DISCUSSION: SHOULDN'T THE MAIN PLAYERS - OELSLAGER & SCHURING - BE HANGING THEIR HEADS IN SHAME TODAY?

For years they were in the majority/supermajority as Republican members of the Ohio General Assembly (OGA).

Yes, the two who violate the spirit of term limits (their party instituted as a tool to get into the majority in the first place) are the MAIN political culprits who have brought on this day of massive levey failures (75%) in Stark County, namely; SCOTT OELSLAGER (51st - Ohio House) and KIRK SCHURING (29th Ohio Senate). The now term-limited out (thank the Almighty, friends) Republican John Hagan (formerly the 50th) also bears responsibility.

The Democrats (Boccieri, Healy, Cirelli, and Slesnick) get a pass on this one because as a political minority the Republicans literally froze them out on getting anything done in Ohio's law making halls.

Indeed the "chickens have come home to roost" in Stark. Most of Stark County's school district's are shaky at best. And the majority/supermajority Statehouse Republicans (including our Stark Countians) are responsible.

Oelslager in particular has said many times over his recent times in the Legislature that the OGA had fixed the funding of schools. Well, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) says Oelslager's assertions have a rather "hollow" ring to them on February 4, 2009.

Even though Jackson's levy passed, it is a "get by on the skin of your teeth measure." But Lake's, Northwest's and Minerva's efforts were solidly defeated and in today's economic environment there in no chance that any of them will succeed any time soon.

The Report believes that Schuring was merely toying with and tantalizing the Stark County electorate with his proposal, pre-16th Congressional District race, to begin the process of reforming how Ohio funds public education.

Now that the election is over and Schuring lost, has he come back with his proposal anew? No! And he won't. With the Democrats now controlling the Ohio House, the proposal has no chance at all.

What a thing to do. Play politics with - the future of Stark County kids and concomitantly the financial well-being of Stark County's school districts.

Stark Countians need to be thinking more and more that when the names Oelslager and Schuring appear on a Stark County ballot - to vote for the other person.

Now the ball is in the Democrats court because they control the Ohio House and the governorship (remember Strickland: [paraphrased] "I will have failed as governor, if I do not get the funding of public education fixed").

From a local perspective the glare of the spotlight will be on Okey (61st), Shiavoni (33rd).

Now it's their turn to be politically accountable.

Will they succeed where Hagan, Oelslager and Schuring have failed?

DISCUSSION: HAS SCHURING GOTTEN PUBLIC EDUCATION RELIGION IN TIME FOR NOVEMBER?

Has Kirk Schuring the consummate Republican lost his "GOP-esque" memory?

Ohio media outlets reported yesterday that Schuring was one of three votes against a Republican-initiated Ohio General Assembly plan.

Paul Kostyu of The Rep described the effort as being "Senate Bill 57, which the Senate passed 17-15 Wednesday, would create a five-year pilot program in the Department of Education for "scholarships" to allow families of special-education students to choose a school that best fits a child's individual needs."

Another quote from Kostyu's piece is very revealing (reading between the quote marks).

"State Rep. Kirk Schuring, R-Jackson Township, said he has a 'longstanding' position opposing moving money for programs that are better suited for public school systems."

For those who have known Schuring for the better part of his 14 years in public office know that he has been a Legislature voting supporter of charter schools, community schools, vouchers and other Republican contrivances to undermine public education.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) takes this vote by Schuring to be a political gambit. He knew that the bill, even if it passes, will not see the light of day because Governor Strickland has promised to veto it. His friends in the political Right will soon forget this vote but Schuring has begun to and will continue to use this vote to confuse the voting public on his true position on the charter school versus public school competition.

These are desperate time for Schuring. Political wisdom says that Schuring is substantially behind Democrat John Boccieri in the race to become long time Congressman Ralph Regula.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT spoke with Boccieri a couple of weeks ago when The Report did a piece poking a little fun at Boccieri over when he will move into the 16th District.

Boccieri who was mildly upset at the setting for the piece but seemed to settled down when there was no intended specific meaning of the make up of the crowd that Boccieri was seemingly lost in, told The Report that he would be moving into the district as soon as his childrens' school term ended.

Boccieri also said that "he hoped Schuring would continue to use the [carpetbagger issue - my phrase] as his main campaign issue." Meanwhile, Boccieri promised focus on issues he feels voters really care about: Iraq, the economy and healthcare insurance issues.

The Report notes that efforts to get a response from Kirk Schuring on various campaign issues failed. The Report notes that at least one other blogger experience similar experience from the Schuring campaign.

But all this makes sense. Last summer in a one-on-one talk with Schuring in Hartville (before the campaign began), Schuring confirmed that he knew he had favored status with The Repository Editorial Board.

So obviously Schuring is going to try to use The Rep as his public relations arm. Wise readers will read Rep opinion pieces on Schuring with skepticism.

A strange position for a man who is substantially behind in the race.

But the question remains. Will voters see how Schuring works the "chameleon effect" strategy of the Schuring campaign?

DISCUSSION POINT: Will Kirk Schuring ever produce on education?

The graphic on the left from the Kirk Schuring website gives a big clue on the state senator's campaign approach. The 16th District Congressional candidate (borrowing from George Bush) bills himself as a "reformer with results."

Slogneering is apparently what the Schuring campaign is to be all about. Republicans desperate to hold the 16th District have resorted to a favorite Karl Rove operation: running a name-branding strategy.

As many of us who live in the 16th District know, Kirk Schuring has spent 14 years in the Ohio Legislature accomplishing very little but appearing prodigiously in print in The Repository (mainly) as if The Repository was his public relations arm. In a one-to-one conversation Kirk shared with me that he understands that he is a favorite political figure of The Repository editors.

My point here is that you cannot trust The Repository editorial page to give a thorough going analysis on the 16th District race.

Stay tuned for the next Schuring slogan. Something like "Education Reform in Your Lifetime - I promise it." Candidate Schuring has a political life about the same as the famous DeRolph line of cases in which the Ohio Supreme Court held Ohio's way of funding public education is unconstitutional.