INCUMBENTS/CANDIDATES AVOIDING PUBLIC FORUMS: ARE THEY WORTHY OF YOUR VOTE?

(BASE HEAD/BYLINE FROM "POLITICO")

"Running Scared" is the only way one can fairly describe the way many incumbents/candidates are campaigning across the nation, the state of Ohio and indeed Stark County in this election cycle.

And for the most part, they seem to be Republicans who are seeking to avoid that political albatross named Donald J. Trump being hung around their collective necks as they get out into the arena of public discourse.

It appears that we have two key "avoiders-in-chief" running for Congress in districts that include Stark County; namely, incumbent 7th Congressional District Republican Gibbs and aspirant Republican candidate (the 16th Congressional District) Anthony Gonzalez.

One local Republican who has a lot of political connections and experience suggests to The Stark County Political Report that Gibbs and Gonzalez likely are being managed by the Republican Congressional Caucus to stay out of public limelight in the sense of having to answer the incisive questioning of constituents or would-be constituents and the media.

One might call avoiding groupings of voters as being"smart" politics.  On the other hand, one might deem the avoidance of the public forums as a way to dodge answering questions on issues that they have no "real" or "defensible" answer for which causes them embarrassment and perhaps some votes.

Two (the 7th and the 16th) of three districts that Stark County is a part of (the 13th which only includes a small slice of Stark in the Alliance area) are highly gerrymandered  Republican which prompted a recent lawsuit challenging the fairness of how the districts were put together at the beginning of the current decade as part of the U.S. Constitutional mandate that congressional districts be reapportioned every 10 years.

Recently, a spate of congressional Republicans sought to and were granted the right to intervene in the lawsuit including Congressman Gibbs, to wit:

So not only is Bob Gibbs hiding from a cross section of 7th District voters (he does appear in carefully staged and managed events) he in joining the lawsuit confirms that he is for "unfairness" to how districts are drawn up (in the popular language sense called "gerrymandering") so that as in his case the district, using President Trump's oft used term is rigged" to ensure that he is highly likely to be re-elected.

Republican elected officials and candidates often portray themselves as being in favor of competition (e.g. "free trade" and "the marketplace') but betray themselves in supporting the President's recent initiative on tariffs and programs and policies which many think amount to nothing more than corporate welfare.

On the gerrymandering issue, Republicans rejoin that "organized Democrats" if given the opportunity would do the same.

And, the SCPR thinks and historical evidence supports that rejoinder.

The Report's answer to both is that the practice is antithetical to a thriving democratic-republican and to the extent that either political party puts "party" (and individual candidates' political fate) over the "country's" interest in having a competitive, accountable, transparent and accessible government; they are insidiously undermining the fundamental structure of governance and thereby demoralize the electorate to the point of thinking that individual votes do not matter.

Many of the same politicians like to wrap themselves in the American flag, but the reality of their conduct is to eat away of what make the American way of governance superior to all other forms of government.

Stark County has two politicos who have a history of endorsing gerrymandering as a tool they favor the use of in maintaining personal/political party dominance in control.

One is current state Republican Party chair Jane Timken and the other is former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

Timken a little over a year ago told a Cleveland City Club audience that "elections have consequences."  Maier was one of Ohio former political strongman Vern Rife's top political operatives when Maier was a part (early 1990s to lage 1990s)  of the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly.

To boot, this blogger has heard Maier rage in anger that Republican Megan Todaro had the temerity to run against him for Massillon clerk of courts back in 2005.

My God!  How much does one have to win by to feel secure?

You talk about a "wake up call" about the lack of  basic "the right to compete" democratic-republican political values on the part of Maier; such was the message this blogger took out of his rant against Todaro.

In the SCPR's book, the likes of Timken and Maier are very dangerous people to the viability of our democratic-republican structure of government going forward.

And it appears that Gibbs and Gonzalez have adopted their model of "stacking the 'political, government structure deck," in their personal political and political party's favor in letting the Republican Congressional Caucus dictate to them the context of their interaction with the voting public.

The Gonzalez campaign likes to portray him has a rough and tumble Ohio State and Indianapolis Colts football player who has the air of intellectual prowess that connotes that he is his own man to wit:

After graduating from St. Ignatius High School, it was off to Ohio State University. There, I was fortunate to earn a scholarship as a wide receiver playing for one of my mentors, Jim Tressel. On and off the field, we had many great successes — two Big Ten championships and an undefeated record against “That Team Up North” — but most importantly, it was from Coach Tressel that I learned the team motto, a motto that has stayed with me for my entire life. “With Tradition Comes Responsibility.” 

…

After spending a lifetime in and around Northeast Ohio, and 5 years in the NFL, it was off to Stanford University where I earned my MBA … .

That Gonzalez with his imagery as background would allow the Republican Congressional Caucus to dictate to him that he avoid public forums might indicate to voters that he is not what he implies via the aforementioned imagery that he is.

Hmm?  "With Tradition Comes Responsibility:" Is it responsible for him to avoid the collective public in a direct context or via doing "unfiltered" interviews with straight talking media.

The SCPR thinks not.

Gonzalez was accountable to Coach Tressel and The Ohio State University because the coach and university administration had him under their collective thumbs.

It appears that when the accountability factor is diffuse (i.e. the voters, the taxpayers, et cetera), then Gonzalez, Gibbs and the Republican Congressional Caucus (and one can say the same for Democrats similarly situated) feel unaccountable to be responsible to their respective publics whom they have an obligation to answer to.

Let Gonzalez pontificate about being responsible when there is no specific, direct line to his district's public.

This Report has asked the Gonzalez and Gibbs campaigns on several occasions for an opportunity to do one-on-one interviews and/or get access to public Q&A forums to the highly limited degree that either camp is willing to participate in.

None of the requests have been responded to.

Obviously such is highly irresponsible when it comes to the taxpaying public being fully informed on the candidates' leadership qualities and their positions on the issues.

Voters need to take a hard look at this guy and make a determination as to whether or not he will put the interests of 16th Congressional District constituents and indeed the American electorate itself over those of the Republican Congressional Caucus and his personal fate as a congressman going forward.

The SCPR views these people and their ilk (Democrat or Republican) as distanced politicians as barriers to America having an 'informed' electorate.

They and their handlers create images of who they are by which images are highly, highly, highly likely to be "fake" and bear little resemblance to the real person.

One has to wonder how long our democratic-republican structure can stand in the face of unrestrained self-serving attacks/conduct by the likes of Gibbs, Gonzalez, Timken and Maier?

Right now Democrats Ken Harbaugh (the 7th, "country over party") and Susan Moran Palmer (the 16th) stand out as examples of politicians who are out in public group settings fielding questions both friendly and hostile.

Of course, both are political underdogs in highly Republican-candidate-favored districts and therefore they have no alternative but to take advantage of every public opportunity that they muster up.

But if elected, will either maintain an "openness" presentation?

Both "appear" to be genuinely committed to fostering connection between the governors and the governed.

But it is interesting how self-interest takes over with politicians.

That is why many if not most of them disgust the general public.

If Palmer and or Harbaugh are elected on November 6th, the SCPR will continue to hold "the feet of both 'to the fire."'

Unchecked, politicians of both political parties are fully capable of forgetting where they came from and whom they are ultimately accountable to.

This election presents a powerful opportunity for the voting public to make it clear to all candidates who want to run away and hide from the public that the phenomenon in and of itself might well cost them a vote regardless of the political affiliation of the voter.

HOW CAN ANYBODY TRUST WHAT COMES OUT OF THE REPOSITORY ON THE HOF-VP?

UPDATE:  FRIDAY, 09:26 AM

CEO/president C. David Baker

"on his way out?"

Any semblance of a pretense that objective coverage of the Professional Football Hall of Fame on the part of The Canton Repository came crashing down on August 14th with the announcement by The Professional Football Hall of Fame (officially, The National Football Museum, Inc) on August 14th that Publisher James (Jim) A. Porter had been made a trustee of the organization.

From a HOF press release (The Stark County Political Report, [Stark County's ONLY reliable source of Pro Football HOF news] not copied) of Tuesday, August 14th:

08/14/2018 

Five new members were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees at its recent annual meeting. Joining the Hall’s board are: Brian J. Barker, founder & chairman of AFS Logistics, and a Limited Partner in the Atlanta Falcons; Brian S. Belden, vice president sales & marketing, The Belden Brick Company; James A. Porter, publisher of The Canton Repository and GateHouse Ohio Media; John A. Sirpilla, founder, Encourage LLC; Robert A. Zmudka, senior vice president and chief commercial officer Rail North America, GATX. Barker and Zmudka had served on the Hall of Fame's Advisory Board.

... (large print for emphasis added)

Such is the SCPR's assessment of what Porter as publisher has done to tarnish the reliability of The Repository on all things Professional Football Hall of Fame with regard to its Hall of Fame Village Project (HOF-VP).

There can be no purer example of "conflict-in-interest" that Porter has involved himself in.

Porter already has shown he is conflicted on his priorities in choosing between HOF interests and the public interests (even before being named to the Professional Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees) in that he tried to arm twist Stark County treasurer Alex Zumbar into doing something that Zumbar's government provided lawyer says he in his official capacity is not allowed by law to do.

The Zumbar bullying attempt is not the only Porter overstep.  He has tried the same with the Stark County commissioners.

And he continues almost weekly to in his Repository column diss anybody who questions the viability and accountability of the HOF-VP.

But what does one expect from a man who reportedly accepted a "let us entertain you-esque" trip to New York City at the invitation of financier Michael Klein over the Christmas holiday period in 2017?

If accurate, every time Porter writes on the HOF-VP The Report thinks he has an ethical obligation to print a disclaimer in line with what Repository editorial page editors require of those writing letters to the editor.

Now that James A. Porter is a Professional Football Hall of Fame trustee, where do his loyalties lie if he, in his capacity of being a trustee, learns information that might be detrimental to the public interest of protecting the public's investment in the HOF-VP?

Who has ever heard of a newspaper publisher who appears to be disinterested in accountability to the public on the part of the HOF-VP team in the light of the HOF project folks soliciting/accepting taxpayer assistance?

What will it be like now as a member of an elite body that includes the likes of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell?  It appears that Porter is easily "starstruck" which is not a quality that the reading public should want in a newspaper man.

For Jim Porter's relative Todd Porter (some 27 years as a reporter, believe it or not) to pass up an opportunity to ask Goodell tough questions during the recent HOF week and to have written a number of "puff" pieces on the likes of Stu Lichter and David Baker is indication, the SCPR thinks, to the low state that the Fourth Estate as embodied by The Repository has sunk in playing the role of cheerleader rather than the guardian of the public interest with millions of dollars of taxpayer money being funneled into the HOF-VP.

While The Report believes that the reporters at The Rep know the real story regarding the troubled HOF-VP, this blogger does not believe that Porter and those on executive row at Stark County's only countywide newspaper allowed them the space and journalistic freedom to report what is really going on at 2121 George Halas Drive, NW, Canton, Ohio.

On June 9, 2016, The Repository became with great fanfare "the official newspaper of the Professional Football Hall of Fame," all to the chagrin of its reportorial staff.

Executive editor Rich Desrosiers apparently was assigned the task by Porter to reassure (?) the print newspaper reading public (a vastly diminishing breed these days) that the official relationship would not affect the thoroughness (i.e. reporting the whole story and not just "cherry picked" matter) and objectivity of Repository publisher (Porter) approved articles/stories appearing in The Rep on the HOF-VP, to wit (an excerpt):

On Thursday, the unofficial became official. The Canton Repository and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced a three-year partnership to designate the paper as the “Official Newspaper of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” The agreement calls for enhanced marketing and advertising opportunities between the entities and special content generated about the Hall.

What does that mean, exactly? Maybe more important is what it doesn’t mean.

It doesn’t mean the newspaper will lessen its responsibility to the community to report objectively, dispassionately and accurately about the Hall, its business and the continued development of the $500 million Hall of Fame Village project.

Hmmm?  Desrosiers cites the "older than Moses $500 million" cost for the  HOF-VP.  Right under his and Porter's noses and, of course, the "collective" noses of  the Professional Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, the projected cost of a fully completed HOF-VP has escalated to over $1 billion.

No questions at all from the likes of Desrosiers and Porter and quite of number of other Stark County leaders (having places on the HOF Board of Trustees) all the while that they, the trustees, have steadily increased Baker's annual income to "at least" $675,000 and probably considerably higher than that as will be eventually revealed with the publication of Internal Revenue Service Forms 990s for 2017, 2018 and beyond as the become due.

Of course, if the National Football Museum, Inc (dba the Professional Football Hall of Fame) were transparent organization especially in light of benefiting from taxpayer monies we, the general taxpaying public, should know in advance of the 990s being published who inside the HOF organization is personally benefiting and to what degree?

And, of course, our local newspaper ought to be pushing for the revelation of that information in advance of the 990s being published, no?

Well, the SCPR for one is not buying Desrosiers' servile to Porter spiel.  Nor are many Stark County political and government leaders as well as a whole host of everyday Stark Countians.

Rather than publish self-serving propagandistic pieces like Desrosiers' of June 10, 2016, he and his boss James A. Porter need to sit down with this blogger and "on camera" look the Stark County reading public in the eye and an answer the incisive questions of The Stark County Political Report.

Only the SCPR is equipped to put Desrosiers and Porter (and hopefully one of the bigs from corporate headquarters at GateHouse Media) on the spot of what appears to be a major breach of trust on the part of The Repository with the Stark County reading public when it comes to The Rep's coverage of the HOF-VP.

This blogger does not think that Porter and Desrosiers have the intestinal fortitude to undergo a penetrating journalistic interview at the hand of the SCPR.

Desrosiers has already breached one promise (made at his initiative) to have a discussion with the SCPR via telephone, to wit:

Desrosiers, Rich <rich.desrosiers@cantonrep.com>  12/11/17 at 8:33 PM
To:  Martin Olson

... that we should talk

It's been a hectic several days with some other editors taking time off.

Perhaps later this week?

Thank you for your patience.

-- 
Rich Desrosiers
Executive Editor
GateHouse Ohio Media
rich.desrosiers@cantonrep.com
330-580-8310
"Moving Our Community Forward"

So what is a Desrosiers promise worth these days?

Apparently, nothing!

Besides the disturbing news that The Rep bigs are seemingly putting all pretense aside in Porter officially joining the HOF Board of Trustees that one can rely on the thoroughness and objectivity of The Rep on HOF-VP matters, the SCPR is hearing the interesting observations from Stark County community leaders about the future of HOF CEO/president C. David Baker.

These observations are being fueled by Baker himself.  Baker, a man, who had the audacity to tell Commissioner Richard Regula he ought to resign because he spoke the truth about the NFL.

The Report is told that Baker has been repetitively telling various audiences (e.g. volunteers recognition dinner, gold jacket PFHOF update and other enshrinement activities during the recently concluded HOF week) that he has only months (starting at 5 and now to about 4) left on his current contract.

What is that all about?

Here is the list of speculations about that:

1. Tactic used to increase contract for more money. 

2. Get people’s empathy (play on their emotion) maybe they actually contact the PFHOF via letters or calls to Board pleading on his behalf. 

3. He is leaving to head up a new International Football League (Doubt this at this time as he is making over $700k maybe even as high as $900k annually) 

4. He is getting out of town before project collapses and some other developer has to finish the project. (Like Henderson, NV - Union Village)

If the "getting out of town" scenario is what Baker is up to, it is conjectured that he is in line to become the head of the projected International Football League.

Moreover, The Report is told, that the hotel project is now said by Baker to start in October of this year.  And, interesting enough, that Welty Construction Company will not be overseeing its construction or the parking garage project.

By the way, a highly reliable in terms of having real information SCPR source says that currently the HOF-VP still owes contractors $11 million.

Looming on the financial horizon is the requirement that HOF Village LLC or its successor in interest repay the  "up to $100 million" bridge loan by March, 2019.

And that's not all.

The reconfiguration of the the HOF-VP corporate structure (currently master developer Stuart Lichter and the National Football Museum, Inc)  to include seven (7) stakeholders has been delayed to the point that there are those who doubt that the expansion of investor (beyond Lichter and the PFHOF themselves) may never happen and that perhaps the quest to get permanent private sector financing is on the verge of collapse.

Of course, there is not a word of all of this HOF-VP "inside" information that Rep publisher James A. Porter certainly must be privy to but appears to be withholding from the Stark County public which has a stake in the success/failure of the project in that taxpayer money has been invested in the HOF-VP.

Indeed, there is no way that Porter can sit down with the SCPR and on camera answer the incisive questioning of the SCPR.

And, of course, Porter as publisher of The Rep has the ability to stonewall any probing.

But there is a price to pay.

And what would that be?

Nobody should trust The Porter guided interpretation of the facts, figures and other HOF-VP material that appear in the pages of The Canton Repository!

HANGING ON? JOHN P. HAGAN RUNNING FOR 8TH DISTRICT STATE BD OF EDUCATION SLOT AS A REPUBLICAN PARTISAN POLITICAL PLACEHOLDER

UPDATE:  08/15/2018

Hagan petition filing

Back in November, 2017, The Stark County Political Report wrote off former state Representative John P. Hagan as a  viable political candidate going forward.

Hagan, by the narrowest of margins, lost his seeming secure toehold as a Marlboro Township trustee as a consequence of former trustee John Battershell deciding to run for one of two trustee slots up for election for which he and fellow Republican Ken Eddleman were incumbents.

Something had to give and it was John P. Hagan who was relegated to a giver.

(Unofficial Results)

In addition to his political history as a Marlboro Township trustee, John P. Hagan served as state representative in the 50th Ohio House District (which includes Marlboro Township) from 2001 through 2008.  Like many bitten by the political bug, Hagan after being term limited out of the Ohio House after 2008 ran for Stark County commissioner in the 2008 general election but lost by a surprising margin to Democratic Party political neophyte Pete Ferguson.  In 2009 Hagan ran to return to the Marlboro Township trustee board (from whence he came in 2000) and was elected in the  context of two incumbent trustees (Wise, defeated; Wolf, did not run) providing a pathway for Hagan's return.

But, as shown above, he lost as Marlboro trustee in 2017.

All of this corresponded with his daughter Christina at father John's lobbying the Republican Ohio House Caucus getting appointed in March, 2011 to his former 50th District seat when incumbent and recently re-elected Republican Todd Snitchler resigned to become the director of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (a position which John P. Hagan himself applied for).

On the heels of John P. Hagan losing his trustee seat, daughter Christina got the crazy idea of running for the United States Congress for the 16th District in light of current representative Jim Renacci opting to drop out of Congress and run for governor which in the light of other political developments became his current run for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.

Christina Hagan started wackily thinking that she, John P. and a brother (Josh, who ran to replace her in the 50th Ohio House district on her abandoning the 50th with one term of eligibility remaining) were in the process of creating a Stark County-based Hagan political empire.

Christina (joined at the hip with Donald J. Trump) lost handily to more or less mainstream Republican Anthony Gonzalez of Westlake.

So it appeared that the Hagan aspirational political juggernaut was DOA.

Just a few days ago, this blogger was running through the list of candidates published by the Stark County Board of Elections.

Lo and behold! - this:

It appears (from the below included petitions filed with the Stark County Board of Elections) that somewhere around July 19, 2018, Hagan decided to run for the State Board of Education - 8th District.



So maybe there is a flicker of a flame left for Christina to focus on if the Hagans are one day to achieve her dream of being a Stark County Republican powerhouse.

Incumbent Republican and for governor of Ohio (for 11 days) Nancy Hollister has decided not to run for re-election.

Its  not a pretty thought especially when it comes to primary and secondary education issues, policies, programs and practices, but which political party controls the state board of education is paramount to both the Republican and Democratic "organized" state parties.

At last count, Republicans control the 19 member board (8 members appointed by Republican governor John Kasich) numbered 12 to 7.

Elected members are limited to two successive terms.

Both Dahman and Purdy are Democrats.

It was imperative in the quest for majority control that Republicans find someone to try to preserve the eighth district (which includes Stark County, the largest of the 13 county district) as Republican seat with the Hollister decision not to run for re-election.

(Source:  Stark BOE)

Though John P. Hagan has absolutely no education credentials to tout in running for the office, it could be that Republicans are playing a sort of name game inasmuch as the political opposite of John P. Hagan (namely, Robert  F. Hagan, Link 1, Link 2)

John P. Hagan's two Democratic opponents do have credentials that seem to qualify them to be running for a state board of education seat.

Link for Kathleen Purdy.

Link 1, Link 2 for Melissa Dahman.

Dahman is particularly impressive to the SCPR.

As The Report understands her effectiveness as a player in solving some of Ohio's educational environment problems (i.e. school violence), she currently has state Senator Joe Schiavoni and state Representative John Boccieri (a former Democratic congressman of the "old" 16th Congressional District which included "all" of Stark County (elected in 2008 but denied re-election in 2010) working to gain passage of legislation (S.B. 314) to help solve some of Ohio school violence issues.

SOURCE:  SCHIAVONI OHIO HOUSE WEBPAGE

So there could not be a greater contrast between the "politico" John P. Hagan and political neophyte Melissa Dahman who is running not primarily to be a place holder for a political party.  But rather as an energized, seemingly effective 18 year old who undoubtedly will create some positive waves if elected in some 84 days.

Another loss for John P. Hagan certainly will be the political end for the Hagan clan, no?

AN EARLY (MORNING OF NOV 7, 2018) CHRISTMAS SURPRISE FOR DEMOCRATIC 16TH CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: SUSAN MORAN PALMER?

Updated: Sunday, August 12th

SEE SUSAN MORAN PALMER

SAY

"IF ELECTED"

SHE WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING 

NANCY PELOSI FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Nearly all if not all political pundits tracking Ohio's 16th Congressional District primary election race were surprised at the outcome of the Democratic Party side of the May 8th election:

Winner Susan Moran Palmer had to have made a "she's a winner" impression on Stark Countian Connie Rubin in light of this statement by her during the Democratic primary:

To repeat, Democrat Grant Goodrich was expected to walk away from the other four candidates in the five person field.  It appears to The Stark County Political Report that a Grant Goodrich must have developed a case of over confidence.

So it had to be particularly satisfying for Moran Palmer (and gracious on Rubin's part) to have Rubin in attendance last Thursday as they had this "on the issues" exchange:



In the "Year of the Woman Candidate," it is pretty obvious that Goodrich badly miscalculated that the only woman in the Democratic primary had a huge gender advantage which trumped his multiple other advantages.

It is looking more and more that Republican general election candidate Anthony Gonzalez may be on the same track as Goodrich if not in a more accentuated way.  He and 7th Congressional District Republican incumbent Bob Gibbs appear to hiding from anyone (i.e. from the media) who might put them on the spot on the issues.  Both seem bent of putting their personal political welfare about their district's voters right to know their positions on all the issues Congress in now facing and will be dealing with in the next session of Congress.

The more they (i.e. Gibbs, Gonzalez and the like) failure to mix it up with the total voting public in their respective districts goes on; the more justified the SCPR thinks it is that voters consider voting against both on the selective incommunicado factor alone.

The SCPR does not favor "single issue" voting.  But being able to dialogue on accountability with candidates is an essential process if we are to have an informed voting public.

While both Congressional Democrats play partisan politics with the public interest, at least "for now" in light of Republican Devin Nunes's recent recorded fundraiser remarks that Congressional Republicans need to control the House in order to protect Donald J. Trump and some of his and the Republican side of the House Intelligence Committee demonstrate that only a Democratic takeover of the House will place that body in a Constitutionally provided for stance of a co-equal branch of government that operates as a check and balance with the executive and judicial branch of government.

For local voters, Anthony Gonzalez and Bob Gibbs should be put to the test on whether or not they see things Nunes's way.

Voters should require every Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives to state (as the equivalent of Democratic candidates are be asked about Nancy Pelosi) whether or not they would vote "yes" for "no" on the Nunes/Republican Freedom Caucus quest to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as the avenue to end the U.S. Justice Department (Robert Mueller) investigation currently underway.

And Democratic candidates should hammer away at Republican opponents who do not adhere to Ohio Republican governor John Kasich test for being an "authentic" Republican (as said to Meet The Press) on Sunday, August 12, to wit:

• The Republican Party has never been for protectionism,”
• The Republican Party doesn't support a notion that, that families shouldn't be held together.
• The Republican Party never supported the notion that we should ring up debt.”
• The Republican Party has never believed that we should walk away from our allies who have helped us keep the peace since World War II,

Getting back to the Christmas Gift thing, of course we all know that Christmas does not arrive until December 25th.

For Susan Moran Palmer, Christmas Day in terms of her political fortunes her anticipation of Christmas has to be the morning of November 7, 2018.

Perhaps Anthony Gonzalez in how he handles his campaign will be the impetus of making her wish come true?

Here is a SCPR interview of Susan Moran Palmer in an "open to the public" Stark County sited campaign appearance (ignored by The Canton Repository) in which she addresses her obvious uphill struggle to come out a winner on November 6th. (5 min, 35 sec)

For one thing, Moran Palmer says she will not support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House should the Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The SCPR considers this line of attack on nearly every challenging Democrat to incumbent or first time running Republicans to be an out-and-out political "red herring" and not an authentic conversation of what is at stake on the substantive issues of governance depending on which political party controls Congress beginning in 2019.

• NOTE:  See the entire Moran Palmer Stark County campaign appearance as set up in the Appendix to this blog.  The SCPR has asked the Gonzalez campaign for an opportunity which request has not been responded to as of the publication of this blog.

The fact of the matter is that the American public has very little respect for either Congressional political party apparatus (i.e. the Democratic Congressional Caucus or the Republican Congressional Caucus) no matter who the formally elected leader is.

On March 18th of this election year,  it was apparent that Goodrich had started "counting his chickens" before he won the primary as evidenced by an article his campaign published.

On August 8th, Seth Richardson of Cleveland.com wrote this about the 16th:

Gonzalez appears ears to have a commanding lead in the race, however. He’s raised a boatload of money and has the full backing of the Republican establishment – not to mention his celebrity as a football star.

Susan Moran Palmer simply hasn’t lived up to the task since winning her crowded primary. She’s raised only $21,000 in the reporting period from April to June, and her campaign shows a debt of $37,000 to Palmer.

Here is a graphic obtained by the SCPR from FEC online files on the disparity in campaign finances between Gonzalez and Moran Palmer.

Pretty intimidating for Moran Palmer, no?

But in light of her upset victory over Goodrich, she plows on.

In the 16th, according to the official records of the Ohio secretary of state (as of August 4, 2018) there are:

• 88,387 "registered" Democrats,
• 151,753 "registered" Republicans, 
• 264,545 "registered" non-partisans, and 
• a smattering of Greens and Libertarians

So there is plenty of "registered voter" room for Palmer to win among those who do not care enough about political party ID to vote in primary elections going  back three years thereby having themselves labeled "non-partisan" by the state election officials.

And, as pointed out elsewhere in this blog; there are enough "I normally vote Republican" dissatisfaction with President Trump and his incessant tweeting with personal attacks on any who disagree with him or who are opposed to the manner in which he comports himself as president that the November 6th general election is deemed by a number of them as an opportunity to vote Democratic as a mid-term election message to the president of disapproval.

Given that Anthony Gonzalez has not "all-in" embraced Donald Trump as has his May 2006 Republican opponent Christina Hagan (lame duck state representative of the 50th Ohio House District [Stark County-based]), for voters to vote no on him as a referendum on President Trump is deemed by many to be unfair.

But such is the reality of politics and Susan Moran Palmer, Kenneth Harbaugh (Ohio's 7th which includes much of Stark County) and Danny O'Connor who is engaged in a "too close to call" special election in Ohio's 12th have an unique opportunity to cash in on what disaffection Ohio voters have for the president.

On Thursday evening, Moran Palmer acknowledged to the two dozen or so assembled at the Stark Democratic Headquarters that she fully understands she is the clear underdog.

What Richardson might not be be accounting for is that Gonzalez seemingly is playing political "hide and go seek" with Democrat Moran Palmer somewhat like the star athlete who plays not as a dominantly situated player but rather in a "not to screw things up" mode and by that very posture provides his competitor an opportunity the challenger might not otherwise have.

The SCPR figures that Ken Harbaugh has about a 50/50 shot to unseat incumbent Republican congressman Bob Gibbs in Ohio's 7th.  A district which Donald Trump won by 30 percentage points in 2016.

Richardson points out that the political demographics in the 16th suggests an opportunity for a Democrat this time around.  And the SCPR would add a "woman-Democrat."

Richardson could be correct in giving the weight he does

• to Gonzalez's ex-football star status, 
• to his huge fundraising edge
• to his connections to the Republican establishment which, of course, includes the Stark County-based Timken family 
• (which current Congressman Jim Renacci apparently had gerrymandered to have a 16th District spur down deep into Canton proper to pick up a Timken factory/office complex)

and therefore concluding that Gonzalez is going to win easily.

However, there are nearly three months left in this campaign.

Who knows what might happen on the national scene to turn seemingly safe candidates with the kind of association with Donald Trump that Gonzalez into candidates fighting for their political lives?

It appears that Cuyahoga County will be the main battleground of this race inasmuch as the Cuyahoga portion of the 16th is far away the largest registered voter base in the district and is the home of both candidates (Westlake).

Republican Anthony Gonzalez handily defeated Stark Countian Christina Hagan in the GOP May primary.

The Report suspects that Richardson's analysis is way off in that it does not account for his having in Moran Palmer a female who is likely to appeal to all women (especially moderate Republican women and the independent women vote) in the district who are offended by President Trump's misogynous ways and an apparent heartlessness in separating would-be immigrant families.

As the SCPR sees this race (Palmer v. Gonzalez), the Democrat's only chance is to tie Gonzalez to President Donald J. Trump in such a way that enough Republicans and independents opt to vote for Moran Palmer as a way of sending a message to the President that to them "character counts" and that he is president and not emperor and therefore accountable to the U.S. Constitution and the people as ratifiers of the Constitution.

In the 2018 Gonzalez/Moran Palmer faceoff, when will Christmas be?

An early Christmas morning of November 7th with Susan Moran Palmer celebrating a Anthony Gonzalez gift of her being elected 16th Congressional District congresswoman?

APPENDIX

The "entire" SCPR videotaped Susan Moran Palmer campaign appearance in Stark County on August 9, 2018.

SCESC/17 PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS "TOO-HASTILY-PREPARED" TO IMPLEMENT AN "EFFECTIVE" SCHOOL SAFETY SPECIAL TAX FUNDED PROGRAM?

AN "OVERWHELMING" VOTE OF "NO-CONFIDENCE" IN OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS INCLUDING STARK COUNTIANS HAGAN, OELSLAGER, SCHURING & WEST AS WELL AS AREA EDUCATION OFFICIALS?

UPDATE:  ELECTION DAY 08.07.2018

IS THE PROPOSED ISSUE 1 FOR TUESDAY'S SPECIAL ELECTION

"FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED" AND NEEDS TO BE RE-WORKED?

DECISION DATE

TOMORROW, TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018
COST OF THE SPECIAL ELECTION:  $300,400

UNDERLYING GRAPHIC FROM POPULAR MECHANICS  SEPT/2018

Orange/Yellow text overlay added by SCPR

Also included are Brown, Dalton & Strasburg Local Schools.

The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) has done an extensive study of:

• the workup by the Ohio General Assembly of HB 24 which empowered educational service centers across Ohio to be the authorizing agent of government for the formulation of a taxpayer supported "security and mental health resources" plan of action,
• the preparation in terms of the adequacy of amount of taxpayer funds to be raised, 
• some $9.5 million annually (with no expiration date of the levy) to cover some 44,000 students at a cost to most affected participating school district taxpayers (a SCPR opinion: of $50 to $150 per year), and, lastly,
• accountability to taxpayers for the likely and actual effectiveness of the planned expenditures.

and concludes that the 1.49 mill levy is a too hastily prepared implementation plan that:

• either needs to be rejected by voters for reformulation AFTER a more thorough consideration of Best Practices already implemented in school districts around the nation, or, if passed
•  reworked to ensure that our students end up after the expenditure of millions of dollars being much safer than the current set of proposals seemingly provide for.

But let the SCPR be abundantly clear.  

There is no doubt that local/Ohio student security is woefully inadequate and there needs to be an infusion of a combination of time-tested and "new" security/mental health strategies and, yes, techniques instituted in our schools. 

Unfortunately, it appears there are a bunch of pedestrian ways and means being implemented that likely will not significantly improve security though millions and millions of dollars (over the "continuous" life of a 1.49 mill tax levy) with no structure of effectiveness accountability in place, being  "hurriedly" thrown at the problem at the "rush, rush, rush" initiative of Ohio General Assembly (which include locals Hagan, Oelslager, Schuring and West) in the wake of the tragedy of Parkland, FL (February 14, 2018) in which 17 students/faculty were killed.

It was shocking to the SCPR the hear Plain Local Schools president and president elect of the Ohio State School Boards Association to give what The Report considers to be a lame and highly irresponsible response to this blogger's "accountability" to the tax paying public questions for how effectively the millions of dollars to be spent over the perpetual life of the 1.49 mill levy proposal are, in fact, spent.

The gist of Halkias' response was that citizens of the fourteen (not including Canton City, Canton Local and Perry Local) Stark County districts have the right to attend local school board meetings and question whether or not the 1.49 mill monies have been/are being spent in an effective manner.

Halkias' "accountability" is not a practical response in the context of the 1.49 mill levy being spread over 17 school districts which he should understand more than most.

What needs to happen, if the levy passes, is for Stark County Educational Service Center (SCESC, note:  this blogger's wife is vice president of the SCESC) superintendent Joe Chaddock to assemble all the participating school district superintendents at the SCESC office complex located at Stark State College within ninety days of the schools' fiscal year on an annual basis to lay out to the taxpaying public:

• a detailed description of security/mental health resource measures implemented,
• a credible assessment of the "enhancement of security" effectiveness of the implementations, 
• the cost effectiveness as compared to other available measures, and
• plans for next year's and "over the longer haul" changes in the security/mental health 

Recently, the SCPR sat down with retired Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge Michael Howard to, among other topics, review the criticisms of the Issue 1 approach (LINK) including the accountability factor.

Plain Township is probably Stark's foremost model of what Stark Countians can expect is and will continue to be done to deal with Stark Schools security/mental health inadequacies.

Here is what Plain superintendent Brent May presented on July 16, 2018 to a collection of mostly Plain  citizens:

Yesterday, the SCPR courtesy of the Stark County District Library (SCDL, supported by and combination of local [1.7 mill property tax levy] and rapidly state of Ohio monies came upon an online edition of Popular Mechanics which provides a model for parents of Stark's students to assess whether or not Plain's plan is the best that can be done for all of Stark's participating in the 1.49 mill levy schools.

Members (free of cost) of the SCDL can access the article in the September, 2018 edition of the Popular Mechanics magazine.

The SCPR encourages citizens and school officials alike to access the thoroughgoing Popular Mechanics treatment of school security/mental health measures to ensure greater safety in our schools.

Here is a collage of the range of coverage the Popular Mechanics article covers.  Parents/school officials and citizens ought to want to read this well organized and thoughtful presentation.

In addition to the Popular Mechanics article, readers of this blog should take the time to view an NBC video entitled:  "Inside the safest school in America."

When tax dollars are spent, the should be spent in the most effective and efficient manner that the "state of the art" provides for, no?

COMMISSIONER JANET CREIGHTON USES POLITICAL "BULLY PULPIT"

UPDATED:  2:39 PM

COPIES OF UNDERLYING DOCUMENTS GENERATED BY SCDL & COMMISSIONERS

"ITEM #7" IN THE APPENDIX TO THIS BLOG

TO TEACH CIVICS 101 LESSON 

ON 

"HOW TO PASS A LEVY" 

IN STARK COUNTY

STARK CO DISTRICT LIBRARY 2.2 MILL LEVY
Everything the Voting Public Needs to Know
SCPR Videos
in Order to Cast an "Informed" Vote 
for the upcoming 
November 6, 2018 Election

Tax levies are difficult to pass on a vote of the people nearly everywhere in America.

But with skilled leadership at the helm of government, especially local government, levies can be passed.

The easiest ones to pass are those for a term of years.  More difficult are those that are termed "continuing" levies whereby the word "continuing" means unending unless abandoned for a replacement levy.

On July 18, 2018, representatives of the Stark County District Library (SCDL) presented themselves at the regular weekly meeting of The Board of  Stark County Commissioners which meet nearly every Wednesday beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the commissioners' board meeting room located on the second floor of the Stark County Office Building.

The mission?

To get the commissioners to place on the November 6, 2018 ballot a "continuing" property tax issue of 2.2 mills to replace the current 1.7 mills in order to get the heads up on future needs of the SCDL which includes 10 library facilities as well as it mobile services and media services.

What is not included in the levy request are funds to build a new Jackson branch of the SCDL.

Also, there have been rumors floating around town to the effect that library officials plan on replacing if not removing the Main branch from it present locale (715 Market Avenue, North, built in 1978).

Here is a SCPR video clip (3 min, 49 sec) in which library officials:

• making the point that the new Jackson branch is on schedule to be replaced in an about 18 month timeframe, and
• dispelling rumors that the Main branch current location is in jeopardy

Board of Commissioners president Janet Creighton's reaction (1 min, 4 sec) to the SCDL entreaty of July 18th:

Indeed, Commissioner Creighton along with current fellow commissioners Richard Regula and Bill Smith voted on July 18th to place the SCDL measure on the November 6, 2018 citing that their approval was pro forma and that they had no authority to reject the request.  Moreover, Jean Duncan McFarren until a new director was hired and started work in mid-July is seen in this video (2 min, 20 sec) making a vigorous argument why the SCDL Board of Trustees decided to ask that the issue being continuing.



After the commissioners' July 18, 2018 approval, an ad hoc press conference ensued outside the meeting room.  The video of the conference can be seen in the Appendix to this blog which is located at the end of the blog.

The following week word came down that the SCDL board of trustees had heard Commissioner Creighton and that they would be back in yesterday to asking for a recission of the July 18th resolution to be replaced with new language making the tax for a term of 8 years.

And in they were.

Here is the entire exchange between SCDL Board of Trustees president Steven Pitman, board member and spokesperson for the board Edmond Mack and CEO/Executive Director Mary Ellen Icazo and Commissioners Creighton and Bill Smith.  Commissioner Richard Regula was absent from the meeting.

After yesterday's meeting there was a back and forth between media present and Commissioner Creighton and Smith regarding the tortured history that countywide tax issues (sales and license plate fees) have had gaining Stark County voter approval.

While there has been some success with "continuing" tax issues (e.g. the recent City of Canton income tax increase), by and large there has been a lot of resistance to "any" tax increase, let alone continuing ones.

Here is a LINK to a SCPR  blog of May 2, 2017 which is a thoroughgoing SCPR review of that history.

Readers who want to understand where Commissioner Creighton was coming from in doing her "bully pulpit" thing with the SCDL vis-a-vis a likely failure of a "continuing" 2.2 mill levy replacing the current 1.7, should take a few minutes to read the May 2nd blog.

On August 7th, there will be a test of Creighton's theory with the vote in participating school districts (14 of the 17 Stark County districts included but not CCS, Canton Local and Perry) of a 1.49 mill "continuing" levy (Issue #1) submitted under the authority of the Stark County Educational Service Center (SCESC, this blogger's wife is a member of that body).  Links to Issue #1 blogs:  LINK 1 and LINK 2.

Note:  Voting yes on the 1.49 mill levy as a "continuing" levy:  Olson, Holmes and Morgan.  Fran Miller voted "no."  Gene Feucht was absent.

In May of this year, former Stark County commissioner Thomas M. Bernabei (now the politically "independent" mayor of Canton [a post that Commissioner Creighton held from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2007] personally shepherded to a city of Canton income tax increase passage.

The SCDL heeding the commissioners' warning and acceding to a change of heart may have saved the Stark County 10 branch system from a financial disaster within a few years.

Here is SCDL president Steven Pitman  (2 min, 22 sec) of the Board of Trustees introducing the library's presentation.  His two main points:

• the SCDL's loss of 20% of its State of Ohio funding over recent years, and
• the SCDL's hearing of the commissioners on the "continuing" versus "for a term of years" issue on the duration of the 2.2 mill levy

Here is Edmond Mack on video (13 min, 04 sec).  His main points were:

• though the SCDL had done its due diligence research on the matter of "continuing" versus "for a term of years," the SCDL has heard the commissioners preference for "accountability" which is provided for in the SCDL opting for an 8 year term at the end of which any new/renewal thereof will require a vote of the people,
• the SCDL does have a plan which he outlines in some detail in his presentation.

However, it was former Canton City councilman Edmond Mack who made the main body of yesterday's presentation.  It is a touch ironic (i.e. the "continuing" - "for a term of years" debate) that Edmond Mack was still Canton's 8th Ward councilperson as of May 2nd, no?

In the following video: (7 min, 18 sec)

• SCDL CEO/Executive Director Mary Ellen Icaza (hired June 25, 2018 with first work date being July 16, 2018) (LINK to biography),
• the commissioners approve resolutions withdrawing the "continuing" levy and instituting an "eight year term" levy with comments by Commissioners Creighton and Smith (Commissioners Regula was not present at the meeting)

APPENDIX

1.  In its entirety, the July 18, 2018 SCDL presentation, the commissioners' response and the passage of the resolution.  (20 min, 24 sec)



2.  In its entirety, the July 18th ad hoc press  conference following the July 18th meeting in which questions were posed regarding specific plans for the use of increased monies if the 2.2 mills request were to pass. (20 min, 37 sec)



3.  In its entirety, the August 1, 2018 exchange between SCDL officials and Commissioners Creighton and Smith.  (23 min, 14 sec)



4.  In its entirety, a SCPR interview with Spokesperson Edmond Mack, SCDL president Steven Pitman and CEO/Executive Director Mary Ellen Icaza. (8 min, 44 sec)



5.  The members of the SCDL Board of Trustees (LINK to short biographies)

6.  LINK to biography of Mary Ellen Icazo, the SCDL CEO/executive director.

7.  PDF FILE of underlying documents supporting placement of 8 year 2.2 mill levy and rescission of "continuous" levy.