LOUIS P. GIAVASIS: "THE DONALD J. TRUMP" OF STARK COUNTY POLITICS? "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME?"

Among the most odious experiences I have had over my three fourths of a century of life has been to have to had interact with quite a number of car salespersons.  A close second on the list are some of the politicians I have rubbed shoulder with.

As a group, it is my take that car salespersons and politicians are either trained to be manipulative or by force of inborn personal traits are manipulative to the nth degree.

A person who spends any time at all in the car selling industry or as a politician gets quite good at manipulation.

Most of us are nowhere near being a match for these master manipulators.

It is quite a shock to a car salesperson or politician when they meet their match or someone who is more than their match in terms of exposing their manipulations for what they are.

While his history is as a real estate salesman, President Donald J. Trump obviously fancies himself as being a master manipulator as manifested in his bamboozling his way to the Republican nomination for president.

Trump confounded nearly all of us in his being elected president.

His rise to the presidency is a testament of how utter effective manipulation (some say conning) can be and all too often is.

The Stark County Political Report thinks that former Plain Township trustee and now Stark County clerk of courts Louis P. Giavasis is a "small potatoes" local version of Donald J. Trump on the manipulative factor.  And even a "small potatoes" version is something that Stark Countians should not want.

In my view, there are some eerie similarities between the Trump style and the Louis Giavasis style.

For beginners, they both evolved from the selling business.

Trump a real estate developer and salesman.  Giavasis got his start working in the automobile retaiing business.

Here is confirmation of his employment in automobile retailing which I think he began honing his skills as a manipulator.

According to his Linked-In page, Giavasis spent quite a few years learning the "art of the [car selling] deal" skill set.

It is not clear from the listing whether or not Louis actually sold cars at Sptizer and/or Waikem, but if he didn't, undoubtedly he learned the psychological skill set of saleship.

In the early 1990s, Louis was elected Plain Township trustees, which, of course, overlaps his work in the auto retailing business associations.

As trustee for some 23 years, Louis was one of three and, though he impliedly likes to suggest he was the main game in Plain.

He seemingly suggests he was able over those 23 years to persuade his fellow trustees that he was the fount of wisdom all things Plain government.

Witness this self-aggrandizing list he has published on Linked-in:

How "Great Thou Art," Louis, no?

Sounds just a tad like Donald J. Trump, no?

We all remember the Trump "I alone" can fix America assertion.

At least in his case, the president is the decider-in-chief in the sense of executive action.

But one of three (trustees) can achieve nothing with without at least one other vote.

However, that has not been a problem for him.

For most of his 23 years, Al Leno has be there at his side.  It would be interesting know whether or not over the course of 20 years of so that Leno has ever voted differently than Giavasis.

Take a look at this quote from a letter to the editor of The Repository:

During times where we have all grown weary of the friends-and-family approach to local government — as in Plain township, where outgoing Trustee Louis Giavasis recently appointed Plain Township Fiscal Officer Anthony Flex  [employed September, 2015] his new chief deputy at the Stark County Clerk of Courts (who has Trustee Al Leno [employed November, 2012] reporting to him) — we need to put proper checks in place in the Plain Township fiscal office.   

Note:  written by Claude W. "Ski'" Shriver [a former Plain Township trustee and fiscal officer; published October 27, 2015.  Shriver ran against Giavasis himself in November, 2016 in a somewhat close race.

Giavasis' job before the Stark Dems appointed him clerk?

Chief deputy in charge of the title bureau.

One has to wonder if that job was posted as accepting applications from the general taxpaying public?

It appears that there must have been Giavasis brothers discussions in 2007 to the effect his brother Phil, then Stark County clerk of courts, had concluded that it was to his advantage (significantly more pay; better retirement, et cetera) to move onto the Canton clerk of courts position when fellow Democrat Tom Harmon retired and, "golly, gee wouldn't it be nice if Louis could one day succeed him?"

Not that Harmon was finished in Stark County politics and government.  He went on to become a Stark Dems' appointed county commissioner and after that an elected councilman at large on Canton City Council.

Seems to be a pattern among a number of Stark County elected Democrats, no?

Of course, Stark County Republicans are not above doing the very same thing.

For example,  there is Republican Curtis Werren who got two appointments by Republican governor John Kasich to Stark County bench positions when the first did not pan out when the voters got their say.

So, it not just Democrats.  One of the things about "entrenched in" and "powerful in" party politics officials needing a new job, "BINGO!" up pops a new position.  Of course, they are always "the most qualified."

Either these folks do get it or have a "public be damned" attitude, but this kind of stuff gradually but surely erodes public support for political parties and contributes to the public's disdain for politicians in general.

Who can forget county recorder Rick Campbell plucking then Stark County Dems' chairman Randy Gonzalez's son Kody out of public school employment (a job Randy says that Kody always wanted, implying that it was a real sacrifice for him to accept the Campbell offered job) to become not just a Stark County recorder's office employee but the #2 official in the recorder's office.

Campbell says that Kody's selection was a "no brainer" because it was obvious to one and all that Gonzalez was the most qualified person in all of Stark County for the job.

So much so that Campbell did not bother to advertise the position to the general public who, of course, if one lives in Stark County pays the salary recorder office employees.

But Gonzalez the Younger was not done.

A relatively short time later Louis' brother Phil anointed Kody chief deputy clerk of court of the Canton clerk of courts (succeeding his father, Randy, on his retirement) on the same rationale that Campbell gave for having hired Kody to the #2 position in the recorder's office.

For the record, Kody's father has adamantly and persistently denied that he had anything whatsoever to Campbell and Giavasis finding Kody irresistible as a county/city employee.

The Report's response has always been that such may well be the case.  However, there is a significant public perception decidedly skeptical of the denial and moreover there is also the distinct possibility that neither Campbell nor Phil Giavasis had to be asked.

Who, as among Campbell and Phil Giavasis, wouldn't want to please the party chairman in making a selection that was sure to please without the need for any direction or suggestion having to be uttered even indirectly?

And who becomes Democratic party chairman as successor to Randy Gonzalez?

Phil Giavasis.

Hmm?

Isn't that interesting?

Undoubtedly, pure happenstance, no?

All of this brother Louis getting a job a in the clerk's office after Reinbold's appointment her having had the support of Phil and then Louis getting appointed to the top job after Reinbold retires smells to high heavens.

Louis likes to make it appear that he only "hoped" to be named clerk when Reinbold retired.

I think that was the plan from the very first day he stepped inside the Stark County clerk of courts office as chief deputy clerk on being hired in 2008.

The SCPR has been both complimentary and critical of Campbell as Stark County recorder.

On one occasion after I had written a blog or two about Campbell marrying the daughter of a former Stark County commissioner who was not allowed as a matter of Ohio law to continue on as a employee in the recorder's office post-marriage.

Campbell's wife ended up as the chief administrator at the Plain Township trustees.

This move has the political footprints of Louis P. Giavasis all over it.

Just ask Lawrence Township trustee Mike Stevens whether or not he had a fair shot at becoming the administrator.  And, while talking to Stevens ask him whether or not he thinks he and a fair opportunity to become Phil Giavasis's successor Stark County clerk of courts.

Shortly after the blog on the new Mrs. Campbell becoming Plain Township administrator was published, Rick Campbell, Kody Gonzalez and Louis Giavasis showed up at a regular commissioners' weekly meeting in what I took as being (ancillary to Campbell having business with the commissioners) as an attempt to intimidate me.  Campbell even went so far as to engage in jawboning me.

Up to that point, I had thought that Louis "might" be his own person and not inextricably caught up in Stark County Democratic Party politics.

His participation in what I viewed as an intimidation attempt was a eye opener.

Since then, Louis Giavasis as shown me on a number of occasions that he is up to his eyeballs in the needs of the Stark County Democratic Party and cannot be depended upon to put the public interest above personal political considerations when they become competing considerations.

Now we learn that being clerk of courts is apparently not good enough for Giavasis.  In a recent Facebook post he brags about a large number of Canton Democrats wanting him to run for mayor.

You talk about a disaster in the making.  Louis Giavasis as mayor of Canton.  You have got to be kidding.  But the nation is now is crisis mode under Donald Trump, so nobody should be surprised if the Giavasis eventually somehow shows up on the 8th floor of Canton City Hall.

Like Donald, I think Louis Giavasis has a problem getting his numbers straight.

Dozens?  How about hundreds?  When does dozens become thousands?

Even at the "dozens" level, he has been unwilling to provide names to the SCPR.

Maybe because they don't exist?

To date, only Canton Ward 9 councilman Frank Morris has owned up to being one of the "dozens."  Of course, Frank for a long time has been anti-Thomas Bernabei.  

Names and contact information (for verification) Louis.  Names, please!

Louis did try to get a job with the Healy administration as service director but lost out to guess who?

You've got it:  Thomas M. Bernabei.

Apparently, that development sticks in Louis Giavasis' crawl as perhaps does the fact that Bernabei turned from being a registered Democrat into a political independent in order to run against and defeat two term incumbent Democratic mayor William J. Healy, II while—get this—Louis' brother Phil was (and continues to be) chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party.

What a humiliation for the chairman, no?

All of the foregoing comes down to this final point.

There was a day when Louis Giavasis would answer just about any question the SCPR had.   Even embarrassing to answer political questions.  Having said that, let me say that I never thought the answers were candid and were political spin to always designed to make Louis Giavasis come out smelling like a rose.

About a year or so ago, I noticed that some of the SCPR e-mailed "political" questions were going unanswered by Louis and Phil.

And I have written about that phenomenon.

Being in his own view, a person smarter than nearly anybody else (a characteristic shared with Donald Trump) embarked recently on a quest to convince me that he is accountable and answerable to the public and that all I need do is call him or better yet visit him at the clerk's office.

Sounds a lot like brother Phil and Randy Gonzalez a number years ago inviting me to the Canton clerk of courts office to see "up close and personal" the operations of Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS).

Looking back, I now see that as an attempt to ingratiate me for the privilege of getting this personal attention.

Only trouble was, I was not all that impressed with CJIS and subsequent wrote a blog that raised questions about the quality of the operation.

That went over like a lead balloon.

Anybody who reads The Stark County Political Report knows that my primary interest is politics plays into the operations of Stark County political subdivision government.

I have certainly done some ground breaking work with objective data on the efficiency and fairness of how Stark County taxpayer dollars are spent.

But "the political factor" and its use/misuse by elected officials is the main thrust of The Stark County Political Report.

The SCPR has no confidence whatsoever in Louis Giavasis in his being candid about and owning up to his factoring in political considerations in how he operated as Plain Township trustee nor as Stark County clerk of courts.

He may be even more political than his brother Phil which is saying something.

Phil is the chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party.

I think that the Leno and Flex hirings have all the earmarks of having a basis of political connections to Louis P. Giavaais to them.

Moreover, the Leno/Flex hirings do raise the spectre that there may be more than anybody realizes lesser known persons working in the clerk of courts office on the basis of a person having had  political connections to the Giavasises and/or the Stark County Democratic Party.

Being hired on account of political connections does not necessarily mean that the hirees are not doing a workmanlike or better jobs.  However, if political connection is a part of the consideration of getting hired or not, then it is likely that the employee to be mediocre at best and perhaps one who is not up to doing the job effectively.

To the degree that the general general public is cut out of the opportunity to know about and apply for affected Stark County taxpayer paid for jobs; folks like Louis P. Giavasis should be and will be by the SCPR be held accountable.

Giavasis says that The Report's scrutiny of how he operates as clerk is meaningless to him.

Lou G <lougiavasis1@hotmail.com>  Jul 5 at 3:02 PM
To:   Martin Olson

Mr. Olsen,

... I was told today I was honored to be the subject of your blog and saw that you emailed me asking for information. I am sorry I did not know you had emailed me or I would have responded earlier. A simple phone call to me would have also worked.

It's nice to see in that I am still held in such high regard by you. I find your personal opinion of me and my brother true badges of honor and I will continue to wear them proudly. Ultimately, I do not allow your opinions to effect (sic) how I do my job, nor do I need your personal blessing or stamp of approval on what I may or may not ulimately (sic) do next.  I thank you for your interest the same. 

Respectfully

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

Isn't that an encouraging thing for a public official to say.   In effect:  "I don't care what you think of how I run a taxpayer paid for office."

His attitude mirrors that of all too many public officials.

Louis Giavasis seemingly has taken to toying with the SCPR.

How unprofessional can one get?  And, such is indication of an underlying arrogance.

What's next?

Calling me names a la following the lead of Donald Trump?

Just one more similarity between the two.

Witness this e-mail exchange:

Giavasis to SCPR

From: Lou G <lougiavasis1@hotmail.com>
Date: 9/6/17 12:25 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Martin Olson <tramols@att.net>
Subject: Invite

Martin,

The invitation still stands, my office door remains open for you at anytime you would like to come into the clerks office. I will be happy to give you a tour, discuss implenented changes, you can talk to staff and ask me any questions you would like.

Lou Giavasis

2nd Giavasis to SCPR

From: Lou G <lougiavasis1@hotmail.com>
To: Martin Olson <tramols@att.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 9, 2017 4:20 PM
Subject: Fwd: Invite

Martin,

I don't understand, you continue to criticise me for not answering questions or your emails but I have invited you to come into my office and it is I that does not get a response.

Lou

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

SCPR to Giavasis

Martin Olson <tramols@att.net>  Sep 9 at 5:41 PM
To: Lou G

For starters, please identify by name the many persons who you claim have asked you to run for mayor of Canton. Moreover, please provide me with contact information on these folks.

For other questions, just go back and review the unanswered e-mailed questions that I have sent you over the past year or so and answer them.

To repeat, just simply answer my e-mailed (or blog posed) questions that have gone unanswered.

I am pleased to hear that you think you have made improvements in  the operations of the clerk of courts office.

Such is the obligation of every elected Stark County subdivision officeholder and is not deserving of being thought of as noteworthy especially if touted by the officeholder him/herself.

I will just let your claim in the improvement regard stand on its own unless I get allegations to the contrary.  In such an eventuality, you can be sure I will want to be on the scene to be asking probing questions.

It is reassuring to know that I have an open/open-ended invitation to come check things out at the Stark County  clerk of courts office.

Such should be available to any Stark County citizen who wants to examine operations of the clerk's office.

The SCPR has never and never will ask for special access to public officials.

The Repository in the past has been highly critical of former Democratic Stark County auditor Kim Perez for injecting a political factor into whom he hired in the auditor's office.

But we hear nary a word about the Giavasises.

Hmmm?

To turn Lou's "wear as a badge of honor" comment on its head.

Keeping the spotlight on the likes of Louis P. Giavasis as he functions as a public office holder is the SCPR's "badge of honor."

The Report sees Louis Giavasis in his public capacity as being a manipulator supreme and therefore to be watched with special scrutiny.

One Donald Trump-esque person is more than an enough for any political system at any level to have to bear.

Louis P. Giavasis as a politician, as a countywide office holder merits special watching!

OUT-AND-OUT POLITICAL WARFARE! THE MAIER - DORDEA FIGHT! CARRIED ON BY PROXIES?

Of late, there is not a day that goes by that The Stark County Political Report does not get an e-mail, telephone call or personal entreaty from either a Maier campaign functionary or a Dordea campaign functionary making this or that allegation about the campaign practices of the other.

It seems that the two main protagonists are:

• staunch Democrat and Plain Township trustee Louis P. Giavasis:
• who is a chief deputy clerk of courts for Democrat Nancy Reinbold,
• who also happens to be the brother of Stark County Democratic Party chairman Phil Giavasis 
• who (Reinbold) took over years ago from brother Phil after he left the county clerk's position,
• Phil also happens to be clerk of the Canton Municipal court,
• staunch Republican and former candidate (2004) for Stark County prosecutor Jeff Jakmides. (probably Stark County's foremost criminal defense attorney)

Last week Louis Giavasis sent out a letter to the editor apparently to various Stark County media.

A copy that the SCPR was provided came from The Alliance Review which happens to be candidate Dordea's hometown.

The complainer to the SCPR was Jakmides.

Initially, he was in a fit of outrage saying that Giavasis had committed a total fabrication in saying:

He helped in getting the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force [U.S.MFTF] to expand into Stark County and has assisted in getting 300 of the most dangerous fugitives off our streets.

After the SCPR verified that Maier was involved in a "formal" expansion by the U.S.MFTF at least from the standpoint of the Marshal's Cleveland office contacted Maier (as the appointed sheriff of Stark County) and (the part Giavasis omitted from his letter) various other Stark County-based law enforcement entities, to wit:

Giavasis, very sloppily and, perhaps, conveniently for "political" purposes, does not distinguish between what part the sheriff's department and other Stark County law enforcement agencies may have had in assisting in the U.S.MTFT effort in getting violent fugitives off Stark County streets.

And he does not talk about pre-June, 2013 (when the formal arrangement was reached) when former Stark County sheriff and Maier foe Tim Swanson was in charge at 4500 Atlantic Boulevard.  (Note:  Swanson filed a successful quo warranto resulting in Maier's ouster as sheriff on 11/06/2014 [he was reappointed on 12/11/2014] and recently endorsed Dordea).

The SCPR has contacted the Marshal's office and asked for a breakdown between the Maier year and the Swanson years.

No response so far.  However, when one is forthcoming, the SCPR will supplement this blog with that information.

This is what Swanson has had to say to the SCPR:

We were originally apart of the task force and had personnel assigned to the unit. However due to budget issues we couldn't participate on a a fulltime basis through the years.

During that time period we contributed with personnel on as needed or we could spare.

The task force was very helpful when called upon and shared intelligence with the SO and the drug unit. I can't remember any specifics .

After the SCPR pointed out to Jakmides that there was a least some "incomplete" truth in Giavasis' statement, he moderated his charges against Giavasis to "he misrepresented."

And The Report thinks that being the zealous advocate he has been and continues to be for Maier, that Jakmides' charge that Giavasis' misrepresented the matter is well founded.

In light of the foregoing and other Giavasis seeming "over-the-top" pro-Maier campaign activities (e.g. his Facebook page publishing of the Canton Police car/auxiliary officers displaying a "Maier for Sheriff" shirt and his involvement if not initiation of a online petition drive to put pressure to Secretary of State Ted Husted to find for Maier in and election eligibility contest), it is interesting that Giavasis would have the apparent audacity to send out this e-mail late last night, to wit:

Important message.

lougiavasis1  Oct 27 at 11:28 PM

To:  crborello@aol.com  jrichards13@neo.rr.com  damsel16@aol.com  fredrossetti@sbcglobal.net  djriley5159@gmail.com  and 56 more...

The Sheriff has maintained and demanded that his campaign remain professional and deliver a positive message about what he has done and plans to do that will improve the Sheriffs Office and make Stark County a safer place. I am sure that most people by now have noticed the difference in the two campaigns that are running for Sheriff. In the 30 years I have been involved in in local campaigns, I have never seen the vitriol and just outright untruthfulness being thrown at a candidate for local office by their opponent than this Sheriff has happen during this campaign. It is simply amazing that our Sheriff through all of this, in spite of what has been thrown at him, he has maintained such a high level of professionalism and class. He has continued to move the Sheriff Office forward and be a positive force and example to his employees and deputies. I am very proud to call this professional law enforcement officer our Sheriff!

Lou Giavasis
Plain Township Trustee

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Of course, Giavasis says nothing about Maier himself in January, 2014 refusing to re-commission American military hero Sergeant Major Dan Altieri (a 27 year veteran of the sheriff's department and decorated U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq) because (according to Altieri) he had been (exercising his U.S. Constitution rights) to hand out Lou Darrow flyers at the December 11, 2013 conclave of the Stark County Democratic Central Committee which 101 to 66 reappointed Maier sheriff after he had been ousted.

When The Report gets anything from Giavasis or Jakmides, both are suspect in terms of "there has to be more to the story" given the respective propensities of each "to put the best spin possible" on whatever is being communicated.

The SCPR knows Giavasis much better than Jakmides in terms of the public sector activities because Giavasis holds public office whereas Jakmides does  not.

The Report has written numerous blogs about Giavasis both positive and critical.   In the view of the SCPR he has a checkered record.

He is part of the team of trustees that has made Plain Township perhaps the most fiscally responsible township in all of Stark County.

But the SCPR thinks he has played politics in influencing placing certain persons in taxpayer supported positions in Plain Township government.

Of course, Jakmides and Giavasis are not the only "out-and-out" partisans trying to use the media to get their respective candidates' spin into public circulation.

There is Ralph Spampanato of the Stark-Tusc  912 Group.

Yesterday, Ralph sent the SCPR this e-mail:

David Pepper commits a felony in his new ad | Third Base Politics

rspam64  Oct 27 at 1:38 PM

To:  tramols@att.net
http://www.thirdbasepolitics.com/david-pepper-felony/

Marty,

I share this story only because the Maier posted a picture of a vote for their candidate on his FB account.

I will try to forward that photo to you.

Ralph Spampanato

Followed up by this one:

Ralph Spampanato

rspam64  Oct 27 at 1:41 PM

To:  tramols@att.net

Here's the photo from their campaign fb page.

Happy Connecting. Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S® 5 Sport

The photo which The Report takes to be a Spampanato allegation of a Maier campaign use of an "actual" November (absentee?) ballot in "apparent" violation (according to a Columbus Dispatch article on the Pepper/DeWine attorney general race) of Ohio statutory law.

The Spampanato provided photo which he says he got from the Maier campaign page:

 From the Dispatch article:

Under Ohio laws written before anyone ever heard of Facebook and when tweets were associated only with birds, it is illegal to show off how you voted by revealing your completed ballot to someone else.

The law says it is a fifth-degree felony for a voter to “allow the elector’s ballot to be seen by another … with the apparent intention of letting it be known how the elector is about to vote.” Another section of law prohibits displaying a marked ballot while in the polling place.

The gist of the Columbus Dispatch article, as the SCPR interprets it, is that "nobody takes the law seriously."

But partisans take such matters and seek "to make a mountain out of a molehill."

Another of the Maier "over-the-top" campaign zealots, the SCPR thinks is Sheriff's department employee (June, 2013) Derrick Loy.

Loy, Alliance-based (a former Alliance City Council commission appointee) has been the subject of a number of SCPR blogs which depict him as an out-and-out George T. Maier partisan.

And he appears to have a particular thing for Dordea in that he has written the SCPR with a scathing indictment of Dordea as a former Alliance police chief and as a city councilman (a body Dordea still serves on).

Loy has the distinction (along with Giavasis) of being a few of the "outside-of-Massillon") members of the Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. (brother of George T. Maier and former Stark Dems' chairman) instigated "Maier Loyalty Club," to wit:

Right now Loy is the center of a controversy in which he is reported to be displaying within the confines of the Stark County taxpayer supported Stark County sheriff's department a photograph of Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero and former Sheriff Tim Swanson.

Up until a few days ago, it purported show two darts on or about the photo.

But, apparently, because of SCPR reporting on it, there as been a change as indicated in this e-mail from a SCPR source:

From: ...  Oct 27 at 2:27 PM

To:  Martin Olson

Martin,

    From what I learned this afternoon, I guess someone in George Maier's clan must read your blogs. . . .

   I hear that Derrick Loy removed the throwing darts from the picture of Sheriff Swanson and Prosecutor Ferrero.  I guess he replaced them with tooth picks.

   Keep up the good work.

So the question to Louis Giavasis is whether or not he thinks this is an example of "I have never seen the vitriol"  right under the nose of the man he describes as being a man who
"has maintained such a high level of professionalism and class?"

Surely, the purported Loy use of a taxpayer supported facility to express his disdain of a sitting and former Stark County official cannot have escaped the Maier folks.

The substitution of the tooth picks for darts clearly indicates that the Maier folks are well aware of Loy's outrage.  Likely including George T. Maier himself.

Yes, the Dordea/Maier faceoff has been a nasty campaign.

But the SCPR thinks most, but certainly not all, of the nastiness has come from the Maier side of things.

For one of what the SCPR thinks is one of the Maier main players in the political hanky panky to assign to himself and to George T. Maier "the high road" is the quintessential Stark County Democratic Party stalwart Louis P. Giavasis.

Louis can try to paint that picture of himself, but the SCPR does not buy it.

His conduct belie his words!

Not long ago Dordea wrote an entry on his Facebook campaign page decrying conduct of Maier campaigners.

But then he went on to discuss a very serious incident in which he says that someone lossened lug nuts on his campaign vehicle.

Here comes the disingenuous part.

Dordea says that his relating the "lug nuts" incidents is not an attempt by him to link the Maier campaign to incident.

Really?

Who believes that?

The SCPR has castigated Dordea for the ingenuity.

The SCPR is here to hold Giavasis, Loy and Dordea apologists Jakmides and Spampanato and the candidates themselves accountable for their words and deeds!

The SCPR's problem with George T. Maier is that there are a number of character assessment questions out there as cited in previous blogs which he has not answered.

The Report has challenged Maier to sit down with the SCPR on camera and answer those questions.

Certainly, The Repository has not and is apparently not about to address those questions.

After all, Maier loyalist Louis P. Giavasis has assured us all that George T. Maier "is as pure as the white driven snow."

That's all we need, isn't it? (please do not miss the sarcasm)

DAVIES BOWS OUT IN NORTH CANTON ON ANTI-FRACKING AT LEAST FOR NOW. HAS TO BE A DISAPPOINTMENT TO PLAIN'S CHRIS BORELLO - STARK COUNTY'S PRE-EMINENT BATTLER FOR A CAUSE!

The expression "fight[ing] like a girl" used to be exclusively as an insult.  Men have used it among themselves to describe other men whom the utterer of the phrase wanted put down as being weak.

One of the biggest changes in the American political landscape has been the power demonstrated by American women as they have increasingly taken on leadership in fighting for the causes of political, economic and social justice.

Names of extraordinarily courageous and effective women who dot the ongoing march of women in the annals of American history into a role of powerful leadership include National Women's Hall of Fame inductees Bella Abzug, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jeannette Rankin, Madeleine Albright, Maya Angelou, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Susan Kelly-Dreiss from among 236 of such inductees.

While she may not make it into the National Women's Hall of Fame, Stark County's Christine  "Chris" Borello carries on the fight of contemporary and archival American women for the causes they have and continue to believe in.

Chris's fight is for the health, safety and well-being of Stark Countians.  Moreover, though, her work spills out to benefit people across the nation.

Whether or not one agrees with Borello's position on issues she takes on, a fair minded person absolutely has to admire her grit, guts and determination which translates into "never giving up!"

Because of the work of the 236 women in the National Women's Hall of Fame and countless other anonymous American women who fight, fight, fight for the causes they believe in on a day-in, day-out basis, the SCPR believes the expression of "fight like a girl" has taken on new meaning in modern parlance and is submerging the sexist expression of macho men.

Yours truly has known Chris Borello for about 30 years.  In fact, we have children who attended school together in the Lake school system.

She now lives in Plain Township, but she has been (since the early 1980s) been battling to get a complete cleanup of the Uniontown Industrial Excess Landfill (IEL) located in Lake Township.  IEL is a dump which was - in the main - used by Akron-based rubber companies to dump toxic industrial waste in a former Uniontown quarry.

Of late, she has taken up - in addition to her continuing IEL fight - the cause of anti-fracking.

Horizontal hydrofracking is a means of tapping shale deposits containing natural gas that were previously inaccessible by conventional drilling. Vertical hydrofracking is used to extend the life of an existing well once its productivity starts to run out, sort of a last resort. Horizontal fracking differs in that it uses a mixture of 596 chemicals, many of them proprietary, and millions of gallons of water per frack. This water then becomes contaminated and must be cleaned and disposed of.

In an exchange with local self-described super attorney William G. Williams of Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A. so quintessentially shows the fire of Chris Borello:

One of Borello's chief frustrations has to be dealing with politicians.

There is not one Stark County politician who Borello thinks might help her in her quest to make the Stark County environment safe for all of us who has not been lobbied by her to join her cause.

The closest that she ever got (in the opinion of the SCPR) to getting a politician to go all out in joining her in the fight to clean up IEL was Robert Horowitz (deceased November 14, 2003) who served as Stark County prosecutor from 1985 through 2003.

Bob did a lot of sincere, effective work to help Chris, but in the end he seemed to have yielded to political pressure to back off.

Yours truly has always told Borello that her drive to prove on the "merits of the case" her cause, while admirable, will not get the job done for her.  The Report believes that the solutions come from the political realm.

But there is one major problem with politicians.

They have to get elected and if they think that an issue will cause them a problem getting elected (or, re-elected, as the case may be), they scatter to the four winds and abandon what appeared to be a commitment "in a heartbeat."

A notable Stark County politician who seemingly has embraced whole-heartedly the fight to ban horizontal hydraulic fracking is Demcrat Plain Township Trustee Louis Giavasis.  Another stalwart appears to be Democratic Canton Councilwoman Mary Cirelli.

In December, 2010 Giavasis caused quite a stir among the oil and gas interests in Stark County (most notably Attorney William G. Williams - a Republican), when he proposed a ban of such fracking in Plain Township.

Williams responded with what many believe to be a letter designed (followed up later onwith a second letter) to intimidate Giavasis.  However, as politicians go, Giavasis so far is proving steadfast in his commitment to fight fracking in Plain and has moreover tried to get other Stark County political jurisdictions to follow his lead.  One such entity has been North Canton City Council through Republican Councilman Jeff Davies (Ward 3).

Giavasis has been successful in getting fellow Democratic Plain Township Al Leno to join him on passing resolutions to ask Ohio to place a moratorium on fracking and banning fracking on and under township park lands, and other township owned land as well has under township roadways.  Republican Trustee Scott Haws has refused to support the Giavasis effort.

Chris Borello and a bevy of northeast Ohio environmentalist have been at his side each step of the way.

But, like so many politicians before him, Davies appears to be bailing out - at least until he gets re-elected.  Witness this e-mail between Davies and Giavasis:

A former North Canton politician tells the SCPR that he thinks there is a good chance that Davies will lose his 3rd Ward seat on November 8th.

Other Stark politicians who have shown some interest in joining the anti-fracking fight include Alliance Councilman Steve Okey (Democrat running for mayor of Alliance) and Councilman Tony Townsend of Massillon (a Democrat).  However, lame duck Massillon Mayor Frank Cicchinelli (Democrat) may be the foremost example of a Stark politician who favors fracking.  He is trying to negate the Townsend -led effort by suggesting that a council anti-fracking stance may cost Massillon about 500 new oil and gas industry jobs.

Also a word about Canton City Council President Allen Schulman (a Democrat).  Initially, he seemed to be on board with Giavasis and Cirelli, but his stance seems to have changed.  Wonder what has ben behind that?

Giavasis' most important ally in the judgment of the SCPR is Borello.

Most of her work is done "behind the scenes" as she constantly reminds yours truly that her causes are not about her, BUT ABOUT THE CAUSE.

Undoubtedly, between IEL and the anti-fracking issues, Borello is used to politicians like Davies who very typically "goes a runnin" when the political heat gets applied.

The Report thinks that Giavasis will stick with Borello through "thick and thin," but who knows.

One thing about Chris Borello, she is part and parcel of giving new meaning to "fighting like a girl" and one can be sure that:

'CHRIS BORELLO WILL NEVER GIVE UP!!!"

REPORTEDLY LOUIS P. GIAVASIS WILL NOT RUN FOR STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER. A GOOD THING FOR STARK COUNTY?

It is a good thing that Plain Township trustee Giavasis underlines Louis P.  Otherwise, people might confuse him with his brother Phil.  Brother Phil is the better known Giavasis siblings.


Phil was Stark County Common Pleas clerk of courts for a number of years.  When Tom Harmon decided to "retire," Phil jumped all over being Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts because of the increased pay which will jack up his retirement benefits from PERS on retirement.


On the way out the door at Common Pleas, Phil Giavasis handed that job to Nancy Reinbold, wife of former Common Pleas Court judge Richard Reinbold.  

Who is one of Reinbold's chief employees these days?


Phil's brother Louis P.  That's who!


Louis doubles up as Plain Township trustee.


The SCPR has complemented the Plain trustees for having probably the best fiscal operation in all of Stark County, if not all of Ohio.  Louis P. deserves some of but not all of the credit.


The question becomes:  would Louis P. Giavasis as a Stark County commissioner be good for Stark Countians.


The SCPR's answer is probably not.


And this may be an academic discussion because The Report is told that Louis P. Giavasis will not be running for commissioner.  Reportedly, he has made a statement on his Facebook page to that effect.


Okay let's go the academic route:  why Louis P. Giavasis might not make a good Stark County commissioner?


Because he is afflicted with the "perpetual bridesmaid effect" which has him cozying up to political suitors but being rejected because of some perceived "political imperfections."


Hmm?  The "perpetual bridesmaid effect."


Yes, Louis P. is a wannabe type in terms of Stark County power politics who is largely unappreciated by the powers that be in the Stark County Democratic Party.  Moreover, if his brother was not Phil, he likely would not be the "Title Bureau Czar" for the Stark clerk of courts office.


Though Louis P. probably works far harder on the campaigns of other Stark Democratic hopefuls than brother Phil (who likely does no on-the-ground work for others), he ends up being the Rodney Dangerfield of Stark Democratic politics whereas brother Phil is one of the key players of the Party.

An argument can be made that had Louis P. not worked day and night for Commissioner Todd Bosley in Bosley's 2006 campaign,  the good commissioner would not be commissioner.


A part of Louis P's problem getting respect is that he has "apparently" taken on some powerful interests that are major players in Plain Township and Stark County as a whole.  One such interest is the Giant Eagle grocery chain. 


Why Giant Eagle?

Because when Giant Eagle vacated the oldish Oakwood Square shopping complex, Trustee Louis P. Giavasis fought with Giant Eagle over a provision in Giant Eagle's lease with the shopping center owners that gave the grocery chain behemoth a veto right over allowing a replacement grocery store from coming into Oakwood.  

Giant Eagle moved just down the road from Oakwood to the brand new Washington Square.


So?


Well, it wasn't just that Louis P. fought with Giant Eagle, it was the tone and vitriol that seemed to be a part of Louis P's presentations and advocacy.


Stark County Democratic leaders got real nervous about Louis and the potential he posed to upset the Stark County political applecart by making a big deal out of the Giant Eagle thing.  They likely got to thinking that this guy Louis P. gets off the reservation from time-to-time and therefore we cannot put him in a front and center politically sensitive situation.


Another powerful interest that Louis P. Giavasis has taken on is American Electric Power (AEP).

Several years ago AEP decided to as the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) for a gigantic increase in electric rates over three years.  Louis P. Giavasis spearheaded an effort to get all Stark County local governments which had AEP users within their boundaries to send letters to the PUCO protesting the increases.


Again, the Stark County Democratic Party leaders had to be saying to themselves:  "there goes Louis P. again."  So, one might ask, who is Louis P. Giavasis?

Is he a maverick who makes local powerful Democrats leaders nervous or is he a political toady-up?


The answer:  about a 80/20 ratio with the 80 being the "consummate party man" factor and the other 20 being Louis P. Giavasis, the political  "maverick."

In a sense, it might be right on the mark to call Louis P. Giavasis Stark County's genuine political "double-agent."  He has one foot squarely planted in being an agitator for the people - on the one hand, and one foot squarely planted in being "anything for you" to the Stark County Democratic Party leadership - on the other hand.

If one buys into The Report's assessment of Louis P. Giavasis, would you want him as Stark County commissioner - if he changes his mind about for running (politicians do that you know) and decides to run?


Commissioner Todd Bosley would.  And why wouldn't he. 

The SCPR would not be surprised in the slightest if Louis P. changes his mind on running for commissioner before the filing deadline later this month.

He has demonstrated his ability to change his mind on the efforts of The Steering Committee for the City of Plain to incorporate parts of Plain Township.


As the SCPR understands his original position was one of neutrality


However, at the December 23, 2009 meeting of the Plain Trustees he and his fellow trustees came out against the effort.  


Of course, they are against the incorporation.  If the incorporation wins, then the trustees will be marginalized in terms of what is left for them to govern.


The City of Plain group were hassled by county officials in getting the incorporation issue on the ballot.  Hmm?


One has to wonder:  what, if anything did Louis P. do - on the political backstage - to try to keep the incorporation issue off the May ballot?

The SCPR believes that there is enough of a take on Louis P. Giavasis to justify opting out on Giavasis being anything other than a township trustee.

The Report believes that Louis P. Giavasis is "up to his eyebrows" in Stark County Democratic insider politics and therefore would, if he ran and was elected commissioner, be a part of the Randy Gonzalez political machine which loves to work their "wink and a nod" deals for the benefit of party insiders.


Louis P. Giavasis is, in being a bridesmaid type politico, close to the key action but just a shade short of qualifying for being prime time (i.e. being the bride).


Because he is questing to being "bride" of Stark County Democratic political order, the SCPR believes that Stark Countians should be glad that he has not thrown his hat into the ring.


For if he did, the SCPR believes he would win a Democratic primary against Michael Stevens (Lawrence Township trustee) and be the odds-on-favorite to defeat any of the announced Republicans in the November general election.


Then Stark Countians would have Steve Meeks ("of, by, and for politics") and Louis P. Giavasis (the 80/20 man) running Stark County government.


Could Stark County survive a hit like that?

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES": (VOL I) LOUIS GIAVASIS FOR PLAIN TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE; DOES HE DESERVE ANOTHER TERM?

UPDATE (09/28/09)

Giavasis contacted the SCPR to state that Mike Stevens was not hired as Plain Township administrator because he wanted to remain as Lawrence Township trustee.

If the answer to the question posed in the graphic above is "yes," then Plain Township trustee Louis Giavasis deserves to be re-elected to one of the two trustee positions up for voting this coming November.

He is opposed by Diebold employee Scott Haws and Dawn Campanelli.  The SCPR will cover their campaigns in later volumes of the SCPR "ELECTION 2009" SERIES.

Louis Giavasis is an interesting political study for Stark County students of politics.

He is a guy who appears to be largely non-political but the reality is that he is enmeshed in partisan Democratic politics.

For instance, he now works in the Stark County clerk of courts office held by Nancy Reinbold.  Clerk Reinbold got her job from guess who?  Louis's brother Phil who used to be Stark County Common Pleas clerk of courts until he decided it was more remunerative (and therefore more retirement benefit enhancing)  to be the Canton
Municipal clerk of courts.

Reinbold (the wife of  long time Stark County Court Common Pleas judge - now retired - Richard Reinbold in the opinion of the SCPR is beholden to the Giavasis political family.  When Phil moved on, he was hostileto anyone who wanted to consider running for the county clerk job because he - Phil - had determined that the job was to go to Nancy Reinbold.

So now you have Louis in the clerk's office.  Hmm?  Politics or merit?

On the other side of the political coin is the reality that Louis has been in the running for "political" jobs in the past, only to come up empty.  If he is so politically connected, how can this be?

In part, because he is a bit of a loose canon on township governmental decision questions and,in part, because within the Stark County Democratic Party there are a number of divisions.  An example:  Louis being part of the Giavasis wing (Phil's political machine) of the Stark County Democratic Party makes application with the Healy administration which is controlled politically by the "TeamHealy" political machine of the Stark County Democratic Party.  It would not necessarily be beneficial for Louis Giavasis of the Giavasis political machine to expect a political advantage with the TeamHealy folks. In fact, it was (when Louis applied) a big negative.

That's how Stark County Cemocratic politics works.

Notwithstanding the SCPR's understanding of how caught up Louis Giavasis is in the inner workings of Stark County Democratic Politics, yours truly thinks Louis is one of the very best, if not the best, township trustee in Stark County and, perhaps, beyond.

One of Giavasis' prime political skills is to be able to work with co-equal officeholders.  Being township trustee or county commissioner is challenging because of the egos involved in holding office on a three person board.

Giavasis' success in Plain Township, the SCPR believes, is attributable - in the main-  to spreading the glory around.  Never, in the SCPR's conversations with Louis, has he taken full credit for Plain's successes as a exceptional example of how township government can work well for citizens.  He always has made it clear that Plain's success is attributable to all three trustees.

While many Stark and Ohio townships are having severe financial/economic hardships, Plain Township is relative secure; especially on the financial side of the equation.

And, Giavasis is currently on the threshold of breaking through on a major economic development coup for Plain.  As early as Wednesday of this week, Stark County commissioners could decide to release $2 million in federal stimulus money loan guarantees so that a Boston developer can get the money he needs to create 129 new (a mix of full/parttime) jobs within two years.
Get this folks.  The $2 million is only a guarantee (somewhat like FDIC (protecting bank deposits) and the money will be repaid to Stark County so that the county can seed other economic development projects.

In 2000, the Oakwood Square shopping complex went belly up because its anchor tenant Giant Eagle move one mile to the west to Washington Square.  But, to protect its territory, Giant Eagle negotiated a lease to to prohibit a competing grocer from going into Oakwood Square for what seems to be an eternity.

Louis Giavasis has fought Giant Eagle tooth and nail on this issue ever since his election in 1993 after being appointed to the office in 1992.

There are other successes that Giavasis likes to point to:

The Plain Township parks system, and

the fact that Plain Township officials saw the financial/economic downturn coming as much as five years ago and have created reserves to create the buffer they need to weather the hard times.

The SCPR is impressed by Gaivasis.  So much so that yours truly wonders why, in the face of the rumored Tom Harmon step-down as county commissioner after the first of year, Stark County Democrats would choose anyone other than Louis Giavasis as his successor?

If Harmon does resign, then politics will enter in bigtime, and Steve Meeks (former Jackson Township trustee) has a much thicker political relationship with Stark County Democratic Party chairman than does the Giavasis family.

One of the most powerful families in Stark County politics, is the Gayle Jackson family.

Gayle (a former county commissioner)  is now with the lottery commission having been appointed by Governor Strickland on the recommendation of former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. who Strickland is highly indebted to because Maier was the first Ohio county chairman to endorse him for governor in 2006.

Her son, Shane, works for Maier as chief deputy making more money than Massillon mayor Francis Cicchinelli, Jr, and is the political director of the Stark County Democratic Party.

Her daughter, Lisa (wife of Stark County recorder Rick Campbell) works for guess who?

Plain Township.

So?

The "so" leads to the question  as to what political role did Louis Giavasis have in helping her land the job?

The SCPR believes substantial.

Lawrence Township trustee Michael Stevens was the odds on favorite to get the job when it came open several years ago.

The SCPR believes that Maier and Louis' brother Phil leaned on the Plain trustees to opt for Lisa.

The Campbell hiring folks is a apt description of the inner workings and realities of Stark County politics.

Is Louis Giavasis up to his eyeballs in Stark County Democratic politics?

Probably.

However, the SCPR believes he is likely the very most visionary (e.g. Oakwood Square)of all Stark County trustees.  Moreover, he understands and teams up with Plain Township other two trustees to configure and implement township government efficiencies and plan in advance and install financial mechanism to keep Plain Township richly solvent.

A huge Giavasis strength is his persistence.  Witness the Oakwood Square project.  he has been working on this project for nearly 10 years!

All of this goes to prove that being highly political does not necessarily mean that one is not a high quality public official.

Many times it does.

But not in the case of Trustee Louis P. Giavasis.