am hopeful that this will not be necessary, and that Cole will do the honorable thing and take down his misleading signs and stop using misleading materials.

We need to be focusing on the issues that affect Ward 9 (such as the need for more police).

Not on how crafty we can be with our campaign literature.

Frank

ORIGINAL BLOG

Ever since Councilman-at-Large Joe Cole took out petitions to run either for reelection or against fellow Democrat Frank Morris (first term councilman for the 9th Ward), it has been obvious that the makings of a real political brouhaha of a Canton councilmantic 2013 election were going to be a distinct possibility.

Well, why would Cole be taking out two sets of petitions anyway?

Because if long time Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Cirelli decided to stay in council, then it was going to be likely that Cole was going to be "the odd man out."

How so?

Because there are two other Democrats who are a cinch to be reelected in former long time councilman Bill Smuckler and Councilman-at-Large Jimmy Babock (the son of a former Canton councilwoman and former mayor of Canton).

So for the three spots, the choice of the voters was highly likely to be Cirelli, Smuckler and Babcock which, of course, leaves Cole on the outside looking in.

So as the SCPR sees it, Cole says to himself:  "Hmm, I live in the 9th Ward, the incumbent Frank Morris is a first termer and therefore somewhat vulnerable and rather than face off against Cirelli, Smuckler and Babcock; why don't I take a run at Morris?"

"And besides, I do not particularly like Morris.  He has more or less banded together with a more or less dissident group of councilpersons (Cirelli, Fisher, Hawk, Mack, Mariol and Morris) to the mayor's agenda.  I am a big believer in the mayor's plan for Canton.  Hmm?  Isn't it a no brainer?

Makes sense, no?

Well, comes along Mary Cirelli.

Mary sees that a peach of an "off to political heaven" opportunity has surfaced for the taking.

Bob Schirack has announced he is retiring at the end of 2013 as Canton treasurer.

And all she has to be able to do is defeat former Stark County auditor Kim Perez to be able to walk off into the blissful sunset of "if you don't screw up - you are set for the rest of your political life."

Perez lost his auditor's post in the 2010 general election, the SCPR believes, because Stark Countians perceived that he did not (even though he did contact the State of Ohio Auditor) do everything he could have (from his auditor's office vantage point) in terms of vociferously and not to be stymied in raising alarms that all was not right with Stark County treasury finances pre-Aprii 1, 2009 on which date  officials discovered that former Chief Deputy Treasurer Vince Frustaci had stolen upwards of $3 million from the county treasury.

Smelling an political opportunity, Cirelli also takes out a petition to run for treasurer.

Hmm?

So why doesn't Cole merely stay in the council-at-large race where he is likely to be the third councilman of three to be elected?

Answer:  Cirelli will not tell Cole which direction she is going.  Will she run for reelection or will she go for the treasury position?

So what we got was a outrageously hilarious political cloak and dagger standoff between Cole and Cirelli in the filing deadline date and time (February 7th at minutes before closing time at the Stark County Board of Elections).

(LINK to prior SCPR blog which goes into much more detail on Cirelli's hoodwinking of Cole - a must see!)

Needless to say, Cirelli successfully wore the cloak whereas Cole was the recipient of the "political" dagger in that he got finessed into believing that Cirelli was filing for reelection as councilwoman-at-large.  Hence, he filed for the 9th Ward only to be shocked to learn that he had been hoodwinked by Cirelli.

Canton city council pols are still belly laughing over that one!

But Joe Cole isn't.

He is smarting.

And according to Morris, Cole has done a "shameful" thing as the campaign has gotten underway, to wit:

I have included a copy of an email I received today.

Dear Frank Morris:

At approximately 6:15 PM on this date, April 3, 2013, I observed candidate Joseph Cole personally placing a yard sign in [a] lawn [in] my neighbor[hood] ... . Inasmuch as Mr. Cole is NOT a candidate for the position he now holds as a Councilman-At-Large and therefore NOT a candidate for "re-election", I believe this to be a misleading and possibly illegal sign. I am willing to sign an affidavit attesting both what I observed and my objection to the ethics of such signage by Joe Cole. I am attaching a picture I took of the aforementioned sign (picture taken approximately 6:30 PM April 3, 2013).

Sincerely,

C. David Morgan

[The rest of the Morris email]

It seem[s] that Mr Cole is upsetting some folks in Ward 9 with misrepresenting himself as their councilman.

If Mr. Cole is going out of his way to deceive the people of Ward 9 as a candidate and a current member of council then one would surely wonder if he will be capable of any honesty if elected.

I guess the question the voters should ask is what is Mr Cole trying to hide?

He is hell bent on trying to trick some voters into believing he's the incumbent, why?

Is he ashamed of his track record as an at-large member or does he just have that low of an opinion of them?

One can only assume that this is the manner in which career politicians conduct themselves when their back is against the wall.

Shameful

And Morris included a copy of the political sign that Cole posted in the 9th Ward that is at the base of his allegation of deceit (i.e. "Re Elect').

A SCPR source says that one of  Cole's prime supporters (obviously, in addition to Mayor William J. Healy, II) David Kirven, who is business agent for the Local 94 of the Plumbers and Pipefitters union, has promised to put $10,000 into the Cole campaign.

Kirven, while admitting his commitment of supporting Cole, denies the $10,000 allegation.   However, on yours truly checking back, The Report's source sticks by his account.

To top this political drama off, Morris is clearly the most pro union councilman inasmuch as he is a trades union member himself!

So the question offered up in the title of this blog stands.

How mean, how dirty are the candidates going to get in this campaign?

Likely answer.

We ain't see nuthin yet folks!!!

INTERESTING? TWO STARK CO. BLACK POLITICAL LEADERS SQUARE OFF IN STARK DEM FIGHT OVER BOARD OF ELECTION SEAT: A PRELUDE TO PARTY CHAIRMAN FIGHT NEXT YEAR?

 SUBTOPIC

A Split Within Stark County Organized Labor

on 
Democratic Party Support?

American humorist Will Rogers said it best:

"I am not a member of any organized political party.  I am a Democrat."

And the Stark County Democrats have been working in spades since 2009, if not before, to prove Rogers right.

It is notable that the political party that bills itself as the patron of minorities has finally at the Stark County level gotten around to appointing a black person to an important county position.

However, it was not without anxious moments.

The latest glitch for the Dems occurred last Wednesday when Stark County Dem chairman Randy Gonzalez offered up Stark County Democratic political leader (originally from Cleveland) Deametrious St. John as the person he wanted to replace Clerk of Courts Phil Giavasis on the Stark County Board of Elections (BOE).

St. John is the first black ever to be appointed to this board.

Readers of the SCPR will recall that the Dems have used this seat on the BOE to shift between Gonzalez (a Giavasis employee), Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., Shane Jackson (a Maier employee) in what The Report has tabbed the Dems' "clerk of courts seat" at the BOE.

Ohio laws does not allow for anyone who is up for election (which Gonzalez, Maier and Giavasis have to do every so often) to serve on the board.

Probably because they are getting tired being hammered by the SCPR yours truly's belief that they play with this taxpayer supported office as their personal domain, the Dems this time around appear to have decided that they would throw The Report a curve and go off pattern in selecting St. John.

What better time than "Black History Month" for the Dems to right past wrongs?  Likely a mere coincidence of timing with the Democrats, but do you think the Stark Republicans will ever be getting around to  something similar?

The Report congratulates St. John.

But to the movers and shakers running the Party, the SCPR says what took you so long?

So exactly what was the nature of the problem that developed?

Yours truly has learned that the chairman's choice (St. John), ironically nominated by Ironworkers union head Billy Sherer, Jr. was met with resistance when Local 94 Pipefitters and Plumbers business agent Dave Kirven (who the SCPR deems to be political tight with Canton mayor William J. Healy, II) stood up and nominated American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union Region 8 (Akron) director Robert Thompson and was reportedly seconded by Canton city treasurer candidate and Healy ally Kim Perez.

"Ironically ... Billy Sherer, Jr?"

Yes, he is the son of his namesake who is a highly respected irornworker of yesteryear (now retired), who, several years ago, was asked by then Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. to step aside so that he could appoint local attorney Samuel Ferruccio at the behest of the-then secretary of state Jennifer Brunner (i.e. Democrats needed to have an attorney on the board).

The Report thinks Maier was correct, at least in the pretext and convenience sense for him (the SCPR's take is that Maier is not especially enamored with organized labor), but Brunner threw Maier under the political bus in denying that she had ever issued such a directive.

A kind of a political "what goes around, comes around" (i.e. being thrown under the bus) experience that the likes of Maier rarely experiences, no?

Another thing about Stark County organized labor has been the historic vitriol between AFL-CIO president Dan Scuiry and Randy Gonzalez dating back to Gonzalez's pre-chairman days.  Yours truly has seen/heard Scuiry of old scream at Gonzalez at Stark Dem candidate fundraisers.

Is that all changed now?

To the SCPR, if the objective was to appoint a black person just to make sure that minorities share in political largesse, African-American and unionist Thompson made more sense.  There are unionists who are still smarting from Sherer, Sr's removal from what, at one time, was thought to be a union perk because of almost exclusive Democratic Party support that unions in general provide.

Although the opposition to St. John proved weak in that Thompson only got a few votes, the SCPR thinks the Thompson candidacy and the real reason Thompson was presented as a candidate was as a precursor of a fight to come as to whether or not Gonzalez will remain party chairman when a new central committee is elected in the 2014 Democratic Party primary.

The central committee selects a slate of executive committee members who in turn select a chairman who heads up both the executive committee and the central committee.

You can bet your bottom dollar on Gonzalez on having to fight for his survival as chairman if George T. Maier is removed by the Ohio Supreme Court as Stark County sheriff.

Readers will recall that Gonzalez threw in his lot with the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. forces on February 5th to appoint George sheriff on the inability of November sheriff-elect Mike McDonald (who tragically passed away this past Friday [February 22]) when he was unable to serve because of the state of his health.

Many Stark County organized Democrats think that George is de jure (as a matter of law) unqualified to be sheriff and the vote on February 5th quantified that though as Maier (despite having political heavy hitters Gonzalez and Maier) in his corner narrowly won the vote 92 to 84 (Darrow) to 1 (Republican - Dordea).

So if the Ohio Supreme Court agrees with the 85 dissident Democrats, it is hard to see how Gonzalez keeps his job.

What has been developing in Stark County over the last couple of years (in the assessment of the SCPR) is an internal political fight in which Healy is looking to build his support among central committee members to unseat Gonzalez and his Maier-faction allies.

Healy made a feeble attempt to run candidates for the central committee last year in what the SCPR believes was a hope he could mount a challenge to Gonzalez, but he failed miserably.

What this fight is really boiling down to is a fight between Healy and Maier. Both, in the opinion of the SCPR, are insatiable political power mongers who joust in the political arena for the sport of it, to have bragging rights of being "king of the hill," and for the right to hand out taxpayer supported jobs to their local supporters.

In discussions yours truly has had with Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. going back probably to 2002, Maier has not been that well taken with Healy and has even said that Healy's father (who served in the Ohio General Assembly during the 1990s with Maier) was an overrated legislator.

So when one looks at Gonzalez, The Report think readers should see the real actor as being the "behind the scenes" junior Maier.

With the ascension of brother George to being sheriff of Stark County - if it sticks, then it is likely that a power politician such as Healy would take notice.  And more than that, spring into action.

So The Report believes the St. John/Thompson foray is just another skirmish between the Healy followers and other Democrats who may align with him temporarily because they cannot stomach Maier.   

In the SCPR's view, the Maier forces are much better put together than Healy's and it will take something like an Ohio Supreme Court unseating of brother George to make the Gonzalez/Maier political combo vulnerable next year.

Gonzalez presided over the appointment of Republican Alex Zumbar (October 31, 2011) as Stark County treasurer after former staunch Democrat and himself the beneficiary of a Stark Dems political appointment in 1999 Gary Zeigler fell on hard times because of the theft of Stark County taxpayer funds ($2.46 million admitted) by his chief deputy Vince Frustaci.

Zeigler was not implicated in the theft.  However, the State of Ohio Auditor's office issued a scathing report on Zeigler's management practices of the office which the Stark County public seems to have accepted making it politically impossible for Zeigler to continue in office.

One has to believe that should Maier fail to get Supreme Court authorization to retain office, it becomes a real possibility that the determiners of who the next sheriff will be (the Stark County commissioners [Republicans Janet Creighton and Richard Regula and Democrat Tom Bernabei]) they might well appoint Republican Larry Dordea.   He has impressive police credentials in that he is currently Hartville's police chief and before that served superbly as Alliance's police chief.

Dordea lost to McDonald last November and to Tim Swanson in 2008.

Even if the commissioners were to appoint Lt. Lou Darrow, a Democrat; Gonzalez is still probably in deep political doo-doo with his fellow Democrats.

Remember the vote of 92 for Maier, 84 for Darrow.

And Gonzalez as the ruling parliamentarian:

• would not allow a vote on a secret ballot being taken, and 
• sided against those who wanted to step back and get an official determination as to whether or not Maier was qualified 

and in doing so (ruling against the Darrow forces) likely put himself in the position of going down as chairman even in a scenario of Darrow becoming sheriff at the hand of the commissioners.

There is yet another wrinkle to the St. John/Thompson proxy fight.

When William J. Healy, II first made his appearance in Canton/Stark County politics who was his political shadow?

You've got it!  Deametrious St. John.

In those days (circa 2003, 2004 and until recent years), everywhere Healy was on the political hustings, one saw St. John.

Of late, not at all.

Recently, St. John told the SCPR that he was completely disassociated with Healy and was working for Progress Ohio in Ohio's 16 congressional district.

But he would not provide any reasons for his separation from Healy.

Note that on the Linked-In list of employment/position published above that all of St. John's work with Healy has been washed out.

To boot, take note that St. John political involvement with Kelly Zachary, a Kim Perez opponent along with Mary Cirelli in the upcoming city treasurer's race.

Hmm?

Thompson, on the other hand, appears to have established important connections with the mayor as evidenced by his appointment to the Canton CIC (community improvement corporation) by the mayor where he serves as chairman [does anyone remember the Healy "I was confused my personal credit card with ones he obtained without CIC approval but in CIC's" name fiasco?]) and as evidenced by his nomination for the BOE appointment by fellow unionist and ardent Healyite supporter David Kirven.

Hence, depending on how Swanson v. George T. Maier shakes out, St. John v. Thompson is likely a foreshadowing of things to come.

As Will Rogers famously said:

"I am not a member of any organized political party.  I am a Democrat."

The Gonzalez led Stark County Democratic Party is proving him right in ever so many ways:  seemingly time, after time, after time!