DISCUSSION: DOES THE CANTON LAW DEPARTMENT/CANTON CITY COUNCIL HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROBLEM?

A reason that you should read the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) is because The Report will ask questions that no one else who reports on Stark County politics will - no matter the subject and the personages involved - friend or foe?

The Report thinks that Canton Law Director Joe Martuccio is one of the very highest quality officials that Stark County has.

Martuccio is on the list of those recognized by the Outstanding Young Americans organization. From The Report's personal contact with Martuccio, it is apparent that Martuccio is a quality guy.

One has to wonder whether or not Martuccio has any misgivings about the Canton Law Department providing legal representation in the city's quest to get, via eminent domain proceedings, an easement on behalf of private entities the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the DeHoff Family Foundation which constitute Canton Commerce Development.

A good summary of the situation has been published by The Repository.

So where does the rub come in so far as a potential conflict of interest in concerned?

The good corporate citizen that the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) is, it has taken on the project of putting on an annual Government Leadership Academy. One of its graduates who returns to speak to new classes? Canton Law Director Joe Martuccio.

In the current class, there are two sitting members of Canton City Council. The Report would not be surprised to learn that others sitting on council have attended this excellent "preparing to be an effective elected official" program.

So where's the potential conflict?

The Chamber has another side to it. It has teamed up with the DeHoff Family Foundation in a private business enterprise profit making effort.

Well, what's wrong with that?

Absolutely nothing, in the view of the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT.

The problem. The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT thinks it is all too easy for public officials to develop a comfy/cozy relationship with businesses which may want to use government to advance their private purposes and who are quite skillful a putting a "public skin" in order to enlist the assistance of the power of government.

In this particular situation, the business entity has been unsuccessful in attempting to negotiate the easement it desires to have with the landowner. Step 2 then has been to enlist the aid of government to achieve what this private business entity presents as a public purpose.

Martuccio and City Council have bought into the entity's selling points.

The question is this. What this an arm's length decision? What do you think?