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: 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?"