PLAN? THAT IS SO UN-STARK COUNTY-ISH. WHAT WILL NORTH CANTON'S MASTER PLAN PRODUCE? IS IT WORTHY OF EMULATION?

The SCPR gets really, really excited when anything in a Stark County government unit for "planning" comes out.

This week is a very big week for North Canton and its Chamber of Commerce inspired and led "Master Plan."  The final of three public meetings is set for Wedneday at 6:30 p.m. at Barette Center on the campus of Walsh University.

In the works for some time, the steering committee composed of:

• Chair: Bill Strohmenger, North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce
• Michael Grimes, City of North Canton
• Eric Bowles, City of North Canton
• Mark Cerreta, City of North Canton
• Doug Lane, North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce
• Steve Anderson – Finney’s Inc.
• Jeff Barber – Architect
• Rod Covey – Covey-Odell Advertising
• Dan DeHoff – DeHoff Realtors
• Sandi Lang – North Canton Public Library
• Randy Smith – Westfield Bank
• Dan Suvak – Walsh University
• Dan Tullius – Tullius Art and Design

has put together a series of community meetings (July 21st, September 20th and this coming Wednesday) designed to get citizen participation in a three-pronged approach:

1. Understanding the city’s problems, priorities, and goals
2. Identifying alternative solutions to address these  problems, priorities and goals
3. Develop a plan that has widespread community support

It used to be in the heyday of The Hoover Company (Hoover) that North Canton had no problems to speak of and was flush in money to boot.

However, that has changed dramatically with the demise of Hoover.

One had to know North Canton was heading downhill when North Canton City Council went along with the then Mayor Tom Rice's plan to buy Arrowhead Country Club with its Fairways golf course.

Perhaps, the idea of getting into master planning is an example of learning from one's mistakes (i.e. purchasing Arrowhead).

Over the last decade or so everything in North Canton government has more or less been "hit and miss" but largely miss.  However, the work being done on the former Hoover complex to turn it into an economic development oasis appears to be well on its way towards being a hit.  Time will tell.

So the news of a Master Plan is good news for North Canton and the meeting Wednesday should be "standing room only" - if - North Cantonians care anything about the future of their city.

Beyond that, Stark County's other major cities (Alliance, Canton and Massillon) should take a close look at what the North Canton Chamber of Commerce is doing with the master planning.

Massillon Mayor-elect Kathy Catazaro-Perry in particular should be keenly interested in the North Canton approach.

A SCPR "hats off!" to the North Canton Chamber of Commerce for being visionary.

To Stark's other cities, the SCPR says "go and do likewise!"

SCPR "ELECTION 2009 SERIES" (VOL 7): NORTH CANTON CANDIDATES TO BE ON INTERNET TV . VOTERS CAN KNOW WHO THEY ARE VOTING FOR AND WHY.

Yesterday, the SCPR scolded "most" of the candidates running for office.

Unbelievably, candidates in all but a hand full of Stark Communities are not taking advantage of forums (the SCPR and The Rep) to let voters in their community know where they stand on issues/policies and programs in the respective areas.

Why are they hiding?

Are they running just to run?

Well, the SCPR well known for incisively analyzing elected Stark County officials will be working hard to smoke the candidates out so that you and I know who we are voting for and what they stand for.

Other Stark County organizations are hard at work getting candidates in forums in which they reveal to voters their positions on the public questions in their villages, cities and townships.

One such effort is a collaboration between the North Canton Chamber of Commerce and the North Canton Schools.

Yesterday, the SCPR got an email from Doug Lane.  Doug is president of the North Canton Chamber of Commerce, to wit:

Martin,

While involvment in the forum you profiled in today's SCPR may be sparse,I want to commend the candidates for North Canton City Council, School Board and Mayor for participating in NCVotes.

NCVotes is a collaborative voter education project of the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce and North Canton City Schools.

All but one candidate sat down for a ten-minute interview with Jack Baker and Dottie McGrew.

The interviews will be available next week as podcasts on the Chamber website and the NCCS TV11 website. They will also be shown, grouped by office sought, on the TV11 cable channel.

This will allow voters 24/7 access to the candidate's views and the chance to supplement their more traditional sources of votereducation. The Hoover students, under the leadership of Tom Wilson, provided the techincal (sic) expertise.

Doug Lane

President

The Stark County Political Report applauds the North Canton Chamber and the North Canton City Schools for affording this opportunity for North Canton voters to better know their voting options.

Candidates, get out there to every available forum.

Voters have the right to know what your views are and why you are running for elective office.