Decades of One-Party Rule Corrupts Cities, Counties - Case in Point Trumbull County, Ohio

It doesn’t matter whether it’s fifty years of Republican Party dominance in small town Mississippi or fifty years of Neoliberal Leftist rule in Cleveland. One-party rule for an extended period of time, is bad for the people. Trumbull County, Ohio residents know this better than anyone. Up until the election of Republican Niki Frenchko, the first Republican woman elected in nearly 50 years, the Democrats had tight control over the county. In fact, to say they had a super-majority would be an understatement.

Mayors of a Feather, Flock Together

First of all, the mayor’s of every major city in Trumbull County are Democrats. Its been that way for decades. I guess you could say that Warren is the major urban center of Trumbull County, and it hasn’t had a Republican or Independent mayor for at least 25 years.

Doug Franklin is the current mayor, and seems like a really good man. The problem though is the lack of political bipartisanship underneath him. The entire city government is establishment - Left Wing Establishment, in Warren’s case. This inevitably leads to corruption, abuse of power, and nepotism. It’s human nature. It’s unavoidable.

Niles Proves the Point

A few years back, a corrupt Niles, Ohio mayor names Ralph Infante went to prison for insider trading or something of that ilk. It might have been kickbacks from donors actually , but it’s really irrelevant to the story either way. Infante was removed from office and put on trial, and his replacement was a kind old man who was soft spoken and seemed fair, but stern. Thomas Scarneccia was his name. He was an independent thinker. He governed like an independent, it appeared to me. Within 2 years Scarneccia was harassed so viciously by the establishment, the man had to fold his cards and threw the towel in to surrender. He retired from politics. This man was fair, level, but didn’t play favorites. The establishment detests free thinking type politics. His eventual replacement was a guy that currently holds the office, who is very young and a total puppet of the Trumbull County Democratic Party. He essentially does nothing, which is exactly what both establishments want. No progress. No change. STATUS QUO. No exceptions.

Frenchko Elected- Establishment Goes Off The Rails

On election day last year, history was made, when Trumbull County elected it’s first ever Woman of Color. Niki Frenchko defeated a long time career politician, and in the process became the first Republican woman to win in the county in nearly 50 years. The fact that she is a Republican and won on what was supposed to be a Democrat issue, was totally shocking to everyone. Wow, Progress right? Not so fast. The establishment would have something to say about this.

The ambush faced by Commissioner Niki Frenchko is unprecedented in local politics. It’s gotten so nasty for Frenchko, she is getting attacked daily by the constant barrage, to the point of exasperation. See, this is how the establishment works. They gang up on “Change Agents”. It reminds one of the Bloods vs. Cripps. The thing is, the establishment cares less about optics. They see themselves as all powerful, unable to be stopped or overtaken. No county in the state of Ohio displays this fact better than Trumbull County.

It’s theorized that the establishment Democrats plan to attempt a recall on Ms. Frenchko. They are currently stuffing her file with all kinds of disciplinary actions, all unwarranted, to lay the groundwork for her recall. The hilarious thing is, they think they are hiding their intentions from the public. They believe Trumbull County voters are stupid. Again though, they don’t care about the optics.

Recent commissioner meetings in Trumbull County have featured displays from department heads and other “leaders", resembling an act from Rodger’s and Hammerstein. Who is the brunt of their angst? Ms. Frenchko, of course. This week a guy got up and screamed in Frenchko’s face, in dispute of her defending the people’s rights against forced vaccinations. It’s antics like this that prove the point of this article ; one party rule for decades is a recipe for resistance to any form of change. Especially when it involves a strong, independent woman.

The Moral of The Story

Until the two political parties stop gerrymandering districts and the local media quits suppressing critical information voters need to know, expect this one party dominance to continue in Trumbull County, Ohio. It pains me to say this, but it’s likely to be the truth. I actually foresee the establishment in Trumbull County losing their grip, but it could take years. One thing is certain, this group of Establishment Democrats is not on the side of the people of Trumbull County. They work for their party and donors.

Donald Trump won to turn the county Red, but that may be short lived, especially if Niki Frenchko is removed from office corrtuptly. Voters who seek change are demoralized by their vote (52,000+ in Frenchko’s case) not meaning jack shit. Nothing suppresses ‘change voters’ like having hope ripped away from them. It’s like ripping out their hearts. That then suppresses voter turnout in future elections, which is the ace in the hole for “The Establishment” .