Wednesday, March 18, 2009

DISCUSSION: HEALY FAILS AGAIN WITH CANTON CITY COUNCIL - COUNCIL POISED TO REJECT "REWORKED" CONTRACT PROPOSAL


UPDATE: MARCH 19, 2009, 5:00 A.M.

Mayor Healy must read the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT and saw the numbers posted above.

- FROM THE REP 3/18/2009 (LATE EVENING POST) “It appears to me the (City Council) votes are not there to get it through council at this point in time,” said Mayor William J. Healy II, following a Finance Committee meeting earlier tonight.

It appears that only the sure "pro-Healy" votes were informed personally by the mayor what the changes he negotiated with Redflex Traffic Systems as a proposed contract to install traffic law enforcing cameras in downtown Canton.

As the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has been saying all along, Mayor Healy is a "my way or the highway" type of guy who is considerate, nice and informative to those he thinks are his "yes" men and women.

The Report's source related how the Canton City County chair of the Public Safety & Thoroughfares Committee (Karl "Butch" Kraus) was snubbed by Healy and that Councilman Kraus learned of the proposed changes by reading the Canton Repository's account that the Healy administration had already shared with Councilpersons Casar, Smith and West, and, of course, The Rep.

The Report also learned that Councilman Griffin's meeting with the public last evening did not go well for the Mayor Healy and his staunch allies on Council (Casar, Smith and West),

Forty or so citizens show up at Griffin's meeting with only a couple or so supporting. One of the supporters is Cynthia Vignos who his running for council-at-large against the anti-Healy leading incumbent-candidates Mary Cirelli and Bill Smuckler.

The amazing thing about Healy is how he fails to learn from his experiences. He has had difficult relationships with Council from is taking office in January, 2008 through the present. The only way he was able to work with Council was via the facilitation provided by his fired safety director and chief of staff Tom Bernabei.

Unless Healy can twist some councilperson arms, he will suffer a humiliating defeat on this coming Monday, the 23rd.

The Report has learned that Council President Allen Schulman will be out of town on Monday which explains why he lambasted Healy on the "bad appearances" that accepting campaign contributions from folks who have an interest in obtaining city contracts this past Monday.

As Mayor Healy stumble bumbles his way around City Hall, Canton languishes and suffers.

The Report's condolences to the good folks of Canton.

1 comment:

Stephen said...

Mr. Olsen,

This is my first visit to the Stark County Political Blog. While you and I do not always se eye to eye, I have enjoyed reading what you have to say today. I will be adding your blog to my favorites and I will be a frequent visitor.

I think that Mr Healy's credibility was severely damaged with his insistence that Canton needed red light cameras. It was damaged even more when it was revealed that he had accepted political donations from Redflex. He tries to say that he had no involvement in selecting Redflex, but we know that not to be true.