DISCUSSION: A DISTURBING PATTERN IS BEGINNING TO EMERGE WITH CANTON'S MAYOR HEALY?

The big splash in the news about Canton's Mayor Healy has been his "alleged" inappropriate relationship with a 16 year old area female.

If the allegations prove to be borne out, Mayor Healy will crawl into the annals of Stark County political history oblivion very quickly.

But if they aren't substantiated, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) believes that Healy has a number of other serious political problems to overcome.

The Report sees a possible PATTERN emerging from Canton's government dealings at the hands of Healy with some cooperation from Canton City Council. However, there is some opposition by Councilpersons Smuckler and Cirelli (neither of who particularly like Mayor Healy).

The Report has repeatedly referred to the intriguing "out-of-towners" factor that campaign finance documents reveal about the Mayor. Cleveland (and many of its suburbs), Columbus, Akron, Maumee (near Toledo), Scottsdale (AZ), and Las Vegas (NV).

Does the "out-of-towner" factor qualify as a PATTERN?

The question: As a matter of PATTERN, do any of the out-of-town interests in the light of TeamHealy Committee campaign contributions unduly influence Canton government and politics. A collateral question: Is too much Canton taxpayer money leaving Canton for the far reaches, when competitive, qualitative local business exist?

A prime example: The 1-888OhioComp group out of Cleveland. Four people associated with the company are documented as having made significant contributions to the TeamHealy Committee. The decision to contract with the company was largely Healy's.

The Mayor when asked by Repository reporters gave the only answer he could give. 1-888OhioComp was the best deal for Canton.

Really?

Canton has a home based and grown company named AultComp which serves Stark County government. How about the Canton based jobs which pays Canton city income taxes and spreads money throughout Stark County in purchasing Stark County based goods and service? Was that a part of the calculation in the mind of a Mayor who prides himself (telling everyone within earshot repeatedly) that he is a graduate of the masters program of the New York University Stern of of Business?

A second example: Attorney Gary C. Johnson of Cleveland or is it Akron? The Report's examination of Johnson's campaign contributions seem to have him living/working in a number of places throughout northeast Ohio. A curiosity, to say the least.

Healy clearly worked out deal with campaign contributor Johnson to come in with a contract $ number that would enpower Healy to make the hire decision on his own without any oversight from Canton City Council.

Healy's justification?

Johnson is Ohio's best management side labor negotiation attorney.

Local management side labor negotiating attorney Robert Tscholl says that we have plenty of high caliber attorneys in Canton and more importantly on the city payroll in the Canton Law Department. In fact, The Report learned that the Canton Law Department hired a specialist in labor negotiating skills especially for working the Canton Police union contract; only to be undercut by the Healy move hiring Johnson.

The Johnson hiring, then, again is an example of Healy moving Canton city taxpayer money to Cleveland. From what The Report can make of the result of the negotiations, it does not appear that Healy and Nesbitt can justify the hiring of Johnson in terms of money saved in the results obtained in the negotiations.

Healy (and The Report is sorry to say) a number of Canton City Councilpersons are trying to spin the contract as a 0% increase contract. The Report believes that it is a 3% contract. A contract if anything on the high side of what is being negotiated these days.

A third example: Redflex Traffic Systems of Arizona. The campaign contribution to the TeamHealy Committee connection figured out so far by The Report? A Joe Moore who the report has learned is a customer services manager for Redflex made a contribution on July 8, 2008.

Lo and behold, guess who ends up with a contract with the city of Canton?

You've got itl. The Report's readers are very smart people. Yes, indeed: Reflex Traffic Systems.

Canton City Council is complicit in this decision. Very interesting. Only Mary Cirelli voted no in a 9 to 1 vote.

Wholesale citizen opposition developed as the Healy administration tried to sell the camera system to local citizens at a series of meeting held throughout Canton after the vote.

A vote was scheduled for this past Monday, March 9th.

The Report was at the meeting with camera in hand. As soon as The Report had settled in, Councilwoman Cirelli and Council President Allen Schulman spoke with yours truly to inform that no vote would take place this evening.

Cirelli speculated that Council did not want to be on record prior to the May primary and that was the reason for the delay. Healy made an announcement that his administration needed to contact Redflex to have some "adjustments" made to the contract. Hum?

It will be interesting to see. Will the vote take place on the 23rd?

Will Healy be able to pull off yet another contract for an out-of-town company who had at least one employee (Joe Moore of Scottsdale, AZ) "co-incidentally" (undoubtedly the Mayor would say) make a campaign contribution (online).

Is there a PATTERN emerging from Healy's involvement in and connection with Canton City contracts ending up in the hands of a campaign contributor and companies whose employees contributed to the TeamHealy Committee.

Or is it all a mere co-incidence?

What do you think?

NOTE: MAYOR HEALY REFUSES TO ANSWER THE REPORT'S QUESTIONS ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE DOCUMENTS.

ALSO, THE REPORT DID A RECORDS REQUEST FOR A LIST OF ALL CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO BY THE CITY OF CANTON. THE RESPONSE FROM COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR ADAM HERMAN - A LIST DOES NOT EXIST AND THAT THE RECORDS ARE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENTS OF CANTON CITY GOVERNMENT.

The Report believes that Mayor Healy could provide a list from memory?