NOW HE SHOULD WITHDRAW AS CANDIDATE
FOR
WARD 3 CANTON CITY COUNCIL SEAT!
UPDATE: 03/10/2015
At the conclusion of tonight's Canton City Council work session Councilman-at-Large Jimmy Babcock (Ryan Brahler's cousin) complained to the SCPR that The Report had it all wrong in citing "an inside council source" saying that Ryan Brahler is supporting Canton treasurer Kim Perez for mayor as opposed to sitting mayor William J. Healy, II.
- SCPR note: The Report has the distinct impression that Councilman Babcock did not actually read the blog he is so upset about. In his passionate complaining to yours truly, he referred to Councilman Edmond Mack as his source on his take as to what was written in the blog.
- Anyone actually reading the blog would necessarily have to note that the assessment that Brahler is perceived to be a Perez supporter is not the SCPR's. Rather it is the take of "an inside council source." The Report, in fact, noted in the blog that in a historical context Brahler was known for his support of Healy.
- The SCPR was surprised to hear the source's take and was passing "the inside council source's" perspective for whatever it was worth.
Of course, the person who should be talking to the SCPR about whom he does or doesn't support is Ryan Brahler.
When Brahler took out petitions to run for council-at-large in 2013, the SCPR attempted to contact him. Brahler did not return The Report's call about his having taken out a petition. Accordingly, The Report felt that it would be futile to try to contact Brahler given his current situation.
The Report did ask Mayor Healy tonight who he thought Brahler was supporting in his face off with Perez. The mayor said that the last he knew Brahler was supporting, but he ended in saying "But, who really knows."
Councilman John Mariol says that his take is that Brahler still supports Healy.
And here is a copy of an e-mail from Kim Perez, to wit:
Sunday, March 8, 2015 Blog Post
[From] Kim Perez Today at 9:55 PM
To: tramols@att.net
Dear Martin,
To clarify your March 8, 2015 blog post, Ryan Brahler is supporting and always has supported Healy for Mayor. He has no involvement with the Perez for Mayor campaign.
Sincerely,
Kim Perez
Maybe Councilman Jimmy Babock needs to have read for himself what he complains of or, if, per chance, he did read it learn to read with understanding.
In a sort of ironical twist, the SCPR's position is that Babcock is the one who is wrong about attributing the "inside council source" perspective as being the SCPR's.
That Babcock didn't get things correctly in erroneously attributing the inside sources' perspective to the SCPR is no surprise to yours truly.
The SCPR does not see Babcock as the brightest bulb on council.
ORIGINAL BLOG
For Canton City Schools (CCS) Board of Education (BOE) president Ryan Brahler (elected in 2011), 2015 has to be the year right out of the pits of Hell.
It was announced over the weekend that Brahler will be resigning as president of the CCS BOE effective March 16, 2015.
Here is the full text of Brahler's resignation letter dated March 7th:
On Monday, I attended a High School basketball game between the Canton McKinley Lady Pups and Walsh Jesuit. During the course of this game, I lost my temper, and I responded inappropriately. I expect better of myself and I apologize to any and all that I offended.
I care deeply about the City of Canton and the Canton City School District. It is disappointing to me that my comments have become a distraction to the District during this critical time. As this was to be my final term on the Board of Education and I had already announced that I would not seek another term, I feel it is appropriate to step down from my seat as the South District Board Member, effective immediately. This, in my opinion, is in the best interest of the Board, the District and our students. It is also the best way I can demonstrate that I realize that my comments were inappropriate and that I am taking accountability for them. As Board President, it is of the utmost importance that I hold myself to the same standard that we set for our students and staff.
I would finally like to take a moment to thank my constituents, fellow Board Members, our Superintendent and, most importantly, our CCS students. They have made my time on the Board extremely rewarding.
Respectfully,
Ryan Brahler
Quite a stunning turn of events!
Here is a video of Brahler's comments, a BOE president, at a special meeting on the Timken/McKinley controversy "special meeting" of February 9th.
Anything less on the part of the BOE, the SCPR thinks, would have been tantamount to a vote of "no confidence" by the board on Allison.
However, Brahler's vote could be troublesome for him in his upcoming Democratic Party primary battle with Scaglione for the Ward 3 nomination for Canton City Council.
That is, IF Brahler stays in the race?
IF?
Indeed.
Why so?
Because Brahler last Monday got himself in a whole lot more political trouble than the Timken/McKinley thing was ever going to be.
And, it appears, that the reason for his self-inflicted woes was due to his being "an over-the-top" McKinley basketball fan in giving the middle index finger to a Hoover High School basketball fan who it is alleged by Brahler made a racist remark directed at a McKinley girls assistant basketball coach as he was exiting the gym on being ejected by referees.
- Link to a more detailed media account.
Councilman Griffin is said to be "quietly" supporting Brahler in taking him under his wing and introducing Brahler to Griffin supporters.
One has to wonder whether or not Griffin will now be distancing himself from Brahler?
While Brahler was elected to the CCS BOE in November, 2011 as an "unopposed" candidate for a seat representing the southern part of the CCS district, the SCPR thought at the time it was not what he would had rather done.
It seems to The Report that his primary desire has been to be a Canton city councilman.
In 2013, the SCPR's recollection is that he took out or entertained thoughts about taking out petitions to run for one of three Democratic nominations for councilman-at-large.
It is likely that he did not file because his cousin Jimmy Babcock was running.
When one of the three 2013 Democratic candidates turned to be political novice Roland K. Burns, III (said to be an anti-Healy candidate) Brahler (at the time; not now, a pro-Healyite) he must have thought "Gee, I can beat this guy, why not run as an independent?"
- The SCPR is told by "an inside council source" that Brahler is now lined up with Cousin Jimmy to support Canton treasurer Kim Perez in Perez's run against Democratic incumbent mayor William J. Healy, II;
- that is, if Perez in light of the "basketball incident will still have him?
In 2011 there was a CCS-BOE position for the taking, so why not? Moreover, the SCPR's recollection is that Brahler took out petitions to run for the Stark County Educational Service Center (SCESC) but which he learned he could not file, if he was prone to go in that direction, because voters in city school districts are prohibited by Ohio law from running for ESC positions.
To re-iterate, in the SCPR's mind, Brahler is an out-and-out political opportunist.
Now we know that he was "in over-his-head" in terms of having a proper boardmanship factor about him.
Yours truly was amazed to hear that Brahler had been elected president of the CCS BOE for this year.
One of the things that politicians do (more typically when they are running for reelection for the office they hold) is - if they are on a board - ask fellow members to elect them president of the board the year of the election so as to get a maximum of what is called "earned" media (e.g. getting their names in the media as BOE president whatever the media article may be about).
Think maybe his fellow board members regret that decision?
Well, of course, Brahler got that in spades in the Timken/McKinley matter. Which may or may not have been politically good for him, depending on how many Timken connected voters there are in Ward 3.
On "the middle-finger-caper; not so good, no?
Hence, the resignation.
And now the SCPR is thinking that Brahler should be withdrawing his candidacy for the Ward 3 candidacy.
Not only for the dishonor he brought last week to the office of the presidency of the CCS in the basketball game incident, but also because it appears that he is not in politics for the right reason which should be public service rather than a ego fulfilling "I am your councilman" factor.
To provide readers more insight into in 2013 political machinations that Brahler invoked as he connived to get on the November, 2013 general election ballot, the SCPR brings forward an extract from a February 22, 2013 blog which has all the details, to wit:
Interestingly and "ironically," enough, had Brahler made it onto the November, 2013 ballot, after serving only two years of a four year CCS BOE term, he had a good chance - the SCPR thinks - to have beaten out Roland K. Burns, III for the third council spot.
Burns self-destructed as a viable candidate when local media published stories that did not reflect positive on him on his management of various residential properties he owns in the city of Canton and former Republican (and now, qualifying as a political "independent") Richard Hart won that third position.
As far as the SCPR is concerned, much, much, much better Hart than Brahler.
And, in Ward 3, voters should be highly wary of Brahler should he remain in the race.
The SCPR thinks he could do himself and Cantonians a huge favor if he were to withdraw his Ward 3 candidacy!
No comments:
Post a Comment