Monday, November 30, 2015

NEXT STARK COUNTY "POLITICAL" HOTSPOT? HOW ABOUT NIMISHILLEN TOWNSHIP!



AUDIO FILES

Trustee-elect Todd Bosley
Outlining
Factually Incorrect
Trustee Mike Lynch Statement

Trustee-elect Bosley
Response
to
Factually Incorrect
Trustee Mike Lynch Statement

Trustee-elect Bosley
Requests
Nimishillen Trustees
Inquire with Stark Prosecutor
on
Signage Issue


On November 4, 2003, one Todd Bosley burst onto the Stark County political scene in Nimishillen Township.


Astoundingly, he defeated then incumbent Nimishillen Township trustee and fellow Democrat Arthur Lynch by some 21 percentage points.

And three years later almost to the day he pulled another stunning political upset, to wit:


The incumbent Stark County commissioner son of then longtime 16th Congressional District (which at the time included all of Stark County) Ralph Regula; namely Richard, went down to defeat to Bosley in the general election of 2006.

The SCPR has been expecting that since Bosley lost in 2010 in an Ohio 50th District House of Representative race to then Representative Todd Snitchler for Bosley to find a way back into Stark County politics.



By The Report's calculation, Bosley did not seek re-election as commissioner because he had created political conditions that made it impossible to be re-elected.

In December, 2008, he teamed up with fellow commissioners Tom Harmon (Democrat; now a councilman-at-large-elect for Canton City Council) and Jane Vignos (a Republican, not currently holding any elective office) to "impose" a 1/2 cent sales tax on Stark Countians in order to repair Stark County's broken 9-1-1 system and to provide additional millions in revenues for Stark County's general fund.

In November, 2009, Stark County civic activist and local attorney Craig T. Conley was the brains behind a successful effort to repeal the "imposed" tax.

From then on it was apparent to the SCPR that Bosley couldn't be elected to anything in Stark County.

But The Report did not think for a nanosecond that Bosley would not bide his time until an opportunity arose for him to resurface in Stark County government and politics.

That opportunity surfaced his year when Nimshillen Township trustee Lou Johnson decided not to seek re-election.


The result:


An important point to this blog focus on.

Trustee Mike Lynch is the son of Arthur Lynch whom Bosley defeated (see above) in 2003 as the first step in Bosley's rise in Stark County government and politics.

Bosley was elected on November 3rd.

By November 12th, he was presenting himself at a trustee-elect at a regular meeting of the present Board of Nimishillen Township Trustees as part of a group of Nimishillen residents concerned about a flooding problem and how it might be compounded by a proposed economic development project at Broadway and Peach.  (LINK to file to see all the comments on the flooding issue made at the meeting)


And Bosley was back to the next regular meeting of the trustees (changed to the 24th from November 26th due to Thanksgiving).

The occasion this time?

Actually two of them.

Both directed at Trustee Lynch.

First, Bosley went after Lynch for having said that Bosley had cost Nimishillen Township some $500,000 over a flooding issue back in 2003.

Second, he asked for an investigation of whether or not Lynch was in compliance with Nimishillen Township zoning regulations on getting permits for business signage.
(SCPR Note:  Bosley provided the SCPR with audio files of exchanges between himself and Lynch presumably with the other two trustees being present on what Bosley represents as being the core of his participation in the November 24th meeting)
THE $500,000 ALLEGATION

A summary of the accompanying audio file:
  • Says that he (Bosley) came to the 11/24/2015 meeting to talk with Lynch.
  • However, first he addresses the entire board in assuring them that he and his fellows who have been engaged with the trustees on the Broadway/Peach vicinity flooding problem are not attacking the trustees but rather want to work with the trustees to deal with residents’ concerns about what development at Broadway/Peach might do in terms of contributing to a flooding problem in the area.
  • Bosley then gets right to the point with Trustee Lynch as to a comment Lynch made about him (Bosley included an audio tape of Lynch’s actual comment) at the November 12th trustees meeting after Bosley had left the meeting, to wit:
    • (Paraphrase: Bosley as a Nimishillen trustee was along with fellow trustees defendant in lawsuit regarding a flood in the township that ended up costing Nimishillen taxpayers $500,000)
  • Bosley pointed out to Lynch that the flood which was the subject of the lawsuit occurred in July, 2003 and that he (Bosley) was not elected until November, 2003.
  • Moreover, Bosley stated that he was a tenant of a property owned by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit and that in accordance with instructions from the Stark County prosecutor’s office completely and totally excused himself from any involvement whatsoever in the resolution of the litigation.
  • Lynch apologizes to Bosley for getting his facts wrong about Bosley being a trustee when the lawsuit was filed (Lynch’s father Arthur was) and about the suit costing Nimishillen taxpayers $500,000.
  • Without citing the actual amount of the settlement, Bosley shared that it was for the plaintiffs legal expenses which he says was considerably less than $500,000
Actual audio file:  (Bosley's summary of Lynch's statement)



 Actual audio file:   (Bosley's response to the Mike Lynch statement)



THE SIGNAGE ISSUE
  • Bosley asks for a township investigation of whether or not Trustee Mike Lynch in the running of a Nimshillen Township pizza shop got a zoning permit for having the sign which sits in front of the business.
  • Lynch said he could not remember when he last obtained a permit.
  • Bosley says that the township zoning department expected that Lynch was going to obtain the permit about a year ago but that Lynch never followed through with getting the permit.
  • Bosley asks that the Nimishillen Board of Trustees contact the Stark County prosecutor’s office with questions as to:
    • Whether or not the sign issue fits within the Nimishillen Township zoning regulations,
    • Whether or not it is an unfair advantage for anybody who sits on the board to make a decision regarding the sign complying with the township’s zoning regulation,
    • Should there be assessed fees for the time that the sign has been in front of the pizza shop,
    • Should the permits be back dated,
    • Should they be charged just like the citizens have been,
  • If so, Bosley asks that the Board write the Ohio Ethics Commission about the matter,
Actual audio of Bosley asking Nimishillen Board of Trustee to inquire of Stark County prosecutor's office:



The foregoing has shades of the waves that Bosley created as a trustee for the period 2004 through 20006 with respect to then fellow Democratic trustee Russ Goffus (LINK to a prior SCPR blog).

 It seems to yours truly that since the SCPR began on March 12, 2008, there have been no end to the scintillating Stark County political/governmental stories which have graced these pages in greater detail and insight than any other Stark County media outlet.

So buckle up Nimishillen Township.

Todd Bosley is back and it looks like he will be creating waves galore as a Nimishillen Township trustee!



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