DISCUSSION: CANTON SAFETY DIRECTOR NESBITT - A VERY ANGRY MAN ABOUT NOT BEING SELECTED AS 9-1-1 PROJECT MANAGER?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that Canton Safety Director Tom Nesbitt (coming to Canton from Nebraska a little over a year ago) after being informed that the interviewers of the Governance Committee of the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) would not be recommending that SCOG as a whole name him as 9-1-1 Project Manager went to City Hall to vent on Mayor Healy.

Reportedly, Nesbitt complained to the Mayor, "Randy Gonzales promised me this job" (paraphrase). Moreover, Nesbitt is reported to have slammed at least one door as an expression of anger at not being selected.

The Report has further learned that the interviewing committee reached a consensus that former Creighton administration Safety Director and Chief of Staff Joseph Concatto (most recently retired) would be the the recommendation to the full SCOG.

When the interviewing crew left the Stark County 9-1-1 Center (located at the Stark County Jail), Concatto was their man.

After the Nesbitt tirade and presumably a call being made to Gonzalez, it appears that Gonzales is determined to resume his push for Nesbitt before the full SCOG at an special meeting to be called for the near future.

The Report believes that the push by Gonzales for Nesbitt is the result of an intense lobbying effort by Healy to get Nesbitt out of his adminstration.

The Report has obtained documents from the Healy administration pursuant to a records request under Ohio's Sunshine Law which show The Report that Nesbitt has an acerbic relationship with Canton Police Chief Dean L. McKimm. Presumably, the Canton police force at large supports the Chief and therefore it seems reasonable to suppose that Safety Director (and derivatively Mayor Healy) does not have command of Canton's forces. Rather, McKimm appears, from The Report's reading of the obtained documents, to routinely "thumb his nose" at the Healyites.

So what is Healy to do?

Find Nesbitt a new job so he can get someone in place who can control McKimm or successfully dump him by negotiating through the Canton Civil Service maze.

The Report has learned from a source that Stark County Democratic chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. has gotten in on the act.

Why?

Because he reportedly does not want Joseph Concatto.

But he does want Nesbiitt?

The Report is trying to make sense of this. Well, what's the problem? As far as The Report can determine both Concatto and Nesbitt are Republicans. Why would Maier care?

One possible explanation, if The Report's source on Maier's involvement is accurate is as follows: Maier is for Nesbitt because Gonzales (who The Report deems to be the de facto head of the Stark County Democratic Party) is and has been for Nesbitt.

Another possibility. It is thought by a number of Stark County political analysts (including yours truly) that Healy is bent on getting rid of Police Chief McKimm. Healy's expectation has very likely been that Nesbitt should get this done. But it hasn't happened. Healy may see his political survival and, indeed, his political future tied to whipping the Canton PD into a more effective policing unit and Healy probably sees McKimm as a barrier to this goal and therefore he needs a safety director who can handle the McKimm problem.

So where does Maier come in?

In previous blogs by The Report mention was made that Governor Strickland very much wanted to see Healy elected mayor of Canton. According to Jack DeSario (D&R Consulting), Governor Strickland prevailed on him to run the Healy campaign.

We all know that Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. is Governor Strickland's man in Stark County on the sentimental basis that Johnnie was the very first county chairman to endorse Strickland when Strickland had still political opposition within the Democratic party in his drive to be the party's nominee to be governor.

If it is important for Strickland that Healy be a successful mayor of Canton, then Maier is going to do everything within his power to help Healy weather the current political turmoil that is afflicting Canton City Hall. If Healy sees moving Nesbitt on to another job as being the solution to his problems, wouldn't Maier want to help him and thereby prove his continuing worth to Strickland in Stark County politics?

DISCUSSION: HEALY, GONZALES & HARMON "PUSHING FOR CANTON SAFETY DIRECTOR - TOM NESBITT ON 9-1-1 PROJECT MGR JOB?

While the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) believes that Canton Mayor Jamey Healy is trying to squeeze Safety Director Tom Nesbitt out as safety director, it is obvious that Randy Gonzales (the man with a powerless title - Jackson Township Fiscal Officer - but seemingly "all powerful") is pushing Nesbitt into the 9-1-1 tube.

The Report has reason to believe that Canton Mayor Healy in his singular ("you don't know this is happening to you - because I am much smarter than you") mode, "but I just want to know what Tom Nesbitt's chances are to become 9-1-1 Project Manager because I need to plan" This is a phone call The Report believes Healy made to all 9-1-1 Project Manager interviewers over the weekend.

Get it?

Healy is not directly lobbying for Nesbitt for appearances sake, but "really" he is. The Report believes there is a concerted effort on the part of Mayor Healy, Jackson Township Fiscal Officer Randy Gonzales (the de facto head of the Stark County Democratic Party) and Stark County Commissioner Tom Harmon to relocate Nesbitt to the 9-1-1 Project Manager position.

Why Healy?

Because Nesbitt humiliated him about a month ago when he let it be known that he was applying for the 9-1-1 Project Manager job. Nesbitt's application was confirmation to The Report of what was already known; all was not well within the Healy administration. What's more, Nesbitt has been unable to get Canton Police Chief Dean L. McKimm fired as The Report has reported is at the top of Healy's "to do" list.

The Report was the first Stark County media to speculate that the Healy administration was a "sinking ship."

Was The Report correct in your truly's analysis?

You be the judge?

After the Nesbitt incident, you have the Bernabei (Services Director and Chief of Staff) firing, you have the campaign contributions to Healy from figures being investigated by the FBI in what has come to be known as the "Cuyahoga County corruption; you have the campaign contributions from folks associated with 1-888-Workers'Comp (whom Healy awarded Canton's workers' compensation processing contract to - largely on his own); you have Stark Countian Jack DeSario (who has had records of his D&R Consulting subpeoned by the FBI in its Cuyahoga County investigation) and who has former connections with Gary C. Johnson who was recently given a labor negotiation contract by Healy and from whom Healy initially received $1400 in campaign contributions.

The Report is still looking into other campaign contributions that Healy received and The Report is beginning to connect more dots. Of course, the TeamHealy and Mayor Healy himself is refusing to answer the telling questions of The Report.

Stay tuned on the campaign contributions thing.

Mind you, The Report has largely stayed away from the allegations that Healy has had an "inappropriate" relationship with an area 16 year old.

If The Report is so correct, when will the "Ship Healy" finally sink?

Who knows. These things seem to take forever to resolve one way or another. Effective investigators are extremely careful to dot each and every - i - and cross each and every - t -, and doubly so when the subject of the inquiry is a powerful public figure.

Back to the 9-1-1 hiring.

Why Gonzales?

Gonzales started months ago when he was making the rounds of the villages, townships and cities of Stark County lobbying for support of a countywide 9-1-1 system. Only recently The Report learned that Tom Nesbitt was with Gonzales on many, if not all, of the stops that 9-1-1 circuit rider Gonzales made.

Why Harmon?

The Report suspects that Gonzales teamed up with County Commissioner Tom Harmon and Nesbitt several months ago and forged an agreement that if and when the money became available to take a re-worked 9-1-1 countywide, Nesbitt would be the candidate of choice.

The Report believes that Harmon is politically jealous of fellow commissioner Todd Bosley because of the many Bosley attention-getting activities as commissioner and is fomenting troubles for Bosley; unbeknown to Bosley. For appearance sakes, Harmon seems to be working harmoniously (no pun intended) with Bosley.

Does Bosley have difficulties in pressing his support for Peterson?

It is common knowledge that Bosleys man for the 9-1-1 Project Manager job is Nimishillen Township Fire Chief Rich Peterson. However, in the inter circles of 9-1-1 turf struggles, Peterson has created avowed enemies. An expression of the animosity towards Bosley and Peterson was evident in an e-mail recently published in The Report's blog of several days ago. CLICK HERE to see the blog containing the e-mail.

The Report believes that the e-mail may have come from Gonzales or one of his Stark Democratic Party loyalists.

So how will all this work out?

The Report believes that Gonzales will win the day and get Nesbitt appointed.

However, it could devolve into "a battle royal" between Gonzales and Bosley and a compromise candidate will surface.

The Stark County political scene is rich in political intrigue these days!

Only the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT brings you Stark County political developments from the bowels of political infighting.

DISCUSSION: JACKSON TWP FISCAL OFFICER RANDY GONZALES "THE QUINTESSENTIAL - BACKROOM POLITICIAN?" PUSHING FOR HEALY "OUT-OF-TOWNER" NESBITT?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) showed up at the interviews that the Governance Committee of the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) had scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at the Stark County 9-1-1 Center for candidates of the Project Manager position of the "new" Stark County 9-1-1 countywide system.

The Report learned long ago that politicians with an agenda abhor the light of day. Who was the first to object to The Report sitting in on these interviews for a "public" position. You've got it. None other than Randy Gonzales.

The conversations posed in this blog are paraphrases of the actual conversation.

Gonzales: (to The Report) You don't think your going to sit in on these interviews, do you?

THE REPORT: Yes, I do. These interviews are to fill a public position.

Gonzales: We may be asking questions the answers to which could prove embarrassing to the interviewees. The answer could cause an applicant to lose a currently held job. (this answer is actually a combination of reasons for the exclusion given by Gonzales, Stark 9-1-1 Director Tim Warsler and Massillon Fire Chief Tom Burgasser)

THE REPORT: That's part of the territory, when people apply for public jobs. If I am need access, I will be looking into whether or not there has been a violation of Ohio's Sunshine law, and if so, filing litigation for remedies provided for in law).

Gonzales: We are going to call the prosecutor's office to find out whether or not we have to let you sit in.

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The assembled interviewers asked The Report to vacate the interview room while they check with Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero's office.

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Predictably, Ferrero's people (remember John Fererro was formerly the head of the Stark County Democratic Party) (also, Ferrero is a member of SCOG at large: a conflict-in-interest?) - being part of Stark County's political network - sided with Gonzales, et al.

All of the foregoing raises the question: Why The Report thought it important to cover the interviews?

Answer: The Report believes that Randy Gonzales had a pre-interview agenda to push for Canton Safety Director Tom Nesbitt to become the selected Project Manager. He wouldn't want the public-at-large to know about the credentials of the candidates before the decision of whom to hire was a done deal. The "privacy" thing is phony-baloney. It's like an attorney who asserts the attorney-client privilege to protect the attorney; not the client.

Busto, Kerstetter and Tenan had no chance at all from the get-go because they are not politically involved and connected. The Report did talk with Mark Busto before his interview and it is clear to The Report that Busto is as qualified, if not more, on "9-1-1 credentials" as Rich Peterson (the fire chief of Nimishillen Township). But he is apolitical. Peterson, in addition to Nesbitt and Concatto, are very much politically connected.

Back to Jackson Township Fiscal Officer Gonzales (who also works for another Stark Democratic Party kingpin Phil Giavasis - Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts).

The Report has written before that Gonzales is the de facto chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party. All one has to do is go to a Democratic candidate fundraiser to see Gonzales huddled up with one or another of his political confidants.

The Report believes that all important Stark County open public positions are filtered through Gonzales more than titular party head Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

Does a party stalwart or a stalwart's relative need a public job? Check with Randy. He has the political clout in Stark County. Gonzales' own son (who ran against Scott Oelslager - the 51st - two elections ago) works for Stark County Recorder Rick Campbell. Best qualified of 300,000 plus Stark Countians for the job? Could be. But it also could be that his father is a jauggernaut Stark County politico.

The Report has not figured out why Gonzales is fronting for Nesbitt. A newcomer to Stark County, who is an out-of-towner that Mayor Healy brought into Stark to be Canton's safety director and who already wants to leave? In time, as the recently deceased Paul Harvey used to say, we will get "the rest of the story."

Had The Report been allowed into the interview, non politically connected folks like Busto, Kerstetter and Tenan would have fared much better. Because the interviewers would have known that The Report would share the credentials of the non politically connected with the Stark County community.

In the opinion of The Report, Randy Gonzales is a backroom political deal maker of the first degree. But he is not the only one in Stark County: Phil Giavasis, Kim Perez, Gary Zeigler, Janet Creighton-Weir, Jane Vignos (especially in their days as county auditor), et cetera.

The Report's objection?

These are public jobs. They are not Gonzales' or for any of the other Stark County politicos' (Democrat or Republican) to hand out.

The Report predicts that either Tom Nesbitt or Rich Peterson (sponsored by Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley) will be the choice presented to the full SCOG assembly.

Peterson is a Stark Countian who has vast experience in 9-1-1 operations (reference: CenCom of Nimishillen Township) is a no-brainer choice over Nesbitt.

The Report ends this discussion with the following question: Mark Busto with all of his experience and "time-in-grade," doesn't even get a smell?

Doesn't this whole process smell to high heavens?

DISCUSSION: MARCH 3, 2009 - MOST IMPORTANT DECISION FOR STARK'S 9-1-1 TREK TOWARD A COUNTYWIDE SYSTEM

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that over 100 applied for the newly created position of 9-1-1 Project Manager.

Today, the Stark County Council of Governments 9-1-1 Governance Committee will interview six finalists for the Project Manager position.

The person selected with have the responsibility of paring down the current 11 9-1-1 dispatch centers down to one, with - in all likelihood, a back up.

The political career of Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley could hinge on how well the reorganization of 9-1-1 goes. Democrat Bosley ran in 2006 on fixing 9-1-1 and, in the opinion of The Report, won on the issue. His opponent, Republican Richard Regula, fell completely on his political face in hem-hawing around on his failure to repair the broken system.

Bosley took political risk by convincing fellow commissioners Harmon and Vignos (now retired) to vote for a increase in the county sales/use tax part of which increase is to be used to fund the 9-1-1 rehab.

Stark County safety forces were surprised by this bold move. Though a number of village/city and township safety officials are into protecting their respective turfs, the sudden prospect of having money available put them in a spot of not being able to say no. Especially in light of the additional financial fact that the creation of a countywide system relieves most localities of dispatching expense. Money that the subdivisions need to apply to other local government functions.

Now to the candidates for Project Manager:

Mark Busto is one of two of the six candidates who has the most direct experience managing a 9-1-1 dispatch operation. He has been with the Regional Emergency Dispatch (RED) Center since 1989. Busto is a guy who has worked his way up through the ranks. This attribute has to warm the hearts of everyday Stark Countians. He is now the Executive Director of RED and has been since 2008.

Joseph Concatto wants to come out of retirement to be 9-1-1 Project Manager. Up until Republican Janet Creighton-Weir was defeated by Democrat William J. Healy, II in November, 2007. Concatto served the Creighton administration as service director, safety director and chief of staff. Pre-political involvent, Concatto was Fire Chief of Canton. Moveover, he had been a member of the Canton Fire Department since 1969. His relevant experience to the 9-1-1 Project Manager position is centered in his management responsibilities. He did oversee the construction of a fire station in Canton. And he oversaw the move of Canton's dispatch center from city hall to 30th Street.

Tim Kerstetter comes out of private enterprise. His current employer is Diebold (since 1995) where he is Director of Corporate-wide Safety Wellness operations. At Diebold he has managed large operations. For Stark Countians who are interested in a "fresh face," Kerstetter might be an attractive alternative.

Tom Nesbitt is an interesting candidate. Most of us Stark County political observers fell off our collective chairs when we found out Nesbitt (Safety Director for Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II) was applying for the 9-1-1 Project Manager position. His move was the first "public" sign that all is not well with the Healy administration. Again, here we have a candidate who has generalized management experience. Nesbitt came here from Nebraska where he spent years with the Nebraska Highway Patrol working in and managing Nebraska's statewide communications system.

Rich Peterson of Nimishillen Township Fire Department (NFD & CenCom Dispatch) is almost a mirror image of Mark Busto. Peterson is also Service Manager at Kempthorn Motors. He has been with the NFD since 1984 and the head of CenCom 9-1-1 Dispatch which is located at a newly constructed fire station in Nimishillen Township.

Richard Tenan has a curious history. His current employment is with communications consulting company GeoCom. GeoCom was hired by the Stark County Council of Governments to do a study of Stark County's 9-1-1 system of eleven dispatch centers. So Tenan wants the opportunity to fix a system he had a hand in critiquing. He has management experience in setting up and operating 800 megahertz communications systems which is the system that Stark's 9-1-1 wlll use.

DISCUSSION: YOU BE THE JUDGE, IS HEALY SETTING UP TO FIRE CHIEF POLICE MCKIMM?

Some time ago the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) wrote that Mayor William J. Healy, II attempted to fire Canton Police Chief Dean L. McKimm (CLICK HERE TO SEE PRIOR REPORTS).

Of course, all Cantonians have gotten is denial, after denial after denial.

Denials seem to "the coin of the realm" in the Healy administration these days.

The Report has known from the day yours truly first laid eyes on Healy that - to say the least - he is a "self-assured" person; some say "cocky;" while The Report (as has written before this piece) says he is arrogant.

The Report has come to an additional assessment of Healy based on his response on governing issues on the table regarding Canton government. To say the least, he is disingenuous. The Report believes that he is unbelieveable on most of the critical matters that are swirling around Stark County about Mayor Healy and his conduct in office.

But readers of The Report should be equipped to make their own assessments.

In that spirit, The Report endeavors to provide readers with documents generated by the Healy administration itself, to assist in the assessment task.

Doesn't the letter printed in the accompanying graphic give credibility the thinking that Healy is building a record on which to fire McKimm through the Canton Civil Service personnel process?

DISCUSSION: WILL HEALY'S ARROGANCE DO HIM IN?

It is never a pretty sight, but there are unending examples, in the political history of America, of "political arrogance" that end up doing a politician in.

Are Stark Countians about to witness a local example?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has been a political observer of Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II for a number of years.

The Report has had an inkling from the beginning of his political questing in Canton that Healy has a haughty tinge to him. He may now be into full-blown arrogance.

On what basis?

1. Born and schooled in Canton (also Kent State/associate degree) he expatriated from Canton to New Jersey (bachelor degree from Rowan) and then to New York to attend "the Stern School of Business." (Remember "the Stern School of Business" - it's his main claim to fame, before, of course, he became mayor of Canton)

His first time out on the political hustings was to contest the right to be the Democratic mayoralty candidate (he lost narrowly to long term Democrat Bill Smuckler in the primary) against Republican Janet Weir-Creighton.

2. Healy: A man who had never run for anything in Canton or Stark County (remember he had relocated to New York) prior to the mayoralty foray. Apparently, he felt compelled (in the motivational sense) and perhaps entitled to run for mayor of Canton (2003) because his father was a long time state representative for Canton who lost a mayoralty contest to Republican Richard Watkins in 1999.

3. Having lost to Smuckler, Healy decided to take on sitting Democratic state representative Mary Cirelli in the Democratic primary (2004). Healy won.

4. Ineffective in the Ohio House (he probably would say because the Democrats were in the minority - but he was never a major player in the Democratic caucus) he decided to run for mayor again in 2008.

When you have been prepared at the "Stern School of Business," aren't you just wasting your time and talents being 1 of 99?

5. In 2007, he defeats Creighton.

Wow! Canton had not had a Democrat mayor since Sam Purses (1991).

6. After Healy defeated Creighton and took office, he was quick to bash Creighton for leaving Canton in a huge mess.

One has to wonder. Was he setting himself up to be the Sir Galahad of Canton?

7. His campaign name: "Team Healy."

Oh yes, a real team player this Healy. He came out of nowhere to run against two established city of Canton Democrats in Democratic primaries (Smuckler & Cirelli). Moreover, this Democratic team player probably has a much worse relationship with the 100% Democratic council than did Republican Creighton.

8. During all his campaigns Healy had difficulty attracting energized organized labor support, even though he is a Democrat.

From The Report's perspective, Healy - ever the suit, white shirt and tie guy, just didn't seem to fit with workaday folks. Moreover, he took positions on issues important to organized labor that union leadership didn't cotton to.

And he just loved to repeat ad nauseum his business credentials and his masters degree from where? You guessed it. New York University's Stern School of Business.

9. There is a highly officious side to Healy. Remember officiousness is the first cousin of arrogance.

An example of his officiousness: He is known to take people aside and tell them how to dress. Of course, from a man who is the most impeccably groomed and dressed man in Stark County except maybe for Jimmy Babcock.

10. We all know his penchant for firing.

Perhaps, there is a lot of George Steinbrenner (New York Yankee owner - did I say New York) in Healy. When a person is perfection personified in his own mind, it is hard to brook the "merely" near perfect, let's say for example, former Yankee manager Joe Torre and, closer to home, former service director and chief-of-staff Tom Bernabei.

11. Ah, the anonymous letters; the Healy request for an FBI investigation.

The Report has this gnawing feeling that the Healy FBI move was a gambit devised by a person well taken with his own intelligence.

12. There is a report in The Rep today that indicates:

• Healy will be less of a give-and-take mayor in his relationship with council.
• Healy has an marked inability to work with those who disagree with him.
• Healy cannot work with strong administrators; he fires them or they look to leave.
• He apparently does not trust his own law department to do labor negotiations.
  

13. Council president Allen Schulman sums it up best in saying that Healy is not a strong mayor BUT The Report add he desperately wants to be and in a twisted, gnarled, arrogane, out-of-touch was has and says he is going to refortify playing the "bull-in-the-china-shop."

We all what a bull leaves behind in the china shop. Wreckage, that's what. Apparently, that will be the consequence to Canton as Healy embarks on his quest to be a stronger mayor.

Kind of like: "Pride goeth before a fall."

DISCUSSION: WHAT GIVES AT THE REP? SCPR SOURCE CONFIRMS HEALY ATTEMPT TO FIRE MCKIMM!

Executive editor Jeff Gauger in his blog - sort of - dealt with the alleged (not doable) attempted firing of Canton Police Chief Dean McKimm.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has a triple take on the Gauger blog.

First, he tries to discredit that the event ever took place because it is "chatter" on the blogs including his own.

Second, Gauger tries to discredit that the event ever took place by taking the position that everybody who is aware of the history of Canton politics know about former Mayor Janet Creigton's attempt to discipline Chief McKimm for not following her directive.

Third, Gauger cites the following responses:

Trouble is, we haven’t found proof to support the rumor suggesting that the mayor tried to fire the police chief. Rep Reporter Ed Balint has talked to the people involved — or, more accurately, to those who would have been involved. They deny it.

Here’s McKimm: No one talked to me about firing me. Not the mayor. Not Tom Nesbitt, the mayor’s public safety director and, on paper, the chief’s boss. Not anyone speaking for the mayor.

Here’s Nesbitt, and I quote him directly: “Absolutely nonsense” and “total malarkey.” Nesbitt even told us that after hearing the rumor himself he called McKimm to assure the chief that there was no plan to try to fire him. “I wanted to make (McKimm) comfortable,” Nesbitt said.

Here’s Joe Martuccio, the independent city law director: Neither Healy nor anyone speaking for the mayor sought my advice this week about firing McKimm.

And here’s City Councilman Bill Smuckler, a former candidate for mayor and a frequent, out-spoken critic of our current hizzoner: the chatter is a bunch of bunk.

Because of the foregoing The Report went back to the source of the story in the first place. The question. "Are you sure that Healy tried to fire McKimm,"

Answer: "Yes." Then the source went on to detail (in a persuasive fashion to The Report) the basis of the certainty.

So this is a very interesting stand off.

On one side: An impressive list of people who say an attempted firing (remembering, of course, the mayor cannot, only the Canton Civil Service Commission after due process of law) never occurred.

On the other: The Report's source. The Report will be quick to retract its story should it become apparent that the source was in error.

As of now, The Report has no reason to doubt the source notwithstanding the denials (including Law Director Joe Martuccio - whom The Report has the highest respect for).

Public official denials are nothing new to sophisticated observers of political processes. These folks are known to parse the dotting of the "i" and crossing of the "t" in the quest to construct a plausible or nuanced denial.

DISCUSSION: IF NESBITT DOESN'T GET 9-1-1 PROJECT MGR POST (SCPR SAYS: "NOT LIKELY," WILL HEALY KEEP HIM AS SAFETY DIRECTOR?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) does not believe that Canton Safety Director Thomas Nesbitt will be selected from among 10 finalists to be Stark County 9-1-1 project manager.

The Report further believes that Nesbitt making the final 10 list was along the lines of a "professional courtesy" rather than a real interest in hiring Nesbitt.

For its part, The Report believes that there has to be someone among the 10 who is far more familiar with Stark County and all its political subdivision "nooks and crannies" (i.e. the unincorporated areas of the county such as Uniontown, villages, cities and townships) than Nesbitt could possibly be (he's only been in the county a little over a year).

Additionally, there has to be an experienced, knowledgeable and respected Stark County-based 9-1-1 person who is in tune with the particularities of the geographics of the county that the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) 9-1-1 Governing Committee can, and in the opinion of The Report, should hire.

If The Report is correct and Nesbitt is not a "real" candidate for the 9-1-1 post, an interest question remains.

Will Mayor Healy want to keep him on as safety director?

The Report has been told by an area law enforcement official that Nesbitt would not last the week. Well, it appears (of course, the day is not over yet) that the official's assessment may not be correct.

The official's assessment is not necessarily that Healy is itching to fire Nesbitt. It could be that Nesbitt is looking to leave on his own. Evidence that it is the latter rather than the former is in Nesbitt's applying for the 9-1-1 project manager's job in the first place.

Many Stark County political observers were stunned by Nesbitt's move. His action was a tip off as well as a confirmation (i.e. based on other developments) to those of us that have some understanding of politics that all was not well within the Healy administration. Of course, the unfolding of events has made it clear to one and all that these are, indeed, troubled times for the Healy administration.

The Report believes that we will not know for sure what Nesbitt's standing is with the Healy administration until the 9-1-1 project manager hiring is done. Obviously, if The Report is wrong and he does get the job, then the "standing matter" becomes a moot issue.

However, if he does not get the job; then we will know more.

SCPR BULLETIN: WKYC - CLEVELAND - SCOOPES THE REP ON HEALY STORY

A story on the WKYC-TV (CHANNEL 3) website describes the breaking Canton Mayor William Healy story thusly:

Mayor William Healy asked the FBI to investigate a series of anonymous letters sent to his office and to family members that included implications the first-term city leader had crossed the line with a female.

As the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) mused in our earlier post, it is hard to imagine the mayor's political survival if the allegation proves - as an outcome of investigation - to have substance.

Even though the story was first published by Channel 3, Stark County readers are likely to get much more substance by reading The Repository print edition or online.

What will be particularly interesting is whether or not the Safety Director Nesbitt's desire to exit the administration and Service Director/Chief-of-Staff Benabei's forced exit have anything to do with reactions they may have had on first getting wind of this hubbub surrounding the mayor on this matter.

SCPR BULLETIN: CHECK FREQUENTLY WITH THE "THE REP" ONLINE, MAJOR STORY INVOLVING MAYOR HEALY ABOUT TO BREAK!

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that The Repository is about to break a major story about Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II.

Well, you say we have already had a major story: the sacking of Service Director and Chief-of-Staff Thomas Bernabei.

True enough.

Nevertheless, The Report has learned from a highly reliable source that an even bigger story is about to break. The Report has no precise timeline, but cannot imagine that the cap will stay on this bottle very long.

The Report know something was terribly wrong within the Healy administration when Safety Director Nesbitt applied for the 9-1-1 leadership position.

Today - which has to go down as BLACK MONDAY for the city of Canton - we get another bombshell with the Bernabei firing. The Report speculates that Bernabei may have given the mayor an some very direct advice about staying in office - and - the consequence: "you're fired."

From what The Report knows of about the story about to hit the front page of The Rep, it is hard to imagine that Healy can withstand political pressure to resign if the allegation he is dealing with is shown to have any substance.

Advice from The Report, check frequently with: