(VIDEOS) IN EFFECT, HEALY ADMITS THAT HIS ADMINISTRATION HAS LOST CONTROL OF CANTON'S CRIME PROBLEM? CALLS IN FEDS & ATTY GENERAL DEWINE TO HELP FIX PROBLEM.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT SCHULMAN BLASTS DEWINE FOR EXCLUDING PRESS

VIDEOS

HEALY ON DEWINE VISIT
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SHULMAN ON DEWINE BARRING OF PRESS  
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HEALY "PUBLICLY" THANKS PRICE FOR SERVICE 
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It was an interesting night to say the least at Canton City Council's (Council) regular September 9, 2013 meeting.

At the very beginning of the meeting, Council president Allen Schulman recognized Mayor William J. Healy, II in a rather unusual move in terms of the usual order of a Council meeting.

The gist of Healy's comments were that a recent series of murders in Canton prompted him to contact federal and state of Ohio law enforcement officials to come to Canton to assist local officials in getting Canton's crime problem under control.

The feds say that they might come.  Ohio attorney general Michael DeWine was here yesterday to meet with Healy and a number of Canton/Stark County law enforcement types.

However, the typically "I never met a press release telling the public 'how great I am'" DeWine insisted that local media be excluded from the meeting.

 Well, Allen Schulman was upset, to say the least.



One has to wonder where Mayor Healy "really" was on the matter.

The SCPR has to believe that the mayor was all too happy to accommodate DeWine (by being "the good host") on his allowing DeWine to proceed without any public accountability as to what was discussed.

Schulman says there was absolutely nothing discussed in the meeting that was sensitive in terms of getting a grip on Canton's pervasive crime problem that the public should not have been privy to.

Undoubtedly, the Council president is right on the money.

However, there is the matter is the "airing of Canton's dirty laundry" in public and The Report is guessing that perhaps DeWine, being the politician he is and being up for reelection next year, wanted to spare the mayor the embarrassment of the press picking up on the magnitude of Canton's crime problem.

If that is the case, DeWine needs to get more familiar with Canton and Stark County.

Cantonians and Stark Countians are well aware of "how 'out-of-control' Canton's crime problem is."

And there is nothing that was said at yesterday's secret confab which would startle locals.

As if Healy did not have enough problems yesterday, his fire chief, Stephen Rich, showed up "in force" with his top fire department lieutenants and in the Public Speaks forum of Council painted an alarming picture of the how the Healy administration has let the fire and EMS personnel strength level atrophy to highly dangerous levels.

Reading between Rich's lines, were Canton to experience a conflagration or disaster necessitating resort to maximum EMS capability; the city is in "no way, shape or form" prepared to cope with either.

The mayor's answer?

Blame the state of Ohio and its draconian of local government funding beginning in 2011.

A further question.

Is the mayor's answer washing with the Canton public?

Perhaps not.

And maybe it is dawning on the mayor that with the Democratic primary being only 21 months away (May, 2015) and with the near certainty that there will be a formidable "Democratic" candidate to oppose him; time may be running out on efforts to get Canton's crime problem under control.

Yours truly, knowing how the mayor's "political" mind works, is confident that he is already focused on May, 2015 and "who to blame" as local media's headlines blare out the almost daily recounting of the reality that Canton is one of the least safe cities in all of America.

Earlier on in his tenure as mayor, Healy had high hopes of moving on from Canton to "bigger and better things."  Running for a statewide job (e.g. treasurer) or, perhaps, with the reelection of fellow Democrat Barack Obama, a Washington job.

But his administration of Canton (i.e. in addition to the crime problem; no significant economic development) has not been distinguishing for him.  Moreover, with the "constant revolving door" of leadership change, seemingly, any official who shows any backbone get pushed out the door.

Generally, in public, Healy says laudatory things about a given public official who leaves.



But privately, he has been prone to trashing them.

One may have to look to further than the departure of Warren Price. 

On August 29th, the Healy administration threw "a going away party" for Price.  But only one problem.  Warren Price did not show up at the party given to him.

The SCPR has heard two versions of what prompted Price not showing up.

One is that Healy had a discussion with one of Price's very closest of friends (unbeknownst to Healy) in which he said some pretty vile things about his former service director, chief-of-staff, annexation director and safety director.

A second account is that the night before (the 28th) the party, Healy and Price had had a heated confrontation.

And you know what, maybe both are on the mark.

So what is to be taken out of all the machinations coming out of the Healy administration?

Increasingly, it is becoming apparent to the SCPR that this administration should be known as being "the revolving door" administration.

STAGE IS SET FOR CONLEY'S "LAST BITE AT THE APPLE?"

It has been since early this year that local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley has been pursuing Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge Frank Forchione on Forchione's order requiring a defendant convicted upon his guilty plea to pay $5,000 (rather than to the Stark County treasury for the benefit of the county general fund:  as required by law) to a charity.

The SCPR does examine Conley's motives for pursuing Forchione (in the linked prior blog above) inasmuch as the two have a legal history that predates the case dealt with in the link.

But beyond that question, one would think that when Forchione retrieved the money and the Stark County clerk of courts Nancy Reinbold forwarded the $5,000 to Stark County treasurer Alex Zumbar for deposit in Stark County's general fund that such would be the end of the matter.

Well to think that of Craig T. Conley is not to know Craig T. Conley.

Conley tells the SCPR that even if he did have a revenge motive (which he denies that he has) against Forchione, it is irrelevant.

The triumphant issue, he says, is pure and simple a question of the "rule of law."

The Stark County Political Report's detailed familiarity on Conley and his unmatched Stark County civic activism only goes back to December, 2008 and his picking up on (in early 2009) on the action of the-then Stark County commissioners Democrats Todd Bosley, Tom Harmon and Republican Jane Vignos and their "imposing" a one-half percent (0.5%) sales tax on Stark Countians ostensibly for the purpose of fixing what was said at the time to be Stark County's broken 9-1-1 emergency call receiving and dispatch operations.

It made no difference at all that the "imposed" tax "seems - on the face of it" to have been made for a worthy project.

As it turned out, Conley et al learned during the campaign that not only was money (0.25%) of the "imposed" tax for fixing 9-1-1; the remaining 0.25% was destined for the county general fund.  However, county officials were talking very little if at all about the general fund aspect of the tax increase.

For Conley-then and Conley-now (Forchione), there is a proper way to do things.

While it certainly was within the legal rights for Bosley, Harmon and Vignos to have "imposed" the sales tax, their action was subject to review by the citizens of Stark County and Conley stepped forward and became the "brains of the operation" and successfully, in November, 2009, pulled off an overwhelming election victory over Bosley and friends including most Stark County office holders who undoubtedly were in favor of retaining the tax revenue.

An ironic twist to Conley-then and Conley-now is that Conley-then's action had the effect of denying (long-term) monies to the county general fund from the "imposed tax," however, in Forchione his action benefited the county general fund.

The point being?

It is not a question of the substantive merit or demerit of the cause, but a question of imperiality, and, in the case of Forchione, a question of the lawfulness of what he did.

Besides the 2009 sales tax issue and the Forchione matter, Craig T. Conley has been annoying - to say the least - various Stark County sited officials regularly (e.g. Zeigler, Kim Perez, Randy, Gonazalez, John Ferrero, Tim Swanson, and Joe Martuccio, to name some - not all- of them) since the SCPR has focused on his civic/political activity.

The latest thing that Conley is into is his representing a now Columbus-based (former Stark Countian) by the name of Louis Demis in Demis' quest to have criminal charges (a fourth degree felony - theft in office) on his affidavit alleging that in diverting the $5,000 away from the Stark County treasury initially, Judge Forchione committed criminal offense alleged.

On April 23rd of this year, visiting judge Michael McNulty found the Demis affidavit to be "unfounded" as a matter of law.

There couldn't have been a happier man in all of Stark County when Craig Conley learned "yes" his client Louis Demis wanted to appeal the McNulty decision.

And file an appeal Conley did on behalf of client Demis on May 15, 2013.

Since then the respective counsel (Akron prosecutor Craig Morgan for the state of Ohio) and, of course, Conley for Demis have been trading legal briefs.

And so now the stage is set for Conley to show once again how determined and tenacious he is for any cause, any client.

Conley, in the view of the SCPR, sets out smartly the issues in the case set to be decided by the 5th District Court of Appeals (which primarily sits in Canton - the court is located in the Stark County Office Building), to wit:

As anyone who is familiar with "probable cause," the threshold for meeting that standard is rather low.

Of course, conviction is rather another matter which we all know is "beyond a reasonable doubt."

Even if Conley on behalf of Demis were to compel - through legal process (i.e. a successful appeal) , a successful prosecution of Judge Forchione, The Report thinks, is rather unlikely.

And The Report believes that conviction is not the "real" motivation driving Conley himself.

Yours truly thinks that Conley's determination and tenaciousness is borne of this commitment to the "rule of law" and that nobody, no matter what their station in life is, should not be amenable to legal processes.

Even those who disagree with Conley as to the merits of the question as to whether or not Judge Frank Forchione should be charged per the Demis affidavit should be impressed with his commitment to the "rule of law."

And to his determination and tenaciousness!

FOR STARK CO. SCHOOLS, IT IS "GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS" ON STATE FUNDING FRONT

Information just became available for Ohio schools as to what they can expect in state funding for School Year 2013/2014.

Stark County schools seemed to have faired pretty well.  That's the good news.

A SCPR examination of state data files show that overall Stark gains 13.67 million over the 2012-2013 school funding for the 2013-2014 school year.

Stark's urban school districts fared best.

Canton City gets $3.97 million more, Plain - $1.46, Alliance - $1.46, Massillon $1.06 to complete the million dollars or more "collection of urban districts."

Stark's wealthiest school district, Jackson, on a relative scale of size of student population served compared to other Stark County districts, did the poorest of all districts (even those that netted revenue losses from 2012/13 to 2013/14) in its 2013/2014 allocation of state funding.  At $299,797, Jackson, comes in fifth lowest among Stark's 17 districts in terms of increased/decreased funding from the state capitol.

Only Tuslaw, Northwest, Osnaburg and Louisville did worse than Jackson and, of course, they are much, much smaller than Jackson.

So all-in-all Stark Countians, it seems to the SCPR, should be applauding the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly.  Especially, the Republicans.

It is somewhat amazing that they have protected Stark's school districts while at the same time participating in a virtual dismantling of local government funding out of state revenues.

Their failure to protect Stark village, city and township government funding has many of Stark's local government entities desperately seeking support from their local taxpayer base.

In all, there of 15 local government requests for local funding between new, replacement and renewal levies.

In addition to severely cutting local government funding (e.g. Ohio's Local Government Fund; eliminating the Ohio Estate Tax, personal property tax and utility tax [all of which went at least in part to fund local governments], they [the Republicans in the GOP controlled Legislature] made it more difficult to pass "new" revenue [i.e. Increases and replacement levies] by eliminating the 10% and 2-1/2% state reimbursement of the senior citizen tax reduction and owner occupied tax reduction.

In light of their pummeling of local government funding, it seems a bit incongruent for the Legislature to have, for the most part statewide, increased revenues to local school districts for the 2013 - 2014 school year.

But there is some "bad news" in the 2013/14 funding numbers.

Stark County's public schools lose about $14 million in funding to charter schools in school year 2013 - 2014.  An increase of about $550,000 over 2012 - 2013.

It sounds like "good news" that Stark's districts picked up $13.67 million in new funding in 2013 - 2014, but is it?


Look at the chart above and see the $14.1 million in losses in public school funding to charter schools. 

Still think the $13.67 million is all that much of "good news?"

As with local non-school-governments, Stark County does have a number of school districts that have issues on November's ballot.  So that has to be some indication that notwithstanding the net-out "treading water-esque" state funding of education; Stark's schools are still far from being in good financial shape.

Lake Local had filed for a property tax increase for this year's general election, but withdrew it in light of the state's $886,000 increase for 2013/14.  Officials have been quoted in local media as saying that the increase enabled them to put off the tax issue for perhaps as many as many as two years.

No doubt the $886,000 is a help.  However, the SCPR thinks the "real" reason Lake opted out had more to do with the issue having very little chance of passage.  

Lake has had a series of school construction bond issues go down to defeat over the last several years.

For those SCPR readers who want the full picture of state funding of Stark County schools, here is the full chart The Report compiled and from which extracts were published above.

THE REPUBLICANS HAVE DONE QUITE A JOB IN MASSILLON: HAVE THEY CREATED THE BEST CITY COUNCIL IN ALL OF STARK COUNTY IN TERMS OF "CITIZEN RESPONSIVENESS?"

It was impressive to the Stark County Political Report that Massillon City Council (Council), Tuesday night under the leadership of Environmental Committee chair Ed Lewis, IV (Republican - Ward 6) pulled a piece of legislation which was not quite ready for prime time.

Not many legislators, especially one with a mere two years under his belt as a law maker, has the level of sophistication demonstrated by Lewis.

What legislation was that?

What was the primary motivation for the legislation being pulled?

According to Chairman Lewis:  to excise the language "and declaring an emergency."

Lewis thinks, and, apparently has the ear of a number of Massillon Council members, that Councils of the past may have overused the emergency status.  He has been in discussion with various Council members about cutting back on Massillon's use of emergency language to those situations in which there "truly" is an emergency.

In considering the wastewater upgrade legislation,  Massillon is about to spend some big bucks (about $14 million or so) bringing Massillon's wastewater system up to a higher standard of performance and capacity.

Lewis could not be sure, as of The Report's conversation with him last evening, how much of the upgrade is U.S./Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is mandated.  But he was clear that a least part of it is.  By the time Council meets again, he will have a handle on the mandated number.

So the upgrade is not, Lewis says, - as one Massillon community activist Scott Graber has been saying - a completely  discretionary action which is totally unmerited given the fact that Massillon is already in hock some $36 million or so on past projects.

 
The Report is told that Massillonians currently and typically pay about $63 a quarter for wastewater treatment services.

One would think that a $14 million sewer system upgrade would lead to an increased assessment, no?

Not according to Lewis.  He says he will lead a fight to keep an increase from happening.

But before moving on with this topic, The Report pauses to deal with a side matter.

Still on Council is Ward 4 Democrat Quinessa Hampton.

She has withdrawn as a candidate for election to Council as previously reported by the SCPR.

However, her place on the ballot has been taken Shaddrick Stinson.  He was appointed by Ward 4's Democratic precinct persons but not including Joy Cicchinelli, wife of former mayor Frank Cicchinelli.

The big question insofar as the future makeup of Council is concerned,  is whether or not Quinessa's husband, Edward (as a non-partisan candidate), stays in the race to suceed her.

If he does, it is very likely in yours truly's assessment that Republican Jim Triner pulls off the seemingly impossible:  a Republican representing Massillon's most democratic ward - Ward 4.

Back to the primary focus of this blog.

There are two points that the SCPR will make in this blog with respect to the pulling of the wastewater ordinance.

First, it is obvious that Council has listened to Graber and reconsidered the pace they were moving ahead on the project even though some on Council. it seems to the SCPR, think Graber is an alarmist who doesn't always get things right.

Moreover, when he does, he often gets overbearing in approach and thereby becomes counterproductive to his own purpose of convincing the other(s) of the merit of his argument.

That Council has apparently - to some degree - heeded Graber on the wastewater issue - bodes well for all Massillon citizens in general.

The message that the SCPR takes from the seeming impact of Graber is this:   Council takes each and every Massillon citizen input very seriously.

Like so many community activists, Graber can be annoying and hard to abide.  The temptation is to ignore him.  But that would be a mistake.  Graber-esque folks need to be paid attention to.

Of course, hearing does not equate to, necessarily, agreeing with.  But in the SCPR's experience over many years of dealing with many Stark County legislative bodies, Massillon's seems to be more attentive to citizens than the others.

Second, that Lewis and several of his colleagues have owned up to Council overusing "emergency status" is a refreshing reflection (contrary to the bullheadedness of bodies like North Canton Council, Canton City Council and others in Stark County) and has been pondering what to do about the apparent overuse, is refreshing.

Lewis tells The Report that in those situations in which less than 2/3rds of Council's vote for passing a given ordinance (which in and of itself obviously indicates some controversy about the legislation); the exclusion of the "emergency clause" preserves the right of a citizen or group of citizens to collect signatures of a minimum of 10% of those voting in the last gubernatorial election to get the measure on the ballot.

Lewis thinks that it is important that citizens have the referendum option.  And the Stark County Political Report wholeheartedly agrees.

This act of preserving the right of citizens to have a say is what legislative bodies throughout Stark County, if they are small letter "d" democrats, ought to be doing.

Citizen sensitivity and responsiveness is the highest calling of any elected official insofar as the SCPR is concerned.

As this blog is written, it is clear to The Report that the governments of North Canton and Canton are not nearly sensitive enough.  It could be and yours truly suspects that the North Canton/Canton approach is typical of Stark County political subdivisions at large.

But that most do it does not make it the right thing to do "as a matter of course" and thereby put roadblocks in the way of citizens to invoke democratic processes to challenge legislative action taken.

In Canton's case, The Report is told that its council acts on the advice of Law Director Joe Martuccio that ordinances generally be passed as an emergency so as to put the city in the best possible situation in the case that litigation ensues.

An SCPR examination of Canton Council's agenda for August 26th shows that 24 of 26 proposed ordinances are designated as being an emergency.  Such does not speak well for Canton.

In North Canton's case, the disregard is so pronounced that the city has been challenged in a lawsuit about its overuse (documented going back ten years or so).

While a number of legal observers have told yours truly that the North Canton lawsuit challenge is going nowhere, here's hoping that these folks are wrong. 

Cutting off democratic rights "as a matter of course" is axiomatically wrong our republican-democratic structure of government.

What's more, it is indicative that governments' making legislation "an emergency" on a largely "across the board" basis is being done so that the governors will not be inconvenienced or tested.

It certainly cannot be primarily for the benefit of the governed.  Here and there, emergency legislation may be a benefit,  but it clearly is not generally so.

It is somewhat ironic that Massillon's Council controlled by Republicans is taking a look at preserving/reserving a greater degree democratic process for its citizens.

Canton's 12 - 0 Democrat controlled council seemingly is going on pell mell without so much as a second thought of looking at preserving/reserving democratic process possibilities (i.e. referendum rights) for Canton's citizens.

Besides "the citizen affirming actions" that Massillon Council is acting out on and reflecting upon; despite political party identification differences (i.e. 5 Republicans, 4 Democrats), there seems to be an abundant mutual respect between them across party lines.  This mutual regard is yet another reason to be impressed with Massillon's Council.

The SCPR has written about lame duck Democratic Councilman Larry Slagle and the "patient, plodding and 'come let us reason together'" leadership he is demonstrating on the matter of revising Massillon's ordinance on the structure and management of Massillon's parks and recreation function.

This edition of Massillon City Council is one that should be a model for all legislative bodies across the length and breadth of Stark County.

(VIDEO) UNDERSTANDING THE STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' BUDGET. CAN THE COMMISSIONERS KEEP JOHN FERRERO AND HIS LIKE IN LINE?

VIDEOS

COMMISSIONER TOM BERNABEI

TELLS

COMMISSIONER RICHARD REGULA

"NO!"

ON COUNTY SPENEDING REQUESTS

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CHRIS NICHOLS

COUNTY MANAGEMENT BUDGET DIRECTOR

MAKES

COUNTY FINANCES UNDERSTANDABLE

TO

ONE & ALL

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ALSO

CLICK ON LINKS

TO PRIOR SCPR BLOGS

TO

SEE

FERRERO & CAMPBELL

PERFORMANCES

AT 2013 BUDGET HEARINGS

It was not all that long ago that Stark County government was in crisis.

But it is amazing what a new set of commissioners can do in a relatively short period of time to restore the electorate's confidence and, to boot,  get a sorely needed tax issue passed.

Only 8 votes shy of a 14,000 vote victory.  Quite impressive, no?

As the SCPR sees it, the commissioner handiwork was largely that of Democrat Thomas Bernabei and Republican Janet Creighton.

Most of us have an experience of government that strongly suggests that once a political victory like the levy effort is fought and won, it will not be long for a reversion process takes hold that presages a march back to the conditions that precipitated the crisis in the first place.

It appears to The Report that Commissioner Bernabei is the "guardian-in-chief" of the Stark County treasurer.

In a lighter moment in the August 28th meeting, Bernabei in a kidding but in a pointedly way chided Commissioner Richard Regula (Republican elected in November, 2012; but previously served as commissioner from 2003 - 2006) about his tendency to promise any and everything to commissioner constituents when he is beseeched to fix this or that problem.

Watch this exchange.



Insofar as the SCPR can determine, the reversion phenomenon described above appears not to have taken hold in the instance of the 2011 levy passing.

However, there are pressures being brought to bear.

Chief of the pressurers are Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero and Stark County recorder Rick Campbell.

Ferrero, in particular, in the view of the SCPR, wants to resume his "king of the hill"  take on himself insofar as Stark County politics and government are concerned.

The county's financial crisis of 2010 through early 2012 had the effect of rolling back much of his public sector financial resources avaraciousness.

He appears to The Report to be an empire builder who has to be the biggest, the baddest and the most belligerent (in underlying attitude) politician/administrator in all of the county.   Yours truly would rank him right up there with Canton mayor William J. Healy, II in this regard.  It would be interesting to see the fireworks erupt should their paths ever cross in a competitive context.

A former Stark County Democratic Party chairman;  he has never, in the opinion of yours truly, divorced politics (in all its forms) from the administration of his office.

One of the forms of his political activities is the infighting which the SCPR believes he engages as he seeks to get more than his fair share of county resources in support of his aggrandizement of office.

So politicized (as a seeming primary "way-of-life") is John Ferrero that he is "knee deep" in the politics of Massillon, his hometown.  Tiger-town is the place where he "cut his 'political' teeth."

One has to wonder if there is anything much more to Ferrero than being political.

It is against this background (the Ferreros of Stark County) that the SCPR has concerns as to whether or not the commissioners can "hold the line" in keeping Stark County fiscally responsible.

The Report felt former administrator Mike Hanke (with the support of Commissioners Bernabei and Creighton) proved to be up to the task.

It remains to be seen whether or not Hanke successor Brant Luther - himself a relatively new hire - can keep the likes of Ferrero "at bay"

At last Wednesday's commissioners' meeting, new Stark County hire Chris Nichols, as director of management and budget (June 19th), appeared before the commissioners and presented what he termed as Civics 101 on the Stark County budgeting process.



It has never been clear to yours truly (notwithstanding having covered the commissioners meetings since 2008)  as to how - exactly - the Stark County budget process works.

Some people have the gift of making things - as Richard Nixon liked to say - "perfectly clear."

And Nichols did precisely that in last Wednesday's meeting.

He graphed out a time line of the process and in doing so showed how forthright the county's budget procedures are.

First, in late summer (which is occurring right now for the 2014 budges), the departments of Stark County government submit requests to the commissioners for 2014 appropriations,

(Source:  Chris Nichols)

Second, in the early fall the requests go through a three-stage filtering process:

• Review by The Stark County Budget Commission:
• the county treasurer, (Republican Alex Zumbar),
• the county auditor, (Republican Alan Harold), and
• the county prosecutor, (Democrat John Ferrero) *
•  "certifies the full amount of existing tax rates and millage are needed to meet the  estimated financial needs of" Stark County government,
• * NOTE:  In a large part of the county fiscal crisis days the Stark County Budget Commission was made up of Democrat Gary Zeigler, Democrat Kim Perez and Ferrero).  Hmm?
• Formal Budget Process within Stark County departments of government begins (e.g. auditor's office, treasurer's office, prosecutor's office, recorder's office et cetera),
• departmental needs (first identified in Step 1) are refined to be in greater detail and resubmitted to the Stark County commissioners,
• Certificate of Estimated Resources provided by the Stark County auditor's office,
• Shows the actual amount of revenue that the Stark County Budget Commission (and the Stark County commissioners) have to work with in meeting requests for appropriations,

Third, in December of each year:

• Stark County commissioners hold "budget hearings" for each and every Stark County department of government,
• at these hearing the departments provide more details (see Step 1 and Step 2) of their needs and justification for their requests,
• at these hearings the commissioners question and probe department presenting personnel (usually the department head (e.g. Stark County recorder Rick Campbell) on the particulars of their requests,

 

All of the foregoing steps coalesce into a timeline which in toto has this look:

And here are the numbers running from 2010 through 2014 projections.

For 2013, the Stark County commissioners did not adopt a final budget until March 20th.

It will be interesting to see whether or not with Nichols on board they will do better with the 2014 budget timeline.

Before Bernabei and Creighton the budgeting process (particularly, the actual holding of "open-to-the-public-scrutiny" hearings was "a hit and miss" proposition.

Now it is mandatory that elected and unelected county officials who get county general fund money in any amount be openly accountable to the Stark County public.

It is quite a treat to see the likes of John Ferrero in with seeming "hat in hand." The word "seeming" is the operative word for yours truly would wager that Ferrero doesn't seem himself in that vein by any stretch of the imagination.

The transparency of the county budgeting process is a good thing.  

A Stark County Political Report "Hats Off" to the commissioners for continuing their longstanding and abiding efforts to be accountable, transparent, communicative and open.

While The Report thinks that the commissioners are generally trustworthy to "hold the fort" against those who would take us back to the days of fiscal irresponsibility, the key is the Ronald Reagan expression:  "Trust but verify!"

(VIDEOS) CANTON MAYOR WILLIAM J. HEALY II'S "DAY OF RECKONING" WITH SCOG?

It was on Friday, February 8, 2013 when Canton mayor William J. Healy, II "pulled a fast one" with the Stark Council of Governments (SCOG).

He moved, the SCPR thinks, through his-then safety director Thomas Ream to change the bylaws of SCOG with respect to the structure and operation of the Canton-Stark County Crime Lab (CSCCL - Crime Lab - Lab) so that non-scientist Rick Perez (a former Stark County chief deputy), an apparent political pal of both Healy and Ream, could be appointed as director of the Lab.

But as soon as the word got out,  Perez (acting on Healy's request) on  February 11, 2013 resigned his mere 72 hour stint as CSCCL director.

SCOG reaction to the Healy administration was swift to and to the point. 

On February 12th, SCOG met with Healy in the context of an "open-to-the-public" meeting.

Mayor Healy was brought front and center to answer the questions of SCOG members about the Perez move.

At the meeting, Hizzhonor "backtracked - faster than light travels."  According to him, it was Safety Director Ream's doing.

In this SCPR LINKED blog, yours truly shared a number of videos which serves as a movie kaleidoscope of the fast moving events at that meeting.

Healy appeared to be contrite. 

But knowing the mayor as yours truly does, The Report's position is that it wasn't a matter of contriteness. 

For one of the few times in his tenure as mayor, Healy was backpedaling lickety-split in a completely "defensive" mode while leaving his safety director (Tom Ream) - foursquare - under the bus.

For those SCPR readers who want a refresher on the February 12 SCOG meeting, they should go back to the SCPR blog of the 13th and take in all of the videos as listed above.

For those who just want to see Healy's part in the proceedings, here is a republication of the video on his time before the SCOG committee.



It took a while (nearly seven months) for SCOG to react with more than transitory fixes; but, today is Mayor Healy's true date of reckoning, so thinks The Report. 

In high irony, former Canton service director and chief-of-staff (one of Healy's first hires as mayor back in 2008), Thomas Bernabei (now a Stark County commissioner and chairman of SCOG's executive committee as well as SCOG's general membership) is more or less in charge of bringing-Healy-to-heel.

High irony?

Indeed!

For Healy fired Bernabei in January, 2009 when it became apparent to the  mayor that Bernabei proved to be what a top appointed official of any elected official ought to be:  loyal but not a "yes man."

Many stories emanated from city hall during the Bernabei/Healy days of the former dressing down the latter for his bizarre actions.

As Healy has shown with a number of his appointees (e.g. Tom Nesbitt [a former safety director] and most recent Warren Price [a former service director, chief-of-staff and safety director]); he cannot abide appointees who stand up to him (even "for his own good," and,) more importantly for the good of Canton's residents.

To his credit, Bernabei, as chairman, in the interest of resolving the Healy triggered crisis at the Lab, has allowed  Healy to look like it is his initiative and idea to restructure and reform operations  of the CSCCL. 

But the reality is, the The Report believes, that the rework of the Crime Lab is being dictated by the powers that be within SCOG, including Bernabei himself.

Here is the document which likely will be accepted by the SCOG executive committee and general membership in the meeting which is to be held later today in the chamber of Canton City Council.

Presumably, the mayor will show up.

But do not be surprised if he does not.

A Stark County Political Report "Hats Off" to Chairman Bernabei and the SCOG membership in the most productive manner in which the organization has dealt with Healy.

For it is not about "rubbing it in" with Healy that he precipitated the crisis over the Crime Lab.

It is about what is good for Canton's/Stark County's citizens being effectively served in the context of law enforcement being capably served by the Lab in Stark's various police agencies being able to present "beyond a reasonable doubt" evidence and thereby get Stark's bad guys and bad girls off our streets.

In a weird sort of way Healy's power move revealed very serious problems in the functioning of the CSCCL.

Processing of DNA evidence was generally in the neighborhood of 400 days, more or less.

As a consequence of the revelation of this specific Lab problem, Stark's police agencies are now sending DNA work to Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Richfield.

Of course, it is exactly revelations like the DNA backlog thing that Healy latches onto as cover to extricate himself from his difficulties.

We should all focus on the reality that the CSCCL problems developed under the "unwatchful" eye of the Healy administration.

As the SCPR has written numerous times, Healy in his Houdini-esque escape from seemingly impossible situations, is the envy of cats and their proverbial nine lives.

While he may be chortling about his apparent escape, once again, from another seeming brazen and outrage political act (i.e. the Perez matter), the proposed agreement is not about "catching" Healy or "punishing" him; it is doing the right thing for the citizens of Stark County.

The SCPR is convinced that one of these days, the mayor will do something that will put him beyond redemption. 

While the events of today are likely to amount to something like a penultimate "day of reckoning."

Ultimately, The Report believes, the mayor will do himself in.

The shame of it is that in the meantime, the citizens of Canton bear the brunt of his political mischievousness and chicanery.

CELEBRATING LABOR DAY - 2013