IS MICHAEL MILLER OR ARE THE STARK MRDD BOARD MEMBERS THE PROBLEM?

In January, 2009 MRDD Superintendent/CEO was asked to step down at the MRDD's January 22nd board meeting.

Only four months later, Miller yielded to this critics and announced he would be retiring as of January, 2010.

But will he and the Stark MRDD board, which - according to sources - does whatever Michael says, gut Stark MRDD operations in the meantime.

Recently, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) met with persons connected with Stark MRDD operations in one fashion or another. Ironically, the meeting was only one day before Miller's resignation announcment.

The Report's sources cited chapter and verse on how Miller and staffers under his direction have pretty much gutted the services the agency is supposed to deliver to Stark's mentally and developmentally disabled.

According to these sources, MRDD's workshop centers are mainly centers for clients to sit around and do next to nothing. In the pre-Michael Miller days, these centers were beehives of productive activities. So say his critics. However, Miller is not alone in absorbing criticism. The board members are painted as being "whatever Michael says" types.

The sources expressed their amazement that board member Roger Gines (who had a history of being "in your face" vis-a-vis Miller before being appointed to the board on 12/16/2008 by Stark County commissioners), has knuckled under to Miller and is, in the view of the critics, How is it that Miller has managed to shut up Gines, they ask among themselves.

These friends of MRDD tell about how Miller is undoing many of the contracts that MRDD has had with area business to provide MRDD clients doing such things as janitorial work, restaurant work, et cetera at a certain dollar amount.

How is that Miller has done this?

Here is an example.

MRDD let's say signs an agreement with XYZ Bank to provide five MRRD clients to do janitorial work at $10.00 per worker. The worker gets $7.80 per hour and MRDD pockets $2.20.

As explained to the SCPR, in ensuing years Miller (or a staff member at his direction) hikes the hourly rate, let's say to $11.00 per worker.

Maybe the business goes along with the hike a year or so. But as MRDD continues to raise the hourly rate contract year after contract year, the business start bailing out.

The result: able MRDD clients are left with nothing to do. There is the obvious loss of income and what may be even worse, a capable client just wiling away his/her time.

Undoubtedly, Miller's detractors are elated that he is stepping. Their concern has to be whether or not there will be anything left for a new superintendent pick up with. Thse folks are convinced that Miller came to Stark County as a designated "close down MRDD" to a mere administrative apparatus. Send the clients out to "private" providers and just manage the money.

Seven months appears to be plenty of time for Miller to do his thing; assuming that those watching him are correct in their assessments.

A new superintendent may be the answer. However, the critics suspect that Miller has only been doing what the Strickland administration has been demanding. If this is the case, a new superintendent is likely to be more of the same.

The only other alternative is for the Stark County commissioners, over time, to appoint persons who will ask questions, who will scrutinize and who are willing to differ with the superintendent and assume control of a superintendent.

Of course, commissioners thought they had done this with Roger Gines.

So the moral of this story is that the commissioners have to check and recheck an potential appointee as to his/her willingness to be someone who does not walk "in-lock-step" with the superintendent and each other.

DISCUSSION: IS CEO/SUPERINTENDENT MICHEAL MILLER THE PERSON TO LEAD MRDD AFTER THE LEVY PASSES?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) believes that there is "an internal crisis of confidence" between many of the staff and the leadership at the Stark County Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Center (MRDD.)

The Report is in total support of the 1.4 mill levy that is on the ballot in May, but believes that only a change in leadership at MRDD will put the agency back on solid footing.

The Report will be doing a number of pieces on MRDD between now and the election. However, this series will be difficult because The Report so much believes in the essential work of MRDD, while questioning the leadership style of Michael Miller and, in fact, the MRDD board.

The Report has just learned that when Ron Ponder of "Points to Ponder" (WHBC - 1480 AM) a while back featured the MRDD operations, and it is obvious that an existing MRDD employee is calling in; the powers that be at MRDD listen closely to try and identify the caller.

Educators have told The Report that MRDD's Eastgate and Southgate schools are of superior quality. Moreover, Stark County Educational Service Center head Larry Morgan has gone on record as saying that it is critically important to the 17 school districts which comprise Stark County education that the levy pass. And pass, it must.

CEO/Superintendent Mike Miller is noncommittal about the future of Eastgate and Southgate except they will continue to exist in some way, shape and form. Stark County commissioners seem to think vagueness on the future of the schools is not an option. And The Report agrees.

The Report's impression is that Miller is in a world of his own making and sources tell The Report that he appears to think that he has MRDD employees and customers between the proverbial "rock and hard place" and acts accordingly.

DISCUSSION: IS IT TIME FOR A CHANGE AT THE HEAD OF MRDD?

On January 17th, the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) took its camera to the MRDD (Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities) facility at Whipple-Dale to hear CEO/Supertendent Michael Miller's pitch for the upcoming (May 5) 1.4 mill operating levy.

First, The Report makes the point that we were not favorably disposed to MRDD because of negative experiences with MRDD's administration prior to attending the January 17th public meeting.

Why?

Because The Report made a request through its public relations arm for an interview with CEO/Supintendent Michael Miller and he totally blew yours truly off.

A public official is not entitled do what Miller did.

But The Report was undeterred by Miller's snub and went to the January 17th meeting and buttonholed the superintendent after the meeting.

The Report's impression of Miller did not improve with the "up close and personal" encounter him at Whipple-Dale Center.

As you can see from the chart in the graphic that accompanies this post, Miller and MRDD's board only got religion on the need to make cuts after MRDD's financial crisis was in full bloom.

When asked about MRDD's failure to see financial problems coming, he simply hem-hawed around the question.

Another issue that Miller has unsatisfactory answer for is the fate of its Eastgate and Southgate schools. The missions of these two schools are described this way on MRDD's website (www.yesstarkmrdd.com):

Eastgate Early Childhood and Family Center provides education from birth through age five and Rebecca Stallman Southgate School educates students up to the age of 22.

The Stark County commissioners, in particular Commissioner Todd Bosley, are concerned that one or both of these schools will be closed.

When asked, Miller simply says there will be changes.

What changes?

Miller refuses to get specific.

According to The Repository, he did say at last night board meeting that "another 190 employees at the Rebecca Stallman Southgate School and Eastgate School also could be laid off."

The Report has been hearing rumblings of great dissatisfaction with Miller from within MRDD operations and is in the process of tracking down the specifics.

The Report is inclined to support the levy, but is still mulling it over. Miller is a super negative. Everything else about MRDD is a positive.

Eastgate and Southgate are of critical importance to Stark County's 17 public school districts.

Witness this exchange between Miller and a citizen asking a key question. Why can't Miller take a 20% cut? Everybody else in Stark County seems to be taking cuts or losing the jobs altogether.

Here is the video of Miller and the citizen.

DISCUSSION: MRDD Series Vol 1 - IS MRDD'S MIKE MILLER ANSWERING COMMISSIONER BOSLEY'S CONCERNS?

Back on January 17th the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) went to a "levy information" presentation at its Whipple Dale facility put on by the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD) administration.

This is the first in a series that The Report will be doing on the MRDD levy request.

Much of The Report's presentation will be video taken at the January 17th presentation so that you can hear straight from CEO/Superintendent Michael Miller.

For today, The Report - as a intro - repeats one simple question posed by the Stark County commissioners as voiced by Commissioner Todd Bosley in a article by Alliance Review reporter Laurie Hoffman.

Here is the essence of the commissioners concerns as expressed in this excerpt from The Review:

Voters should be aware, it was also noted by Commissioner Todd Bosley in an interview on Thursday, that even if the levy is approved and the entity's Southgate and Eastgate schools are kept open, they will change from what they are today. This information was given to the board of commissioners during a presentation on Feb. 4 by Mike Miller, Stark MRDD director. "We have given them (Stark MRDD) the opportunity to make their case to the voters, and I wish them success," said Bosley. "I posed a series of questions to Mike (Miller) at the Feb. 4 meeting and I was told if they are in fact kept open, the schools will change."

Bosley also questioned Miller at the same meeting as to what, specifically, would be different at the schools, but Miller said he could not give an answer at that time.

The Report's question is this. Should Stark Countians be willing to vote for an "unknown?"