TUSCARAWAS TOWNSHIP ON-THE-MEND?

 

When Celeste DeHoff decided not run for Tuscarawas Township trustee, it was a good thing for township residents.

When Tuscarawas Township voters opted not to return Dean Green to office, it was a good thing for township residents.

Under DeHoff, Green and Speicher, Tuscarawas Township found itself in one fight after another, after another.

Tuscarawas Township now appears to be settling down.  According to several reports by the Massillon Independent's Gregg Kohntopp (January 13th and 29th) the new board with newly elected trustees Hemperly and Hollinger and holdover Speicher are on their way to restoring Tuscarawas Township government to civility and stability.

One of the festering sores has been the way the former board handled the volatile "disagreement" between Teamster Union workers William Faber and Jerry Knerr back in the fall of 2006.  The old board fired the two and the pair's fight for redress has gone on for well over three years now with the old board fighting them each step of the way.

Now the township seems to be on the verge of settling with the two which could result in their returning to work at the township.

The wife of Wiliam Faber had this to say about the state of affairs in Tuscarawas these days in an email to the SCPR:

We are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  After 3 1/2 years we are in the process of negotiating a settlement.  This new trustee board has had their hands full putting out the fires the previous board made.  Meetings are truly enjoyable to attend and the atmosphere is totally different.

Tuscarawas joins Marlboro Township (which also had a turnover of 2 of the 3 trustees) to extricate themselves from turbulence and turmoil.

The SCPR applauds the good folks in Tuscarawas and Marlboro for getting their respective houses in order.

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.

DISCUSSION: MOST OF MARLBORO IS BEHIND THE DEVIES FAMILY?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that supporters of Ron and Kyle Devies are forming a DEVIES FAMILY DEFENSE FUND to help Marlboro's police chief and his son come up with the financial wherewithal to defend themselves againist Stark County Grand Jury indictment charges which were an outgrowth of an criminal investigation launched by Marlboro Township trustees.

Readers of The Report will recall that Kyle Devies started out as a volunteer to fix the Township's decrepit computer system several years ago.

Trustee Wise got wind of the "volunteer" status and insisted, according to Police Chief Ron Devies, that Kyle be put on the township payroll. Apparently, that was before Wise and his fellow Dave Wolf figured out that the chief was not easily ordered around by trustee micromanaging when it came to how he ran the police department.

The Report believes that once Wise and Wolf concluded that the chief was going to run the Marlboro Township Police Department the way he saw fit, they devised Plan B.

If there was a Plan B, what would it be?

The Report is of the opinion that Plan B was to replace Ron Devies as police chief and they (not Trustee Shilig) were waiting for something to materialize (e.g. out-and-out insubordination) that they felt would carry the day, in terms of community acquiescence, to implement the plan.

Nobody is really sure (outside of Sheriff Swanson, Prosecutor Ferrero and the grand jury members) as of the writing of this blog, exactly what the factual allegations are which underlie the indictments. Speculation seems to center on Kyle and his use of township computers with the complicity of his father in the alleged mischief.,

With the grand jury action (remember the popular saying about grand jury indictments" "a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich if the prosecutor asked it to), Kyle Devies stands charged with a fourth degree felony: Disrupting a Public Service and, his father Ron, with Complicity in Disrupting a Public Service. These charges carry a possibility for a 6 to 18 month jail term and up to $5,000 in fines.

The Report thinks at the end of the day the Devies will be acquitted or work out a plea bargain.

If there is an acquittal, one would think that there will be a civil suit and Ron Devies could wind up re-instated as police chief as part of a settlement of such a suit.

The Report likes to think and believes that this whole matter has gotten out-of-hand and Trustees Wise and Wolf wish they could "put the genie back in the bottle." But they can't. So what The Report' believes started out as something like "we have to replace our insubordinate police chief" is now way beyond that.

This whole scenario is tragic for all concerned: the Devies, the trustees and the community of Marlboro.

DISCUSSION: WHEN PETTY POLITICIANS CANNOT HANDLE POWER, GOOD PEOPLE CAN GET RUINED - CAN THEY NOT?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) is astounded over the controversy that the Marlboro Township trustees have unleashed.

Rustic Marlboro Township? Who would have thunk that a family who has devoted its life to the well-being of their community could have end up have two family members indicted and prosecuted for crimes that have their origins in guess what? community service! Wow!

Kyle Devies, who is a young man, but who was even a younger man several years back when he - get this - VOLUNTEERED - to fix the broken township computer system.

Kyle began his volunteer work back in the good old days when the township trustees deeply appreciated community people stepping forward to help out. Nowadays, Marlboro has a couple of "wheeler-dealer" trustees who have brought "big city politics" to this bucolic community and to an office which officially is "non-partisan."

Tim Wise, a member of a politically initiated Stark County family, is an interesting "political" person to The Report. The Report has always thought well of the Wise family and believes that Tim is a deviation from the Wise family political standards. His brother E.E. Jr. (currently city administrator for North Canton) is highly respected within the Stark County political community and not just among Democrats (his affiliation) but among the entire Stark County political establishment.

Is Tim a case of "the political black sheep" of the family who is frustrated at not having achieved at his father's level (Earle E. Wise, Sr. - a kingpin of Stark County Democratic politics and a retired 5th District Court of Appeal judge) and is out to prove himself as a politically powerful player in Stark County?

Added on to Tim's frustration might be his brother's prominence in Stark County politics. E. E., Jr. ran very respectable and relative close campaigns for county recorder (losing to Republican Jane Vignos) and probate court judge (losing to the hugely campaign financed Dixie Park - her husband's money).

The Report believes that both E. E. Sr. and Jr. have to be horrified at what Tim has done in helping to create the ugly political mess (totally unnecessary) with the Devies family in Marlboro.

Dave Wolf? How did he come to have a hand in creating this mess?

The Report believes it is a "religious Right" political thing with him. No sooner had Wolf taken office as trustee and he was knocking on Marlboro Police Chief Ron Devies' door.

Was this a "let's get to know each other session?" The Report thinks not. Rather it was a "orders from God Almighty" encounter which didn't last very long. It only lasted long enough for Wolf to hand Devies a video tape done by a religious Right South Carolina sheriff by the name of Ray Nash with the Wolf admonition to Chief Devies "this is how I see things."

Things?

Presumably, how law enforcement should be run.

Well, the Chief had a little bit of police training and experience himself and predictably blew-off Wolf by continuing to police Marlboro as he and his predecessors always had.

The Report believes the Chief did the right thing by Marlboro. Religious Right folks are known for their "take over tatics" of local government (mostly boards of education). If Wolf is the religious Right firebrand The Report suspects he is, then Wolf may be trying to bring fundamentalist (religious) political values and programs to the township. The Nash intro may be Chapter One of a book full of religious grounded prescriptions.

Again supposing The Report is correct and Wolf embodies "religious fundamentalism" in political action; it is more than a touch ironic that someone who embraces "family values" would attack a Marlboro family which is the personification of family values.

Whatever the motivations of Wise and Wolf, they have created a firestorm in Marlboro Township.

And The Report believes Wolf, at least, now realizes this and that is why he met with Chief Devies last weekend to try to diffuse the community volatile situation; pleading with the Chief "to call off the dogs" (an unfortunate metaphor if dogs is the word that Wolf actually used).

Finally, The Report believes that the trustees control of how this scenario is going to play out. Even if the Stark County grand jury refuses to indict the Devies, these two trustees have unleashed damages galore: the Marlboro community, the Marlboro police department, the Devies family and to each of themselves.

And just think, it all began with a young man wanting to help out his community by volunteering.

The message: Indeed, NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED. Especially when folks come to the table with a political agenda.

Here is a history of the Devies family civic involvement in Marlboro community life as written by Ron Devies:

1. My father Gene Devies was one of the organizers and charter members of the Marlboro Fire Company. He was the departments second ever chief. After he retired he served on the board of directors for the fire department. My mom was on the Ladies Auxiliary and back then when there would be a fire in the middle of the night the ladies would get out of bed too and make coffee to take to the firemen. They also kept canned hams so they could also fix sandwiches and take to the firefighters. One day no one was free to drive the fire truck to a fire and my mom loaded up little Denny and Bob and drove the truck to the fire scene.

2. My oldest brother Gene started on the fire department as soon as he turned 18 in 1957 and rose through the ranks and retired as chief in 1995.

a. His son Rob joined the fire department when he turned 18, went to EMT and Paramedic school and worked with me at Alliance Ambulance before going to the police academy and working with Denny and I on the police department. Rob has quit all of that now and is a Lieutenant for the Alliance City Fire Department

b. Gene's son Mike is a Captain on the Marlboro Fire Department.

3. While Bob has never done anything in those areas, he specializes in police & fire screening and treating related problems. He was instrumental in the organizing of the Stark County Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) that sits down with police and fire departments and debriefs them after a catastrophe.

4. Denny was a cop from 1971 till his death in 2003. While Denny was never an EMT he did work as an ambulance attendant from 1969 to 1974. (that was before they had EMTs) His wife is a surgery nurse.

5. Me, I was on the Marlboro Fire Department from the time I turned 18 in 1976 till I retired after becoming police chief. I was the fire departments first EMT,I was one of the organizers of the fire departments EMS Division and started the fire investigation bureau in 1995 under Chief Gary Haines. I was an EMT-Paramedic from 1977-1993 with Alliance Ambulance and then later Gold Cross after they purchased the company. I started as an auxiliary patrolman in 1984 and now Chief today. Barb is a emergency room nurse. Kyle is a Firefighter-EMT and joined the fire department when he turned 18.

DISCUSSION: COUNTY PROSECUTOR FERRERO DODGES A DECISION IN DEVIES MATTER?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero has declined the opportunity to make an assessment on whether or not Marlboro Township Police Chief Ron Devies and his son are to be charged with committing any crime as an outgrowth of an investigation conducted by Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson.

Instead, Ferrero has opted to present to matter to the Stark County Grand Jury which will hear the prosecution side of the case beginning today.

Chief Devies has told The Report he and his son will present their side of the case to the grand jury next week.

Devies (who was placed on "paid administrative leave" by the Marlboro trustees on January 6th) said he was surprised to learn of the grand jury proceeding yesterday, the 9th, as he and Wolf had sat down over the weekend and discussed a resolution between himself and Trustee Wolf and felt enough progress had been made that he could see "light at the end of the tunnel."

Needless to say, Devies was disappointed by the grand jury news in the light of the progress he and Wolf had made, but expressed confidence that the grand jury would not indict once it has heard the Devies’ version of events allegedly involving Kyle's work for Marlboro Township on its computer system. Devies did contact Wolf after he got the news of the impending grand jury proceeding and was told by Wolf that he was as surprised as Devies was.

Why, The Report asks, didn't Ferrero decide on his own whether or not charges are to be filed against the Devies?

In any event, The Report continues to believe that Trustees Wise and Wolf are “political toast” n Marlboro Township this coming November.

It is clearly a lose-lose situation politically for Wise and Wolf. If the Devies do not get indicted, then political retribution will be in order. If the Devies duo do get indicted; guess what Messers Wise and Wolf - political retribution will be in order.

It is surprising to The Report that Tim Wise would get himself into such a political fix.

His brother Earle E. Wise, Jr. (now city administrator for North Canton) was a long time Stark County assistant prosecutor who ran for Stark County Probate judge in 2002 losing to Republican Dixie Park. In 1992, Wise, Jr. Was the Democratic nominee for Stark County Recorder (having bested current county auditor Kim Perez in the Democratic primary). In the general, E.E., Jr. lost to Republican Jane Vignos.

Tim’s father, Earle E. Wise, Sr., was a one time a powerful Stark County Democrat who teamed up with the recently deceased Roy Gutierrez (the chairman) as law partners in the 1970s through 1980s and from this base lead Stark County Democrats. Wise, Sr served as a judge on the 5th District Court of Appeals for a number of years.

With this political pedigree, why Tim is not a more accomplished politician is indeed a mystery.

Wolf is a different matter. As far as The Report knows, Wolf is a political novice with no prior exposure to politics in the fast lane who may have been motivated to get into local politics as an advocate of “the religious Right” political agenda. One tip-off that this might be the case is Ron Devies account of how (after having just taken office as a newly elected trustee) Wolf came to him with a Sheriff Ray Nash tape telling Devies in effect that the tape expressed his view of how law enforcement should be conducted.

For a taste of the Nash (Wolf’s self-proclaimed model of law enforcement), here is an excerpt of a piece done by Glenn Smith of the Charleston (SC) Post and Courier (February 3, 2008):

Week after week, the hits kept coming, providing fresh fodder for critics who have long taken issue with Nash's management style, spending habits and priorities. They bristle at his faith-flavored approach to law enforcement that some foes say blurs the line between church and state.

The Internet bubbles with bloggers and posters who question the sheriff's links to controversial evangelists and try to paint his character-training initiatives as thinly veiled proselytizing, an attempt to infiltrate law enforcement with cult-like tactics.

Defending his record

Nash, a devout Christian, calls such claims "silly" and says he has never tried to convert employees. He blames his opponents for trying to distort his record, taint his image. He says he has long been the target of an entrenched old guard in Dorchester County that wants him out of the way.

All in all, it seems that both Wise and Wolf have a thing or two to learn about Marlboro Township politics given with whom they were dealing: a highly respected, long term member of the Marlboro community - Police Chief Ron Devies and his son Kyle.

DISCUSSION: IS ANYONE GOING TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE IN MARLBORO?

Where's the beef Marlboro Township residents?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has heard a lot of Marlboro residents upset about how incumbent Trustees Wise and Wolf are treating the revered Marlboro Police Chief Ron Devies, but no action from the dissidents at the Stark County Board of Elections.

Do any of the upsets really think that either Wise or Wolf are going to just fade off into the political sunset?

It is one thing talk replacing Wise and Wolf. But who is going to take the walk to 201 3rd St NE, Floor 1, Canton, Ohio and take out petitions.

Oh yes, the filing deadline: August 20, 2009 for the November 3rd election is months away. What's the hurry?

For a John Hagan and a John Battershell probably not much of one. They have the name identity township wide to wait. But do lesser known names?

Could it be that after all the turmoil over Devies, Wise and Wolf waltz right back into office?

DISCUSSION: MARLBORO TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES WISE & WOLF REFUSE MEDIATION OFFER BY BOARD PRESIDENT SHILLIG

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) take on last night's Marlboro Township Board of Trustees meeting is that it was a complete bust.

Wise and Wolf are as intransigent as ever refusing Wayne Shillig's offer to mediate - preferably with the chief back on the job. Shillig moved to reinstate the Chief but could not get a second. Then he moved to go into executive session with the chief. Again, he could not get a second. (see the accompanying video to witness this process first hand)

Pictured above are most if not all of those who spoke up at the meeting. The Report estimates that there was upwards of 100 people present.

Police Chief Devies had what he thought was a couple of major revelations. First, he shared that the Stark County Crime Lab examination of the Township's computers did not produce whatever the trustees were looking for.

What were the trustees looking for?

Whether or not Chief Devies' son Kyle had been on the Township computer network after being fired by the trustees. In the video below, you will see and hear Kyle take the trustees to task on this issue.

If this were the only thing that the trustees were having investigated, then the failure of the crime lab (according to Chief Devies) to find anything would seem to end this matter.

But it is apparent to The Report that the trustees had Chief Deputy Rick Perez (Stark County Sheriff's office) looking into other things concerning the chief. What they are is anybody's guess including that of Chief Devies. This really is taking on the look of a "fishing expedition."

The Report gets the impression that Wise and Wolf are so fully invested in finding something on the Chief that they are prepared to stay on board the quest even if it ultimately means going down on a sinking ship.

Second on Devies' revelation list was his certainty that Perez had not yet gotten his report to Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero. The Report believes the Chief's information was dated. Trustee Wolf's information that the report had been forwarded was Monday information whereas Devies' was Friday information.

How long will Ferrero be sifting through the report?

Nobody seems to know as predictably Ferrero would not commit to a timetable to any of the folks he has talked to.

However, Devies did tell the assembled crowd that his attorney (Jeff Jakimedes of Alliance) made it clear to Ferrero that if there is to be a grand jury phase of this investigation; that he would aggressively defend himself in that forum.

What follows in a video of that portion of the meeting that The Report deems to capture the essential core of the meeting.

DISCUSSION: DEVIES UNLOADS ON MARLBORO TRUSTEES WISE AND WOLF - PART VII OF SCPR VIDEO INTERVIEW

In this episode of the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) series (Part VII) on Marlboro Township Police Chief Ron Devies, the chief describes a "list of concerns" that Trustees Wise and Wolf have about him.

Chief Devies is currently on "paid administrative leave" pending the investigation of unspecified matters of concern that the trustees (including Shillig) say they have. But Shillig does say he doesn't understand why Devies can't be working pending the outcome of the investigation.

Here is Part VII of the Devies interview:

DISCUSSION: DEVIES UNLOADS ON MARLBORO TRUSTEES WISE AND WOLF - PART V OF SCPR VIDEO INTERVIEW

In this episode of the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) series (Part V) on Marlboro Township Police Chief Ron Devies, the chief gives his account about how the accumulation of annoyances at the hands of Trustees Wise and Wolf built up from when they first took office (January, 2006) to the present day to a point that Devies says his job became stressful.

Chief Devies is currently on "paid administrative leave" pending the investigation of unspecified matters of concern that the trustees (including Shillig) say they have. But Shillig does say he doesn't understand why Devies can't be working pending the outcome of the investigation.

View Part V below:

DISCUSSION: DEVIES UNLOADS ON MARLBORO TRUSTEES WISE AND WOLF - PART II OF SCPR VIDEO INTERVIEW

In today's video on the Devies/Marlboro Township saga, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) begins a Devies interview timeline of the unfolding events which, in hindsight from the chief''s perspective, has contributed to the deteriorating relationship between Devies and township trustees Wolf and Wise.

Part II of the Devies interview follows: