STARK CO. GOP CHAIR JEFF MATTHEWS? "HEY, AS LONG AS MY WIFE HAS A JOB (RENACCI, THE 16TH) THE HECK WITH THE INTERESTS OF STARK COUNTY" - SUCH SEEMS TO BE HIS ATTITUDE.

Stark County GOP Chairman Jeff Matthews was one of the (if not "the") driving force to get Wadsworth Republican Jim Renacci the Republican nomination for the soon to be "old" 16th Congressional District.

Stark County was the "crown jewel" of the district and the vote in Stark generally determined who would win in the 16th.  For decades the 16th had been Republican (e.g. Ralph Regula and Frank Bow, et al).  But with the election of Democrat John Boccieri in 2008, the Republican grip on the 16th had become more problematical.

A guy like Renacci could be vulnerable in the "old" 16th come November, 2012.  And this would not be good for Jeff Matthews.  His wife, Heidi, works for Renacci.  If one were a cynic, one might say that the reason Jeff took the lead to get Renacci the nomination was the existence of an at least "a wink and a nod" understanding that were Renacci to get the nomination and get elected, Heidi would show up on the Renacci payroll thus reclaiming her well-endowed taxpayer supported job that she had with Congressman Ralph Regula which was so rudely interrupted by the Boccieri win.

The solution for the Republican Party, Renacci and the Matthews interests? Carve up Stark County to take Canton and Massillon (Democrat strongholds) out of 16th and thereby make Renacci's political future more secure.

To hell with Stark Countians being more or less united in interest in a single congressional district!

Matthews is paid about $100,000 (which benefits are included in the calculation) by Stark Countians as the current deputy director of the Stark County Board of Elections.  With the political change in Columbus, he will soon be "the" director.

Wife Heidi is on track to make about $75,000 (salary alone; benefits make the total remuneration higher) unless, that is, the pattern of her Regula years continues under Renacci.  Under Regula, the pay pattern was that she got huge increases in the fourth quarter.  Apparently, congressmen are loathe to return any money to the federal treasury and so at the end of the year they decide to give bonuses.  Hmm?

Everyday Stark Countians grow more and more cynical about the politicians of both political parties. And what the Republicans do, what are about to do, come this Friday in slicing and dicing Stark County for Republican Party interests and benefit, will add fuel for new converts among the hoi polloi to cynicism.

Republicans are rated anywhere from the teens to the low to mid 20% range.  Democrats are only marginally rated higher.

According to Robert Wang's Repository piece in today's paper (Redistricting plan would splinter Stark County), Kirk Schuring (what a laugh this is) is going to do his best to prevent the political nullification of Stark County.

Schuring has proven many times over that he has very little clout among statehouse Republicans even though he has been there for about 15 years.

What the likes of those who stack and/or cheer on the stacking of the deck (Democrats and Republicans alike) have to realize is that they are part of the reason why more and more everyday citizens grow more alienated from participating in our democracy.

The Stark County commissioners were astounded by the poor turnout of Stark Citizens to their 22 community outreach meetings conducted from February through June of this year.

Such, my friends, is the price public officials pay when their fellows do the likes of what Ohio Republican officials have done to Stark County and other Ohio communities.

One has to wonder whether or not the end result of the political party interest over citizen/public interest will eventually undo our democracy?

Somehow the SCPR believes that folks like Billy Batchelder, Amond Budish, Kevin DeWine, Chris Refern, Jeff Matthews and Randy Gonzalez do not lose any sleep over the jaundicing of the Ohio/Stark County political landscape when they have the ability to affect its composition.

They do what they have to do for their political parties.

WHAT STARK COUNTIANS LIKE ABOUT THE COUNTY'S ORGANIZED REPUBLICANS & DEMOCRATS: "TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN AT PUBLIC EXPENSE!" STARK GOP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRAVIS SECREST BECOMES COUNTY EMPLOYEE. HMM?

When he burst onto the Stark County political scene, the SCPR's initial take on Canton Township's Travis Secrest was that - while he certainly had a political tint to him as a Republican - he had promise as someone who would not be a Kool-Aid drinker.

He is young, a graduate from Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea, Ohio) with a degree in political science.  Most impressively, he had not yet been jaded by the likes of Stark County GOP Chairman Jeff Matthews (the quintessential party pro) and therefore appeared to be "a person with a point of view" who realized that there are two points of view and could and would dialogue with others of different persuasions in order to get to a middling ground.

The SCPR has been watching Secrest closely and the evolution that yours truly sees into hyper-partisanism is a disappointment. 

Secrest has taken three political hits for Stark's organized Republicans.

With his appointment as a partisan (Republican) sponsored employee of the Stark County Board of Elections (BOE), it is now apparent to The Report that Secrest has donned the robe of full blown political partisanship and has seemingly made it pay off in terms of securing the BOE position.

One has to wonder who from the general (non-politically-connected) public that Secrest had to compete with to get the BOE job?  How about nobody? With Stark County unemployment at 10%, one would think that there would be quite a number of Stark Countians with much stronger employment history credentials than Secrest who would have liked the opportunity to vie for the $31,000 plus job, no?  And, after all, "competition" is a cardinal principle with Republicans, isn't it?  Apparently, in select situations only.

Over the the last year or so Secrest has been executive director of the Stark County GOP.  And who is the chairman of the Stark County Republicans?  You've got it!  Jeff Matthews (currently deputy director of the BOE)!  Moreover , with the November, 2010 Republican takeover in Columbus, sooner or later Matthews will become the "DIRECTOR" (once again) of the local BOE.  Matthews (including benefits) makes over $100,000 at the BOE.

The vote was 4 to 0 at the BOE for Secrest getting the job: Republican BOE members Cline and Braden joining with Democrats Giavasis and Ferruccio to give Republicans their turn at feeding their partisan interest at taxpayer expense.

The Rs and Ds do this sort of thing routinely not only in Stark County but across the entire state of Ohio.

The BOE structure in Ohio is kind of a political "cold war" a la the U.S. and the Soviet Union of yesteryear.  It seems that BOEs and the Ohio secretary of state office constitute turfs on which the two mainline parties war with one another over who is going to control the turf.  Ordinary citizens seem to be left in the dust of the political warfare.

Board member Sam Ferruccio Jr. (a Democrat) appears to the SCPR to have gotten his appointment as a consequence of the cold war mentality.

At least, if you believe former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.   He claims that the then Ohio secretary of state, Jenifer Brunner, was advising him that organized Democrats across Ohio should be putting attorneys (which Ferruccio is one of) on BOE's in order to ensure Republicans did not play any hanky-panky in the Obama/McCain election.

Brunner denies Maier's account, but the SCPR suspects that Maier has it right and that the secretary of state "threw him under the bus" when the press came asking.  But being the thoroughgoing and committed Democrat he is, Maier "took it like a man!"

In order to do the Ferruccio appointment, Maier had to throw Stark County's organized labor (Billy Sherer - a former ironworker who had been on the BOE for 13 years) "under the bus."

Hey, "what's good for the goose is good for the gander," no?

Hey!  "All is fair in love, war and politics."

So what was an organized Stark Democrat sponsored "union" seat on the BOE, is no more.

It does appear that there is an "a designated-hitter-esque" (the Dems) seat at the BOE.

What is it?

A "clerk of courts seat."

That is until the seated member has to run for re-election, then he must step aside to be replaced by a non-running clerk of courts.  Recently, Maier (running for re-election as Massillon clerk of courts( had to step aside.  Who replaced him?  Canton Clerk of Courts Phil Giavasis.  Hmm?  And there is a prior history, to wit: Randy Gonzalez and Maier's "gofer" err chief deputy at the Massillon clerk of courts Shane Jackson - son of former Stark County commissioner Gayle Jackson.

When folks like Secrest and Gonzalez say that they are doing this or that local government job as a "public service," one has to burst out into an uproarious laughter. 

Who believes that?

Stark Republican officialdom (like a Travis Secrest) have loved it when the SCPR has roundly criticized Stark's organized Democrats for seemingly providing jobs at public expense to favored and insider partisans.  At the time, Republicans held relatively few offices across Stark County.  That is changing.  The Report has always said that Republicans will get every bit as much scrutiny as Democrats, once they assume positions of political and governmental power. 

Now that "the worm is turning," it is likely that Republicans are not so amused.

What these folks do not seem to get is the apparent exponential growth they are fueling (with their inside dealing, political cronyism and the like) is public cynicism.

In the Stark County world of practical ramifications, political machinations have to be an added factor for a growing number of Stark Countians in promoting a no vote on the upcoming sales tax issue?

And what is really weird is when someone like Jeff Matthews (who has - as a public official - a huge stake in the well-being of the financial condition of Stark County) came out against the Bosley, Harmon and Vignos imposed 1/2% sales tax (Canton Tea Party, April 15, 2009).

Of course, that's the political Jeff Matthews acting as a party chairman trying to whip up sentiments against Democrat officeholders.

When the Stark commissioners had their meeting with county officials about a month ago outlining the huge cuts that will be forthcoming in 2012 and beyond if November's 1/2% sales tax proposal does not pass, The Report did not see Deputy Director Matthews stepping up to take a 40.7% cut on county appropriations.  He mostly deferred, when asked by Commissioner Ferguson to address the question, to Director Jeanette Mullane.

Hmm?

The Report has opinonated previously that Matthews in taking these contradictory positions:  (one as a politician opposing a levy for political advantage) and another as public official needing to keep the office afloat (and with that hat on - supporting the levy) shows what a hypocrite and political opportunist he is.

Hey!  In politics "one does what one has to do!!!"

And by the way - "the public be damned:"  Is that the message, Jeff?

STARK GOP & REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY & CIVIC ACTIVIST CRAIG CONLEY TRYING TO GOAD DEMS INTO FILING A ORC 3.07 & 3.08 ACTION TO REMOVE REINSTATED CO. TREAS. ZEIGLER. WOULD THAT BE A SMART THING FOR THE DEMS TO DO?

Stark County Republican Party Chairman Jeff Matthews says if anyone files an action under Ohio Revised Code Sections 3.07 and 3.08, it should be the Stark County Democratic Party.

Dems Party Chairman Gonzalez's response:  (a paraphrase)  "Our only obligation was to ask Zeigler to resign" (which Gonzalez et al has done, perhaps, repeatedly).  It would have been a godsend for Stark's organized Democrats and the Party's elected officials had Zeigler done so.

But Zeigler has repeatedly said that he did not do anything wrong in the management of his office which implicitly is to say (in the opinion of the SCPR) that he had adequate and reasonable safeguards in place to prevent his former chief deputy - Vince Frustaci - from making off with county money to the tune of what some say is $2.96 million (Frustaci has admitted to taking $2.46 million)

Moreover, county and federal prosecutors have exonerated him of any involvement in the theft itself.

At face value one might say that since Zeigler adamantly maintains that he minded the county treasury properly, that is the full explanation of why he has not heeded calls for his resignation.

But is it?

Some think that Zeigler (being wholly blameless in his eyes) is outraged that the Stark Dems "threw him under the bus" and that his insistence of reassuming office in light of the June 23rd Ohio Supreme Court decision reinstating him is sort of a revenge on the Stark Dems.

The problem for Zeigler and the Stark County organized Democrats is that the Stark County voting public seems to think that Zeigler did not have adequate and reasonable safeguards in place.  Moreover, The Report believes that the public perceives that Zeigler (before the Frustaci story broke) was a key member of the Dems' "good ole boy network" and therefore his stubborness in not resigning rubs off on most of the remaining Stark County Democratic Party officeholders.

Zeigler clearly cannot get re-elected if he chooses to run again in 2012 and his former connections to many of the remaining Democratic officeholders could be a key factor in their losing.

One has to wonder whether or not Zeigler would get a measure of satisfaction in their losing.

Back now to the focal point of this blog:  Gonzalez's rejection of the Stark GOP's (and Republican Craig Conley's) entreaty for the Stark Dems to initiate a constitutional challenge to Zeigler remaining in office.

Here is a copy of a letter sent by Conley to Gonzalez on Friday:

So, the question remains:  should the Dems take up the Republican challenge?

Con:  As pointed out by Conley a larger number of valid Stark County voters signatures would be needed (about 20,000).  While very doable given the Stark County electorate's negative take on Zeigler's handling of his office, it still would divert Party resources from the 2011 and 2012 elections, and make the Republicans' task to win whatever offices/issues are at stake much easier to achieve.

Pro:  It is likely that unless or until the Stark County voting public has cleaned its own house, they will not be of a mind to elect Democrats to anything.  Going the 3.07/3.08 route would be proof positive that the Stark Democrats (win or lose) are doing everything they can to deal with its Zeigler problems.  Win or lose, having made the effort should go along away towards Stark Countians being open to electing Democrats countywide.

Gonzalez in rejecting the Stark GOP/Conley prod is preserving Party resources.

But to what end if the Stark County public feels that Party has not done all it can to put Zeigler behind it?

REPUBLICANS FIGHTING LIKE DEMOCRATS?

The Stark County Political Report has learned that there is a fight going on inside the Stark County Republican Party.

Sounds like the Republicans are turning into Democrats, no?

A well placed Republican tells the SCPR that Stark County Republican Party Chairman Jeff Matthews has taken up the cause of strengthening the party's executive committee at the expense of the party's central committee.

The objection by some Central Committee folks for the Matthews move, The Report is told, is that Matthews and his cronies within the upper reaches of the party hierarchy have control of the Executive Committee through the appointment process and therefore want to lessen the importance and power of the Central Committee who are elected in by Republicans at-large.

Just to make sure, the SCPR contacted another key Stark County Republican who confirmed the discord within the Stark GOP.  In fact, The Report was told by this source that the party could lose at least one quality candidate for elective office in 2012 because of the political ruckus which is going on in the party.

So maybe, just maybe, convention goers to the Ohio Young Republican annual convention will be in for a surprise.

Maybe, just maybe, a fight will break out between a Central Committee person and Matthews at this event, which is sponsored by the Stark County Republican Club.

On a more serious note.  The disharmony within the Stark GOP could not come at a worse time.  As officeholding Stark Democrats are about to be rocked by revelations this morning about the details of the alleged theft of taxpayer money out of the Stark treasury which led to the firing of the chief deputy on April 1, 2009, it would appear that Stark Republicans are poised to make a resurgence in holding county office come the elections of 2012, and maybe even pick up the Auditor's office this year and at least one county commissioner position.

But what the heck.

Why would the Republicans want to fight Democrats when they have each other to take on?