CEO/President of Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce
Responds
Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce (CRCC) president and CEO Denny Saunier unsettled county officials when in the Q&A session at the Stark Civic Group's "Strengthening Stark" session at the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Gold Jacket Room) on Tuesday he made this statement:
Saunier's response was in reaction to this Stark County Commissioner (Board president) Janet Weir Creighton's challenge (re: additional sales tax to finance Stark County economic development) to the Strengthening Stark assembled group of elected officials from the Canton Municipal Court Stark County political subdivisions who make up the court district: (the Creighton challenge:"speak now [on possible sales tax increase]or forever hold your peace" on whether or not a not-imposed sales tax increase should be considered and under what parameters:
The Stark County Political Report (since Tuesday's event) has learned that from the perspective of county officials Saunier's organization (CRCC) has a tag-team (a expression from professional wrestling) relationship with The Canton Repository (SCPR monikered "NS-MA-Gang of Two") to cudgel commissioners into "imposing" a sales tax increase to fund Stark County economic development.
Of course, anybody who knows anything about sales tax issues and Stark County voters know that absolutely a surefire way to get rejected!
Here is an extracted (from commissioner administration compilation) graphic which absolutely shows that "imposed" is NOT a way to go.
(Note: In order to get an enlarged view of the following graphics, click on any of the five panels included)
It is likely that Saunier/Porter for their respective organizations deny they a pushing for an "imposed" sales tax.
However, in SCPR discussions with a variety of county officials, The Report's takeaway is that they are clearly viewing Saunier's spiel when coupled with other emanations from 500 Market Avenue, South and 222 Market Avenue, North as being pressure to "impose" an additional county sales tax.
The SCPR back in 2011 advocated for a 3/4 cent added county sales tax rather than the 1/2 cent settled on. Moreover, the SCPR opposed "imposing" sales tax increases no matter the scale of same.
There is no doubt that Stark County needs to have financial resources to spur economic development across Stark County.
However, any such voter approved addition SHOULD NOT and the SCPR believes would not be used by the current board of county commissioners to bailout Canton and/or the HOF-VP.
There ought to be a concern about what a future board of commissioners will do and measures ought to be included in any sales tax initiative that would prohibit bailouts for inefficiently/irresponsibly run political subdivision government units or in private enterprise projects not having private financing in place at the timing of announcing such projects to totally pay for ir. Of course, the latter factor is a reference to, as an example of, the HOF-VP.
To so structure a prospective Stark County sales tax increase, it might be necessary for
the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly to get to work to empower county governments across Ohio to specify restrictions on the the use of county sales tax revenues that are binding on future boards of county commissioners.
Try as they may but the North/South Market Avenue Gang of Two will find that there is no way in Hell that the current Board of Stark County Commissioners would impose an additional sales tax on top of the current 1/2 cent being collected.
New Council Member Thanks Fellow Councilmembers for
Facilitating Her Entry onto Council
The Vote
for
Council VP/Majority Leader & Ass't ML
Councilman Bill Smuckler
on
Apairations for 2018/2019 Council
Mayor Thomas Bernabei
Congratulates Chris Smith VP/Majority Leader Smith on Meaning of Her "Bringing Peace to Council" Speech
First of all, congratulations to Ward 4 councilwoman Chris Smith in becoming in The Stark County Political Report's view (SCPR), Vice President and Majority Chris Smith as the "compromise" candidate in an an apparent "down & dirty" fight between Ward 7 councilman John Mariol and incumbent vice president and majority leader Frank Morris this past Monday, January 8th.
In the following SCPR video, Vice President and Majority Leader Smith thanks her fellow council members and her family for her support (photo of Smith & family included)
But the night started out with "all love and kisses" with the swearing in (by Law Director Joe Martuccio) of councilpersons and the council president elected in November, 2016 to two-year terms.
New to council in an "at-large" slot (replacing "did-not-run-for-reelection Tom Harmon) is Corey Minor Smith.
Political Affiliation: Democrat
Current Employer: Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority,
General Counsel
Education:
Bowling Green State University, Bachelors of Arts in English
Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Ethnic Studies-Mexican Culture
Bowling Green State University, Masters of a Education in Guidance and Counseling
University of Toledo College of Law, Juris Doctorate. (excerpt from Council website)
Here is a SCPR video on Minor Smith thanking council for facilitating her transition onto council.
Earlier in the day of the 8th, the SCPR talked with a city official about whether or not Frank Morris or John Mariol was going to be elected council VP/majority leader.
The source said that it appeared that a choice had been (presumably in compliance with Ohio Sunshine law) but "that anything was possible" to unfold that would change the what appeared to be in place plan.
Readers will recall that on December 12th, the Democrats (there are ONLY Democrats on council) met in was clearly meant to be "out of the public view" session to hash out between them who between Morris and Mariol would be majority leader in the 2018/2019 term of council. (LINK to the video of that session and LINK to blog on that session)
The most telling thing to come out of that session was Morris' admonition to keep "shi**y"politics" out of the maneuvering in the brokering between and among members during the interim of the meeting of the 12th through the selection date of January 8th.
That neither Morris or Mariol was selected on the 8th speaks volumes about the acrimony that must have been rampant in the Mariol/Morris lobbying over the two weeks plus period until the selection date.
The SCPR took newly elected VP/Majority Leader's reference to bringing "peace and unity" to council as sort of an off-hand confirmation that she was selected as a "compromise" candidate between the two as elaborated upon below.
While she says she is not at liberty to comment on the SCPR takeaway on her being a compromise candidate because of the Morris/Mariol rift, she does say her intent in her council "thank you" speech was not to imply that her motivation for accepting the post was as a peace maker between the warring Morris/Mariol factions on council.
Here is a SCPR video of her reaction taken at a January 9, 2018 meeting of Strengthening Stark held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith was invited as an elected Canton city official to participate in the forum in which input was sought from elected officials on what direction Stark County should take on countywide economic development.
The video:
In a sort of way the Mariol/Morris match up was/continues to be an left-wingish idealist (Mariol) versus a highly pragmatic (right of center) type (Morris).
The SCPR has learned that it became apparent that were either Morris or Mariol to be selected, it was likely that political "bad blood" would, it was thought, likely percolate to the surface over ensuing council sessions on various "hot button" issues and thereby make it difficult if not impossible to achieve a united Canton City Council on key issues.
It the course of finding a pathway to a "peaceful" resolution of the political warfare that was going on between Mariol and Morris various movers and shakers within council were looking to alternatives to either Morris or Mariol in order to avoid "down-the-road" eruptions of political warfare in the guise of differences of apparently bona fide stances on various policy making and policy implementation issues to come forward to the floor of council.
Apparently, Hawk was a no-go for Morris. The SCPR has been told that Morris supported one of Hawk's opponents in the 2017 Democratic primary.
The obvious choice then became Ward 4 councilwoman Chris Smith, the-then current 1st vice president/assistant majority leader of council, who, one would think if Morris was not going to be re-elected is in line to replace him.
Morris, the curmudgeon and political maverick he is, has gotten along reasonably well with Smith over the past two years.
So the stage was set for Morris to step-aside on the 8th as shown in this SCPR video of Morris nominating Smith.
Right before this session of council, Morris told the SCPR as a clue to his withdrawal, that in losing he would in fact be winning.
It will be interesting to sees how that statement plays out going forward.
And now SCPR video on the election of Smith and Babcock:
A interesting presentation on the 8th was that of the dean of Canton City Council Bill Smuckler as he opines on his aspiration for council in 2018.
To The Report, Smuckler's positive expectation for the 2018/2019 of Canton City Council was likely a response to the battles within the confines of council's make up 2016/2017 culminating in the fight as to whom was going to be majority leader in the 2018/2019 term.
The SCPR video of Councilman at Large Bill Smuckler:
Here is a SCPR video on Mayor Thomas Bernabei (a political independent) congratulating Democratic Ward 4 councilperson Chris Smith on her election as council vice president/majority leader.
It will be interesting to see whether or not all is "hunky-dory" within the inner workings of Canton City Council.
The SCPR thinks not.
But time will tell as to whether or not the Mariol/Morris competition erupts into open warfare on the floor of Canton City Council during the 2018/2019 term of council.
"Open and Frank Discussion on Strengthening Stark Issues"
*********************
North Canton Mayor David Held & HOF Officials
Q&A
Regarding Financing of HOF-VP
Here is a LINK to yesterday's blog which SCPR readers ought to read first prior to proceeding on this blog.
One of Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton's prized qualities is her propensity to "cut to the chase" once the "cat-was-out-of-the-bag" as was the case on the initiative of North Canton mayor David Held in his Q&A time at a community event organized by a group called Stark Civic Group (formed in 2015) dba as "Strengthening Stark."
And that is what she did yesterday in the "Gold Jacket Room" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame located on Halas Drive in northwest Canton yesterday in the first of three community forums of Stark County "elected" officials organized by Strengthening Stark.
In yesterday's blog, the SCPR placed a video excerpt of North Canton mayor David Held pointedly pressing Strengthening Stark officials and HOF officials for answers on the Strengthening Stark and HOF-VP nexus or lack thereof and initiated a discuss having been encouraged by Commissioner Creighton in her opening remarks:
an admonition that "We [Stark County political subdivision elected officials the Strengthening Stark discussion] have a open and frank discussion,"
"I am just going to say it because many of you have whispered in my ears and are afraid to say it, this is not about saving a certain institution or making sure that money goes to a certain city, village or township. This is about us.
"You should feel very comfortable about offering your frank opinions, offering your concerns and offering your ideas to move Stark County ahead.
"Please take my comments to heart. And do not be afraid to speak out."
"It is time to raise the blinds."
"If we are not frank in this room, then we are not going to move this county ahead."
Here is Creighton as one of two Stark County political subdivision officials (Canton mayor Thomas Bernabei being the other) to outline the parameters of the discussion to take place yesterday. (3:03)
Held took Creighton's admonition "to heart" and opened up a virtual pandora's box in pressing for answers to his questions.
A repeat (also in yesterday's blog) of the SCPR video of Held's questions: (3:51)
And now, the answers or non-answers (as the SCPR thinks was the case from two HOF vice presidents (Fierly and Graffice) who were present:'
The video: (7:21)
This is the second of a series of Stark County Political Report blogs in which The Report will dig deep into all aspects of the evolvement of the Strengthening Stark initiative which seems to be designed to cultivate a political environment in which Stark commissioners will agree to place a 1/2 cent additional sales tax on a near-future countywide ballot for Stark County voters to weigh-in on.
The format of this series is to present in the context of questions and answers asked/given with particularized attention paid to each Q&A exchange.
Moreover, The Report in ensuing blogs will present one-one-one interviews:
with newly elected Canton vice president (majority leader) Chris Smith,
a follow up interview with Mayor Held, and
a follow up interview with HOF official Pete Firely
The Stark County Political Report, Stark County's only "independent" media outlet on Stark County government and politics.
A Stark County Political Report (SCPR) "Hats Off" to the Stark County Foundation and it support of the birth, development and maturation of a Stark County effort of a group tabbed as being the Stark Civic Group:
But of course the "proof is going to be in the pudding" of what the Stark Civic Group can provide in "effective" leadership to get Stark County out of what the Stark Civic Group through its initiative STRENGTHENING STARK: A CALL FOR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION.
Those accountable for evaluating the viability and projected effectiveness of Strengthening Stark showed up about 50 strong, to wit:
The most compelling aspect of yesterday's meeting (two more to be held, one for western Stark elected officials and one for eastern Stark elected officials) was the post-basic-presentation Q&A.
However, the answers were far a few between.
Strengthening Stark is going to have do much, much, much better with ans
A first it was like pulling teeth to get the attendees to stand up and ask questions, any kind of questions.
The icebreaker?
The second questioner who was North Canton mayor David Held in which exchange of views he focused on "the good, the bad and the ugly" of North Canton losing The Hoover Company in 2008.
Held remarks included: (pre-SCPR recorded-video-segment presented below)
Complemented Strengthening Stark officials for the quality of the one hour plus a little presentation on history of the Stark Civic Group and its offspring Strengthening Stark,
Went in to some detail about the blow that North Canton sustained when The Hoover Company was no more in North Canton,
Talked about the "good, bad & ugly:"
pre-Hoover-departure of North Canton getting some $7 million in income tax annually,
post-Hoover-departure, the city going from $7 million in revenue (2000) to $5.4 million annually by 2008 which was a 23% drop,
North Canton government having to cut employees from 116 to 91,
North Canton obtaining a $5 million state of Ohio Jobs Ready grant (JRG) to plow back into the Hoover complex to bring replacement jobs back to the city and which is now producing an 8% return by virtue of North Canton receiving about $400,000 a year in income taxes attributable to the JRG investment which means that North Canton will have matched Ohio's taxpayers having paid for the $5 million JRG to assist North Canton's recovery in about 12 years,
Here is David Held with his incisive questioning which had to shake up the Strengthening Stark/HOF-VP folks and hopefully all of the Stark County elected officials in attendance. (3:52)
In the above video, Held was diplomatic in not fingering by name a culprit in his expressed consternation of plywood boarding up windows on the North Main Street side of the former Hoover Comlex that some $30 million in EB-5 money that has not made it into the rehab of the North Main Street side of Maple Street Commerce LLC (a principal owner of which is Brownfields developer Stu Lichter of Industrial Realty Group.
Interesting also, is an allegation that North Canton developer Bob DeHoff (listed as a member of the Stark Civic Group) in federal court litigation filed against Maple Street Commerce and Lichter, et al, to be a 10% owner of Maple Street Commerce.
For those SCPR readers who are interested, material underlying Held's remarks show up in allegations made in the following document:
Lichter's IRG is the lead developer of the HOF-VP.
A mere three days after C. David Baker was brought to Canton as president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Lichter was in Canton "huddled up" (interestingly enough, a favorite theme of the HOF-VP folks in selling the nearly $1 billion expansion of the project) with Baker.
The timing of Lichter coming to Canton seemingly was pre-planned with Baker's hiring and does not appear that came bolting out of Baker's mind with his January 2, 2014 hiring.
Also interesting on looking at the hiring of Baker timeframe is the advertised Stark Civic Group coming into being in 2015 which, of course, was the beginning year of the "full-court-press" for those advocating for the Canton/Stark County community to embrace a then $500 million expansion HOF-VP.
Today's blog is focused on what a tough, tough, tough job the Stark Civic Group AKA the Stark Foundation AKA Strengthening Stark has on its hand in trying to convince Stark Countians and their elected leaders that Strengthening Stark is about the well-being of all of Stark County and not merely a front for a bailout of the financially troubled HOF-VP.
Just as when county commissioners had to deal with the shattering of confidence of Stark Countians in county government after the April 1, 2009 revelation that former Stark County treasurer chief deputy had stolen from the county treasury (subsequently thought to be upwards of $3 million), the current set of Janet Creighton, Richard Regula and Bill Smith (all Republicans) have to tread very carefully on the proposal of the Stark Civic Group (of which both Creighton and former commissioner and Canton mayor Thomas Bernabei are members of) in its various manifestations for the SCPR thinks that danger to public confidence in county government may lurk in the Strengthening Stark movement unless it is vetted under the leadership of the aforementioned officials so as to be nearly guaranteed of success across a wide range of Stark County economic development efforts.
How and Commissioner Creighton and Mayor Bernabei continue to be members of a group that is just another manifestation of Strengthening Stark County?
Are they not part of the "elected official" collection determining whether or not Strengthening Stark County is worthy of public support?
Jim Porter, the publisher of The Repository which bills itself of the official newspaper of the Pro Football Hall of Fame should step aside, no?
For if ultimately Stark Countians conclude that if the Strengthening Stark is/has been merely a front for the HOF-VP to get its hands on Stark County taxpayer money to stave off financial disaster and the project does not get anywhere near its original projections of "real" benefit to everyday Stark Countians even with millions of dollars of county taxpayer money brought to the rescue, then the setback to Stark County economic development will be much more severe than that currently being projected in the Stark is "losing population, getting older and getting poorer."
Super "due diligence" is the order of the day for not only the commissioners but all levels of local government elected officials.
The SCPR has a lot of interesting video collected of today's proceeding and will be sharing it with all of Stark County as a tool with which to determine whether or not Strengthening Stark is the real deal to benefit ALL of Stark County and not just one institution.
Future SCPR blogs will focus on the Q&As of participants; not the presentation itself.
However, for those readers who want to take the core of the presentation side of today's meeting here is a pdf file on the 2017 Stark County Foundation commissioned report on Strengthening Stark.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR HOF-VP AS IT HAS BEEN ENVISIONED?
UPDATED: MONDAY
SEE 57 SECOND
SCPR VIDEO CLIP OF
HOF-VP CEO C. DAVID BAKER
"MISSION-ACCOMPLISHED-ESQUE" REMARKS)
APRIL 5, 2016
It was no surprise to The Stark County Political Report when, on January 3rd, The Report learned that mechanic liens had been filed (the first actually on January 2nd, the very next day after Monday, January 1st, New Years Day) with the Stark County recorder against various property interest holders in connection with the Pro Football Hall of Fame-Village (Expansion) Project (HOF-VP).
Ironically, the filing of the liens pretty much coincide to the day (January 2, 2014) when visionary economical development guru C. David Baker was brought to Canton by the Pro Football Hall of Fame board of trustees (see this LINK for listing of current trustees/officers) to enliven and expand the appeal across America of the Canton-sited Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Interesting enough, only three days after Baker's arrival, so-called Brownfield economic development expert Stu Lichter owner of Industrial Realty Group was meeting with Baker.
Who brought Lichter in?
Here is a SCPR developed spreadsheet listing of the liens filed last week:
Wow!
$5.7 million in recorded liens in the midst of reports that upwards of $31 million is owed for work done on the Tom Benson Stadium, the most outstanding football stadium in all of the United States of America, including Alaska and Hawaii, the latter of which The Report is heading to on Sunday, January 14th).
And here is a list of those local government and other interests potentially reached financial adversely should the HOF go belly up:
First of all, of course, the companies filing the liens listed above, and then
Canton City Schools
Hall of Fame Village, LLC
Johnson Controls,
Stark County Port Authority
Could Tom Benson Stadium ultimately become:
The Benson, Beaver Construction, Freedom, Hilscher Clarke, Rice, Slensky, Tycor and United Glass Stadium?
Moreover, like former president George W. Bush with days of the apparent completion of "Operation Desert Storm" (the second war in Iraq) being on an aircraft carrier declaring victory, supersaleman C. David Baker was the star motivation performer to take the stage on April 5, 2016 at the HOF-VP facility located on George Halas Drive before nearly all of Canton's city councilpersons and declare that the HOF-VP project was no longer a vision, but rather to be described as a reality.
To get the full impact of Baker's unwarranted optimism, which, he, above anybody else, had to know had no financial basis in terms of finances (represented then as being $500 million) being in place (Johnson Controls' pledge of $100 million over years was not yet in place, and, of course, that pledge is only 10% of the nearly $1 billion many think is now needed), readers should view this short video of Baker speaking on April 5, 2016. (57 seconds)
In the foregoing video note how he slides over repeated redos of excavation (lowering the field) like it was something to joke about.
Likely the redo and the tearing down of a perfectly fine press box (except, it apparently was not grandiose enough for Baker) which certainly millions of dollars in costs to a stadium that was originally slated to cost about $24 million into one costing (by Baker's own words) into being a $150 million dollar "principally" high school football stadium.
And get this: a high school that is largely academically failing by Ohio Department of Education standards.
Of course, the HOF-VP is being done mostly out-of-the-view of public scrutiny enough though millions of dollars of public money is invested under the cover of the project being a "non-profit" private sector enterprise.
For Ohio and Canton officials to allow public dollars to remain unaccounted for in specificity should be an outrage to taxpayers especially in light of the liens being filed.
The overriding question ought in these officials' part should be: Should we allow one more dollar of public money (e.gl I-77 exit improvements, in-kind government services expenditures, and the like) to spent on a project of is showing every sign of coming up way short of the vision David Baker and his cohorts have planted in the public mind going back to the year 2014?
It seemed to the SCPR that the present Canton council members (at the April 5, 2015 meeting) and the mayor, the deputy mayor, despite Baker's disclaimer of visioning, could and perhaps did envision greenback floating down from above and into the coffers of the Canton city treasury.
Understandable that these officials would be intoxicated, no? After all, C. David Baker is a first rate inspirational speaker, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!
As we all with any span of life experience know, being inspirational does not convert wishes, hopes and prayers into reality.
In the light of the liens being paid, it does seem that the April 5, 2016 euphoria was maybe just a tad premature.
The Report has been hearing for months from multiple sources who obviously were part of a wide ranging collection of connected elected and unelected local government officials that the HOF-VP was in desperate financial straits in obtaining "private sector" financing to cover the costs of what is increasingly nearing the $1 billion market.
In recent blogs, the SCPR has repeatedly published a letter from Welty Building Company to IRG (aks HOF Village Stadium, LLC) which lays out in documentary evidence form that not all has been financially well with the HOF-VP for some time:
Here is a SCPR spreadsheet analysis of the letter:
The letter itself:
Back in 2015 when the expansion project was in the original "talking stages," the total cost of the expansion was projected to be $500 million, the SCPR started getting vibes that there was a lot of "huff and puff" coming out of the mouth of HOF president and CEO C. David Baker (hired January 2, 2014) and with each "huff" and "puff" the final cost figure started to escalate.
There is no doubt about it. Baker is one of the most gifted salesman in all of America. When he has a runny nose, he drips liquid charisma. Not the stuff that most of us deposit in a Kleenex.
Undoubtedly, then Canton mayor William J. Healy, II thought that the HOF-VP announcement was "money-in-the-bank" for his re-election to a third term in November, 2015.
But maybe just maybe Cantonians were getting just a tad suspicious that maybe just maybe they had to wait and see on the HOF-VP and his promise of economic and financial Nirvana for all of Stark County but especially for the city of Canton.
Cantonians had heard Healy et al hype before.
Remember his gushing about the Utica shale (natural gas/oil) exploration coming to the area and how it was going to be centered in much of Stark County and administered from within Canton city limits.
In fact in his 2012 "State of the City" annual address renamed Canton as "the Utica Capital."
Here is an excerpt from a video of a press conference after the address in which Healy is beside himself with enthusiasm for the Utica thing: (2:37)
To see the entire 26 minute press conference click on this LINK.
The fact of the matter appears to be that Healy was way, way, way too optimistic about the Utica shale exploration being an economic/financial miracle for Canton and Stark County. The Report recalls Healy saying would likely produce upwards of 50,000 Stark County and Northeast Ohio corridor jobs.
The flurry of Utica shale activity was probably a significant factor in Healy winning a second four-year-term as mayor of Canton in the 2013 elections.
However, most of the benefit has been in Carroll County and shortly after Healy's spiel major Utica shale player Chesapeake Energy relocated its administrative site from Canton to Louisville beginning in July, 2014.
As luck would have it, Healy had another promising venture surface not long before the 2015 Canton mayoralty election; namely, the HOF-VP as he prepared for a run for a third term as mayor of Canton.
In November, 2014 Canton City Council voted to finance $5 million towards the project and, as politicians, are wont to do, Healy made great fanfare at his March, 2015 HOF sited annual "State of the City" address, to wit:
But it came too late for immediate economic/financial benefit to be realized in Canton/Stark County.
The the "too-early-to-tell" aspect of the prospects of the HOF-VP coupled with independent candidate Thomas Bernabei (a long term Democrat turned "independent" in May, 2015) making a really big deal of Canton government facing a $3 million deficit for FY 2016 probably combined to enable Bernabei to eke out a victory over Healy in November, 2015.
In the campaign, Bernabei made a really big deal out of Canton facing a $3 million general fund deficit for Fiscal Year 2016, no matter who won the race between him and Healy.
No doubt, Mayor Bernabei was as he took office on January 1, 2016 and continues to be hopeful that the HOF-VP will rescue Canton from financial and economic disaster.
One can, and the SCPR does, commiserate with the mayor and Canton City Council members (all Democrats) on their being vulnerable to be accepting uncritically, more or less, of something like the HOF-VP as a potential solution to all that ails Canton's bleak financial picture largely brought on by the national financial crisis of 2008 and the Kasich administration and the Republican dominated Ohio General Assembly beginning in 2011 and continuing to this very day state of Ohio "local government de-funding" of local government across the state.
To be sure, a significant part of Canton's current financial problems is owing to mal-mis-administration of Canton government's financial sustainability (including, mind you, a string of Republican mayors who are supposed to be more fiscally conservative/responsible than the Democratic ones) going back decades perhaps as far back as the 1960s.
But Bernabei as a public official going back many years has been much more realistic and sober in analyzing things affecting local government that most of Stark's political subdivision officials, whether it be in the context of his having been Canton law director for many years, a short stint as Canton City councilman, a Stark County commissioner (mid December, 2010 through December 31, 2014) and now as mayor of Canton.
All the immediately foregoing commentary is to say—in short— that Canton's financial and economic plight makes it especially vulnerable for what some Stark Countians think is a set of circumstances for a 2014ish "music man" to come marching into town.
It goes without saying that all Stark Countians "hope and pray" along, apparently with president and CEO of the HOF C. David Baker that the nearly $1 billion HOF-VP expansion is "a realistic, achievable" goal and that the filing of the liens on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this past week are mere hiccups on the pathway for grand and glorious things for Canton and indeed all of Stark County in as little as two years.
But with the filing of the liens in light of the Welty to IRG letter, the alarm bells ought to be clanging from the bell tower of the Stark County courthouse that local government officials need to double down on protecting the Stark County taxpaying public from sinking more money into what is seeming more and more to be a sinkhole that benefits a few at the expense of many in view of state of Ohio and city of Canton taxpayer money has been put into the project.
Could the HOF-VP's inability to pay its bills to local contractors trigger financial crises with these companies that ends up threatening their continuing existence and the jobs they provide the Stark County community?
It is a fiduciary duty of local government officials not to be blinded to the risks by an intoxicating lure that a now nearly $1 billion project presents to them.
Unfortunately, Canton/Stark County's only countywide newspaper leadership appears to be enraptured by the lure (i.e. The Repository as "the official newspaper of the Pro Football Hall of Fame") and in the view of the SCPR is not sufficiently alerting local officials in enough depth to the risks that additional government monies will be sought to bail out an overly ambitious plan to save the Canton based HOF.
Anyone can read in national publications detailing how violence saturated sports are increasingly losing favor with soccer moms who are redirecting their children to other sports participation.
Even over the heydey the Canton sited HOF as the SCPR interprets available data, the HOF has had difficulty increasing/maintaining annual HOF attendance figures, to wit:
By comparison, the College Football Hall of Fame, (located in Atlanta, GA, obviously a much larger town than Canton, Ohio), averages about 250,000 visitors per year.
Closer by in Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame averages 500,000 visitors annually:
The SCPR believes that Baker was brought in Pro Football Hall of Fame interests (local and national) to figure out a long term survival path. Hence, the billing of the HOF-VP becoming the "Disneyland of the Midwest."
Really?
Americans are going to supplant "Pro Football Hall of Fame" in their minds with "Disneyland of the Midwest?"
Who ever thought that the "private sector" would cough up $500 million let alone perhaps $1 billion to finance this "fanciful" project?
Now it is becoming increasingly apparent to the SCPR that forces are at play among the movers and shakers for the project (including some government officials) to ask Stark County taxpayers to ante up $20 million plus annually via a increased countywide sales tax of 1/2 cent to prevent the "too big to fail" HOF-VP project afloat.
Isn't it interesting the regularity with which professional sports connected folks look to the public sector for financing or bail out money for their "can't support themselves" entertainment enterprises.
Right here in Stark County, who thinks that in anybody's lifetime who is reading this blog that there could be enough events at the Tom Benson Stadium which C. David Baker says is a $150 million stadium?
If completed, the HOF-VP projects 3 million attendees annually which of course is a nearly ten fold increase that certainly ought to benefit Canton and all of Stark County and economically and financially.
But in light of the filing of the mechanics liens and the Welty letter and swirling speculation is there any doubt that it is a really, really, really bigIF?
JUDGE PARK RECUSES HERSELF, BUT DENIES ANY PREJUDICE AGAINST ATTORNEY CRAIG TO CONLEY
ORIGINAL BLOG
It has been some time since The Stark County Political Report (SCPR) has written about Stark County Court of Common Pleas (Probate Division) Dixie Park, an Alliance Republican. Note: For the record, the SCPR has never had a problem with Judge Park in the appearances that this blogger has had as an attorney (1973 through June, 2014 [going inactive]) before her.
A new instance of an alleged Park participation in denial of Due Process of Law has surfaced as alleged by long time legal antagonist Craig T. Conley.
As the SCPR understands Conley's assertion as it stands now is that Judge Park's refusal to recuse herself from presiding over a current Conley lawyered case before her is tantamount to his client in a derivatively prejudicial context covering an extended Conley/Park interaction (for example, third party witness testimony in a prior Conley/Park case connection that Park has called Conley an 'evil asshole')
At the end of this blog, a complete .pdf file of the filing of Conley's affidavit of disqualification is in place to be viewed by SCPR readers.
In the aforementioned filing on or about January 4th (submitted December 29th/received January 4th) with the Ohio Supreme Court, Conley (by his own admission) continues his quest to get her removed from the Stark County bench in a step-by-step, inch-by-inch process which now covers several years.
Some excerpts from the current filing:
First, the filing cover letter:
Next, Conley accuses the Ohio Supreme Court (OSC, via it Office of Legal Resources [OLR]) itself of having ex parte (communicating with one side only) communications with Judge Park on other proceedings filed by Conley against Park, to wit:
Of all Conley's misgiving on the baseline fairness of Judge Park, the ex parte communications, he says, are the most troubling.
He tells the SCPR that he sees the ex parte as he says has occurred in the past and suspects will once again in his current disqualification proceeding should be disturbing to all who care about the 'fair' administration.
In short, Conley view "substantive" one-sided conversations between judges and litigants as being a clear violation of U.S./Ohio constitutional Due Process of Law standards.
He does not see things like setting hearing dates so long as the conversation is limited to administrative procedure matters of the like to be Due Process of Law violations.
The significance of "substantive" ex parte communication is so critically important, in his view, if it occurs in this instance of his filing the current affidavit, Conley says, as it has in the past, he INTENDS to file an ethics complaint against the OSC's chief justice, the director of the OLR and Judge Park once the disqualification issue has been disposed of one way or another.
Conley goes in further in saying that Judge Park herself as a matter of judicial ethics in agreeing to participate in past ex parte telephone calls which, he is concerned, is about to happen once again if it has not already happened from the standpoint of Park contacting the OLR.
That Conley and his clients seemingly benefit from the OLR ex parte interventions in that in some six disqualifications filed by him against Park resulted in her recusing herself from a given case is no consolation to him. For he is a "rule of law" guy who expects much better of all Ohio judges and certainly on the part of Ohio's Supreme Court justices that they not themselves or through a subsidiary agency of the court (i.e. the OLR) allow "substantive" Due Process of Law violative conversations.
Only one of Conley's past filed affidavits of disqualification which went on to be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court chief justice which was denied. Conley cites a 1990ish study which found that 97% of chief justice decided disqualification affidavits resulted in denials.
Moreover he goes on to say that chief justice decided disqualification cases are few and far between (probably because of seemingly Supreme Court sanctioned "standard operating procedure-esque 'substantive'" ex partes) and consequently Ohio attorneys have very little legal precedent (stare decisis being a cornerstone of American/Ohio jurisprudence) on which to know what will and what will not work to get a judge disqualified in a particular case by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Next, particularities in Conley's affidavit: (note: affidavit is sworn to "under oath" and therefore like courtroom sworn-to testimoney is subject to penalties of perjury if proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be untrue)
Specifically reprehensible is a case situation in which has placed Conley in a clearly impossible "rock and hard place" position as spelled out by the following documents.
Conley may never be successful in realizing his quest to get Park off the Stark County bench because those lawyers/judges positioned in Stark County/state of Ohio legal circles seemingly are not dedicated, committed enough to doing what it takes (in availing themselves of legal process) to have the Supreme Court remove Judge Park from the bench.
Should Conley fail to get Park's judicial removal either by a statutory provided for removal process or by way of an ethics proceeding (which he says, one of which, he will initiate within the next several months), he will then have to push an effort to have a qualified person to run against her next time she runs for re-election.
She is up for re-election in 2020 and that might be the scenario which presents Conley with his best chance to engineer her defeat at the polls.
Park should not discount Conley's political electoral abilities. In November, 2009 Conley put together a grassroots effort that repealed a December, 2008 "imposed" countywide sales tax imposed by then commissioners Bosley, Harmon and Vignos.
Dixie Park should not be continuing on as an elected Stark County Court of Common Pleas judge.
As voiced by the SCPR she ought to resign and members of the Stark County Bar Association ought to be telling her that and availing themselves of legal processes to effect her removal.
Quite a number of local members of the Stark County Bar Association tell Conley privately that they agree with him that Park should not be on the bench but going public is quite another thing.
Of course, the SCPR is not surprised to hear this.
In doing The Stark County Political Report, it is common to have citizens, appointed officials and elected officials relay information to The Report OFF-THE-RECORD.
Some of the "off-the-record" is justified but much of it is not. The part that is not; boils down to cowardliness. However, the SCPR does recognize that there are instances in which "off-the-record" is appropriate.
As former Canton mayor William J. Healy, II stated to The Report: "Martin, I will say this for you, you put your name to everything you write."
Once upon a time (last published on June 25, 2015) there was a Stark County sited blog called the "Massillon Review" which the SCPR believes/thinks was written by Massillon clerk of courts employee R. Shane Jackson likely with the encouragement if not the participation of elected clerk Johnnie A Maier, Jr.
This blogger writes "believes/thinks" because the blog itself does not own up as to whom wrote/published it, to wit (from the blog's profile page)
Some 1,657 have sought out the identity of the writ!er/publisher but to no avail.
The SCPR calls for the writer(s) of Massillon Review to come out of the woodwork and identify him/themselves.
Undoubtedly, those among the Stark County bar who tell Conley privately they agree with him but will not come out into the "light of day" also lack the courage of their convictions.
So, so, so SAD, no?
One of Park's cases (overturned by the 5th District Court of Appeals) nominated by the SCPR as being "the jailing case" (in which Park jailed a Stark Countian for over a week which was found to be grounded by the 5th District to in a denial of Due Process of Law) is one among three in which Judge Park has demonstrated (because the case were appealed to the 5th District) in which Park was reversed on Due Process of Law grounds.
Who knows how many additional Park infringements there are of basic constitutional protections that Park has violated but have gone unrequited because the cases were not appealed to the 5th District?
Additionally, the SCPR is convinced information obtained from a variety of sources that Judge Park has a "favorites" list of attorneys (which Conley estimates to be about one-half-dozen or so) practicing before her and a "disfavor" list (also about one half-dozen or so), the latter of which is headed by local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley.
Accordingly to Conley, about three dozen attorneys practicing before Park have had "disfavored" treatment that are grounded in whim and caprice rather than well reasoned analysis of constitutional, statutory and case law.
And what about sworn testimony to the effect that Judge Park has mistreated some of the court's employees. Make no mistake about it, these folks are not Park's personal employees. They are on the job to serve the Stark County public not the personal whims and caprices of Judge Park.
.
We all know that judges are pretty powerful people in the American scheme of government.
But not nearly as powerful as Judge Park thinks unless of course a given judge goes unchecked by "check and balance" factors built into the U.S. framework of governance and professional organizations including the Ohio Supreme Court.
To repeat, it seems to the SCPR that Judge Park remains on the local bench may somewhat be owing to the cowardice of a significant number some 1,000 (more or less) Stark County Bar Association member lawyers and judges in having sat on their collective duffs and done nothing to abate the Park diminution of the quality of Stark County probate court justice.
SCPR plaudits go to the 5th District Court of Appeals judges who have gone on record in, in effect, chastising Park for her failure to properly apply Due Process of Law standards.
Among those judges are Bill Hoffman, Scott Gwin (both Democrats) and John Wise (a Republican whose father Reuben Z. Wise, Jr was an esteemed/storied/highly competent Stark County Probate Court judge).
The Canton Repository (Stark County's newsprint monopoly) has been remiss in getting the Park deficiencies as a judge before the Stark County public.
One has to wonder when The Rep is going to announce that it is in a business modality and is going to take on employment as a public relations agent for Park (a la the Pro Football Hall of Fame) but fear not such a role will not affect its reporting/editorializing independent of the business relationship.
It is shocking that Judge Park could be selected, in light of her documented lack of Due Process of Law comprehension as a Constitution Day speaker.
On September 17, 2014 that is exactly what The University of Mount Union did. Obviously, the university selectors did a poor job of vetting Park's understanding of and application of Due Process of Law. APPENDIX
Complete Copy of Conley Affidavit of Disqualification Documents
As The Stark County Political Report sees it, the Pro Football Hall of Fame - Village Project (HOF. HOF-VP) folks are at their "wits-end" as to how to raise the nearly $1 billion that it is—at the end of the day—it is going to take to complete the expansion of the present-day complex to the vision presented to the Canton/Stark County Community some three years ago.
This is the 10th of a continuing Stark County Political Report series analysing the viability and accountability (for taxpayer funds involved) of the HOF-VP.
Here is a LINKED listing of prior blogs. This SCPR is the only media that is following the evolvement of the HOF-VP in a non-cheerleader-fashion.
With a recent announcement that Stark County Regional Planning has selected a planning and design firm (Gannett Fleming) on a September, 2017 award of a $200,000 U.S. Department of Transportation funded:
through the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
Stark County Regional Planning (SCRP), and the
Stark County Area Transportation Study,
it is obvious that "the wheels are turning" among HOF-VP officials to find ways and means of keeping the HOF-VP afloat,
The SCPR has learned that the Stark County engineer's office has had some involvement in the HOF-VP project, to wit: (an excerpt of Stark County Engineer Keith Bennett to an inquiry by the SCPR)
Besides the involvement in the study and recommendations outlined above our direct involvement has been minimal and related to the normal functions of this office. These have included reviewing annexation requests/plats related to the City of Canton annexing portions of Plain Township in and around the Hall of Fame Village project. We also assisted with the consultant selection of Gannett Fleming for the study described in the Repository by reviewing Statements of Qualification and Technical Approaches from various engineering/planning consultants who submitted material in response to a Request for Qualifications issued by the Stark County Area Transportation Study (SCATS). Myself and another staff member also attended interviews of the shortlisted project teams that led to the selection of Gannett Fleming. Our involvement in these reviews and interviews were part of our normal duties related to being members of the SCATS Policy and Technical Advisory Committees. Although I do not have a specific man hour count, I can say that the hours specifically related to the Hall of Fame Village project have been minimal since 2014. They also have been limited to myself and a couple of staff members.
The SCPR has inquiries out to several local/state government entities seeking information on the "in-kind-esque" expenditures of taxpayer resources in support of the HOF-VP.
It would be interesting to know whether or not the $200,000 to Stark County Regional Planning (SCATS) will offset SCPR staff time investment of time and effort or will be used exclusively to pay Gannett Fleming, no?
(Highlighting added)
The SCPR thinks that another "sprung up lately" effort is the "Strengthening STARK" 2017 Report Commissioned by the Stark Community Foundation (SCF), to wit:
While the SCF effort by virtue of the above-pictured primer on its history, its local leadership support and its objectives seems to be across all spectrums of Stark County finances and economic development, the SCPR thinks that the "apparent" hard 'financial' times the HOF-VP has fallen into, it is more than coincidental for this SCF study to surface pretty much coincident with the name of the US-DOT/ODOT/SCRP/SCATS selection of Gannett Fleming.
It appears that the transportation study is part of a one-two punch on the Stark County public.
SCATS will reportedly be seeking "public" input.
Punch two?
The SCF Study is targeting public officials, to wit:
The seeming strategy of the HOF-VP "powers that be" is that the more public money
(including cash and "in-kind expenditures of time and effort that can be, if local government authorities are pressed, be assigned a "cost" to the public treasury factor)
that is spent on the what is supposed to be a LARGELY private sector enterprise, the more likely it becomes that once enough taxpayer money (federal, state and local) has been "invested?" in the project, it becomes "too big to fail" (in relative terms in the context of the city of Canton/Stark County financial viability) and accordingly public coffers will open up like "a once in 100 years" summer thunderstorm to rescue the woefully under private sector project.
One should not underestimate the charisma and hence salesmanship skills of one C. David Baker.
Back on January 2, 2014 when California import C. David Baker landed in Canton, Ohio to rejuvenate a static, if not failing in terms of having a bright financial future, Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Under his guidance, he has transformed the Hall of Fame into “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth” that is built around the important mission to “Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE!”
It is interesting that no mention is made of the usually comprehensive Wikipedia articles of Baker's past troubles.
A little bit of journalistic "cherry picking," no?
A case can be made that Baker's past difficulties was a "once-in-a-lifetime-mistake" and he has rehabilitated his character and therefore to be trusted to have a realistic, implementable plan of HOF-VP fruition.
However, there is a growing body of Stark County leadership skepticism that he is "the real deal" rather than "one smooth operator" that can sell anybody anything including those who control the government revenue streams. (i.e. taxpayer money)
The Wikipedia piece was probably written by Repository executive editor Rich Desrosiers, no?
You have to remember that The Repository is the "Official Newspaper of the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
There are rampant rumors and some concrete evidence that the HOF-VP is awash in red ink.
While serious questions remain about the financial viability of the HOF-VP, it is becoming increasingly apparent to The Report that Stark County political subdivision government entities (e.g city of Canton department of government, the Stark County commissioners, the Stark County Engineer and Stark County Regional Planning, et cetera) may be spending untold hours and office supply materials and services towards support the HOF-VP.
It is increasingly coming into focus that for Canton and to a lesser degree "all of Stark County" the HOF-VP has become an "all-our-eggs-in-basket" and "come-'Hell-or-High-Water,'" this HOF-VP is going to succeed!
Even if it takes over $1 billion! And, a gigantic infusion of "taxpayer' cash???
Local government officials might end up being forced by HOF-VP officialdom (and their private (for profit & non-profit supporters)—having reached in deep, deep, deep into the Stark County body-politic to create an artificial ground-swell of public support—to put on an "additional" countywide sales tax?????
That is where the SCPR thinks private sector leadership under the lead of HOF-VP officialdom is heading in order to stave off a potential cataclysmic failure.
Accordingly, the SCPR thinks that local officials need to take a look of how much time and effort is being expended towards this project with an eye trained on the possibility that the project is not going to get anywhere near completion and the promise of being a base for employing some 13,000 plus mostly Stark Countians at the end of the project is looking more and more like "pie-in-the-sky" dangled in front of a desperate Stark County seat of government (i.e. Canton city government).
In cash layout Canton and other Ohio (federal) based governments have admitted expending:
$10 million through the Ohio Facilities Commission (2014)
$5 million (via bonding), Canton
$200,000 for the US-DOT/ODOT financed study just staffed with Bennett Fleming,
$250,000 from Ohio government to finance HOF-VP corridor to downtown Canton study,
$68,559.03 in interest debt servicing annually,
$44,480.00 (through 11/30/2017) in outside legal fees (Soares, Black, McCuskey)
Of course, all Stark Countians including the SCPR wish the HOF-VP well and want it to succeed as envisioned.
But when one is dealing with taxpayer funding departments of government, one has to be judicious as to how local government workforce is appropriated to various activities that any government (federal, state or local) undertakes.
Accordingly, the SCPR appears to be the only journalist effort to take a dispassionate look at the HOF-VP and this private sector project's use of taxpayer provided for resources.
THE CONCRETE EVIDENCE on the question of viability:
By the way, Welty owner Don Taylor (husband of Republican gubernatorial candidate Mary Taylor) has failed to respond to two inquiries made by the SCPR for current information on the status of the demands of the letter being satisfied.
On the basis of discussions with various highly credible Stark Countians in a position to know, the SCPR believes that the Welty Builders example is only a part of a much larger picture of the precarious/teetering-on-the-brink-of-collapse private financing that may be the reality that HOF-VP CEO C. David Baker has to wake up to each and every morning.
Another evidentiary indication of trouble in the continuation of construction at the HOF-VP complex:
Mind you the ballyhooed hotel project at the village is supposed to be underway having been advertised as starting in September, 2017
Of course, nobody knows for sure about private financing status because Baker and friends are keeping the private sector financing picture within a tight, tight, tight "our lips are sealed" circle that includes, perhaps, Stark County's only countywide newspaper publisher James Porter.
That Porter appears to be "knee-deep" in the knowing the uphill climb that the HOF-VP folks face in pulling off a literal miracle in bringing the original HOF-VP project to fruition is significant because of this:
SPECULATION ON THE HOF-VP
The Report has a report that the hotel phase of the HOF-VP is completely shut down. A least one Stark County builder/developer has noted that all the equipment of the contractor(s) working on the hotel has been removed.
Baker is said to be "irate" over the pullout of the heavy equipment.
Obviously, there could be other reasons than contractors may not being paid as work is completed.
But that developer referred to above apparently thinks the removal is because there is not adequate financing in place to complete the hotel, which, according to HOF-VP officialdom was to have become "full steam ahead"in September, 2017.
Stark County leadership eyebrows began to raise when during a two week wind in early December the weather was just fine (as contrasted to the last week or so) for construction to being at full force.
There have been reports that Welty Building is not the only contractor to experience getting paid for work being done on the HOF-VP and there have been reports that there have been "walk-off-the-job" disputes since the "rehab the Don Benson Stadium 'turns out to be about $150 million" (compared to an initial $24 million estimate) effort started several years ago.
At a October 31, 2017 meeting of the Stark County Port Authority, it was reported in the meeting that HOF-VP contractors were owed some $24 million.
Moreover, area media reports say that key contractor Stu Lichter (IRG) has taken about a $53 million owner equity stake in the stadium project.
If the HOF-VP project only involved private sector financing money, then that HOF-VP officialdom is not very forthcoming on project viability/accountability is a non-issue.
But when your tax dollar and my tax dollar might be going "down-the-drain" and we might only learn about it "after-the-fact" is completely unacceptable.
Stark County political subdivision local officials have a "fiduciary duty" to protect the taxpaying public from an unreasonable risk in investing taxpayer money in any venture.
More and more, Stark Countians should be demanding that we the taxpayers need to know the exact amount of public money is at risk in the HOF-VP!
The SCPR is committed to digging that information out "before-the-fact" rather than "after-the-fact!!!"
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.
