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: 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: 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: TODAY AT CANTON CITY HALL - HEALY TRIES TO FIRE POLICE CHIEF MCKIMM?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that the beleaguered and besieged Mayor William J. Healy, II of Canton tried to fire Canton Chief of Police Dean L. McKimm today.

Canton Law Director Joseph Martuccio stepped in and stopped the firing.

It appears that Mayor Healy is coming unglued.

The Repository today reported that the mayor issued a directive to city workers not to talk to recently fired service director and chief of staff Tom Bernabei. Why would he need to do that. Probably because Healy put Bernabei in a position in which city workers saw Bernabei functioning as the mayor.

Further evidence that the mayor may not see himself as being in control.

The Report also has an observation of a city hall observer that Safety Director Tom Nesbitt may not last the week.

What news will be coming out of city hall tomorrow?