She promised to talk to the SCPR on camera immediately after her selection as one of three Stark County Republican Party nominees to be submitted to the Ohio House Republican Caucus.
But - apparently knowing she couldn't handle the tough questions of The Report - she cut and ran after the meeting.
Such was indication that Christina Hagan - if she were named to the post (to succeed Todd Snitchler who vacated to become PUCO chairman) - had all the makings of being a political coward.
She was selected and one of her first acts as state representative was to vote the party line on the Ohio budget (House Bill 153) and then schedule a town hall meeting to explain her action to constituents who yet have to vote on whether or not she shall continue to represent them in the Ohio House.
This maneuver (calling a meeting "after the fact" is called "damage control." And she doesn't even have the courage to face the public on her own. The 22 year old state representative is bringing Ron Amstutz (chairman of the House finance and Appropriations Committee) with her.
Like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, Hagan is showing she has no courage - political courage - that is.
At her "after the fact" townhall meeting she has called for May 9th, she will have to explain to the 50th District public the massive cuts in local government funding that is coming to Stark County and its political subdivisions in the FY 2012-2013.
All Stark County local governments who receive state money from the Local Government Fund (LGF) will receive 50% in cuts over the next two years resulting in millions of dollars which will have to be made up with local government tax increases or dramatic reductions in services to citizens in many of the villages, cities, townships and the likes.
Moreover, Hagan is supportive of a measure that will end the Ohio Estate Tax in January, 2013 and which will result in further significant cuts in state monies received by local governments.
As if this were not enough, the Ohio Legislature's promise to local governments that the restructuring of taxation of corporations (from "tangible personal property (TPP)" and franchise to a "commercial activities (CAT) tax") would not cost them in lost local revenues from the TPP. Guess what? The state has broken it promise and with her vote on HB 153 Christina Hagan sanctions the broken promise.
And, of course, there are the schools. Here is an estimate of what the Hagan supported budget is going to cost Stark County school districts:
By the time Hagan has to stand for election, the impact of the cuts on Stark Countians will have been felt by Stark Countians and specifically that part of Stark County she represents.
Her townhall meeting at the Louisville Public Library from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on this coming Monday is very likely to be the first of a long line of "explainin" to do to district voters.
The Stark County commissioners have brought together the Stark County treasurer (Alex Zumbar), the Stark County auditor (Alan Harold) and Stark County prosecutor (John Ferrero) whereby they have formulated a plan to double the collection of delinquent real property taxes which now stands at about $40 million.
Prosecutor Ferrero has restructured his office to reassign a prosecutor from the juvenile section of the office to devote 40 hours a week to the DTAC (Delinquent Tax Assessment Collection) unit. It appears that Ferrero will endeavor to fund the reallocation of office resources from the collections themselves, however, the commissioners have promised to add up to $31,000 to Ferrero's 2011 budget (first from DTAC funds) should the need arise. Ferrero says the arrangement is only good for the rest of 2011 and that a new arrangement will have to be made for 2012 and years beyond.
However, Prosecutor Ferrero did make the point at the county officials'
meeting with commissioners at this past Tuesday's work session that
there is a limit on the number of new cases that the Stark County Court
of Common Pleas (Court) can take on efficiently in light of the
budgetary constraints and concomitantly the Court's ability - personnel
wise - to handle a volume influx of cases.
The Report did check the Court situation out and learned that the
problem would not be so much with the judges ability to handle an influx
of cases, but with the Clerk of Courts office. Clerk Reinbold has had
to make cuts due to county budget cuts (16% this year) and therefore
likely has limited ability to take on a surge of work.
Stark County is experiencing a large reduction of tax revenues to county government due the November, 2009 repeal of the commissioner (Bosley, Harmon and Vignos) imposed 0.50 sales/use tax and the decision of the commissioners not to seek a timely renewal of 0.25 sales/use tax which expires next month.
The hope with the new plan is that the county can double or better the delinquent tax collections with the restructuring.
Commissioner Janet Creighton exacted from Treasurer Zumbar a promise to report back to commissioners on a quarterly basis on the progress that county officials are making in reducing the backlog. Before the announcement of the "new" plan, Stark County was, at best, collecting enough of the tax arrears to stay at the approximate $40 million owed by Stark's delinquent taxpayers.
Watching the process is definitely in order from the standpoint of non-county recipients (township, school boards, park districts, sewer districts and the like) of these revenues inasmuch as Stark County itself receives very little of the collected revenues and therefore has little "to be incentive" for collected the past due taxes. County Treasury Zumbar tells the SCPR that a recent collection of $10 million netted only $405,000 for the Stark County general fund. So 95% of the collections go to other Stark County political subdivisions.
One has to wonder why townships, boards of education, police districts, fire districts, parks and the other affected entities do not form a coordinating body of their own to monitor the collections and even, perhaps, fund a position or two (with the prosecutor/clerk of courts) to increase the pace of collection.
While the commissioners and the county official group of Zumbar, Harold and Ferrero are the focus of stepped up efforts to reduce the property tax arrearage owed, the Stark County Political Report credits local attorney and civic activist Craig Conley for getting this ball rolling.
Recently Conley sent commissioners a letter volunteering to spearhead an operation with volunteer attorneys to make significant inroads into the $40 million due and owing. However, commissioners have not taken Conley up on his offer (although they have spoken to him) Prosecutor Ferrero says in the accompanying video to this blog that he has not heard from the commissioners on the Conley letter but that he welcomes Conley's input.
Conley's involvement with the collection process in not likely to
happen. Pressure is being brought to bear by leading Stark County
Republicans on him to run against Ferrero next year. Conley is
seriously considering the entreaty.
Notwithstanding Ferrero's video statement regarding Conley's overature, the SCPR is told by sources in a position to know that the commissioners have, in fact, talked with Ferrero about the Conley offer.
What is in dispute for The Report is not so much whether or not a Ferrero/commissioners (Conley topic) occurred. It is whether or not Ferrero said to one or more of them (this is a paraphrase:) "What? You want me to have a man come in and work in my office who is going to run against me?
Commissioner Benenabei has denied ever hearing Ferrero make such statement. (Bernabei: "I don't think I heard John Ferrero say that")
For public consumption (i.e. the video), John Ferrero is not about to say that Conley is persona non grata in the collection effort.
Who would realistically expect such.
Nonetheless, - irrespective of the political factor - the bottom line is that a strong, sustained effort must be made to collect this money. And the Stark County Political Report will be pushing the process along each step of the way!
There is an expression: "the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get," may be in full play with North Canton economic development.
For the SCPR, there is no doubt that the Held administration (Administration) and North Canton City Council (Council) are consummately committed to recovering from the severe economic blow the city was dealt when The Hoover Company closed its doors several years ago.
However, it appears to The Report that North Canton's deliberative processes on and thinking about economic development are seriously flawed.
Monday night at a session of the Committee of the Whole, it seemed to yours truly that the Held administration was giving Council the "bum's rush" in terms of revealing critically needed information so as to equip Council to make a thoughtful, thoroughly vetted decision as to whether or not it is in North Canton's interest to accept the terms proffered by the fictionalized named Omega Project.
The SCPR is told that Omega Project is none other than the locally well known SUAREZ CORPORATION (Suarez) of Jackson Township.
If the information the SCPR is accurate as The Report believes it is, this seems to be yet another case of North Canton raiding from within Stark County and calling it economic development which is a case of political spin, pure and simple!
It seems to the Stark County Political Report that one of the few persons who caught the significance of what was afoot at the Committee of the Whole meeting other than North Canton Councilmen DeOrio and Davies is Council nemesis Chuck Osborne (a former councilman).
Here is what Osborne had to say about the secretive-esque Administration presentation:
What is the owner of the Hoover District doing to entice tenants to his facility? City Leaders have no idea?
Why is it repeatedly up to the City of North Canton and taxpayers to make the concessions to bring new tenants to the Hoover District?
All lease payments will go to the owners and developers of the Hoover District. I thought this was supposed to be a partnership? Does the City of North Canton have any idea what the developer of the Hoover District is providing to entice this new tenant to locate to the Hoover District?
Apparently from the discussion, no one in the City has any specifics as to number of employees of this firm, the revenues of the company, or the income taxes that would be collected.
Why is there no financial analysis of the proposal to study and scrutinize before moving ahead with further consideration of this request? Mayor Held, who was pitching this Refundable Occupancy Tax Credit Program, apparently does not know himself, as he was grabbing figures out of thin air in an effort to explain to City Council how this Tax Credit Program would work.
Why would any intelligent body of leaders move ahead with consideration of a deal without having all the information?
Why has every request for abatement of taxes in the City of North Canton always been run through on an emergency? I feel certain that these City Leaders do not make decisions about their own household business affairs with limited or no information.
Why do City Leaders take less care when it comes to the publics [sic] business than they do their own personal business?
To their credit, Councilmen DeOrio and Davies did raise serious questions about the Omega Project presentation (see the videos of their questioning below); however, the both indicated to The Report that they would be voting next Monday to proceed notwithstanding their unanswered questions which to The Report's way of thinking is a strange approach.
So why is the Held administration so intent in rushing the Omega Project(Suarez?) through?
The Report believes it is because he wants something to crow about in tonight's State of the City message scheduled for the North Canton Civic Center at 7:00 PM.
Economic development is tough at any time. And, it is particularly difficult now because of the severe blows the U.S. economy has suffered over the last three years or so. Unemployment rates are high across the entire country. North Canton and Stark County are no exception.
Politicians of all political stripes are under enormous pressure to get their local economies going and the SCPR believes are making some really bad deals for the taxpaying public and to boot are putting the capital structure of the various government entities at risk.
North Canton inherited the Hoover complex and is desperately trying to force feed it to success. City leaders went out a lured Myers Industries away form Stark County sister-city Massillon and as part of the deal purchased a $400,000 crane for Myers. So if the Myers venture doesn't pay off, what does North Canton do with and very expensive industrial crane?
The Report's overall take on North Canton's partnership (sort of) with Maple Street Commerce LLC is that it is treading water. Not a failure. Not booming success some city officials are touting. Again, "just treading water."
Recently, it came to light to North Canton economic officials that Diebold (presently primarily located in the City of Green [Summit County] bordering Stark) was looking to relocate its facilities. Recently? Well, only if you are a North Canton economic development official.
Actually, Diebold has been scouting about for a site that will accommodate facilities akin to Diebold's competitor National Cash Register (NCR - formerly of Dayton) campus like facilities in the Atlanta, Georgia area FOR NINE (9) MONTHS.
Even though North Canton came to the game late, it seems that Diebold is interested in North Canton's Arrowhead grounds as a potential site that could rival its competitor's in Atlanta. But, alas, the North Canton councilpersons that The Report has talked to indicate they think that North Canton's economic development team is "a day late and a dollar short" and therefore are not optimistic that anything will come of the Diebold thing.
So what is one to make of North Canton's economic development effort?
For The Report: it is flawed and needs to be overhauled!
There is no question that North Canton has some terrific assets to offer (hopefully, out-of-county; if not out-of-state/country) prospective employers to come into the Dogwood City and Stark County.
Disturbingly, it does not appear to the SCPR that North Canton has a economic development team in place to enable it to parlay its capital and social assets into jobs in sufficient numbers to offset those lost in Hoover's demise.
If North Canton's officials want to turn the city around economically, they need to re-evaluate the quality of the city's economical development effort.
Here are the videos of Councilman DeOrio and Davies speaking out on the Omega Project.
Stark County Commissioner Pete Ferguson must be beside himself this morning to have to wake up to the news that Canton Democrats nominated William J. Healy, II to be the party standard bearer in the general election against Republican winner A.R. "Chip" Conde.
Healy has irreconcilable differences with the notion that anyone but he should be in charge when it comes to city/county consolidated 9-1-1, building departments, health departments and information technology departments. His "my way or the highway attitude" makes it virtually impossible that Canton can find common ground with county government and other Stark municipalities to effect efficiencies through consolidation and merger.
Healy's victory over Stark County's leading regionalist (Smuckler) will likely harden his attitude. Moreover, other contributing factors to his standing firm - if not firmer - against any consolidations include:
his blood feud with Republican Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton whom he defeated in 2007 to become mayor. Shortly after his win over her he trashed her as having left him with a mess to deal with when he took over on January 1, 2008,
his falling out with fellow Democrat and Stark County Commissioner Tom Bernabei early on in his administration when, as service director and chief of staff, Bernabei had the temerity to differ with the mayor on various matters that came up in the day-to-day administration of Canton,
Creighton's contribution to Conde ($1,100.00) in the pre-primary,
Conde having been a key member of Creighton's administration as mayor of Canton,
9-1-1 Project Manager Joe Concatto having served in the Creighton administration and also on record as a contributor to the Conde campaign,
Commissioner Ferguson's creation of a committee (headed by a key Smuckler campaign aide and former Stark County Commissioner Tom Harmon [both Democrats]) to look into the plausibility and desirability of consolidating the county and city building departments.
County Chief Administrator Mike Hanke's contribution to Bill Smuckler's campaign.
There may be other slights and differences that Healy harbors. His history is that he does take such personally. Of course, he will not admit that he is vendetta driven. But that's The Report's take on him.
Now that Smuckler is history (and likely out of politics for good now), the only hope for Cantonians and Stark Countians who want to see more cooperation along the consolidation/merger line between Canton, county government and other local government entities is for them to get behind Republican Conde.
In order for Conde to defeat Healy, it will take a coalition of the few Republicans who remain in Canton and Smuckler Democrats as well as independents. A major asset he will have in his corner is his former boss Janet Creighton. Fortunate for him, as commissioner she has a base from which to operate to influence Cantonians who admire her (which includes not only Republicans, but many Democrats and independents as well) to vote for Conde.
Undoubtedly, Commissioners Bernabei and Ferguson will be weighing in against Healy.
HEALY'S VICTORY: HOW DID HE DO IT?
Mayor William J. Healy parlayed his close relationship to Canton's predominately Afro-American wards into a sizable victory yesterday. His margins in Wards 2 & 4 were about 70% of his nearly 600 vote margin.
Throughout the campaign the SCPR was hearing that Healy's focus would be on Canton's inner city and close into the city center wards as the way to victory over challenger and Councilman-at-Large William Smuckler. Wards 2, 4 and 6 are in close proximity to one another.
Greg Hawk (a bitter opponent of the mayor) appears to have helped Smuckler run almost even with Healy in Ward 1 where Hawk was unsuccessfully challenged by a Healy ally and former Republican Bob Harper.
However, Smuckler needed a lot more than Hawk's help to pull off a win. A couple weeks ago Smuckler told the SCPR his pollster told him he had a double digit lead. Really? Smuckler was also telling The Report that he would run well in the inner city. Hmm?
To sum it up, Healy was blessed with having an uninspiring opponent who does not connect well with everyday people and, very importantly, union members who gave huge sums money for his campaign and walked the neighborhoods for him.
Healy's "worked like a charm" strategy was really pretty simple. Get winning margins in seven of Canton's nine wards and watch Smuckler try to overcome the many with one ward - the 8th.
Despite Healy's troubled tenure as mayor, the colorless Smuckler was not a guy who was going to defeat him in a Democratic primary.
DOES CONDE HAVE A CHANCE?
Of course. But it will not be easy.
He needs to start out now realizing how far behind he really is. Unless he begins today and works tirelessly from now through general election day, the possibility will become an utter impossibility.
If he proves that he has the smarts and the determination to beat the master politician Healy, not only will he have won a political campaign; he will find that these qualities stand to make in the leader that Canton so sorely needs.
As the Stark County Political Report has said from the beginning of their terms (Bernabei in November, 2010; Creighton in January, 2011), these newly elected commissioners have really picked up the pace in terms of their accessibility, their transparency and keeping the Stark County public informed.
One of the new measures that they have instituted which Stark Countians should be taking advantage of in droves is their scheduling of work sessions on Monday and Tuesday of nearly every week and sometimes they even schedule a third meeting. One such "extra" work session was held on April 22nd for Stark's Ohio General Assembly delegation (all showed up except for Christina Hagan) to hear:
about a list of "unfunded mandates" that various county officials (as presented by Stark Common Pleas Judge Tayrn Heath) want funded or eliminated,
about the desire of former Stark County Commissioner to get state authorization to impose an increase in the county's hotel and bed tax to fund a horse show arena at the Stark County Fairgrounds
about the impact that cuts in local government funding that the state of Ohio is about to exact of governments across the state will have on Stark,
about Commissioner Pete Ferguson desire that they get behind a $30 million project to Stark County to bring a veterans home to Stark County, and
about concerns on the impact (very abbreviated in scope) of Senate Bill 5 on local government operations.
The Report believes that the work sessions are more informative and substantive (in terms of the thoroughgoing discussion of the topic at hand) than the regular weekly Wednesday session at which the commissioners actually pass resolutions that effectuate county government programs, policies and projects.
Topics of the work sessions started out being put on the "regular meeting" weekly county agenda so that citizens could know in advance what was going to be discussed at a given work session. However, somewhere along the way the topics to be discussed disappeared.
While the Stark County public has not availed itself yet, in meaningful numbers, of the opportunity to come and see Stark County government in process, The Report, for one, will be hammering away at citizens to take note of the work sessions and to attend, to listen and afterwards make input to the individual commissioners as to their thoughts on particular the particular topics discussed (e.g. countywide 9-1-1 rehabilitation, the Stark County ditching program, the collection of delinquent property taxes, economic development and the like).
In lieu of the public showing up, yours truly is very likely to be at the meeting in order to do an analysis of the significance of the session to Stark Countians. But, of course, The Report urges the public to come and see for yourselves and also in showing up to encourage the commissioners to continue their work (which includes evening meetings out in the townships, villages and cities of Stark on county operations) of being accessible, transparent and informative to the Stark citizenry.
As stated above, "somewhere along the way the topics to be discussed" at the work sessions came up missing on the agenda. Today, The Report had occasion to make an issue of the "missing topics" with County Administrator Mike Hanke.
Not long ago Commissioner Creighton brought up the fact that the minutes of the regular weekly meetings were not being prepared in a timely fashion.
The Report thinks that Hanke (former managing editor of The Repository and who was heavily supported for the job of county administrator by former Commissioner Tom Harmon) has done a generally competent job as administrator under some very trying circumstances (i.e staff cuts). However, The Report believes he has fallen short in several areas:
making sure that the public has access to the happenings of the commissioners as reported in the minutes of the board of commissioners (which appears to have been corrected),
listing the topics to be discussed at the work sessions so that the public and the media knows what to expect as discussion items.
The Report believes - and communicated to Hanke face-to-face that The Repository knows full well what is going to be discussed at the unarticulated work sessions whereas the SCPR and the general public does not.
Of course, Hanke denies that his former employer has an advantage. However, The Report is skeptical that such has been the case.
It would unfortunate if the progress being made by commissioners in improving the processes of and visibility of county government for their effort to be undermined by a lack of administrative due diligence.
The Stark County Political Report has every confidence in the current Board of Stark County Commissioners that they will see to it that adjustments are made to correct the current administrative deficiency discussed in this blog.
Here is a copy of the community meetings list; which, by the way, was ably constructed and coordinated by Administrator Hanke, whereby the commissioners have been getting out into greater Stark County (and will continue to do so). Stark Countians should be attending these meetings and making their input with commissioners on the various issues that they deal with on a daily basis.
Now that Republican Congressman Jim Renacci (Ohio's 16th District) has a record to defend, it appears that the man he defeated in November, 2010 is gearing up to run against him to regain a seat in Congress.
It likely will not be exactly the same seat he held from 2008 through the end of 2009 but what difference does that make. After all, he did not live in the 16th when he decided to run for the seat in 2007. So what if the new district does not include Alliance where he lives now and is not even designated #16 due to redistricting which is to take place soon. Neither is relevant to whether or not he runs again.
What matters is: does Boccieri have a political killing issue that he can work Renacci over on like the current congressman did (remember: voted 94% with Nancy Pelosi, Cap 'n Trade, Healthcare, et cetera) when he defeated Boccieri.
Boccieri did not do all that bad in Stark County in 2010 in a bad for a Democrat election year. It was the Republican strongholds Ashland, Medina and Wayne that made Renacci a landslide winner.
It's hard to see that redistricting won't improve his chances in a re-run. Who knows maybe the 16th or whatever number it has will veer north (Summit, Portage) or east (Mahonning, Columbiana) while maintaining Renacci's hometown of Wadsworth in the eastern part of Medina County?
Over a little over four months into his term, Renacci has already saddled himself with a potentially devastating issue to defend himself against any Democrat running against him. He voted for Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan's budget bill which takes on the widely popular Medicare program. Ryan wants to end Medicare "as we know it" with a favorite Republican tactic: vouchers. Having voted for the Ryan budget plan; Rennaci now owns it. Just as Boccieri owned the bills he voted for no matter what his explanations were for voting for them in accordance with then Speaker Pelosi's wishes.
Renacci, of course, has a Pelosi problem of his own. As far as the SCPR can ascertain, he has voted 100% in accordance with the wishes of Republican Speaker John Boehner.
Bocccieri appears to beginning his rematch trek on a high note.
News broke late last night with an announcement by President Obama that American military forces had found and killed (in a firefight) Al Qaeda head Osama Bin Laden early Sunday morning in Paskistan.
At 1:34 a.m. this morning, yours truly received an e-mail from the Boccieri camp with a press release attached, to wit:
Former Congressman John Boccieri Issues Statement Regarding
Successful Military Action Resulting in Death of Osama Bin Laden
Alliance, Ohio– Tonight
President Obama announced that Osama BinLaden
was killed as a result of United States Military action in Pakistan:
“After nearly a decade of escape, Osama Bin Laden can no longer flee justice,”
Former Congressman Boccieri stated. “Brave members of the U.S. military brought
an end to this evil and dark chapter and delivered justice to the thousands of
families who lost loved ones at the hands of the Al Qaeda mastermind.
“President Barack Obama’s decision to strike at the heart of Al Qaeda and kill
its leader is a huge morale boost for the thousands of troops who’ve spent
countless deployments away from our country in his pursuit. Our prayers
remain with the families of the brave Americans who gave their life for the
completion of this mission
“While America must remain vigilant against further acts of terrorism; the
death of Osama Bin Laden clearly dismantles an organized effort to spread
terror across the globe.
“Let the completion of this mission be a warning that the United States will
not rest when our country is threatened.
Undoubtedly, this event will have an immediate impact on Obama's popularity with the American electorate and Boccieri, being a United States Air Force Reserve Officer who has flown C-130's in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq, stands to benefit politically.
That Boccieri seized on the good news so quickly should be a clear signal to the Renacci folks that Boccieri plans to regain his seat in Congress.
It appears to the SCPR that a Boccieri/Renacci rematch is clearly in the offing.
The Republican tide that swept Renacci into office will be a distant memory come November, 2012. And, being a presidential year, there will be a lot more Democrats voting.
An interesting observation on Renacci is whether he will begin to separate from the likes of Boehner and Ryan while he still has time or will he choose to remain the party loyalist?
Not to long ago the Stark County Political Report learned that what appears to be a de facto meeting of a number of North Canton City Council (Council) members and a few of Mayor David Held's administrative team meeting on a fairly regular basis at Sylvester's North End Grille.
Perhaps the participants should consider relocating in view of the goofy goings on among North Canton officials on the city's effort to lure Diebold's from its present site in Summit County (City of Green) to North Canton and, of course, Stark County.
The new site?
Mulligans Pub down on Dressler, perhaps.
Why Mulligans?
As everyone who plays golf knows, a Mulligan is a do-over on a muffed golf stroke.
From what the SCPR heard at last Monday's meeting and from a source with inside knowledge, it appears that North Canton officials need to regroup and present a united front in the city's quest to bring Diebold into North Canton.
The Report hears that several councilpersons were displeased with the Held administration on two counts:
Held's open and too detailed talk about North Canton's pursuit of the largely Summit County (City of Green) Diebold Corporation.
And that Diebold has been pursued over the last nine months by other Stark County communities as well as out-of-state pursuers (most notably, North Carolina) while North Canton's officials seemed not be be aware of Diebold's initiative to move out of its present Green facilities.
However, the Held administration is not the only blameworthy factor from North Canton government. As readers of the SCPR will see from the "press conference" that newly appointed Councilman-at-Large held at the end of his first meeting as councilman that he does not favor the North Canton held Arrowhead country club/golf course complex as a site for Diebold. Someone did not get the word to him that ought not be talking in that kind of specificity?
Moreover, Council President Jon Snyder is seen on an accompanying video to this blog talking about Mayor Held having a meeting regarding Diebold and its 1900 jobs coming to North Canton. The meeting took place earlier in the day that Snyder spoke (April 27th). President Snyder must have forgotten his role on the "united we are " front, no?
So it seems there are "do-overs" galore in order among North Canton's officials both from Council and the Held administration.
The question is whether or not North Canton is sorely missing the leadership of Daryl Revoldt (former president of Council who has been snatched up by the Kasich administration for his Department of Development. Revoldt (who along with Cerreta is said to oppose using Arrowhead for Diebold) "behind the scene" was able to whip North Canton's Council and the Held administration together to achieve the appearance of a unified front on various issues that have come up from time to time.
It is The Report belief that homogeneous communities in generally seem to have an obsession with presented a united front in their governance. We have seen the phenomenon from the Board of Education (BOE - Board) in a BOE video of February 9th of a community meeting on the Elementary Service Plan (ESP; two buildings K - 2; two 3 - 5) which the Board voted (4 to 1 last Wednesday) in favor over a K - 5 plan the latter of which (in a dissenting manner) appeared to be the choice of parents.
Board president Jordan Greenwald, in the BOE video, went to great pains to highlight his preoccupation with unanimity. So the 4 to 1 vote on the ESP had to be a huge disappointment to him. Moreover, there were about two hours of dissenting "public speaks" comments made to the Board before the vote.
Why Revoldt is missed by the principals in North Canton government has to do with his ability to cobble together "apparent" 7 to 0 votes on most matters that came before Council.
But all is not "doom and gloom" in North Canton. Mayor Held (which Snyder alluded to in his video) tells The Report that a major announcement on a new occupant for the former Hoover complex will be forthcoming this week. Also, Held tells The Report that North Canton has been selected as an "Intelligent Community" and, moreover, that the awarding entity - the Intelligent Community Forum - is relocating its national headquarters (about 20 employees, he says) to Walsh University.
Walsh, according to Held, is planning with ICF and North Canton officials to house an Institute of Intelligent Community on the Walsh campus. Held said that no North Canton tax money is in play and that the cost of the relocate (to the degree there costs that ICF is looking for others to bear) will be borne by Walsh.
The SCPR has three videos for readers to follow along with as confirmation of a number of points made in this blog and also to provide readers a glimpse of Councilman Mark Cerreta. Readers will note that Councilman Pat DeOrio broke rank with his fellows (likely to the consternation of his fellows) and voted for former Councilman Jim Replace to replace Revoldt whereas Councilman Jeff Davies who bulked at voting for Cerreta in executive session discussion was ultimately prevailed upon by his fellow councilpersons.
B.A. - Political Science
J.D.
AN INDEPENDENT MINDED POLITICAL COMMENTATOR
Until 1976 I was a Republican. Since then I have considered myself a Democrat. So after long term stints of being a Republican, then a Democrat, I have come to the political position I feel most comfortable with - being an INDEPENDENT MINDED ANALYST who demands effectiveness of our politicians - Republican, Democrat or whatever.
I have changed my political affiliation to "non-partisan" by not voting in either political party primary election.
