ARE CANTON MAYOR HEALY'S POLLS TELLING HIM HE IS IN POLITICAL TROUBLE OR IS POLITICAL MANIPULATION SIMPLY AN ESCAPABLE WAY OF LIFE FOR HIM?

In case you have not noticed, Canton William J. Healy, II is in full "political" bloom.

He always has an eye on the politics of any given situation, however, with May 3 looming on the horizon; he is consumed with the politics of being re-elected mayor of Canton.

The SCPR knows Mayor Healy to be a devotee of political polls.  With the flurry and intensity of his political activity of late, The Report suspects that he has a poll showing that he is in jeopardy of losing to challenger Bill Smuckler (Canton councilman-at-large) come May.

It is difficult for anyone with any personality whatsoever to lose to Bill Smuckler.  But Healy has already done so.  It certainly was a bitter pill to swallow.  And, perhaps, Healy's greatest fear is a repeat.

Whether in fear of losing or not,  Healy has turned the politicking up to full throttle.

A list of  what the SCPR deems to be political activities include:

• Issues press release on Mayor's Scholarship initiative on January 10th
• Formally announces on January 22nd (at the AFL-CIO's Golden Lodge) that he's running for re-election
• February 8th holds first monthly Canton finances forum (to consider remedies to Canton's budget woes)
• February 14th issues an executive order establishing the Mayor's Neighborhood Commission
• Appears on WHBC's Points to Ponder (February 15th) to discuss his executive order and - by the way - to make an announcement of the meeting to be held that same day at 5:00 p.m. in Columbus (at Kasich's initiative, so says Healy)
• Appears on Points to Ponder the following day (February 16th) to announce the results of the meeting. 
• Has an intern drop off a "press release" (February 16th) to The Rep on his clean campaign pledge initiative
• February 18th issues press release listing 208 budget cuts made by the Healy administration over past two years
• Coming on March 8, 2nd of the monthly Canton finances forum meetings
• Coming on April 12, 3rd of the monthly Canton finances forum meetings

And we ain't seen nothing yet.

Healy is proving to be a master of getting publicity with mere political puff; nothing of substance.

Take Ed Balint's piece in The Repository earlier this week  (Healy, Kasich discuss economic development).  Same material he brought up on Ponder.  He, both pre/post-Kasich meeting,  tantalized Ponder with vague accounts of "about to pop" (The Report's words) economic development coups but then back off with a:  “[w]e have to be incredibly discreet about these kinds of things" like Balint reported in his piece.

Yours truly has been buffeted by these Healy/Robert Torres (his economic development director) entreaties for about a month now.

Sooner or later at least one of these enticements are bound to turn into reality.  Meanwhile, why not make it appear that there is much more there than is really there.  Then when something actually materializes, people might develop a perception that the Healy administration is turning the corner on economic development.

It appears that Repository Executive Editor Jeff Gauger got hornswoggled by Healy. 

Yours truly thinks that Gauger is incredibly naive about politics and politicians.  And that he is no match for Healy.

Gauger's own account of the Healy's "Clean Campaign Pledge" flop shows how Healy used Gauger's best impulses for being the professional journalist he is - as an occasion to politically manipulate and use him and The Rep.

Anyone who deals with Healy (especially media types) should assume that he is manipulating for some political purpose/advantage.

For William J. Healy, II political manipulation is like breathing!

Back to the premise of this blog.

Healy perceives himself to be in political trouble or he can't help himself?

Hmm?

The answer?

Anybody's guess!