STARK COUNTY BUSINESSMAN AND OHIO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION ACTIVIST BEN SUAREZ APPEARS TO HAVE SOME SERIOUS CAMPAIGN FINANCE RELATED TROUBLES

In mid 2012 during the 16 District congressional campaign (the 16th contains parts of northern Stark County) between Jim Renacci (Republican - Wadsworth) and Betty Sutton (Democrat - Copley), Sutton started making noises about campaign contributions being received by Renacci from various employees (and, in some instances, their spouses) of a company owned by Stark County businessman Benjamin Suarez.

Since the SCPR wrote about the story on May 22, 2012, the Renacci campaign, a spokesman says, not because the Renacci folks did anything wrong but only out of a sense of abundant caution, returned the questioned contributions.

In a Toledo Blade report, the Josh Mandel U.S. Senate campaign also returned contributions made by Suarez connected persons.

Yesterday, a federal grand jury handed down indictments on Suarez and a business associate on eight counts alleging a conspiracy to violate federal campaign finance laws, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

However, the indictments did not specify that either the Renacci nor Manel campaign contributions as being the bases for the indictments.

Suarez has been prominent in Stark County business and political circles for years.

Back in the early 2000s he got into a dispute with Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero on Ferrero's handling of some legal matters.

A number of Stark County politicos think that Suarez took on a significant campaign finance role in the campaign of Republican and prominent Stark County criminal defense attorney Jeff Jakimedes (Republican - Alliance) because of his (i.e. Suarez) differences with Ferrero.

But there have never been any suggestion that the contributions were not completely compliant with the law.

Other Stark Countians have been recipients of Suarez political contributions over the last ten years or so as shown by available Ohio secretary of state office online campaign finance reports.

While there have been direct contributions to Judge Stephen Belden (a Republican) of the Canton Municipal Court, Judge William B. Hoffman and Judge W. Scott Gwin of the 5th District Court of Appeals and former 50th District state Representative Todd Snitchler (R - Lake; now chairman [appointed by Governor Kasich] of the PUCO), there have also been contributions to the the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee (OHROC) and to the Ohio Republican Senate Campaign Committee (RSCC) which may mean that indirectly Stark County state representatives Kirk Schuring (R - Jackson), Christina Hagan (R - Marlboro) and state Senator Scot Oelslager (R - Plain, and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee) may have benefited from Suzaez contributions.

Again, there is no indication that the aforesaid contributions where fully compliant with law.

It is not all that long until Renacci has to stand for reelection.

Though there is no suggestion that the Renacci campaign did anything wrong, it will be interesting to see whether or not his 2014 opponent tries to make anything of the apparent failure of the Renacci campaign to ask questions about some very large and co-incidental (in terms of common associations) factors about the contributions.

(VIDEO) STARK COUNTY BASED NATURAL GAS AGGREGATION BY LOCAL GOV'TS: GOOD OR BAD GOVERNMENT?

On the surface the discussion is whether or not local government action to take collective action to lower the price of natural gas (a prime source of fuel for cooking and heating in Stark County) is a good thing or a bad thing.

Most Stark Countians would likely say it is a "no-brainer." What could be possibly bad about saving consumers money?

However, if one changes the topic and phrase the question of government action in terms of Obamacare (the proponents of which say over the longer haul will save health care consumers money), the matter of government involvement in private sector financial/economic activity becomes much more controversial.

What if it became absolutely clear that Obamacare saved Americans money?

Would Obamacare be seen in a more positive light?

Probably.

Right now, it is open to debate whether or not - when one considers all aspects of the legislation - there is a net savings of money to Joe and Mary Americas and beyond that to business/corporate America.

Unlike some doctrinaire types (e.g. Libertarians and Tea Partiers), most Americans are highly pragmatic and if government action benefits the hoi polloi then it is a good thing.

And given the numbers of participation in Ohio's Natural Gas Aggregation authorized program for local governments to participate in, it is clear that most Stark Countians think government action is just fine.

The Stark County Political Report examined the Ohio statutory authorized (Ohio Revised Code Section 4929.20) natural gas aggregation programs of Stark's cities, villages and (for the unincorporated townships) Stark County government itself and has leaned that by virtue of local governments collecting their citizens into volume bargaining units, participants likely save about $150 annually.

So says Mark Burns of Independent Energy Consultants.

Burns is a consultant with many Stark County governments in setting up and administering their natural gas aggregation programs.

Here is Burns in an appearance before Stark County commissioners on July 17th explaining the county natural gas program.



The particulars of the program are spelled out with precision in this LINK to an Ohio Consumers Counsel website.

It does make a difference as to whether an aggregation program is an opt-out or an opt-in one in terms of participation.

Opt-in, which requires affirmative action on the part of consumers, has only about a 20% participation rate The Report is told whereas opt-out (residents are automatically included and have to take themselves out) come in at a substantially higher rate.

For those Stark Countians who choose not to participate in aggregation, they either accept a default rate or select their own providers.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, headed up by Stark Countian and former Republican state Representative Todd Snitchler, provides what it calls an "Apples to Apples" website from which Ohioians/Stark Countians can pick from as an alternative to the local government aggregation program.

Focusing on the current (7/15/2013 - 08/12/2013) Dominion East Ohio (DEO/EOG - East Ohio Gas) "fixed-rate" plan which most Stark County local governments have (see chart above), one can readily see that participating in the local government plan is a financial advantage.

Ohio does have an electric aggregation program in which it appears all Stark County local governments participate in. However, it is an opt-in program that does not require voter approval.

The lesson to be learned from the matter of government participation in what is normally private enterprise activity as far as the general public is concerned, is not so much whether or not government action is acceptable as a matter of political philosophy.

The bottom line question seems to be:  Does government involvement/action save me money?

A CHANCE FOR STATE REP. CHRISTINA HAGAN TO PUT SOME "DASH" IN HER "SPLASH?"

Recently, I was switching radio stations while out in the car and in the process checked into WHBC 1480 on your radio dial to catch a little bit of Ron Ponder's Points to Ponder.

Disappointing to me, Ponder was not hosting. Rather a gentleman by the name of Lin McDowell was.

Just about ready to tune-out when I heard a familiar voice that froze my dial-turning-hand.

Is that her I asked myself?

Her?

Her - who?

State Representative Christina Hagan (Republican - Marlboro - the 50th).

Indeed, it was!

Well, I have to hear this.

Maybe she has some "phenomenal" (you will get the play on "phenomenal" as you read on)) news out of Columbus to share with us listeners, I thought.

And she did not disappoint.

She blessed us with "phenomenal" news from straight out out of Ohio's capital city at least six times in the space of about 15 minutes on the air with McDowell.

But other than her prolific use of the word "phenomenal" interspersed with the word "powerful" or a variant thereof, I cannot recall anything equaling substance that graced her lips during the interview.

It was all fancy-mancy talk straight out of political "talking points" book of one her Ohio House mentors/minders.

I do remember that both she and McDowell are graduates of Malone University.

And, one other thing.

She said that college is not for everybody.  That is straight out of the playbook of her father John who held the "old" 50th District House seat 2000 - 2008. Must have been referring to himself.  As he is the personification of the statement.

Of course, she, McDowell and the like are exceptions.

For others:  merely having a high school education is enough.

Apparently, only the "phenomenal" go on to higher education.

Mind you folks, this is 2013 and advanced technology has taken hold on nearly everything and she thinks most of us are "good to go" with little or no advanced education.

Hmm?

But anyhow, she spent nearly all the time with McDowell talking in glittering generalities and superlatives.

Hagan has been a member of the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly for better than two years now.

In March, 2011 she was appointed by the Republican Ohio House Caucus to succeed Todd Snitchler who went on to bigger and better things as political godfather John Kasich's (current Republican governor)  PUCO chairman.

In the Republican primary of 2008, she got wiped out by Snitchler.  And in the course of her challenge of Snitcher, she said some pretty nasty things about him and the leaders of the Republican caucus.  Even accused them of trying to buy her off.

Now that she is on the inside looking out, Hagan thinks Ohio's Republican leaders are?  Can I say it again?  Okay - "phenomenal!"

In contrast to her view of the Republican bigs running the Statehouse, one thing should be clear to all but her family and friends; "phenomenal" she is not.

All she has shown so far is that she knows how to crank out press releases touting her participation in some pretty mundane legislative mishmash and other "style-driven" concoctions designed to get her maximum publicity without having to answer the question:  "Where's the beef?"

I said to myself:  "I need to find something for Christina to do in Columbus that is 'substantive' and which could be "phenomenal" for Stark County right down to the tiny hamlet of Marlboro Township which consists of some 4,000 or so souls."

So I have had my ears and eyes open looking for something of substance.

And, lo and behold! I think I have found something.

Yesterday, I received a press release from Attorney General Michael DeWine, another accomplished cultivator-extraordinaire of the media, to wit:

For those of you who are regular readers of the SCPR, you know that the Canton-Stark County Crime Lab (CSCCL - a unit of the Stark County Council of Governments [SCOG]) has run into some tough times of late.

The delays in processing evidence for criminal cases up for prosecution have stretched out so much that the Stark County police chiefs have taken the DNA work away from the locals and are sending it to Ohio's BCI regional facility located at Richfield which is just north of Akron.

With all the funding problems that Ohio's local governments are having at the hand of - you guessed it - the Ohio General Assembly with the help and assistance of one Christina Hagan; it does not appear that things can get better any time soon at the CSCCL.

And it is risky business to shift all the forensic work to the state of Ohio.  Whereas the floodgates of money are open for BCI now because Governor Kasich has decided that analyzing evidence is a top priority, such may not continue into another administration post-Kasich.

So the question becomes what to do to make sure Stark County has access to a first rate crime lab for the foreseeable future?

Answer:  Get Christina Hagan, Kirk Schuring (R-Jackson, the 48th) and Scott Oelslager (R-Plain, the 29th Ohio Senate District to push for the creation of a Kent State - Stark/BCI facility in the image of the BCI/BGSU project.

Richfield is not a good interstate highway interface for a regional BCI site and does not have the advantage of a university connection.

Canton/North Canton/KSU-Stark would serve northeast Ohio much more ably.

And let's make Christina the lead in doing something "substantive" for her political career, for Stark County and for Marlboro Township.

Marlboro Chief of Police Ron Devies was among the first to blow the whistle on the shenanigans on Canton's Healy administration that made existing CSCCL problems even worse.

Connecting a BCI lab to an institution of higher learning makes its long term funding much more secure than if left to the whims and caprice of a successor governor.

Moreover, such a setting would be a boon for workforce development in that the university will be training lab workers and scientific-oriented investigators (for government and private industry) in a hands-on, clinical environment that satisfies Hagan's bias towards vocational training as the best basis for employment for the rest of one's life.

And so what if the lab workers get some college exposure and maybe develop a mind powerful enough to become, perhaps - you know this is coming - "phenomenal!"

Read the rest of the DeWine press release:

... . “This new facility will enhance the laboratory and investigative services we provide to our law enforcement partners in Northwest Ohio,” said Attorney General DeWine.  “We’ll also be able to work with BGSU to advance forensic science in Ohio and help prepare our state’s next generation of scientists and investigators.” 

"The collaborative possibilities between the University and the BCI lab are endless," said Mazey. "Not only will it enhance our already strong science and criminal justice programs, we will be able to offer a number of research opportunities to develop new cutting edge techniques." 

The new BCI facility will elevate BGSU to the select group of colleges nationally that have on-campus crime labs.  BGSU will begin offering forensics as an undergraduate specialization this fall through the departments of criminal justice, chemistry, and biology to help students prepare for careers in public safety and forensic sciences.   

The expanded BCI location will encompass about 30,000 square feet and serve law enforcement and prosecutors in a 22-county area with on-site laboratory and investigative resources.   ... .

Now readers, you tell me.

If Christina Hagan puts her nose to the grindstone and leads the way to bringing a BCI/Kent State - Stark collaboration project to Stark County, wouldn't we all be willing to say:

"Christina Hagan:  yes she has "style," but she is one powerful and PHENOMENAL substantive legislator!"

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE: REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE - OHIO IS HEADING DOWNWARD?

Everyday Ohioans and Stark Countians need to readjust.  In the words of one book out on the market, we need to adopt the book's suggestions of 365 ways to live cheap.

Because the U.S. economy and, of course, Ohio's (probably accentuated) is headed downward and the financial standard on we live is - within the foreseeable future - in the process of a inexorable and dramatic drop off.

And who is to blame?

For Stark Countians, the SCPR says, blame from the Ohio perspective lies with the Ohio General Assembly.  Not all states of the 50 are in a downturn, but Ohio is certainly one of the leading one heading southward.

All one has to do is to look at the fact that Ohio has lost about 600,000 jobs going back a decade.  A time span which encompasses the likes of current state legislators Scott Oelslager (R - Senate - 29th; also formerly of the House and Senate going back to the 1980s), Kirk Schuring (R - House - 51st; also formerly of the Senate and of the House) and Stephen Slesnick (D - House - 52ns).  Moreover, the time span also includes Todd Snitchler (R 0- House - 50th for 2 years), John Hagan (R - House - 50th for 8 years), William J. Healy (D - House - 52nd; 2 years), Mary Cirelli (D - House - 52nd for 4 years) and Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. 50th for nearly 8 years).  Current representative Christina Hagan (R - House - 50th) and former rep. Michael Stevens (D - House - 50th) are not included because of the brevity of their stints in office.

Unemployment figures are abysmal.  Of Ohio 88 counties, Stark at 10% ranks 44th in terms of having the most severe unemployment problem according to official state of Ohio statistics for July, 2011.

As far as the SCPR is concerned, the current Ohio unemployment dilemma is owned by both parties and owned by former governors Strickland (a Democrat) and Taft (a Republican) and their respective majorities in the Ohio House (Strickland) and Senate (both for Taft who had a veto proof majority for a time) because they failed to exercise "for the good of the people" leadership and instead devolved into partisan wrangling over Republican/Democratic bromides for what ailed Ohio rather than "think outside the box" and act on bold new initiatives that long term could have spared Ohio the severity of the financial and economic mess which plagues most, but not all, of the nation.

Stark's current set of legislators like the cover of the national recession as an excuse for Ohioans and Stark Countians suffering the way they are.  But if they were anything but muckety-muck legislators, Ohio could have been the exception to the rule.  The fact of the matter is there is nothing distinguishing about any of the legislators listed in this blog and they along with Strickland and Taft should be remembered for having let all of us down.

What is perplexing about the list is that nearly all of them (the legislators) remain elected public officials to this day.  Of course, Oelslager, Schuring and Slesnick remain members of the Ohio General Assembly.  And you have Healy (mayor of Canton), Hagan (Marlboro trustee and who tried to become a Stark County commissioner in 2008), Cirelli (a Canton councilwoman) and Maier (clerk of courts in Massillon).

To The Report these folks are "career politicians" who are plagued with stagnant thinking and are lethargic in approach and action.  They are settled in and are personally comfortable being on the public payroll while untold numbers of Stark Countians and Ohioans suffer.

Todd Snitchler in particular is an interesting case.  Elected to replace John Hagan in 2008, he sought re-election in 2010,  knowing full-well that should Republican John Kasich be elected governor he was going to be in a Kasich administration in some capacity.  Kasich was elected and Snitchler (who Kasich described as being "wicked, smart") got a posh job (going from about $60,000 annual pay as a legislator to $124,500) as chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio; leapfrogging over a number of others with more compelling credentials.  However, the point is that it is obvious that Snitchler, like others on the list above, was looking out primarily for himself and his political future and not primarily the financial and economic well-being of Stark Countians.

Yes, while many Stark Countians do have to figure out 365 ways (if not more) ways to live cheap to maintain any semblance of their being used to a certain standard of living; those who stood by and let the financial/economic calamity settle in live - for the most part - rather large.

One would think that those who participated in bringing on bad times would have a hard time being elected to anything.

So if Stark Countians are going to pull out of the financial/economic hard times, they are going to have to quit electing "career politicians" time after time after time after time!!!

IS SNITCHLER OR BOSLEY BEHIND IN FUNDRAISING? ALSO, IS SNITCHLER DEVISING A PLAN TO USE "VOTE NO FOR INCREASED TAXES" MEMBER TOM MARCELLI AS A SURROGATE TO POLITICALLY ATTACK BOSLEY ON THE "IMPOSED" SALES TAX?

Todd Snitchler's opponent Todd Bosley says he hopes to raise $100,000.  The question is this.  Can Republican incumbent Snitchler exceed Bosley's goal?

This is a critical question for Snitchler.  Because if he wants to remain as the representative for the 50th House District (Lake, Marlboro, Nimishillen Osnaburg, Sandy, Sugarcreek, Tuscarwas, Lawrence and Perry [partial] Townships, including the villages and cities in each township), he will have to.

The 50th is a Republican indexed district and Snitchler being the incumbent clearly has the advantage.  But if he runs short of money come September and October, then the advantage is lost.

The SCPR hears that the Ohio House Republican Caucus has about $2 million to spend on House races whereas the Dems have about $6 million .

What the disparity means is that the Democrats will be able to put much more money from Columbus.

The Democrats won control of the Ohio House in 2008 after being on the outside looking in for many years.  The question now is whether or not they can maintain control.  With the larger campaign bankroll, the Dems will pour tons of money into the 50th.  The Report hears that the Snitchler/Bosley contest is the Democrats #1 priority in terms of being a targeted race.

The SCPR believes that this race could decide who controls the Ohio House come November 3, 2010.

Snitchler is ahead of Bosley in funds on hand as of June 4, 2010 by a margin $34,877.03 to $32,496.60.  However, Bosley out raised Snitchler for the period of late February through June 4th by a hefty $39,725 to $8,225.00.

It appears from the June 11th numbers that Bosley is on a roll whereas Snitchler is tailing off dramatically.

All but $1,100 or 86% of Snitchler's money came for political action committees (PACs) which included utilities, financial interest, insurance, cable television and the like.  None of Snitchler's contributions were $100.

The SCPR believes that the face off between Snitchler and Bosley will be a cliffhanger.  Bosley narrowly defeated Republican Commissioner Richard Regula in 2006 in a stunning upset.

Were Bosley to defeat Snitchler, it would be a huge win for the Democrats.  And there are factors which could turn mattes Bosley's way:  the money, his campaign energy (which Regula miscalculated) and the fact that his family has been in the septic business within what is now known as the 50th (formerly the 56th) for about 50 years.

However, The Report believes Bosley is vulnerable to losing votes (perhaps the election, if it is close) on account of his having voted to impose a 0.50 of one percent sales/use tax in December, 2008 in his capacity as county commissioner.

The SCPR is told that the Snitchler camp is preparing to use Tom Marcelli (Bethlehem Township which is in the 50th) of the "Vote No Increased Taxes Committee" (in opposition to the imposed tax) to lead the political attack against Bosley on the tax issue. Apparently, Snitchler wants to avoid direct involvement on this issue.

Earlier this year (March 4, 2010) Marcelli was in attendance at a Snitchler "campaign?" event at the Lake Branch of the Stark County District Library at which Snitchler sponsored a presentation on the mechanics and desired outcome of performance audits of government operations.

Another "person of interest" who supports Snitchler is Michael Cunnington of the Strategic Public Partners Group (formerly, executive director of the Stark County Republican Party).

Cunnington made the local news recently as the organizer of an initiative to get 10% of Canton voters to sign a petition to place a charter initiative on November's ballot.  Cunnington bills himself as a "policy wonk."  Hmm?

Recently, a SCPR check of his political contributions and receipts from campaigns (an expense to the campaign) shows the following:

Right now the SCPR rates this political fight as a toss up.  It could go either way.  The outcome likely will depend on who has the most money, who knocks on more doors and who becomes the better known candidate.  Positions on various issues could also play into the result. 

This Snitchler/Bosley match up will be a classic political confrontation between a man (Snitchler) who apparently thinks that a free and open marketplace and privatization of government functions is a panacea of what ails government and a man (Bosley) who believes that government (e.g. 9-1-1) in many areas of life is the only effective means to protect citizens from private sector abuses.