STATE REP. CHRISTINA HAGAN HELPED TO ALL BUT TORPEDO LAKE'S CHANCES OF PASSING ITS 7.95 MILL IN NOVEMBER?

At the last moment the Republican caucus of the Ohio House slipped in a provision to the state budget bill language which likely will make it next to impossible for the Lake Local School District to pass its 7.95 mill ballot initiative this coming November 5th.

Lake is the only Stark County school district with an issue on this fall's ballot.

As member of the caucus is Christina Hagan of Marlboro Township who represents the 50th Ohio House District which includes the Lake schools.

She voted for the bill.

This legislation did two things which had to give Lake school officials "that sinking feeling" in terms of whether or not its operations levy will pass.

First, it eliminated a 12.5% rollback in property taxes for all new tax levies (including schools).

Secondly, it took away a 10% homestead exemption for Ohio's senior citizens who have annual income of $30,000 or higher.

The Lake schools had an uphill fight to pass its levy without the barriers put in place by the Legislature in the tax action move that included no opportunity for those affected to make input.

Witness Lake's recent history on school revenue issues:

Going forward, it is not only Lake but all school districts and other local government entities (cities, villages and townships) who will have a tougher road to travel in getting voters to approve property tax levies.

The 12.5% rollback was a deal that the state of Ohio struck with Ohio's voters when the tax was implemented in 1972.

On April 25, 2013 Lake officials placed a levy on the ballot likely on a note of optimism.

On June 30th and Governor Kasich's action of approving the budget bill (with a few line item vetos) with the "adverse to local government property tax issues" provisions in place, any hope that may have beat in the hearts of Lake officials certainly evaporated into "that sinking feeling."

Will they be sending Representative Hagan a thank you for her help in bringing on that unease?

(VIDEO) CANTON COUNCIL PRESIDENT PUTTING OLESLAGER, SCHURING, HAGAN & SLESNICK ON THE SPOT!

MUST SEE VIDEO!

Canton Council President Allen Schulman

Rips

Stark County Legislators on Local Gov't Funding

The Stark County Political Report can think of a number of Cantonians who should be sitting in the mayor's chair over William J. Healy, II.

One would be Canton service director and chief-of-staff Warren Price.

But the SCPR's prime choice would be council president and premier personal injury attorney Allen Schulman.

One of the most exciting parts of the Canton City Council agenda is the last item on it:  "miscellaneous business."

On occasion, at this point in council proceedings, President Schulman will launch into a polemic that is absolutely spellbinding.

While Healy is a quintessential calculating politician that spins everything to make himself look good, Schulman, on the other hand, is a "what you see is what you get," passionate politician.

As mayor, the SCPR can only imagine what Schulman would be as an inspiring politico who could lead the people of Canton to a restoration of the Hall of Fame City to heights that the city has not seen in many decades.

But for whatever reason, he had decided not to go that route.

Nonetheless, he is a force and factor in Canton politics that merits the attention of other area politicians.

It is rather obvious that he works behind the scenes in Canton and Stark County political and governmental circles agitating local politicos "to do the courageous and right thing" for the interests of Cantonians/Stark Countians.

On this past Monday, Schulman let loose with a political/verbal barrage of castigation on Stark County's legislators, namely:

• state Senator Scott Oelslager, Republican of Plain Township,
• state Representative Kirk Schuring, Republican/Jackson Twp,
• state Representative Christina Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, and
• state Rep. Stephen Slesnick, Democrat, Canton

Why the castigation?

Because they have done very little, if anything, to stop the bloodletting by the Kasich administration of local government funding.

In the video that follows at the end of this blog Schulman shares with Canton City Council members that Senator Oelslager has shared with him that Governor Kasich has squirreled away $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds.

Schulman's point?

Ohio urban areas (including Canton, of course), while the state of Ohio is awash in surplus monies.

The SCPR applauds Schulman for his willingness to confront these "ineffective on state funding of local government" Stark County-based legislators.

Mostly local government officials (especially school board members) fawn over Oelslager, Schuring, Hagan and Slesnick when they have had the chutzpah to show up at local government meetings against a background of having voted for measures to gut local government funding.

But not Schulman.

Recently, he was in a back and forth with Stark County Concerned Citizens leader Chris Borello on her groups' failure to take these same legislators on with regard to their support of legislation to take away from local governments the ability to manage and control the environmental consequences of fracking for natural and wet gases.

It is easy to criticize others.

But how about one's self.

Well, Schulman with his polemic and insistence that Oelslager, Schuring, Hagan and Slesnick come to Canton City Council and explain themselves is demonstration that what he applies to others (i.e.the environmentalists), he applies to himself.

Being the evaders of anything unpleasant, the SCPR doubts that any of the four will show up at Canton council February 25th meeting.

They will have one excuse or another.  Most likely it will be 'we are in session we simply do not have the opportunity to break away'.

Council does not meet until 7:30 p.m.  So even if they are in Columbus, they all could hop in a car at 4:30 and be in Canton in time to go face-to-face with council.

The SCPR is willing to bet that they will find an excuse not to be in Canton on the 25th.

If, perchance, any of them do show up, it will be interesting to see which of the council persons "suck up" to them?

While the SCPR thinks that council members should be courteous, civil and respectful, there should be no cloying of them.

A SCPR "tip of the hat" to Allen Schulman for putting Stark County's legislative delegation ON THE SPOT!

OBVIOUSLY, CHRISTINA HAGAN KNOWS "SOMEBODY OF IMPORTANCE" AT THE REPOSITORY?

If state Representative Christina Hagan sneezes, it gets reported in The Repository.

On April 10th, Hagan sent a text message to "her contact" at The Rep to let him know that she had just gotten engaged.

Now (on Tuesday of this week) we are finding out she likes to read stories to the youth of her district.  It just so happens that her interest coincides with her effort to be elected (she currently is an Ohio House Republican Caucus appointee - "Caucus") for the first time as state representative to the 50th district.

Moreover, The Repository reports every legislative move she makes although none of them in the SCPR's judgment does anything significant for Stark County or for Ohio.

It is clear to the discerning that Hagan does not have the heft needed to be a lead legislator on major legislation.

But someone at The Rep must think otherwise.

Undoubtedly, readers of The Repository and CantonRep.com are going to be besieged over the next 130 days with regular reports of Christina-Hagan-minutia that keeps her before the voters of the 50th courtesy of her special contact at Stark County's only countywide newspaper.

Perhaps the Ohio secretary of state ought to be taking a close look at Hagan's campaign finance report to see whether or not she reports The Rep's freebies as "in-kind" political contributions (lol).

The Report has seen a lot of campaigns over the years but never one in which a candidate who has never been elected to anything gets so much help and attention.

When her father, John Hagan, got term limited out of the Ohio House in 2008 (he also represented the 50th) she appears to have felt entitled to inherit the seat (LINK).  In those days the favorite of the Caucus was Todd Snitchler (R - Lake).   But Christina saw no reason for that and challenged Snitchler in the Republican primary losing badly.

The Hagans reportedly were so mad at Snitchler and the Caucus that they asked Snitchler Democratic opponent Celeste DeHoff to put a sign in the yard of the Hagan homestead out in Marlboro Township.

And, initially, Snitchler was not cool with Christina replacing him when he was tapped by newly elected Republican Governor John Kasich to be his point man on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

But father John was hard at work greasing the rails for daughter Christina to assume her rightful (by right of inheritance?) place in Columbus.  Apparently, John was able to convince the Caucus to lean on Snitchler to have a "come to Jesus" moment with the Hagans.  Ultimately, Sntichler capitulated and Christina walked away with the Caucus appointment on March 4, 2011.

Since then Christina has gotten all sorts of help in her quest to stay in Columbus.  And, insofar as the SCPR is concerned, she is demonstrating that she needs all the help she can get.

In addition to her father, Snitchler and the Caucus; there are her Ohio General Assembly minders Ron Amstutz and David Hall (who supervised her first and "only" town hall meeting [held in Louisville in May, 2011]; the oil and gas lobby has given her campaign contributions to the tune - at last count - of $7,500 inasmuch as she unabashedly advocates for their fracking interests; and, of course, her special contact at The Repository.

Undoubtedly, there are others. The SCPR just hasn't learned who they are yet.

One has to wonder whether or not this woman can do anything of a political nature for herself.

The most offensive of the helpers is The Repository.

The others are Republicans who want to keep the seat for the benefit of the Ohio Republican Party.

But The Rep?  Why is the publisher and executive editor allowing her to order up politically helpful public relations-esque pieces apparently at will?

Her opponent Democratic Alliance Councilwoman Sue Ryan hardly gets a mention in The Reps pages.

Who believes that she is not doing things that could turned into free ink in The Rep?

Could it be that she is not trying? 

Or is it because The Repository is turning a deaf ear to her because the deciders-in-chief have already made their minds up?

Stark County's dwindling number of newspaper readers deserve a better balance on political figure reporting than what they are getting out of The Repository.

But they should not be holding their breath while waiting for that to happen!

ONCE AGAIN, LOCAL & STATE GOP LINE UP AGAINST AVERAGE GUY? THIS TIME CONSUMER PROTECTION. WILL THE VOTE HELP DEMOCRATIC OPPONENTS IN THE FALL?

The Republican Party is commonly known as the party of the business class whereas the Democratic Party is generally perceived as the political party of "the little guy."

Of course, some say that such stereotyping is just that and that political reality is more of a mix than simply business versus the common man.

That may be, but in the view of the SCPR the Republican caucuses of the Ohio House and Senate in passing House Bill 275 on Tuesday did not help themselves in disabusing stereotypical thinking.

HB 275 is legislation, on its way to Republican Governor John Kasich for his signature, which dramatically tamps down on consumers rights.

On top of Senate Bill 5 (the anti-collective bargaining bill), the passage of HB 275 appears to be more of the same.

The bill according the Legislative Service Commission of the Ohio General Assembly:

• Permits a supplier to offer a consumer a "cure offer" if the consumer files an action against the supplier for an alleged violation of the Consumer Sales Practices Act. 
• Requires a cure offer to contain a supplier's remedy consisting solely of monetary compensation to resolve the alleged violation of the Consumer Sales Practices Act, the amount of attorney's fees to be paid, not to exceed $2,500, court costs, 
• Prohibits a consumer from being awarded treble damages, and court costs and attorney's fees after the cure offer is received, if the consumer does not accept a cure offer and a court or arbitrator awards the consumer actual economic damages that are not greater than the value of the remedy included in the cure offer. 

It is hard to see anything in this legislation which benefits aggrieved consumers.

It will benefit Ohio's court system in likely cutting down on the number of trials.

But it appears to The Report that the bill's structure is primarily designed to save businesses that actually get sued for consumer rights violations the possibility of treble (triple) damages being assessed against them on a liability finding by a court of law.  Moveover, in capping attorney fees at $2,500, it makes consumer cases much less attractive for lawyers to take on.  In this way, it is likely that there will be less suits for violating businesses to cope with.

While local Republican Scott Oelslager (Ohio Senate - 29th) distinguished himself from from the pack in opposing SB 5 (which was soundly rejected [State Issue #2] by Ohio's voters in November, 2011), his SB 5 departure appears to have been an anomaly in the light of his vote for HB 275.

It was no surprise that Stark Republicans Christina Hagan (Marlboro - the 50th) and Kirk Schuring (Jackson - now representing the 51st and running in newly redistricted 48th) followed the party line in joining in on the passage of the bill.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the Democratic opponents to Hagan (Sue Ryan of Alliance) and Schuring (Amanda Trump) in the upcoming fall campaign are able to couple their SB 5 votes with the HB 275 votes and other anti-common-man votes that their opposition research is able to uncover to make Hagan and Schuring wear the stereotypical thinking.

KEEPING THEM HONEST: DID GOP STATE REP. CHRISTINA HAGAN SEEK TO SPONSOR DEM REP BOB HAGAN'S BILL TO REQUIRE "ALL" RECIPIENTS OF STATE FUNDING TO FIRST HAVE PASSED A DRUG TEST?

Earlier this month Ron Ponder of Points to Ponder (WHBC - 1480 AM) had appointed Republican state Representative Christina Hagan on his radio program.

Initially the conversation was about H.B. No. 368 sponsored by Hagan.  It is a bill  "to create the Long-range Financial Outlook Council for the purpose of informing the public and the General Assembly about the financial status of the state by studying financial and other conditions and issuing an annual long-range financial outlook report

Creating more government proposed by a person who says she is for smaller government?  Hmm?

But anyhow, the discussion quickly turned to a bill passed recently by the state of Florida requiring welfare recipients to pass a drug test as a condition of receiving welfare benefits.

A bill recently introduced in Ohio is a take off of the Florida legislation.

Ponder asked Hagan whether or not she supported state Sen. Schaffer's bill?

Answer:  pretty much of a yes but she did express concern for the children of welfare receiving parents and what their fate would be in the face of the family being cut off from its only source of income.

Ponder then turned to asking about the fairness of singling out welfare recipients as compared to many others (included state legislators) who, of course, receive state monies.

Hagan then brought up Democrat Robert Hagan's H.B. No. 343.

Again, here is what she said:

Though she gratuitously presents herself as a especially devoted religious person, the SCPR had just an inkling that Christina Hagan was not being fully honest in her characterization of her involvement with Democrat Hagan and his bill.

Accordingly, The Report contacted Bob Hagan and here is his response to Christina's claim:

On Wed, 12/7/11, District60 <District60@ohr.state.oh.us> wrote:

From: District60 <District60@ohr.state.oh.us>

Subject: RE: HB 343

To: "'Martin Olson'" <tramols@att.net>

Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 10:46 AM

Hi Martin,

 

The process for signing on as a co-sponsor in the Ohio House is pretty straight forward. It is usually done electronically through the e-mail system. The co-sponsor request went out to all Democrats and Republicans in the House on 9/1/2011. Everyone is afforded a reasonable opportunity to reply “yes” or “sign me on” -or simply call my office line and leave a message indicating they would like to co-sponsor the proposed legislation (In this case by 9/30/2011). Rep. C. Hagan never did these things. As I understand it, she did leave two messages with my aide, asking that I call her back. I was unable to call her back before the legislation was introduced. I can only assume she wanted to change the legislation or offer some alteration to the bill.

 

Rep. C. Hagan is still able to add her name as a co-sponsor if her caucus ever brings this legislation up for consideration.

 

Bob

---

 

Rep. Hagan has asked that members wishing to co-sponsor this legislation do so by tomorrow at noon. Additionally, this legislation will extend to members of financial institutions that received T.A.R.P. money.

Thanks!

Jordan

Jordan Plottner

Legislative Aide

 

State Representative Robert F. Hagan

Youngstown, Ohio

614.466.9435

While it true that Christian Hagan did contact Bob Hagan's office relative to H.B. No. 343, that is a long way from becoming a co-sponsor of the bill as she clearly implied she was intent on doing in her conversation with Ponder.

Bob Hagan point is there is nothing to prevent Christina from signing on even as this blog is being written.

Christina Hagan as co-sponsor of H.B. No. 343, fact or fiction?

Well, unless and until she actually signs on as a co-sponsor, a fair minded person would have to say that it is fiction, no?

HAGAN (OHIO HOUSE - THE 50TH) TO HAVE AN OPPONENT NEXT NOVEMBER?

The SCPR has learned that the Stark Democrats have come up with a candidate to run against Republican Party appointee Christina Hagan (Republican - Marlboro) for the right to represent Ohio's 50th House District.

The Democrat is Sue Ryan who was elected Alliance City Council on November 8th. She also was elected in 2007 and 2005.

Until the 50th was reconfigured by the Ohio General Assembly this past September, Ryan would not have been Ms. Hagan's opponent.  Where Ryan lives is currently in the 61st Ohio House District represented by Democrat Mark Oakey.

But with the every ten year constitutionally required redistricting that occurred this year, Alliance was brought within the parameters of the 50th.

This is probably a good thing for the Democrats.  Alliance has a history of being a swing city in the sense that the "Carnation City" can and does swing back and forth between Republicans and Democrats.

While Christina Hagan has familiarity with Alliance residents as being the Carnations Days queen in 2007, Ryan has been elected three times at-large (in other words:  citywide) by Alliance voters to Alliance City Council.

If Ryan plays her political cards correctly (Hagan voted for the anti-collective bargaining bill [SB 5/Issue 2] and voted to split Alliance off into a congressional district adjoined to primarily Mahoning County political interests [the 13th likely to be represented by Democrat Tim Ryan]), she could be an upset winner over Hagan next November.

Upset winner?

Despite her being a novice politician and representative, Christina Hagan has to be the odds on favorite to win.  Readers can be sure that the Ohio Republican Party will puts hundreds of thousands of dollars into Hagan's race to keep her in place.  Moreover, the district has been gerrymandered for years to favor a Republican candidate.

This race should be the most interesting in all of Stark County for Ohio House seats.

CHRISTINA HAGAN PROBABLY DID NOT REALIZE THAT SHE VOTED FOR A REDISTRICT PLAN THAT MIGHT RESULT IN HER BEING A SHORT LIVED STATE REP? PLAIN TWP TRUSTEE LOUIS GIAVASIS PONDERING A RUN IN THE "NEW" 50TH HOUSE DISTRICT?

Louis Giavasis has been a Plain Township trustee for 18 years.  And he has really enjoyed being trustee.  But now that his children are older and becoming more and more independent of the need to have constant parental contact, Giavasis is considering a run for the Ohio Statehouse for the "new" 50th Ohio House District.

But wait a minute, he lives in Plain, no? 

Yes, however, Christina Hagan (Republican - Marlboro), who was appointed state representative earlier this year when former Rep. Todd Snitchler (R - Lake - the 50th) took up the more personally lucrative position of being Governor Kasich's man in Columbus as chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), apparently did not realize that she may have voted against her own interest in remaining 50th District representative in approving the new redistricting plan for the Ohio House.

It turns out that Giavasis recently moved (08/05/2011) into a part of Plain that is included in the "new" 50th recently.  Likely that Christina was so involved in helping carve out a "safe" district for herself that she lost track of Giavasis.  He used to live south of Easton and in Kirk Schuring's "old" 51st District and still in Schuring's "new" 48th.

It is basic Political Science 101 that the best time to defeat an incumbent is her first time out for an election.

Well, that's Chistina Hagan this time around.

And Louis Giavasis tells the SCPR that he would not rule out running against her in 2012.

Hagan owes her office to "daddy John."  John Hagan held the "old" 50th from 2000 through 2008 when he got term limited out and then was out of government for a short spell when Democrat Pete Ferguson defeated him in a county commissioner's race in 2008.  Since then he has re-established himself as a Marlboro Township trustee. 

When Snitchler took off for more prosperous political/governmental haunts despite just being re-elected 50th District representative, John Hagan made it his crusade to get daughter Christina (who qualifications include being Carnation Days queen in 2007, a restaurant server and a university student) into his "old" district.  And, of course, his efforts paid off and we add to the "politically entitled" families that dot the Stark County political landscape (Republican and Democrat).

Giavasis himself appears to the SCPR to be a Democratic version of the politically entitled.  His brother Phil is Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts.

Phil used to be Stark County clerk of courts.  It appears that when he figured out, on Tom Harmon's retirement as Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts, that that clerk of courts was significantly more remunerative than the county position and that the higher pay would enhance his retirement benefits probably not that far down the road, he made the switch.

To the SCPR, the most interesting aspect of Phil's switch was that he felt like he was entitled to name his successor.  So when Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Stevens expressed an interest to him in running for the position, Phil got indignant with Stevens.  It seems that Phil did not want Stevens upsetting his plan to have his top assistant Nancy Reinbold (wife of now former Stark County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Reinbold) appointed by Stark County Democrats to replace him when he moved on to the city of Canton.

And guess who now works for Nancy Reinbold?

You've got it.  Coming full circle:  Louis P. Giavasis.  He serves as Reinbold's (as the SCPR likes to put it) "Car Title Czar."

So if Giavasis decides to run against Hagan, will it be a race of the entitleds, no?

The SCPR's take on a comparison of the two is that Giavasis does have a maverick/independent streak about him despite likely being a member in good standing of the Stark County Democratic Party "good ole boys" network.

Louis has a history of taking up causes and fighting them to the bitter end.

One example is his taking on Giant Eagle (the grocery store behemoth) when it vacated its Plain Township situated Oakwood store site for Washington Square only to maintain contract rights to veto its replacement at Oakwood by a competing grocery.

Another is his leadership in the anti-fracking movement.  Many Plain Township resident worry about the damage that fracking may do to the water they drink, the air they breathe and the township infrastructure (i.e. the roads) among many other concerns.

Giavasis started (in December, 2009) the Stark County anti-fracking movement in making noises about banning hydraulic fracking for natural gas within Plain Township.  He encountered heavy opposition from Stark county oil and gas interests.

Because of concerns about being caught up in possible litigation at the hand of the oil and gas industry, Giavasis has had to settle for Plain Township passing a resolution requesting a moratorium on fracking and a resolution banning fracking on Plain Township owned property and under Plain's roadways.

Chistina Hagan, on the other hand, gives every sign of being "owned by the company store:" that is to say - the Ohio Republican House Caucus to which she owes her appointment.  And, of course, she wouldn't want to cross "daddy."

Moreover, she is likely to be a person that if Republican Governor John Kasich (perhaps Ohio's foremost fracking enthusiast) were to ask her to jump, her response:  how high?

On this issue alone, their couldn't be a starker contrast between politically polar opposites that on the issue of fracking.

But there are certainly a bevy of other issues that Giavasis and Hagan would clash on:  Her votes for highly gerrymandered congressional and Ohio General Assembly redistricting, her vote for curbing collective bargaining (SB 5 - state issue 2), her vote to allow fracking in Ohio's state parks, to name a few of the many.

Should Giavasis decide to run against Hagan, the SCPR's take is that he would present a formidable obstacle to Christina Hagan returning to Columbus as state representative on January 1, 2013!

HOW HARD DID STATE REP. CHRISTINA HAGAN TRY TO HAVE FELLOW LEGISLATORS SHARE IN OHIO'S TOUGH TIMES?

 

Days after she voted to force onto the backs of Ohio's public employees (Senate Bill 5) that they share disproportionately to solving the state's financial woes, Republican Party appointee (the 50th) Christina Hagan held a town hall meeting in Louisville.

A citizen stepped forward and asked her to support HB 41 (offered by fellow Republican Terry Boose - Lorain) which provided for 5% cuts in state legislator pay.  Since legislators cannot - by the Ohio Constitution - affect their own pay in the biennium term they are serving in, such a cut would not go into effect until the 130th Ohio General Assembly which will take office on January 1, 2013.

Here is the video of the citizen addressing the issue at Hagan's town hall meeting:

Interesting enough Hagan and her town hall props/supports (state Reps. Amstutz and Hall) did not seem to know anything about HB 41.  But she did promise to get up to speed.  Moreover, she seemed to promise she would for her term donate 5% of her income to a charity.  

Readers can be sure that if she does so, there will be a press release extolling her for doing so.

While HB 41 has not even had a hearing, it did make it into the budget bill (which, of course, violates the Ohio Constitution's requirement that legislation deal with only one topic).

As the Toledo Blade headline above says, the pay cut was stripped from the budget bill and not because conferees worried about the constitutionality of the provision being in the bill.

While Republicans (including Stark Countians Hagan and Schuring) are quite willing to exact a pound of flesh from the rest of us, the excision of the pay cut from the budget bill proves they are unwilling to share in the sacrifice they impose on the rest of Ohio.

Hmm?

ARE ALL REPUBLICAN OFFICEHOLDERS TURNING INTO "TEA PARTIERS?" PROBABLY NOT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE STATE SEN. OELSLAGER AND STATE REPS HAGAN & SCHURING MAY BE?

 

It is hard to distinguish between The Tea Party and the Republican Party these days.

The man who is likely to become the Republican nominee for president (Mitt Romney) to run against President Barack Obama started out as a moderate Republican as governor of Massachusetts.

As governor he supported abortion rights and took up the cause of providing universal health care for citizens of the Bay state.  Neither of these are on the radar for Tea Partiers.

Realizing that is near impossible to get the Republican nomination for anything, Romney has been working overtime to at least be palatable to Tea Partiers.  While he certainly is the the darling of Tea Partiers and Republican social conservatives, he is doing well enough to be in a virtual tie in the latest poll in Iowa which is the first in the nation primary.  He leads 23% to 22% over Michele Bachmann.

It seems that it is his health care legacy which causes him the most problem.  Tea Partiers detest what they call Obamacare more than anything else the president has done in office.

It appears to the SCPR that Ohio General Assembly Republicans (including Stark County's Scott Oelslager, Kirk Schuring and Christian Hagan) has latched onto the Tea Partiers' intense hatred of Obamacare as a way to counter the groundswell of public support that the repeal effort of Senate Bill 5 being pushed by the Ohio Democratic Party.

Senate Bill 5 (SB 5) is Republican Governor Kasich's effort to virtually eliminate meaningful collective bargaining rights for Ohio's public employees (policement, firemen, teachers and others.

At the moment appears to be heading for a political bloodbath.

Out-of-the-blue on June 15th the Republican caucuses of the House and Senate concocted a joint resolution (which requires a 60% majority) to add to the Ohio Constitution (if voters approve the measure) a provision to allow Ohioans to opt out of certain aspects of Obamacare.

The Republican idea is to get enough Tea Partiers to the polls on November 8th to deny the pro-repeal-SB5 a victory.

The Report does not believe that the Republican political tactic would have worked.  It appears that the pro-repeal folks will have about one million signatures by the time they quite collecting signatures and turn them in to the Ohio secretary of state for validation.  Only 385,245 are required.

The Republican - "let's have a constitutional amendment crowd" - fell short by 1 vote of getting the required 60% majority.

The Republicans tried hard to get that one needed Democrat to help them because the constitutional amendment route was a sure way to get the measure on the November ballot.

But they have not given up.  They have the Tea Partiers out working to collect signatures to get the anti-Obamacare measure on the ballot, to wit:

The Tea Partiers say they have 389,000 which is more than the 385,245 needed.  However, as is always the case, there are always many signers who are not registered voters or get disqualified for other reasons.  So 389,000 will not get the job done.  Tea Party officials say they will end up with about 500,000 by the final date for collecting signature (July 6th).  The question is:  will 500,000 be enough?  Perhaps not.  That is why the Republicans pushed hard to get the measure on the ballot as a constitutional amendment.

The Report thinks that Oelslager and Schuring would deny that they are Tea Partiers.  Hagan, probably not.  

For Oelslager and Schuring the congruence between their vote on SJR 1 and the Tea Partiers taking up the cause makes them at the very least willing to consort with the Tea Partiers to help Governor Kasich reach his goal of defeating the SB 5 repeal effort.

Oelslager's vote is inconsistent with his vote against passage of SB 5.  Hmm?  Makes one wonder how authentic how committed he is to seeing SB 5 repealed?

In any event the Republicans who make up the Ohio General Assembly are a far cry from those progressive types that started the Republican Party way back in 1854!

WILL HAGAN AND SCHURING HAVE REGRETS COME NOVEMBER, 2012? THE GHOSTS OF HAVING VOTED FOR SENATE BILL 5?

As the filing deadline looms on June 30, 2011, it appears that the opponents of Senate Bill 5 (SB 5) have had a massive response in the quest to place a voter referendum on the question of whether or not the people of Ohio will validate Republican Governor John Kasich's attempt via SB 5 to gut public sector unions.

A humongous 714,137 collection of signatures has been collected.  Only 231,149 are needed.

 

While November, 2012 seems to be far off, it really is not.  If the March 12, 2012 primary date holds, partisan candidates for the 2012 elections will have to be filing their petitions to run not later than December 7, 2011 which is less than six months away.

For Republican state representatives Kirk Schuirng (Jackson Township - the 51st) and Christina Hagan (Marlboro Township - the 50th), the December filing deadline will reveal the identity of the persons who will be attempting to exploit their support of and votes for SB5 as a basis of a Democratic campaign to unseat them.

 

Despite the fact that Kasich et al will put up a vigorous fight to retain SB5 via their "political action front group" - Building a Better Ohio, in certain partS of Ohio (the urban/suburban areas where public sector unions are strong), being an elected Republican state representative who voted for SB5 is likely to make one a big time political target.  Such is likely to be what is in the offing for Hagan and Schuring here in Stark County.

November, 2012 offers Stark County Democratic Party Chairman Randy Gonzalez a prime opportunity to wrestle the long time 50th and 51st Ohio House seats away from the Republicans.

Gonzalez was not only handed the plum of Hagan and Schuring having voted for the Kasich anti-union measure but will also have soon their recorded vote in favor of Kasich's budget bill which contains gigantic cuts, over the 2012-13 fiscal biennium, in local government funding.

Chairman Gonzalez should be particularly motivated to find a strong candidate to take on Schuring.  He is the fiscal officer in Jackson Township and knows first hand how severely the draconian local government cuts in state funding together with the loss of revenue from Ohio's estate tax will impact Jackson.

He tells the SCPR that the losses in revenue will deprive Jackson of needed funds to maintain and enhance its first-rate park system.

However, to pull off the takeaways, Gonzalez will have to tap into the outrage at SB5 by Republican Party supporting unions, that is to say: Stark County's firefighters, the police and teachers.  Moreover, he will have to fan the fires of lost revenues with township trustees as well as city and county officials across Stark County.  One would think that his hope would be to - at the very minimum - neutralize Republican trustees, councilpersons, mayors, commissioners (including 2012 commissioner candidates) in terms of support for Hagan and Schuring.

Being handed the issues he has been will be a test of whether or not Gonzalez is up to being chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party.  

His best hope to make inroads for Democrats in 2012 is on the Hagan and Schuring races.

On countywide offices, it is a different story.  Because of the 2009/2010 Frustaci scandal, he faces an uphill battle to retain for the Democrats the sheriff's office and the prosecutor's office as well has the two Democratic commissioner seats (Ferguson and Bernabei).  

You can bet that Stark's organized Republicans will be keeping the Frustaci thing alive when it comes to the countywide races.

Conversely, will Gonzalez be able to forge the necessary political alliances with Stark County public sector unions and political subdivision officeholders in order effect a Hagan/Schuring removal from office?

Will he be able to make the spectres of their having voted to gut public unions and local government come alive in November, 2012?