DISCUSSION: LARRY DORDEA TO BE HEALY'S NEW SAFETY DIRECTOR?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) remembers well being the first in Stark County to reveal that Canton safety director Tom Nesbitt had applied to be the new Project Manager of the 9-1-1 countywide restructuring effort.

For The Report, the Nesbitt decision to move on (only after about a year on the job; having come from Nebraska) was the second most significant event in a line of precursors to the end of the Healy administration.

After the Nesbitt application, there was a day about a month ago or so when the rumors where flying hot and heavy that Healy had given Nesbitt the heave-ho. Despite the Healy and Nesbitt denials, The Report believes that Healy did tell Nesbitt that he was "fired" but thought better of it when he realized he had no one in the wings he could feel comfortable with as a replacement.

Why did want Nesbitt gone in the first place?

Because Nesbitt failed on Healy's desire to be rid of Canton police chief Dean McKimm.

When the Nesbitt decision was made, Healy and his is left of his top administrators, huddled in the lofty reaches of the 8th floor of Canton City Hall and asked among themselves: "Who can we replace Nesbit with?"

No one on current Canton scene was satisfactory. So it was decided to float the name of retired Alliance police chief Larry Dordea.

Only problem was, nobody had asked Dordea (a Republican who had run against Democrat Tim Swanson (the incumbent sheriff in November, 2008) if he was interested.

It turns out that Healy was being his old presumtious self and "assumed" Dordea would be interested. How silly of Healy. Larry Dordea is a smart guy. Why would he want to join a sinking ship on its way down?

Answer: He's not.

The only conversation Dordea has had will Healy is to tell him to quit floating his name as a possible replacement for Nesbitt.

Do you get it Mayor? Smart, savvy folks don't want any part of your rapidly failing administration If you cared anything about Canton, you would resign first thing Monday.

If there is a "crisis of confidence" at the national lever, then just magnify it many times over as far as the furture of the city of Canton is concerned.

The more Healy hangs on, the more clear it is that he cares for his own future over the future of Canton and Stark County.