DISCUSSION: MARLBORO TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES WISE & WOLF REFUSE MEDIATION OFFER BY BOARD PRESIDENT SHILLIG

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) take on last night's Marlboro Township Board of Trustees meeting is that it was a complete bust.

Wise and Wolf are as intransigent as ever refusing Wayne Shillig's offer to mediate - preferably with the chief back on the job. Shillig moved to reinstate the Chief but could not get a second. Then he moved to go into executive session with the chief. Again, he could not get a second. (see the accompanying video to witness this process first hand)

Pictured above are most if not all of those who spoke up at the meeting. The Report estimates that there was upwards of 100 people present.

Police Chief Devies had what he thought was a couple of major revelations. First, he shared that the Stark County Crime Lab examination of the Township's computers did not produce whatever the trustees were looking for.

What were the trustees looking for?

Whether or not Chief Devies' son Kyle had been on the Township computer network after being fired by the trustees. In the video below, you will see and hear Kyle take the trustees to task on this issue.

If this were the only thing that the trustees were having investigated, then the failure of the crime lab (according to Chief Devies) to find anything would seem to end this matter.

But it is apparent to The Report that the trustees had Chief Deputy Rick Perez (Stark County Sheriff's office) looking into other things concerning the chief. What they are is anybody's guess including that of Chief Devies. This really is taking on the look of a "fishing expedition."

The Report gets the impression that Wise and Wolf are so fully invested in finding something on the Chief that they are prepared to stay on board the quest even if it ultimately means going down on a sinking ship.

Second on Devies' revelation list was his certainty that Perez had not yet gotten his report to Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero. The Report believes the Chief's information was dated. Trustee Wolf's information that the report had been forwarded was Monday information whereas Devies' was Friday information.

How long will Ferrero be sifting through the report?

Nobody seems to know as predictably Ferrero would not commit to a timetable to any of the folks he has talked to.

However, Devies did tell the assembled crowd that his attorney (Jeff Jakimedes of Alliance) made it clear to Ferrero that if there is to be a grand jury phase of this investigation; that he would aggressively defend himself in that forum.

What follows in a video of that portion of the meeting that The Report deems to capture the essential core of the meeting.

DISCUSSION: DEVIES UNLOADS ON MARLBORO TRUSTEES WISE AND WOLF - PART V OF SCPR VIDEO INTERVIEW

In this episode of the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) series (Part V) on Marlboro Township Police Chief Ron Devies, the chief gives his account about how the accumulation of annoyances at the hands of Trustees Wise and Wolf built up from when they first took office (January, 2006) to the present day to a point that Devies says his job became stressful.

Chief Devies is currently on "paid administrative leave" pending the investigation of unspecified matters of concern that the trustees (including Shillig) say they have. But Shillig does say he doesn't understand why Devies can't be working pending the outcome of the investigation.

View Part V below:

DISCUSSION: IS THE MARLBORO TOWNSHIP FUSS OVER THE POLICE CHIEF A DISAGREEMENT OVER TIME WORKED?

A source has told The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) that "the bone of contention" between - at least two of the trustees (Wise and Wolf) and the well respected Marlboro Township police chief Ronald Devies, may be whether or not Devies actually worked hours reported.

We do know that whatever the reason for township trustee scrutiny of Chief Devies involves a computer. And what are computers used for? In large part to keep records. Is this the tie-in between what The Report's source is saying what the Stark County sheriff is investigating at the request of (all?) the trustees?

Perhaps more will come out tonight as Trustees Shillig, Wise and Wolf conduct a regularly scheduled township meeting. A large number of Marlboro citizens are expected to attend.

In addition to the possible reason why Chief Devies was put on paid administrative leave several weeks ago by "all" the trustees, The Report has learned that a huge rift has developed between Trustee Shillig and Trustees Wise and Wolf.

It seems that Wise and Wolf have not taken it well that Shillig was united with them as to whether or not to put Devies on administrative leave in the first place; only now to be put in a position where Shillig appears to be distancing himself from them.

The Report draws on the mostly political saying "I don't have a dog in this fight" to describe Shillig's apparent current position in graphic form.

If the trustees' are proven to have "egg on their faces" at the end of the investigation, the The Report believes Marlboro Township could be looking to change the make up of the Board of Trustees.

Could Shillig's backing off the initial unity stand with Wise and Wolf be an act of political preservation?