DISCUSSION: THE REP'S CAMPBELL ENDORSEMENT IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS THE EDITORIAL BOARD CAN DO - BUT IT IS STILL LACKING?

For The Repository, the editorial endorsement writing doesn't get much better than what the writer did today in the newspaper's endorsement of Rick Campbell for the office of Stark County Recorder.

But it is deficient in several respects.

First and foremost, the editors fail to take full advantage of its "right-on" analysis of Campbell's cutting edge online accomplishment of citizen access to the recorder stored public records.

This is odd as The Rep folks say they are for more public access. When they have the attention of readers (and certainly all of Stark County's elected officials), they drop the ball.

If the editors were more global in their thinking processes, they would posit the Campbell accomplishment as a challenge to all other Stark County officeholders to, in the words of "the good book;" go and do likewise.

Second, is there anything to critique Rick Campbell on?

Of course.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) can think of one biggy right off the top of the head.

Campbell is a "card-carrying" member of the Stark County Democratic Party political machine put together by Chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., Campbell's mother-in-law and former Stark County commissioner Gayle Jackson, and Randy Gonzalez (Jackson Township fiscal officer and a Phil Giavasis employee at the Canton Municipal Court Clerk of Courts office) among others which (the machine) uses to staff government offices with machine loyal employees.

To be fair, Republicans have done this themselves. Does anyone forget how Jane Vignos (retiring county commissioner) and Janet Creighton used the auditor's office (now it's Democrat Kim Perez's turn) to house loyalist Stark County Republicans who just happen to be first-in-line when it comes to staffing party political campaigns?

The point. If Campbell was all he could be, he would break this vicious cycle of political parties using the public payroll to warehouse "so-so" workers (not necessarily very best you can get - though one could get lucky), who become the vanguard of political campaigns.

The Report agrees with The Rep editors that Campbell stands out as a county official. But the question remains.

Doesn't a first-rate editorial board use the endorsement process to challenge endorseea to be even better and, what's more, - when performing at a high level - as a model for their peers?

DISCUSSION: A CLASSIC CASE - CANDIDATES TRYING TO BE SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT?

An upside down question mark? Yes, indeed. Because the candidates for the 16th Congressional District are trying to confuse the voters by denying their history.

J. Kirk Schuring is business through and through.

John Boccieri is a union man, through and through.

But now, according to area media reports, both are out courting the other side's base support.

Try they may, but a "leopard does not change its spots" except the leopard in the accompanying cartoon figure.

J. Kirk Schuring is owned lock, stock and barrel by business types. Just look at his history with the W.R. Timken family.

John Boccieri is owned lock, stock and barrel by union organizations. Boccieri would not have a political existence unless the unions had made him their cause celebre in his run against right-to-work Ron Hood in a race for the Ohio House years ago.

It's Stark County politics "really weird" when candidates try to being something they're not. Everybody knows, but guess who? The candidate!

Does any one other than a Rip Van Winkle-esque person in Stark County think Kirk Schuring is pro-union?

Does any one other than a Rip Van Winkle-esque person in Stark County think John Boccieri is about to become the darling of chamber of commerces?

DISCUSSION: HAS LARRY DORDEA MADE AN ERROR IN CAMPAIGN JUDGMENT?

Larry Dordea, candidate for Stark County sheriff is a novice at running for political office.

One of the temptations for political neophytes is to latch on to seasoned politicians; especially when you know that early in the campaign you know your political party (the Republicans, in this case) have a poll showing you behind the sitting sheriff 75% to 25%.

As troubling as those number may have been, they were early numbers and have more to do with name recognition than anything else.

Now that Dordea has been running a vigorous campaign for a number of months, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has to believe that the numbers have narrowed significantly.

By associating with John Hagan, Dordea may be stunting his ability to get closer to his opponent Swanson.

The Report did a piece some time ago suggesting that Hagan and his Democratic opponent Pete Ferguson may be the laziest candidates running for countywide office in the November election. The Report did not invent this notion, it came from an elected countywide official and has been confirmed in an offhand way by a high Stark County Republican Party insider.

Another thing that may hurt Dordea in connecting with Hagan in his effort to attract independents and disaffected Democrats (disaffected with Swanson), is that Hagan is widely known by political insiders to be a Republican Party hack.

The Report realizes that both Dordea and Hagan are Alliance area politicians. But why would Dordea allow geographical affinity to hurt his chances to become county sheriff?

The Report can readily see why Hagan likes the Alliance alliance. It gives him more credibility than he can garner on his own. Dordea does have significant independent voter support and even some Democrats going his way. Hagan does not. Hagan has never had to run in an area dominated by Democrats and Democrat leaning independents. He has only run in the Republican gerrymandered 50th House district.

Question: Is this Dordea's political naiveness coming to the fore? Will being an inexperienced politician be the difference between him and Swanson?

DISCUSSION: WHICH ISSUE WILL PROVIDE THE MARGIN OF VICTORY IN THE 16TH? IMMIGRATION?

It will be if Steve Salvi of the Ohio Jobs and Justice PAC (OJJPAC) has his way.

Salvi is working hard to raise the profile of immigration as a deciding issue in congressional, Ohio House and Senate races across the state.

So far J. Kirk Schuring's main issue in his battle to win the 16th Congressional District seat over John Boccieri has been to harp on Boccieri being a carpetbagger candidate.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) still believes that his race is Boccieri's to lose because voters across the nation, including Ohio, are looking for Democrats to support. However, this is a highly competitive race.

If Salvi is successful, the Schuring campaign is positioned to piggyback on his effort. Why? Because Schuring signed on as a sponsor of Senate Bill 260; Boccieri has not. One has to wonder why not?

Could it be because his chief political sponsor, Governor Ted Strickland is, apparently, against the bill? Strickland is quoted in a recent AP report as being concerned about the fruition of patchwork of state laws trying to deal with immigration.

What level of importance do you attach to bills like S.B. 260? Is support of this bill a key issue to you in deciding which candidate you will vote for in November?

DISCUSSION: WHO SHALL WE ELECT TO THE STARK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS OFFICE? A NOVICE? - OR - ONE WHO WAS ANNOINTED CLERK OF COURTS?

In the accompanying graphic STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) readers get a thumbnail sketch of the campaign strategies of the two candidates.

As readers of The Report know, The Report has a problems with the likes of a Phil Giavasis (now Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts) who played "pulling guard" for Reinbold (wife of Stark County Common Pleas judge Richard Reinbold) in clearing the way for political insider Nancy Reinbold to get the Democratic nod for the county clerk position.

The countervailing question is this. Are Stark Countians willing to risk turning the clerkship over to a novice?

Probably not. But the temptation is there to say "no" to the Phil Giavasis, Johnnie Maiers (Stark County Democratic Party chairman) of the world as they play out their self-cultivated "kingmaker" roles in Stark County politics.

So what is your answer? Should voters go for changing the way politics are done in Stark County? Or, is Nancy Reinbold so much better qualified that the "inside job" aspect of her running should be ignored?

DISCUSSION: THE REPOSITORY - "THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW?" HOW HYPOCRITICAL CAN YOU BE?

What is Jeff Gauger and his employer The Repository and GateHouse Media, Inc. hiding from the Stark County public?

Those who read The Rep know of the heavy emphasis put on government providing "open access" to public records with greater emphasis during the annual newspaper industry sponsored "Sunshine Week."

Readers also know how much The Rep editorial board has thrown itself into powerful support of Republican Ohio House representative Scott Oelslager because of his singular work on pushing for legislative enactments mandating public access to public records.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that back in April, 2008, Chris Borello of the Concerned Citizens of Lake Township voice-mailed The Rep's executive editor asking that he free a Rep reporter to give a written statement documenting an oral statement the reporter has made concerning public health issues surrounding the Industrial Excess Landfill (IEL) site in Uniontown.

Borello followed the voice-mail request with a written request, dated April 29, 2008.

On first take, a reader might think that The Rep is not being hypocritical (as an all out advocate for access to public records) because the request is for information maintained by a private enterprise employer which is putting the squelch on its employee.

On second take, a reader might say - not so quick.

Does a private person/corporation have a right to withhold information relevant to public health issues?

What's more, why hasn't The Repository itself taken this statement and investigated the issues it raises for the public benefit and for public consumption?

The more The Report sees of Gauger and the newly constituted Repository under GateHouse Media, Inc, the less confidence The Report believes the Stark County public should have in the the public reporting integrity of the upper echelons of The Rep's management and editorial board functions.

Does The Rep's refusal to allow its reporter to document what the reporter knows about public safety issues concerning IEL and its environment effects in Uniontown and beyond bother you?

DISCUSSION: THE REP EDITORIAL BOARD: "TWO OUTSTANDING CANDIDATES?"

"Voters in the 50th District can choose from two outstanding candidates." This quote from today's editorial page of The Rep.

Wow?

What have these editors been smoking?

The Rep editors (BOE) themselves have proved many times over, especially in recent years, with the likes of Beck, Kaminski and Gauger they lack thoroughgoing analytic ability.

But as we know, everything in life is relative, unless, of course, you are some kind of absolutist religious person.

So, the BOE being mediocre at best think that mediocre at best candidates are outstanding. Go figure!

Yours truly was a party to DeHoff's interview in the spring primary. And, in all due modesty, DeHoff came off as being pathetic in comparison (as the editors impliedly acknowledge in today's editorial).

You substitute Todd Snitichler - does Celeste DeHoff look better. Of course. A change in the caliber of competition dramatically changed the result.

But in the end, these two are symbolic of what ails Stark County and the state of Ohio. Both will be lap dogs for their respective political parties who have nothing new to bring to the table of substance for those of us looking for leadership to bring Stark County and Ohio out of their economic quagmire.

Snitchler makes a big deal of his siamese connection with area chambers of commerce and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. This should be a negative with voters. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce (via its overlapping relationship with the Ohio Republican Party) has been the main economic player in Ohio's economic ride to the bottom tier of states.

It is distressing that Democrat Governor Ted Strickland has bought in to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce as a way out of the economic doldrums for Ohio. This means that Ohio will have to await another governor (or "born again" Ted Strickland) before Ohio straightens out its ecnomy.
What relevance does DeHoff have to the Strickland discussion? She would become a cheerleader for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce approach to economic problem solving. Why so? Because Ted told her so.

So this race is truly a "pick-em" race.

Isn't this a pick your poison race?