BREAKING NEWS! FORMER DEMOCRAT SHERIFF SWANSON TO ENDORSE REPUBLICAN DORDEA FOR STARK COUNTY SHERIFF!

The Stark County Political Report has learned that the broken glass of the Stark County Democratic Party will become scattered shards with the impending "press release" later today by former Democratic Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson that he endorses Republican Larry Dordea over fellow Democrat George T. Maier.

Swanson, as captured in the photo above by the SCPR with former Stark County sheriff department Captain Lou Darrow (now retireat a Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) meeting on November 12, 2013, just days after the Ohio Supreme Court removed Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee appointee George T. Maier (02/05/2013) from office as "unqualified" by the Ohio Supreme Court on November 6, 2013.

A Swanson filed quo warranto on February 12, 2013 was the basis for the November 6, 2013 decision.

Swanson and Democratic Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero (a former chairman of the Dems) opposed Maier in supporting Darrow on February 5th and again on December 11, 2013 when the Stark Dems once again appointed Maier.

At the February meeting Darrow received 84 votes compared to Maier's 92.  In December, there were still 66 Democratic precinct committee members who were willing to face down the Maier Massillon-based political machine.

Long term Stark County political observers were stunned at the closeness of the February vote.

Had the vote been by secret ballot, many observers think that Darrow would have won.

There are those who think that Maier's brother Johnnie, Jr (a former Dems' chairman) hatched the "open to public scrutiny" vote change in the local Democratic Party bylaws justified by an argument that central committee members are "elected" officials and therefore are obligated to vote out-in-the-open.

While the SCPR agrees with the political theory behind the "out-in-the-open" vote, The Report does not buy into the notion that Gonzalez and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr are "transparency-fostering" party leaders.

The Report thinks that Gonzalez and Maier, Jr will shift with the wind depending on their personal political interests.

As far as the SCPR is concerned, there has never been a definitive answer by the Ohio Supreme Court as to whether or not Maier is currently qualified under relevant Ohio statutes to be sheriff.

And the possibility remains that should he be elected on November 4, 2013, Maier will once again face a quo warranto action like that initiated by Swanson on February 12, 2013 that could keep the Stark County sheriff's office in a state of flux.

With Swanson's endorsement, Dordea - who the SCPR thinks already has an advantage in that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate (FitzGerald) self-destructed and therefore Democrats across-the-board are in for a real shellacking in less than two weeks - picks up another advantage with dissident Democrats who look to Swanson and Prosecutor John Ferrero for leadership.

Ferrero has not, so far as the SCPR knows, endorsed Dordea.  However, it is hard to imagine that he would be telling anybody that he thinks it is okay to vote for Maier after his (Ferrero) being humiliated on February 5th by then Stark County Dems' chairman Randy Gonzalez for having submitted an affidavit expressing his assessment that Maier was not qualified under Ohio law to be sheriff.

To repeat, the Ohio Supreme Court vindicated Ferrero's opinion on November 6, 2013.

George Maier was removed as the Stark County Democratic Party appointed sheriff.

Though The Report thinks Dordea is disadvantaged in that he is a classy guy who runs his political campaign at a very high moral level as compared to the political "rough and tumble" Maiers (to be nice about them); it could be that the "stars are aligning" for him and the rift within the Stark County Democratic Party in combo with the coming Republican tide will put him over the top on November 4th.

SWANSON'S ENDORSEMENT

After careful consideration I have decided I cannot remain silent any longer concerning the Sheriff's race. Having spent the last forty years of my life dedicated to serving the citizens of Stark County and for fourteen of those years you trusted me as  your elected  Sheriff (1999-2013), I must speak out.

There is only one qualified candidate appearing on the November ballot, Larry Dordea. I cannot believe the audacity of the Democrat candidate, who was found to have illegally occupied the office of Sheriff by the Ohio Supreme Court. 

I implore you not to be deceived by the rhetoric and untruths being shared by Mr. Dordea's opponent. 

There is only one candidate appearing on the ballot who truly meets all the necessary qualifications. That candidate is Larry Dordea.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. 
-- Sir Edmund Burke  1729-1797     

Tim Swanson retired

Stark County Sheriff

Tim Swanson 

OH! HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN FROM "BACK IN THE DAY?"

Circa 2006, 2007, & 2008, former Stark County state representative Johnnie A. Maier, Jr was "at the top" of his political game.

During his stint as Stark Dems chairman (2003 through 2009), the Dems managed to capture every Stark County-wide (non-judicial) elected office.

He must have had a premonition that "all Hell was going to break loose" as he resigned as party chairman and left his successor and prime member of his personal political loyalty group; namely, Randy Gonzalez, to "pick up the pieces" as what local civic activist Craig T. Conley termed as being Zeiglergate broke loose on April 1, 2009.

Since then:

• Zeigler resigned/retired in an agreement with Stark County commissioners on October 19, 2011, 
• In 2012 Republican Richard Regula (in a major political surprise defeated by Democrat Todd Bosley in 2006) reclaimed his commissionership in replacing Democrat Pete Ferguson (elected in 2008 but who decided not to seek reelection)
• In 2010, Republican Janet Creighton easily defeated Maier/Gonzalez political confidant Steven Meeks (appointed by the Dems in 2007 to replace Tom Harmon [resigned in 2009]),
• In 2010, Bosley
• who along with Harmon [appointed by the Dems to replace Strickland administration appointee [lottery commission] and therefore former commissioner Gayle Jackson [2007],
• voted in December, 2008 to "impose" a 1/2 cent sales tax on Stark Coutians,
• and, therefore, apparently concluding that he could not win reelection as commissioner instead ran for state representative, the 50th District, a suffered a massive political defeat
• In 2010, Democrat Stark County auditor who was apparently thought by Stark County voters to be too politically close to Zeigler and did not do enough to raise alarms that "all may not be well" in the Stark County treasury headed by Zeigler, lost in convincing fashion to Republican Alan Harold,

So there you have "a thumbnail sketch" of how the Stark County political empire that Johnnie A. Maier, Jr had worked so hard to create had come crashing down.

Maier got his start back in 1988 when he had the good fortune "be in the right place, at the right time."  Stalwart Republican icon "Red" Ash (the, at the time, 49th House District, which became the 56th and then the 50th) had run into legal troubles and Maier was there "to pick up the pieces."

Over his years of chairman and a Massillon clerk of courts, Maier worked equally hard - if not more so - to develop a cult-like following of his personal political aspirations, to wit:

He had come home (Massillon area) from "the high reaches" of Columbus where he fraternized with the all-powerful Vern Riffe, Jr. (Speaker of the House 1975 - 1995) and learned "the art of cultivating and mastering" political power.

Many think Riffe used political power for the public good whereas there are those who think that student Johnnie, Jr applies it to his personal interests.

One of the devices of governance that the Republicans used in 1992 to wrest power from te Democrats was to support voter passage of term limits in Ohio.

Under the term limits legislation, representatives were limited to eight (8) consecutive years in office.

Accordingly, Maier, Jr had to find a more secure and nesting place and in a show of what was to come from this disciple of Vern Riffe, he put a political power move on fellow Democrat Edward L. Radel, Jr and ousted him as clerk of Massillon Municipal Court earlier in 1999.

Maier went on to defeat Republican Richard Reichel by an overwhelming majority in 1999 general election.

All of the foregoing is to demonstrate that Maier is now "on life support" to salvage what remains of his Stark County based political empire.

And that, folks, is his "all-out, all consuming" effort to get his brother George (who he likely got Ted Strickland to appoint as assistant director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety) elected as Stark County sheriff.

A victim of the Maier obsession with getting his brother elected may be "top-gun" prosecutor Chryssa Hartnett.

Chryssa works for Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero (who along with former sheriff Tim Swanson have worked against George becoming sheriff, appointed and/or elected).

The SCPR believes that the Maiers are soaking up nearly all the financial resources that Stark Dems can raise and that Hartnett may not be able to garner enough campaign funds to get her message out to the Stark County voting public that she is - so the SCPR thinks - is vastly more qualified to be judge of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas that Republican Curtis Werren.

Before being appointed by Republican governor John Kasich to a court vacancy,  Werren was president of the Stark County chapter of the American Red Cross.

Republican Larry Dordea who ran a, more or less, "gentlemens' campaign" when he ran in 2008 against incumbent sheriff Tim Swanson (who is now on the outs with the Maiers), is now in, what he says (as interpreted by the SCPR) is - to be kind to the Maiers, not that they deserve it - a "political hardball" fight in its harshest form with George (Link to blog detailing Dordea's accusations, implied and otherwise).

But Dordea needs to understand, this may be Johnnie's "Custer's Last Stand."  That is to say, electing George sheriff.

For next year, it might be that his political creation Kathy Catazaro-Perry, mayor of Massillon, whose election in 2011 Maier engineered over long time Maier political foe and two decades plus mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr, will be defeated for a second term if she chooses to run.

Even with Catazaro-Perry's election in 2011, Maier showed he was slipping in that, while he was focusing on Catazaro-Perry's mayoralty quest, the Democrats lost control of Massillon City Council.

For those who do not know, Massillon is staunchly Democratic.

Not to be forgotten is Maier's "all-out" sponsorship of Celeste DeHoff for state representative in his, more or less, old District.

He prevailed on then Governor Ted Strickland (who, recognized Johnnie to be the first county chairman to endorse him in the Democratic primary), former U.S. Senator John Glenn, Senator Sherrod Brown, and then-Ohio treasurer Richard Cordray to come to Canal Fulton to campaign for DeHoff.

Since then, DeHoff has fallen on hard times.

But she was and out-and-out Maier loyalist.  And that appears to be all that matters to Johnnie and George.

In 2012, perhaps, Johnnie's closest political ally; namely, Judge Edward Elum of the Massillon Municipal Court was disciplined by the Ohio Supreme Court.

In a rare display of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr loyalty to anyone other than himself, so the SCPR thinks, he did submit a letter in support of Elum's quest to avoid discipline by the high court.

The SCPR thinks Dordea may have seen nothing yet compared to "what is yet to come."

When the political end comes for Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., he will go down - not in a whimper - but in a thunderous crash.

There will be great wailing and gnashing of teeth with Maier, Jr and his cult of followers.

But Maier's political demise might not be yet.

It all depends on the November 4, 2014 outcome between brother George and Dordea.

That's "how high the stakes are" in this election!

(VIDEOS) STARK DEMS PUT "HAPPY FACE" ON GONZALEZ YEARS AS CHAIRMAN

 UPDATED AT 1:00 PM (REVISED & ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY)

No doubt it is politically incorrect (as far as Stark County Democratic Party officialdom is concerned) not to get in line with all the King's Horsemen and the King's Men in an effort to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

True to form, the Stark County Political Report is not about to say that Randy Gonzalez's reign as Stark County Democratic Party (Party) chairman was a success.

However, as The Report nearly always does, this blog will let those who differ have their say.  Accordingly, the SCPR has included in this blog Gonzalez's self appraisal, the remarks of various other leading Stark County Democrats and the presentation of new party chairman Phil Giavasis make their own case.

The truth of the matter, as The Report sees it, is that Gonzalez's five years plus as party chairman has not been a success for the Party and much more importantly has,  to say the least, been a trying time for the citizenry of Stark County which likely has resulted in an overall subtle decline of the public's confidence in the institutions of local government.

The Stark County commissioners' office (Democrat Thomas Bernabei and Republican Janet Creighton, in the main) have been the only force in local government that has performed since 2011 in a fashion to undo the damage (which did not materialize until 2009) some think was put in motion when the Stark Dems' (ironically, in 1999 under the chairmanship of now Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero) appointed  one Gary D. Zeigler as Stark County treasurer.

In his day, Zelgler's primarily qualification to be appointed treasurer seemed to be his persistent and enduring work on behalf of the Party's causes and his carrying the Party banner in "sacrificial lamb" sorts of  multiple tries for political office of the 1990s.

Moreover, when Gonzalez became chairman Stark's organized Democrats held all non-judicial countywide offices.

In the 2010 elections, the Dems lost the treasury and the auditor's office.  While Zeigler was restored to office in August, 2011 by the Ohio Supreme Court because the pre-election-of-2010 Board of Stark County commissioners (Democrats Bosley, Ferguson and Gonzalez confidant Steven Meeks) had unconstitutionally removed him as a consequence of what local attorney ancd civic activist Craig Conley has termed as being Zeiglergate, it was clear to one and all that Alliance Republican Alex Zumbar (who won the 2010 treasury election which the Supreme Court invalidated) would have to because of public demand be appointed by the Democrats. 

Last night's Dems' meeting was in celebration of Party loyalists.  That is to say, those loyal to the political machine built up over time (going back to the late 1980s) by Johnnie A. Maier, Jr of Massillon.  But, of course no direct mention of Zeigler was made.  (for those readers unfamiliar with Zeigler's time in office, here is a LINK to get up to speed with).

The - sore point - oblique reference to the Zeigler years in office was made by Chairman Gonzalez last night as he recalled and described how he had to lead the fight within the Party to appoint  Zumbar to replace Zeigler when Zeigler resigned/retired on October 19, 2011.

Zumbar in the November, 2012 general election easily defeated the token Democratic candidate put up to oppose him.

Gonzalez as he is prone to do (a la the Democrat's very best political spin artist; i.e. Canton mayor William J. Healy, II) put the best face on the unpleasantness of appointing Zumbar.

However, a number of "official family Democrats" are still upset that Gonzalez caved in to public pressure.

To be sure, the Democrats still have a tight grip on most non-judicial countywide office.  The fear now is that they could lose the sheriff's office come November.

At least some of Stark's organized Democrats are concerned.  Others may just as soon see Republican Larry Dordea's election.

These may include those who did not support either in February or December, the selection of George T. Maier to be the Party's appointed sheriff.

If George is elected, then the Maier faction of the Stark County Democratic Party (the controlling faction) will have achieved its deepest reach into Stark County government.

Though not nearly inclusively enough, here is a graphic created by the SCPR to give a semblance of the Maiers' reach into Stark County officialdom government.

And most of them were main players in last night's gathering.

The machine itself was rocked on February 5, 2013 when Junior's brother George T. Maier narrowly defeated the politically unknown and unsophisticated Louis Darrow for the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee's  (SCDP-CC) appointment as Stark County sheriff (LINK to circumstances and background of the appointment for the unfamiliar).

Everybody was stunned when Maier had to fight hard to eke out a narrow 92 to 84 over political novice Darrow.

It remains to be seen as to whether or not the George T. Maier appointment will stick.

It is one thing for him to have navigated the waters created by brother Johnnie over nearly 30 years of politiking, but it quite another to have to get the endorsement of Stark County voters in an election year that without a doubt is going to be a banner year for Ohio Republicans.

If Republican John Kasich runs as well as the SCPR and many other political analysts think he will, it will be difficult indeed for George T. Maier to win election even if (as the SCPR expects he will) runs well ahead of other Democrats running this election year in Stark County.

And it was obvious from the remarks of the Maier controlled Stark County Democratic Party officialdom that though there may be other Democratic Party candidates on the November 4, 2014 ballot; nearly all the local Party's resources are going to be dedicated to the George T. Maier effort.

The SCPR dubs the Maier/Dordea (Republican Larry Dodea, former Alliance police chief and current Hartville police chief) as "Dordea's to lose."

"Dordea's to lose" in the context of the "up-ticket" drubbing that the Democrats are likely to take in the November election is the SCPR's take on the November Stark County sheriff races match up.

If this were 2016, the tables would be reversed and Maier would be the odds-on-choice to win.  For Democratic political organizations can only seem to get the Democratic base out in big enough numbers in presidential years. 

If Maier is to win, then new chairman Phil Giavasis (Democrat; currently Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts, formerly Stark County clerk of courts) will have to demonstrate tremendous leadership skills in terms of bringing a divided political party together.

In any event, whether Maier wins or loses, Giavasis, the SCPR assesses, is only a "temporary" chairman.  The chairman-in-waiting, The Report is convinced is Randy Gonzalez's son Kody who succeeded father Randy as chief deputy clerk of courts under guess who?

You've got it:  Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts Phil Giavasis.

As promised, here is a series of videos the SCPR took of last night of the "Maier Loyalty Club" rally.

SCDP-CC SWEARING IN & GONZALEZ FAREWELL
OKEY APPOINTED TEMPORARY CHAIR



GIAVASIS NOMINATED/ELECTED AS NEW CHAIR
NOMINATOR: CRAIG CHESSLER, PERRY TWP TRUSTEE



NEW CHAIRMAN GIAVASIS TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIR ST. JOHN
POLITICAL DIRECTOR SHANE JACKSON
CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR KODY GONZALEZ



NEWLY ELECTED CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS

HAGAN & GOP CONCERN ABOUT DEMOCRAT DEBBIE CAIN IN THE 50TH?

To the Stark County Political Report, the upcoming general election between Republican incumbent Christina Hagan (Marlboro Township) and Democratic candidate Debbie Cain (Lake Township) has from the get go been a slam dunk for Hagan.

But, on second thought, maybe not?

The Report was asked by a top Stark County Republican elected official what the SCPR's take on the race is?

On reflection, the mere asking of the question is a clear indication that - at the very least, the Stark County GOP - is not so sure Hagan is going to breeze through on November 4th.

After re-evaluation, The Report stands by the SCPR blog of January 2, 2014.

Notwithstanding apparent Republican concerns, the SCPR still sees Hagan as a cinch to win in November.

The Report hastens to add that Christina Hagan being part of the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly, Stark County is the worse off because of it.

And to be non-partisan about it, the same needs to be said for Democrat Stephen Slesnick.

It is not enough that Slesnick is a highly ineffective legislator (owing more to his lackluster legislative abilities than to his being part of a superminority Democratic Ohio House caucus), he had to embarrass himself and Stark Countians in being cited by the State Highway Patrol on February 13th for DUI.

It only took local mainstream media about 90 days to ferret this news out.  And, of course, Slesnick did not send them a press release about the occurrence when it happened.

So why would anybody connected with the Stark County Republican Party wonder at all about whether or not Hagan is going to reelected?

Probably because in looking at the contributor base in Cain's campaign, it is clear that she is "the candidate" that the Stark/Ohio Dems are pushing for in this election cycle and the hope that Cain with:

• some campaign money, 
• some big Dem names behind her, and 
• the fact she is a member of the State Board of Education (having been its president during the Democratic Strickland administration years),

combined with Hagan:

• being an undistinguished member of the Ohio House for over four years now, and
• being in lock-step with the Tea Party/religious right crowd

might just sneak up on Hagan and bounce her out of her Ohio House 50th District seat.

While Cain as of the pre-primary campaign finance reports has more money that Hagan, don't look for that to last long. 

(SCPR Note:  Campaign finance data in this blog was extracted from campaign finance reports located on the Ohio secretary of state's website)

Compared to the Hagan reports:

To The Report,  that the Dems think they can unseat Hagan with Cain in 2014 is evidence that they are on a nomadic trip across a political desert and are experiencing a mirage.

They may think they see some sort of political oasis off in the distance, but as they approach "the spot" of their attention they figure out there is nothing there but more desert.

Recently, Canton's treasurer Kim Perez appeared at Canton City Council and spouted off about how local governments are getting screwed by the Ohio General Assembly.  And, the SCPR agrees they are.

The Report laughs at Perez because it appears that his spouting off is nothing but political rhetoric.  Look at his support of Democratic candidates for state office going back to 2010 (when Kasich was elected).

And where is his support for Debbie Cain?

For a man of Perez's mouth, there is very little evidence that "he puts his money where his mouth is," no?

And The Report has heard Stark County Dems chairman Randy Gonzalez (a Cain contributor) do the same thing as Perez, repeatedly.

But guess who Gonzalez got to run against 48th Ohio House/Senate (the 29th, formerly) J. Kirk Schuring?

How about nobody!

Of course there is nothing wrong with the likes of Gonzalez (Jackson Township fiscal officer) getting along with Schuring (Republican - Jackson Township) even though they are of different political persuasions, but the SCRP's take is that Gonzalez likes Schuring in that Schuring has helped him get legislation passed (e.g. SCOG matters and funding sources for 9-1-1 centralized dispatch) and it seems to the SCPR he only puts a lukewarm, at best, effort into getting a viable a candidate to run under the Democratic Party label against Schuring and Republican state Senator Scot Oelslager as well.

It is one thing for a state legislator to do a few good things for his constituency and be appreciated for the production, but is quite another to roll over for him when it comes to provide stiff opposition to him come election time.

The SCPR has always said that Kirk Schuring does not depart from the Ohio House Republican Caucus position (usually bad for the hoi pollio) on "the really big issues" that affect all Ohioans and therefore on balance (the bad outweighing the good) is deserving of a vigorous test of whether or not he should be reelected.

All of which makes the SCPR wonder whether or not Gonzalez (a Democrat in a sea of mostly Republican voters) is looking out more for his own political hide at the sacrifice of local government services ( due to inadequate state funding) to Stark Countians and, indeed, all Ohioans in not seeing to it that Schuring is meaningfully challenged.

So Perez can grandstand all he wants about the shafting that the Republicans are giving local governments, but with the likes of his Stark County Democratic chairman not providing a candidate, let alone a viable candidate, against a member of the "screw you, local governments" crowd;  who is going to take Perez's rant seriously?

The Report doesn't know why Natkin withdrew but suspects that she figured out that she clearly was going to be a political sacrificial lamb.

Something that Debbie Cain has not figured out.

If this was a presidential year election (about the only time Democrats vote in significant numbers), there might be some basis of optimism that someone like Debbie Cain can be elected.

She is clearly the substantive superior to Christina Hagan.

But 2014 is not a presidential election year and Republican governor John Kasich is going to take Democratic challenger Ed Fitzgerald to the cleaners on November 4th and any thought of a Cain upset of Hagan will perish in flood that is going to engulf down ticket Democrats.

It is prudent that Stark Republicans should worry about Hagan because she is in way over her head as a legislator.

To repeat, so is Democrat Stephen Slesnick.

Stark GOP chairman Jeff Matthews has done a "virtual" Gonzalez (reference:  the 48th and Schuring) with regard to Slesnick in that their is only a write-in Republican running against him.

However, Matthews has not been heard to sign the praises of Slesnick as the SCPR has heard Gonzalez do of Schuring.

Interesting, no?

Who would want to be the candidate of a Party chaired by Randy Gonzalez?

Answer?

Debbie Cain.

A bit of SCPR political advice for Ms. Cain.

Figure this year's race as "a dry run" for 2016.  Only in presidential years does a Democrat have a chance to win in the gerrymandered 50th.

In a few words, Christina Hagan and the Republicans "have nothing to worry about" for election year 2014!

(VIDEOS) RUNNING FOR ALLIANCE CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT TURNS SUE RYAN INTO A POLITICAL CYNIC?

OKEY'S VICTORY "PAVES THE WAY" FOR GEORGE T. MAIER TO ESTABLISH A POLITICAL BASE 

IN EASTERN STARK COUNTY?

UPDATE:  8:08 AM

VIDEOS

SUE RYAN REACTION TO VOTE

&

WHO FLIPPED ON HER TO OKEY 

========================

 STEVE OKEY

 "A POST-VICTORY INTERVIEW"

========================

 GERARD YOST

RYAN SUPPORTER
========================

PHYLLIS PHILLIPS

FORMER WARD 2 COUNCILWOMAN

========================

KATHLEEN CLUNK

MAKES

ALLEGATIONS

 ========================

THE SELECTION MEETING

"IN ITS ENTIRETY"

It won't be the case, but it should be highly distressing to Stark Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez that Alliance City Council presidency candidate Sue Ryan commented to the SCPR (post-meeting) that the Stark County Democratic Party process she had gone through in trying to become Alliance's first woman council president in the Carnation City's history is fast turning her - the idealist - into a cynic.

A cynic?

Yes.

And it was apparent as she scanned the "signed" ballots that she was deeply shaken that two votes (Harold Williams and Jerry Schroeder) she had counted on got flipped to her prime opponent Steve Okey.

It appears that the vote was 8 for Okey, 5 for Ryan and 1 for Avery.



The Stark County Political Report, of course, was right in the middle of things in terms of covering the entire event including getting Ryan's spontaneous reaction to The Report's question as to who did not keep their commitments to her on the vote.

Ryan should have known that the likes of Gonzalez and probably his political "blood brothers" (Brothers Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. and George T. Maier) figured out early on that the first announced candidate for the presidency, one Derrick Loy, could not win over Ryan and went with Plan B in convincing former Alliance councilman Steve Okey to get into the fray.

Loy stepping aside and Okey surfacing was a sure sign that "realpolitik" was going to be the order of the day. 

Ryan kept telling the SCPR throughout the process that she thought Gonzalez was going to be hands off in his capacity as chairman.

Of course, it is unlikely the public will ever know the true extent of his involvement, but for anybody to believe that with the ties that he has with Okey and to George T. Maier and derivatively to Derrick Loy that he was going to be neutral is - to be kind - "idealistic" and - to be less kind - is flat out naive about how the likes of Gonzalez and his ilk running the Stark County Democratic Party operate.

The SCPR is on record as thinking that the quality of Alliance city government would much less political and therefore more beneficial to the citizens of Alliance with Ryan at the helm.

Steve Okey said all the right things last night with regard to his relationship with council going forward.

But the SCPR thinks that it will not take long for The Report to ramp up including in this blog's coverage of Stark County's politics and government (given the return of Steve Okey to council):  Alliance City Council.

Up until now, Alliance has been the most mellow of all of Stark County's city/village councils in terms of controversies.  In fact, more times than not, when the SCPR has blogged about Alliance council matters, guess who was at the center of the brouhaha?  You've got it, one Steven Okey.

To say it one more time, with Okey back on the scene, it is likely that The Report will making more trips to Alliance, no?

One source tells the SCPR that Okey's remarks about his relationship with Alliance mayor Alan Andreani are not borne out in his knowledge and observations of the duo's interactions.

One of Sue Ryan's biggest supporters last evening was council clerk Gerard Yost.



He is a Democrat, but he works for Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero and therefore has to be on the Gonzalez, Maier, Loy and Okey "enemies list" because it was Prosecutor Ferrero who upset the apple cart of what the SCPR believes was a plan put in place when they first realized that Sheriff-elect Mike McDonald (November, 2012) was not going to be able to take office as scheduled on January 7, 2013.

Nothing gets Gonzalez, the Maiers (with Stark County political director and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr Massillon Municipal Court chief deputy R. Shane Jackson being their mouthpiece) more upset than hearing suspicions that they knew much earlier than they are willing to admit that McDonald would not be able to take office and are thought to have been planning (much earlier than owned up to) towards making George T. Maier Stark County's next elected sheriff.  Now, of course, Maier hold on legitimacy in being sheriff is by virtue of his appointment, as provided by Ohio law, by the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee (SCDP-CC).

One of the points that Sue Ryan made to The Report last night as she was getting in her car to leave the meeting after her stinging defeat is that Loy has been making a really big deal out of what he alleges to have been  his attempt to get Ryan to sign a George T. Maier "loyalty oath" about a year or so ago.

As the SCPR has written in the three blogs leading up to yesterday's selection meeting, it is abundantly clear to The Report that the Stark Dems' leadership pushing Okey (e.g. in yesterday's blog  - Gonzalez to Ryan:  "I hope that Steve Okey runs for council president.") has to do with having someone in the mix of Alliance/eastern Stark County politics to be a political point person for George T. Maier in the run up to the November election.

Undoubtedly, Gonzalez heard from Loy about Ryan's - let's say - equivocation on signing up as a Maier loyalist.

Equivocation?

Yes, Ryan says if such happened (which does not presently recall as having occurred), it was because of the fuss about whether or not Maier was qualified to be sheriff under Ohio's law (i.e. Ohio Revised Code Section 311.01).

It was not a good thing for Ryan in terms of validating "the powers that be" within the Stark County Democratic Party that she is a "less than zealous" George T. Maier supporter that Republican Councilman Larry Dordea to the lead at the last Alliance City Council meeting in naming her president pro tem.

A highly placed Republican in the Alliance scheme of things telephoned the SCPR and vigorously disputed The Report's assessment that the Dordea initiative was not a good thing for Sue Ryan in her quest to gain the SCDP-CC/Alliance appointment.

Who can reasonably doubt that Okey and his operatives played the Dordea/Ryan connection up big in discussions in pre-selection contacts with the likes of Williams and Schroeder.

It could be that the pro tem thing was "the straw that broke the camel's back" in terms of Ryan succeeding in taking on the Stark Democratic Party political machine.

Does anybody think that Chairman Gonzalez was going sit idly by and let the idealistic (remember how she described herself in the video above) Sue Ryan become a key Democratic figure in eastern Stark County politics in the light of the upcoming November election for sheriff:  Maier versus Dordea?

The Maier folks in pushing for Okey are bringing the fight with the popular former Alliance police chief and Republican mainstay right to Dordea's front door.

There is no doubt to The Report that Okey as council president will try "to bend over backwards" to avoid open confrontations with organized Alliance Republicans.



But does he have the self-discipline to pull it off?

What if it appears to the Dems' hierarchy that Maier's candidacy is failing?

Do you think with what Okey has invested in providing free legal representation for Maier interests (and, by the way, he currently represents Johnnie A. Maier, Jr in a flap with the Massillon Police Union over the status of George's son and Massillon policeman Michael Maier) in

• defending former Stark County Board of Elections Deametrious St. John (a strong Maier supporter who voted to qualify him for the November election) from what Chairman Gonzalez characterized as being a "Republican attack," and 
• defending Gonzalez himself as Dems' chairman and the SCDP-CC in another legal action (the mandamus) involving Maier.

he is going to be able to separate his political interests from the way he interacts with the likes of Dordea as council president?

Could be.

But the SCPR's take on Okey is that he can get fired up in a hurry and if things are turning "south" on the Maier campaign, The Report can foresee Okey becoming highly exercised and his discontent bleeding through into council proceedings in one fashion or another.

Accordingly, The SCPR thinks that Ryan would have been the better choice and the best opportunity to keep partisan political interests out of Alliance City Council business in the context of coming from the president's chair.

• An SCPR Note - The "fact" of the matter is that Chairman Gonzalez's use of the label (of a board of elections challenge to George T. Maier's candidacy for sheriff) as being "a Republican attack" was "in fact" launched by Massillon Democratic precinct woman Cynthia Balas-Bratton.  Ohio law requires that any such challenge be by a person of the same political party of the candidate being challenged.
• Hmm?  So much for Gonzalez's professed "devotion to the facts."
• Unless, of course, they are Gonzalez invented facts.
• Gonzalez constantly whines to the SCPR when The Report has a different take than he does as to what is and what is not the fact of the matter being blogged upon.

As stated in yesterday's blog, The Report was highly skeptical that Ryan could win notwithstanding that she was saying as late as Tuesday that she had seven commitments of votes, even an eighth except the eighth was going to be out-of-town last night.

The skepticism indeed became "realpolitik" at about 5:55 p.m. on April 30, 2014 at the Stark Dems' headquarters.

One has to wonder whether or not yet another division within the Stark County Democratic Party will grow and thereby throwing another obstacle in Maier's way in his quest to become Stark's "elected" sheriff?

Also speaking with The Report last night after the selection process was concluded were:

Phyllis Phillips (former Ward 2 councilwoman):



And, candidate Keith Avery:



The final interview was outgoing (as of the primary election of next Tuesday [May 6th]) Alliance precinct committeewoman Kathleen Clunk (precinct 4A).

And she was not a happy camper.



That Clunk thinks that she got caught up in the George T. Maier thing when added to Ryan's point about "the loyalty oath" and Okey emphasis last night of having provided "no charge" legal services for George T. Maier qualification for the ballot interests and Dordea leading the way for Ryan to become president pro tem should make it abundantly clear to readers that yesterday's selection was a litmus test of who was more loyal to the Maier controlled Stark County Democratic Party.

The real winner last night was George T. Maier.

Alliance Republicans are telling the SCPR that they will go all out to defeat Steve Okey in the election of November, 2015.

But as far Maier is concerned, it will not matter (other than a personal concern for Okey) for he will either be or not be the "elected" sheriff of Stark County.

Make no mistake about it, the interests of George T. Maier were "the name of the game" last night.

And idealist Sue Ryan got the "realpolitik" lesson of her life.

There was no way Sue Ryan was going to win the presidency against the ultimate Maier loyalist:   Steven Okey!

"Let it be written, let it be said"

And last night it unmistakably was!

Here is a video of the "entire" meeting.

CAN LOY? CAN OKEY? STOP THE "SUE" RYAN EXPRESS?

UPDATE:  See Okey e-mail below.  Received by the SCPR at 4:15 p.m. this afternoon.

ORIGINAL BLOG

With the passing on March 30th of Alliance City Council president John Benincasa, the wheels have started turning to find a successor to this icon of Alliance city government who had been president of council since 1994.

On April 11th Stark County Democratic Party Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez sent out a notice of the date, time and location of selection process.

The letter also invited registered voter Alliance residents to apply for consideration by the Stark County Democratic Party Executive Committee by submitting a resume to the party at party headquarters.

Information that the Stark County Political Report has indicates that the candidates will be Councilwoman-at-Large Sue Ryan and Derek Loy.  However, there is some thought that former Alliance councilman (who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2011) Steve Okey might decide to run in which case it is believed that Loy would step aside.

For purposes of this blog, the SCPR assumes that Loy will be Ryan's opponent although Steve Okey's name has been mentioned.

The key to gaining the Alliance City Council presidency appointment at the hand of the Alliance members of the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee (SCDP-CC/Alliance) is to garner the support of those who hold the central committee seats on April 30th.

The Report is told that on this Saturday (April 19) the Stark County Democratic Party Executive Committee (SCDP-EC) has been called to meet by Chairman Gonzalez in order to fill vacant or to be vacant seats on the SCDP-CC/Alliance aspect of the SCDP-CC.

Gonzalez is said to have taken the position that those who are running for election to the SCDP-CC/Alliance seats in the Democratic primary election on May 6th should be appointed at the SCDP-EC meeting on Saturday so that the president appointee is the person that central committee members going forward have selected.

The chairman could have waited until after election results to hold the meeting but is said to have thought that the timeline for action (as mandated by Ohio statutory law) was too constricted to chance waiting until after the 6th.

Here is the list of SCDP-CC/Alliance has currently held by in the records of the Stark County Board of Elections.

The SCPR has compiled a list given the Gonzalez position of what the list is likely to look like this time next week after Saturday's SCDP-EC action.

SCPR Note:  Shanon Longaberger is Derrick Loy's sister.  Thomas Ryan is Sue Ryan's husband.

Derrick Loy reportedly has been working for some time to fill the vacant SCDP-CC/Alliance positions.

Sue Ryan tells the SCPR that even though she is eastern Stark County Democratic Party chairperson, Loy initiated precinct persons search without informing her or including her in the process.

Think there might be more than a little "cloak and dagger" politics going on here?

Such is the nature of much of politics and is why many civic minded types keep there distance from the political base of the underpinnings of the American system of governance.

Politics is what it is.

The best way to keep politics on the up and up is for the likes of the SCPR to cast the light of day on the doings, goings and comings of the politicos.

So, given the nasty side of politics that seems to be underway in the Benincasa replacement process, how is this contest likely to turn out?

In a relatively close vote, The Report believes Ryan will win out.  And it will not matter whether Loy or Okey is her opponent.

And the reasons for The Report's conclusion?

Here goes!

• Ryan is a sitting councilperson-at-large having been elected in November, 2012.  She also was a councilperson-at-large for the period 2006 through 2010.  With Benincasa's death she was appointed by her fellow council members to fill the president's chair until a successor is selected by the SCDP-CC.  As a council-at-large member, Ryan, of course, has run city wide "successfully" three times.  
• The key here is that Ryan has run citywide successfully three times.  This electoral success electoral history indicates that she is in a strong position to retain the presidency for the Democrats should Republicans decide to contest the office in November, 2015.
• Loy, on the other hand, as far as the SCPR can determine has never held elective office.  He has served as president of the Alliance Area Democratic Club.  Being a politico could help him win a SCDP-CC/Alliance face off.   However, he would likely be highly vulnerable come November, 2015.  Here is a LINK to Linked-In which spells out Loy's recent history.

• Alliance "organized" Republicans do not like Loy and are likely to make him a special target in 2015 should he win the precinct committee contest.  And there are a number of "organized" Alliance Democrats who do not like Loy and this dislike has be accentuated recently by the filing of a lawsuit by his political friend Steve Okey against Alliance City Council (omitting Democrats Phyllis Phillips and John Benincasa) alleging Ohio Sunshine Law violations in that council voted on the matter of whether or not Loy should remain a member of the Alliance Sewer and Water Advisory Board (AS&WAB).
• From a prior SCPR blog on the Okey lawsuit:
• "the occurrence of a second incident on January 13, 2014 which involved Okey political ally and Alliance Democratic Party activist Derrick Loy (when Okey ran for mayor in 2011) in which Loy was denied a requested re-appointment to the Alliance Sewer and Water Advisory Board (AS&WAB)."
•  
  

• Loy is now the "right-hand-man" for Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee appointed Sheriff George T. Maier.  Maier - interesting enough - has his own election fight coming up in November against Republican Alliance councilman Larry Dordea this November. 
• The SCPR assumes that Maier will stay out of the Ryan/Loy fight.  
• Ryan thinks and expects that Maier will not get involved directly or indirectly notwithstanding the fact that Loy is about as close to Maier as boss as one sees an employee he gets.  The Report sees and hears observations from others that Loy seems to be Maier's shadow. 

The SCPR is skeptical that Maier will stay out of Ryan/Loy fight. 

A key to whether or not Maier is a factor will be evident in the way "as close as a brother" Maier ally Chairman Randy handles the April 30th central committee proceeding.

A tip off on how the actual selection process will unwind may be evident this Saturday in the results of the SCDP-EC session.

Ryan tells The Report that she believes that Gonzalez has assured her that the central committee seats in Alliance 2C. 3A and 4F will not be filled on Saturday.

The SCPR again is skeptical will prove to be the case.

Accordingly, Ryan says she is not preparing to have anyone nominated in precincts 2C, 3A and 4F.

What if Loy does and asks the chairman on Saturday to put his supporters in these positions?  What if pro-Loy folks (on their own, if you want to believe that really happens in politics) ask to be appointed?

The chairman is going to refuse to fill vacancies?  

Should such an eventuality develops (i.e. pro-Loy folks get appointed), these three votes - the SCPR thinks - would tip what now appears to be a narrow Ryan victory over in the other direction and result in a Loy victory.

The question is: whether or not Ryan is being naive?  The Report thinks she might well being so.

An important factor favoring Ryan is that her key supporter for the presidency is Clerk of Council Gerard Yost (1B).

He clearly does not want to have to work with Loy as president in council.  From what the SCPR hears from Ryan, she is confident that Yost is enough to carry the day for her on the 30th.

In summary: Ryan Alliance demonstrated electoral strength,  bi-partisan animosity towards Loy and Okey and Gerard Yost's support should be enough to make Sue Ryan John Benincasa's successor. 

However, for the Ryan advantages to carry the day, she will have to be correct in her understanding that the chairman will not allow pro Loy candidates to gain appointments on Saturday.

As indicated above, another disruptive event to a Ryan Express rolling on to victory could be whether or not George T. Maier weighs in.  Assuming that he will stay neutral could be another case of naivety on the part of Ryan.

We shall see!

On Thursday evening the Alliance Area Democratic Club will be meeting at Don Ponchos Restaurant at 7:00 p.m.

The Report understands that both Ryan and Loy will be there to make their pitches.

(VIDEO) GEORGE T. MAIER TO STARK COMMISSIONERS: KEEP FERRERO'S FOLKS OUT OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION!

NEW VIDEOS POSTED SINCE ORIGINAL BLOG POSTED

12:13 PM - COMMISSIONER RICHARD REGULA ON WHY HE DID NOT SUPPORT BERNABEI MOVE TO APPOINT McTIGUE

10:31 AM - COMMISSIONERS BERNABEI & CREIGHTON TALK ABOUT BALAS-BRATTON ATTORNEY FACTOR IN DECISION NOT TO HIRE McTIGUE

09:49 AM - COMMISSIONER CREIGHTON ON WHY SHE WOULD NOT SECOND BERNABEI MOTION ON McTIGUE

09:31 AM - COMMISSIONER BERNABEI ON WHO RECOMMENDED 
McTIGUE

09:11 AM  "I OBJECT" GEORGE T. MAIER TO COMMISSIONERS

 VIDEOS

STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
(CREIGHTON & REGULA)

REJECT

MAIER/STARK DEMS BOE MEMBERS

COUNSEL OF CHOICE

=================================

ENCORE PRESENTATION

BILL DEMORA

12/11/2013

READS

McTIGUE OPINION LETTER

==================================
CHECK BACK FOR ADDITIONAL VIDEO
FOOTAGE FROM YESTERDAY'S ACTIVITIES

In a surprise move to the SCPR, George T. Maier showed up yesterday at the Stark County commissioners' special called meeting to consider whether or not to appoint "special counsel" for the Stark County Board of Elections (BOE, Board).

So what was Maier up to?

"I object to anybody from the Stark County prosecutor's office being allowed into the executive session because of conflict in interest problems" (paraphrase)



And, indeed, Ferrero does have a conflict.

Back on February 5th he filed an affidavit with the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee (SCDP-CC) saying that as prosecutor he had come to the conclusion that the SCDP brass's choice candidate for appointment; namely, George T. Maier was not qualified under Ohio Revised Code Section 311.01 to be sheriff.

The Dems were selecting a replacement for Sheriff-elect Mike McDonald who was unable to take office on January 7, 2013 as scheduled because of an illness which cost him is life on February 22, 2013.

It would be unreal for Ferrero (the buck stops with him on representation strategy) to having anything whatsoever to do with representing George Maier's interest before any court anywhere.

With Secretary of State Jon Husted  having broken a February 21, 2013 tie-vote between Republican BOE members Curt Braden and William Cline (saying Maier was not qualified) and Democratic members Deametrious St. John and Sam Ferruccio, Jr (saying Maier was qualified) in favor the the Democrats, a question arose as to whether or not Stark County taxpayers should pay for the Maier interest to be represented in a Writ of Prohibition action filed this past Tuesday with the Ohio Supreme Court asking that the court prohibit the BOE from placing Maier's name on the May primary election ballot.

On February 11th, Massillon Ward 2A Democratic Central Committeewoman filed a protest with the Board on the Maier candidacy.

Aside from the affidavit, there is a lot of political bad blood between Ferrero and the Maiers.

The SCPR had thought that the animus between Ferrero and the Maiers was not so much George or others in the Maiers' political entourage but rather at Ferrero successor as Stark County Democratic chairman (2003) and George T. Maier brother Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

But now it appears that George has adopted Johnnie's seeming hatred of "all things Ferrero" as The Report believe this video of yesterday's objection indicates.

Included in yesterday's Maier supporters was Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez was at his "whining" best.

When the SCPR or likely anyone in the media sees things differently than Gonzalez, he, above any other Stark County public official goes into a snit of bellyaching.

It must work for him in some circles, but it does not with The Report.

The Report sees Gonzalez much in the same light as this writer does Canton mayor William J. Healy, II.

Healy is generally known in the Stark County political community for being a political spin artist whereas Gonzalez has generally evaded that tag - except - with the SCPR.

Gonzalez is more disarming with it than Healy.

The Report suspects that Gonzalez bobs and weaves, omits important details and otherwise massages situations every bit the equal of Healy.

On another measure of the two men, the SCPR thinks that Healy is not nearly the whiner that Gonzalez is.

One has to wonder why Gonzalez was at yesterday's meeting.  If it was to put pressure - by his mere presence - on Republican commissioners Janet Creighton and Richard Regula to give Maier interests the attorney they wanted at a cost of 8,000 Stark County taxpayer dollars, he may as well stayed in Jackson Township where he is the township's fiscal officer.

On another note, the SCPR hears that Stark County Democratic Party officials (presumably including Gonzalez) are accusing John Ferrero of destroying the Stark County "organized" Democratic Party.

Go Figure!

The very folks who thought they could steamroller an unqualified (reference, Swanson v. Maier, quo warranto, November 6, 2013 Ohio Supreme Court decision) now want to blame a man who stood tall for "the rule of law" as being a political traitor.

Gonzalez yesterday as we waited for the commissioners to come out of executive session went into a rant of sorts about being sick and tired of all the talk about "the rule of law."

Now isn't that interesting?

It wasn't long after the Gonzalez diatribe that the commissioners reconvened.

In the following video, Commissioners Creighton and Regula are seen as refusing to second Democratic commissioner Thomas Bernabei's motion/resolution to hire Tigue, a so-called elections law expert located in Columbus.




Bernabei says that he came up with Donald McTigue on the recommendation of Maier attorney Thomas L. Rosenberg and Stark Dem BOE member Sam Ferruccio, Jr.  He denied that Gonzalez had any input on the matter.



The SCPR also captured the commissioners addressing the influence or lack thereof the series of letters sent to them by Balas-Bratton's attorney (Conley) on their decision to appoint David Bridenstine rather than Donald McTigue.



While the commissioners were in executive session,  Gonzalez was whining (if The Report may use that term again) to a reporter about the commissioners' expected commissioners' denial of McTigue as the Stark Dems BOE members' legal counsel at taxpayer expense.

Commissioners Creighton and Regula both said that they could not see paying a cap of $8,000 to McTigue when they had available highly respected and former prosecuting attorney (civil division) David Bridenstine to do the work.



Bridenstine, recently retired, spent many, many years in the prosecutor's office.  

He was hired last year on an annual cap of $65,000 to perform various and sundry legal work for the commissioners and other departments of Stark County government (e.g. the sanitary engineer). For non-county-commissioner work, Stark County commission financial guru Chris Nichols says there is a charge back.  However, he confirmed yesterday that Bridenstine, is, in fact, a general fund employee.

The cost to Stark County taxpayers will likely not be an additional taxpayer outlay for legal work (i.e. equivalent to paying McTigue $8,000) but in opportunity cost.

Opportunity cost?

Yes.

To the degree Bridenstine works on for the Maier/Stark BOE Dems interests, he is not available to work on other Stark County government projects.

The SCPR can hear Gonzalez bellyaching about how Bridenstine has a conflict because he once worked for Ferrero.

What an insult!

But Gonzalez is quite adept at handing out insults in a back handed non-confrontation way that does not get him the negative press that Healy experiences.

Balas-Bratton attorney Craig T. Conley put a lot of pressure on the commissioners "not to hire" anybody to advocate in the Ohio Supreme Court for the Maier/Stark Dems interests on the theory that tie-breaker Husted in already represented by Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine's office.

Conley's position makes sense to the SCPR.

But if the commissioners were to do anything in terms of providing the Maier/Stark Dems interests, the Bridenstine choice is excellent in terms of the quality of attorney he is and saving most of if not all of the $8,000 it would have taken to hire McTigue.

Maier and the Stark Dems may end up thanking Commissioners Creighton and Regula for the Bridenstine choice.

The SCPR was totally unimpressed with the McTigue legal opinion letter read by Ohio Democratic Party representative Bill DeMora at the second appointment of George T. Maier, to wit:  (from the SCPR 12/12/2013 blog)

A key piece in the orchestrated "dog and pony show" performance by Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez was the obtaining of and reading of a "legal opinion" by Ohio Democratic Party attorney Don McTigue.

This little ditty (i.e. the McTigue letter) apparently was designed to overwhelm the non-attorney segment of the gathering of SCDP-CC members.

As expert as McTigue supposedly is, he didn't even do enough research to know (see motion to hear Beck video below) that the original qualification date was February 6th (30 days from the January 7th McDonald failure to take office date). 

See/hear McTigue for yourself.



As for Maier, he once again demonstrated to the SCPR yesterday that he is not ready for "prime time" as Stark County sheriff.

As before, when the press gathers around him to ask questions, he stops answering questions when the SCPR approaches and acts the role of a two-year-old in throwing a fit at the prospect of having to answer really tough questions.

And this guy thinks he's ready to be sheriff of "all the people."

No, he is only prepared to be the sheriff of people prepared to kiss his posterior.

When Tim Swanson was sheriff, the SCPR wrote many critical blogs about some aspects of his handling of the sheriff's department and his elevation (e.g. Rick Perez) as key members of his administration.

Nevertheless, Swanson always answered The Report's questions.

Some people think that George T. Maier is vastly superior to Timothy Swanson.

These are folks who buy into the "splash and dash" showman style of Maier, the former Ohio Highway Patrol officer.

When he was safety director of Massillon, the SCPR is told than Maier had his Highway Patrol uniform on a mannequin located in his office.

Isn't that just a tad strange?

Certainly Stark County can do better than this guy as our sheriff!

If Maier does survive to make it to the ballot, "let be written, let it be said" the SCPR will be pushing hard for Stark Countians to elect Larry Dordea as the county's next sheriff.

Larry has answered many tough SCPR questions and been the topic of criticism in these pages (e.g. most recently, his signing "secret ballots" as an Alliance city councilman).  But he manned up and answered them)

But he understands that it is not the role of media to ingratiate themselves to public officials.

This is a lesson that George T. Maier has yet to learn.

Yesterday he pulled out a line from his brother Johnnie and started ragging on bloggers.  As a BOE member back in 2010, Johnnie was part of a Board which tried to deny SCPR right to videotape BOE public meetings.  On that occasion, Johnnie in reference to the SCPR could be overheard mumbling the same line that George parroted yesterday.

The SCPR believes that Johnnie and his appendage Shane Jackson were behind the apparently now defunct Massillon Review.  Pre-SCPR they had tried (never a chance that was ever going to happen) get me to be a front guy for an anti-Stark-Republican Party political attack blog.

Nobody who knows quality blogging says the Stark County Political Report and the Massillon Review in the same breath.

But the Maiers know whereof they speak when they talk of a bad, bad blog.  From personal experience, no?

To show how-out-of-touch he is with anyone taking a close look at him, he made a point to tell me that he prays for me each and every morning.  Moreover, he respects the media, (except - impliedly) any that drill in on him.

The SCPR is flattered that Maier has made me such a big factor in his life.

But The Report takes the prayer thing as being about as  phony as a guy can get.

Pure and simple, the invoking of the pious is nothing more than defense mechanism to show in an obvious self-serving way what a long suffering, good guy George T. Maier is and that he is - to the extent he gets scrutinized - a media martyr. 

The more the SCPR gets to know George T. Maier, the more his warts start popping out plain as day.

That he is Stark County sheriff, even a politically appointed one, the SCPR thinks, is not good for the county.
 
In Larry Dodea, Stark County has someone who at a very minimum is the match of George T. Maier in policing and administrative ability.

The bonus with Dordea that he is truefully respective of all and understands that it is the role of a public official to have to answer to the public - all of the public - not just his friends.

One final note.

It is regrettable that Commissioner Tom Bernabei got roped into doing the Gonzalez/Maier/Ferruccio/St. John bidding.

The SCPR has enormous respect for Bernabei.

As a long time highly respected Canton Democratic office holder (law director, councilman and service director), he generally demonstrates to the satisfaction of The Report that politics is secondary to him and the well being of Stark Countians is his first priority.

In his referring (in the video) to putting another good man - David Bridenstine - into the political mess that Gonzalez, Maier et al have created, it is clear to the SCPR that Bernabei himself understands that he too has been made a victim of the sheriff appointment process.

While he undoubtedly would not lay it at the feet of Gonzalez and friends, the SCPR does.

Gonzalez, Maier and friends, have in the view of the SCPR, ganged up and mustered up all of the political power they can find in order to force George T. Maier in as sheriff.

Down the line, Commissioner Bernabei - the good man he is - needs to square up with understand who really has caused the mess that he and, indeed, all Stark Countians find themselves it.

And the culprits are not John Ferrero, Tim Swanson, Cynthia Balas-Bratton or Craig T. Conley.

If anything, they are heroic figures for the principle of the rule of law.

For the SCPR's money, it all goes back to George T. Maier brother Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and Stark Dems' political director Shane Jackson and their apparently misguided calculation that the could politically bully George into the digs at 4500 Atlantic Boulevard.

That is where Commissioner Bernabei ought be focusing his attention!