NEW REPUBLICAN COMMISSIONER RICHARD REGULA & HIS DEMOCRATIC FRIENDS. HMM?

If ever there is a Republican name in Stark County, it has to be the name REGULA!

Back in 2008, long time 16th District Congressman Ralph Regula retired and has left a rich legacy which continues to endear him to many, if not most, Stark Countians; Republican and Democratic alike.

His successor, Democrat John Boccieri, tried to capitalize on being associated with the Regula name in saying nothing but good things about Ralph and indeed honoring him frequently in public remarks and, more specifically, in being a driving force in having the new federal building erected in Canton named after Regula.



The Boccieri effort proved ineffective as he was defeated in November, 2010 by current 16th District Republican Congressman Jim Renacci.

But Boccieri is not the only Stark County Democrat who jumped on the Ralph Regula bandwagon hoping to hitch a ride to Stark County political success.

Of course, Stark County's quintessential political opportunist, Canton mayor William J. Healy, II, was in the act even before Boccieri.

Here he is pictured on December 11, 2008 front and center with Regula and others as ground was broken for the construction of what was to become the Ralph Regula Federal Building.

Of course, Healy has never run outside of Canton (except maybe Canton Township and part of Perry), so we won't know that his tag-along with Regula has any political benefit.

To the SCPR, there has never been any doubt that Ralph is a true Republican, but, unlike Renacci, he identified with many Democrats and independents when he ran for office.

Richard Regula is a different story in terms of political loyalties in the estimate of The Report.

Your truly became politically active in the early 2000s and from the get-go it was a sight to behold to see Richard show up at fundraising events of prominent Stark County Democrats here and there.

To this day, if one checks campaign finance reports, he shows up at the haunts of his favorite Democrats with checkbook in hand.

Can anyone feature papa-Ralph doing any such thing?

This morning The Report spoke to Richard (immediately prior to the commissioners meeting) about his swearing-in as the successor to Democrat Pete Ferguson who chose not to run for a second term.

It was interesting to hear him describe his swearing-in last Thursday at the Massillon Municipal Court with Judges Roland Centrone (a Republican) and Eddie Elum (a Democrat and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. political ally) doing the honors.

Two other political significants he identified included Massillon Mayor Kalthy Catazaro-Perry and her political mentor Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.  Maier is a former chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party and currently serves as the elected head of the  Massillon clerk of courts office.

It has been some time since Maier has had entre in to the halls of the Stark County commissioners' office.

You have to go back to the days that Gayle Jackson was county commissioners for that.   Maier's chief deputy is Shane Jackson, Gayle's son.

Could it be that now that he has ousted Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr as mayor at the hand of the politically dependent (on him) Kathy Catazaro-Perry that he is looking to get back into politics on a countywide basis?

And is Richard Regula going to be "the foot in the door" person and avenue for Maier's reentry into the halls of the county commissioners' offices?

A recent interesting development in Massillon has to do with the resignation of Paul Lambert as treasurer of Massillon.

Whom got the appointment as interim treasurer from Catazaro-Perry?

Andrea Regula?

Really?  A Regula Republican?

No, not at all.

There was discussion about the appointment before today's commissioners' meeting and Richard was amused to hear about the political buzz about his former sister-in-law's appointment.

Richard says she was a Democrat even when married to brother David.

She has taken out petitions to run for the office next November.  Lambert's term ends on December 31, 2013.

And there is no doubt whatsoever that she will get the appointment to serve until then when the Massillon precinct committee persons meet in early February to select Lambert's successor.

She does have the Maier Massillon political machine behind her and there can be no doubt that the selection process is a mere formality.

But bottom line, it has to be a bit distressing for the Regula family patriarch to have the hallowed Republican saturated Regula family name implicated in Democratic politics via son Richard and ex-daughter-in-law Andrea, no?

WHICH STARK COUNTY CONGRESSPERSON IS SPENDING LESS/MORE ON HIS/HER STAFF? RENACCI STAFFER HAS GOTTEN 188% IN INCREASES SINCE STARTING WITH REGULA IN 2001.

UPDATED AND REPUBLISHED 04/06/2012

LINK to underlying USA Today article.

ORIGINAL BLOG

According to state Rep. Christina Hagan (Republican - Marlboro) and Stark GOP Chair Jeff Matthews it is a good thing, due to the decentennially required by the U.S. Constitution redistricting and the Ohio Republican Party gerrymandering the districts to the GOP's advantage, that Stark County is split up into three districts.

Accordingly, the SCPR tracks the spending habits not just on the 16th Congressional District (currently held by Jim Renacci - R/Wadsworth) which used to encompass all of Stark County but also Congressmen Bob Gibbs (currently R -18th; to be the 6th) and Tim Ryan (currently D -17th; to be the 13th).

Because Ohio loses two congressional seats due to population loss, Congressman Renacci has to battle current Democratic 13th District Congresswoman Betty Sutton for the right to remain in Congress.

So as asked in the title to this blog, who is the most frugal congress person vying for office in the 2012 congressional election for Stark County?

The winner is:  16th District Congressman Jim Renacci.

As can be seen from extracts from LegiStorm, he bests his November opponent by over $150,000.

And as can be seen by the graphics on Congressmen Gibbs and Ryan below, he best Gibbs by about $25,000 and Ryan by some $357,000.

Congratulations Congressman Renacci.

However, readers of The Report are reminded that this measure of frugality with taxpayer money is a relative phenomenon.

Note, that if Renacci had stayed at his 01/01/2011 - 03/31/2011 pay standard he could have saved taxpayers an additional $100,000.

But he chose to grant staff raises totaling 4.5%, 15.6% and 9.5% in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters and thereby blemished his record of frugality.

Does anyone think that his car dealership is handing out 29.6% per annum in raises?

He still does better that the others who are likely to represent Stark County (except, maybe Sutton) come January 1, 2013, but the key point for everyday Stark Countians is that nearly 30% in staff raises is not happening at their places of employment.

By this standard, even Renacci looks he like does not have much of problem spending "other people's money."

Think he might "hold the line" next year, if elected?

Another note that the SCPR cannot pass up.

One of Renacci's staffers is Stark GOP Chairman and Stark Board of Elections Director Jeff Matthews' wife Heidi.

Heidi started out as staff assistant to now retired Congressman Ralph Regula in 2000.

In her first full year (2011) she earned $27,833.34.

By 2009, she was earning just a few dollars shy of $100,000.

Well, Congressman Regula retired.

But with Renacci's defeat of Democrat John Boccieri in November, 2010, she was back on the job with the Republican Renacci.

The Report is told that husband Jeff (remember, Stark County GOP chair) took the initiative with other 16th District GOP chairmen (losing only the Ashland County chairman -  the home of Renacci Republican primary opponent Matt Miller) to enhance Renacci's chance of getting the GOP nomination.

Again, credit is due Renacci.

He did not bring Matthews in at $100,000.

He cut her and cut her good to a mere $80,208.33.  About a 20% cut from her last Regula year.

And he even cut her rather large quarterly raises enjoyed under Congressman Regula.

Ms. Matthews only got about 20% in raises from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

Compared to the Regula years, quite a come down.

Not counting her year at $100,000 under Regula, Matthews has received as measured her current Renacci salary 188% over a ten year period.

18.8% per year over ten years!

Interesting, no?

For comparision purposes, here are the salaries meted out by Congressmen Gibbs and Ryan for 2011.

Your tax dollars at work!

TWO COMMISSIONER SEATS ARE UP FOR VOTER SELECTION THIS YEAR: ARE THERE ANY AMONG THE FIELD OF FIVE WHO CAN MATCH THE VISION OF RALPH REGULA AND FRED KRUM?

The Akron Beacon Journal recently published a story:   Big federal check lands at Akron-Canton Airport (Bill Lilley, March 15, 2010).

The key to the story was Lilley's focus on the vision demonstrated by longtime 16th district congressman Ralph Regula and longtime Akron-Canton Airport director Fred Krum over the years in bringing Akron-Canton along as a huge economic asset to Stark County, Summit County and, indeed, to all of northeast Ohio.

Krum passed away a little over a year ago and Regula retired from Congress in 2008.

With these two visionary giants gone from the Stark County scene, the question becomes who will pick up with their drive, dedication and determination as qualities which fueled their vision and made Akron-Canton Airport an engine and hub for future Stark economic development?

Said another way, who among Akron-Canton's public and private leadership circles will step forward to fill the void left with the absence of Regula and Krum.

The primary focus of the Stark County Political Report is, of course, the public sector and Stark's political and government leaders.

2010 brings the election cycle to the fore and presents an occasion for Stark Countians to focus on the two commissioner slots that are up for selection this November.

Here are the candidates:

The SCPR has been thoroughly unimpressed with the folks who have staffed the commissioners slots going back to the mid-1970s when yours truly first moved to Stark County.

Had Stark County had a Fred Krum or Ralph Regula in a commissioner seat over those years, Stark County would not be facing the gigantic financial crisis that is presently under way.

But who can point to one single commissioner during those 35 years that in any way, shape or form approximates Krum and Regula?

There are none!

And Stark County is now paying the price!!!

The question presented for 2010 voters is this: whether or not any of the five listed above as running for Stark County commissioner have characteristics and qualities that could, 35 years from now, have Stark Countians looking back in adulation at the sterling work done in a visionary fashion to bring Stark to the fore in economic productiveness and thereby make Stark a prime Ohio location to work and live in

These are critical times for Stark's future.

Right now, Stark is not, except for a few bright spots like the Akron-Canton Airport complex and Stark State College's high tech development footprint, headed in the right the direction.

Voters need to probe the commissioner candidates and find out which of the five provide the best visionary promise - in the Krum/Regula mode - for Stark's future.