GOOD FOR MARLBORO! TRUSTEE WISE BLUSTERS; THEN FADES

It is not often that one is thankful when a public official turns wimpish.

But Marlboro Township residents should be appreciative that Trustee Tim Wise turned into jelly on Friday, May 22, 2009.

A sudden onset of Wise mellowness (excuse the pun), likely, spared Marlboro more bitterness and strife.

Reports were that he was still bristling that Ron and Kyle Devies were victorious in their felony trial that got started with Trustees Wise and Wolf (Schilg was slated to be a witness for the Devies) referring an incident involving township computers to Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero's office.

Sources indicate that Wise was balking at reinstating Ron Deives as police chief unless certain unspecified conditions were met.

So the stage was set for a possible confrontation when the trustees were to meet on Friday evening to consider whether or not Devies was to be reinstated.

Just to back up a little.

The Report has reason to believe that on Wednesday (presumably before Judge Sinclair dismissed all charges against Ron and Kyle Devies), an area policeman had been put on alert to prepare for a Marlboro Township meeting that night to be sworn in as the "new" Marlboro chief of police.

Then came Judge Sinclair's decision which set Wise and Wolf back on their heels and all of a sudden plans for a replacement police chief were changed.

But Wise, for one, was not done. With the conditions/stipulation talk, it was clear that he was not going to capitulate easily. His opening line of "nothing personal" (see video below) has to be hard to take for Ron and Kyle Devies in the light of all the acrimony that has coursed through the relationships between Wise and Trustee Wolf and the Devies duo (mostly Ron Devies), since Wise and Wolf took office in January, 2006.

In fact, in a conversation with Marlboro fiscal officer Pete Brelish immediately after the restoration of Devies to police chief status. Brelish described to the SCPR the uncertainty he was experiencing during the day as whether not to release township money to buy a cake to celebrate the return of Devies. Would or wouldn't it happen? Brelish was relieved that the chief was put back on the job.

Reading between the lines of all that has been said and written, The Report believes that Wise was subjected to intense conversation from friend and foe alike in an effort to get him to drop the conditions/stipulations he had been insisting on.

In unleashing their silly quest (not silly to the Devies nor the Marlboro community who suffered greatly, of course, but as perceived by outside observers) to build a mole hill into a mountain, the SCPR believes that Wise and Wolf set in motion strong tremors that will shake the Stark County law enforcement establishment.

The SCPR will have more to say on the countywide ramification aspect of the case in a later blog.

As seen in the video clip, Wise is still infected with a tinge of bravado at the emergency meeting. The Report is not sure why Wise ultimately caved in. It most likely the pressure that the SCPR speculates was being applied to him from the time Judge Sinclair handed down his legal shellacking of the prosecution through Friday was the cause.

In a little bit of theater, the SCPR understands a number of Stark County deputies escorted Trustee Wise to his car after the judgment of the Court.

As, again, can be seen in the video, Marlboro citizens who supported the Devies heeded the admonition of Trustee Schilig to be orderly at the Friday emergency meeting.

The Report has not seen nor heard anything from involved Marlboro citizens that indicated a need for the demonstrated Swanson forces reaction. It appears to be another in a continuing line of insults visited on the good folks of Marlboro.

Trustee Tim Wise has taken out a petition to run for reelection. It boggles the mind that he thinks he can win. Of course, taking out a petition is not filing a petition. It will be interesting to see if he actually follows through and files.

If Wise wants to say he stood strong through it all, let him believe what he wants.

The SCPR believes that in the end, Wise bent to the will of the good folks of Marlboro Township. Sometimes it's a good thing when someone turns wimpish!

Here is the video of the reinstatement.