One consistent thing about The Repository on the what the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) now dubs for the first time "the Healy fiasco," is how tardy The Rep has been in reporting on or editorializing on with respect each issue surfacing in "the Healy fiasco."
Only one year into 15 months into his administration, The Report is now ready to say that the Healy administration is a complete failure in terms of losing the confidence of most Cantonians in pulling Canton out of its economic and political stupor.
What is amazing is the degree to which TeamHealy has bamboozled The Canton Repository "powers that be."
Why is this so?
The Report believes that Executive Editor Jeff Gauger and his fellows at The Rep are unsure as to whether or not the Healy administration is going to survive. Moreover, The Rep folks know full-well how punitive Healy is of those who do not do his bidding. So, if he does limp through his remaining 33 months, they likely surmise that getting news out of city hall will be worse that pulling teeth.
Another issue The Report has with The Rep is summed up in the next two sentences.
The Report uses material of The Repository frequently. And which yours truly does, proper attribution is accorded The Rep.
The reverse does not appear to be true.
Ed Balint's article, dated at about midnight yesterday, miserably fails to credit the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT for being an agent of the "stirring." The only journalistic effort to tie campaign contributions to Mayor Healy awarding contracts has been from The Report and WHBC's "Points to Ponder" (Ron Ponder - talk show host). But curiously miss from Balint's piece is a reference to either The Report or "Points to Ponder."
The Report has had several confirmations that the folks at The Rep follow what The Report's blog. A person from its editorial department e-mailed The Report to correct an incorrect (The Rep having made the initial error) attribution to a Repository editorial The Report was commenting on. And reporter Malcolm Hall of The Rep called The Rep about material The Report has published on the current Marlboro Township turmoil about efforts of township trustees to fire its police chief.
As The
Report told Hall, he and The Rep is free to use The Report's material as long as The Rep attributes the source.The Report has learned that Canton City Council leader Bill Smuckler has commented that the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT is the only Stark County journalistic effort that has gotten it right on the Healy administration machinations.
Now the Balint story itself.
Notice that Canton Law Director Martuccio couches his analysis in the expression "legally speaking." What this means to The Report is that Martuccio believes that the Healy administration has "the spirit of the law"l problems in the quid pro quo appearing arrangement on Healy's award of the Johnson contract. What's more, Martuccio skillfully qualifies his "legally speaking" with "this is the first time I have looked at the law." The qualification leaves Martuccio with wiggle room for later on. Perhaps, as the Healy administration is on its way out the door?
Healy (in The Rep's article): 'wanted to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in this situation.' What is this Mayor, a joke?
The mere utterance of the expression is that the Mayor understands that the impression is clearly out there in the public square. This tactic is what lawyers call a "confession and avoidance."
Every rhetorical device that Jamey Healy uses bespeaks a man who thinks he can outsmart the whole world with his glib tongue.
And it is working with at least one Stark County entity: THE CANTON REPOSITORY!
It should tell readers volumes that Healy is willing to talk with The Rep's people WHEREAS he will not nor permit his Communications Direct Adam Herman to talk to the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT.
The Report trusts that the highly respected Canton Law Director Joe Martuccio will not let Healy hoodwink him. He needs to remember that Healy has undermined the public's confidence in his law department by saying, in effect, that his labor negotiating assistant law directors and staff are not ethical enough or expert enough to negotiate an "arms-length" contract with the Canton police unions.
Healy underscored his lack of confidence in the Canton Law Department by reiterating in the Balint piece: "Johnson’s 'experience ... was something that was critical in this process.'
The Report knows Healy well. The Report, at one time, held out hope that Healy could turnaround Canton.
The Report no longer believes Healy can be effective for Canton. Healy needs to move on!!!
WHBC this mornign said that although Council is no longer in favor of the Redflex cameras due to some contituent pressure, Healy has postponed the vote on the cameras to make some cahnges that might be more palateable to the constituents and therefore more likely to win Council favor.
ReplyDeleteNow this begs the question, how much did the people at Redflex contribute to team healy??
LOL.
BTW, you are right on about the Rep, I think Healy has managed to squelch some of the enthusiam to do decent reporting of current city political news.