COUNCILMAN JOE COLE WILL NOT BE STARRING ON "I AM A SURVIVOR." MARY CIRELLI DOES A NUMBER ON HIM AND HIS COUNCIL PAL JIMMY BABCOCK?

 CORRECTION

David Kiven (business agent for the Pipefitters and Plumbers, Local 94) has sent the SCPR a email correcting The Report's recollection of how Councilman Morris voted on the proposal for Canton City Council to authorize the expenditure of $25,000 for city of Canton promotional materials for products made in China.

Morris joined Kirven's candidate for the 9th Ward (Joe Cole) in voting for the measure.  Only 5th Ward Councilman Kevin Fisher voted no in an 11 to 1 vote.

The SCPR regrets the error and thanks Kirven for bringing the mistake to The Report's attention.

ORIGINAL BLOG (Revised to account for the error)

Probably due to a SCPR political analysis blog showing that if Bill Smuckler, Jimmy Babcock, Mary Cirelli, and Joe Cole were to run for the three slots up for election in Canton's council-at-large race this coming May that Councilman Cole would be the "odd man out," he apparently decided to play a game of "political musical chairs" with Cirelli on Wednesday, February 6, 2013.

A SCPR source (confirmed by Mary Cirelli herself) says that Cirelli and Cole (along with his fellow councilman and pal Jimmy Babcock) were camped out in their cars in front of the the Stark County Board of Elections (BOE) as the 4:00 p.m. filing deadline for the 2013 elections neared.

Cole seemed intent on waiting for Cirelli to declare herself as to whether she was going to run to be Canton's next treasurer or seek to retain her seat as councilwoman-at-large.

And any one who knows Mary Cirelli has to know she would not be outdone.

Cole had taken out petitions for his current seat (council-at-large) and to run against incumbent Democratic 9th ward Councilman Frank Morris.

Finally, Cole enters the BOE and Cirelli follows.

But she does not see Cole when she gets into the building.

She assumes Cole has already filed.  But que sera, que sera, Cirelli tells the SCPR.

She plomps her petitions for council-at-large down on the counter and asks the nearby Jeanette Mullane (deputy director of the BOE) to check them out as to accuracy.

While Mullane is doing the checking, Cirelli excuses herself to go to the ladies room.

Meanwhile, Cole makes his appearance at the counter of the BOE.

Likely, Cole sees Mary's council-at-large petitions laying on the counter and ASSUMES thereby that she has opted to run for re-election as councilwoman-at-large.

So Cole files for the 9th ward against Morris apparently figuring that running in the 9th was his best chance to stay on council.

Out comes Mary Cirelli.  She asked Mullane if the petitions appeared to be in order. 

Mullane responds:  "Yes".

Whereupon Cirelli whips out her treasurer's petitions and said:  "Okay, then these must be alright, too."

And she files for treasurer.

Cole has to be utterly shocked.

What a hoot!, no?

But worse for Cole, getting out maneuvered by Cirelli probably means his days on council are numbered.

Had he gotten the filing process right by filing for council-at-large, he would be a shoe-in to be reelected.  With Cirelli out of the race, and two political newcomers vying against him for the third of three slots (assuming that his friend Babcock and former councilman Bill Smuckler will win the first two slots as the SCPR does), The Report believes that the lackluster Cole would clearly be in a position to place third.

But there is more to the story.

Probably Cole's biggest booster is Dave Kirven who is the business agent for Plumbers and Pipefitters, Local 94 located down on 13 Street, SW.

The Report's source tells yours truly that Kirven was told weeks ago that Cirelli was going to run for treasurer.

Kirven denies to The Report that he was told any such thing.

But now that the die is cast and his man is running against Morris, this is what he had to say:

Make no mistake Joe Cole is Local 94's guy in whatever race he would have decided to run in. Joe has been a good friend to Labor and in my opinion deserves our support (Local 94) and I will express my opinion to other Local Unions in the area. It's unfortunate that our local Dems put more energy into fighting each other than finding common ground.

This is just plain crazy.

One Stark County's main trade union guys campaigning against Morris who is himself a union glazier.

Democrat against Democrat.

Union member against union member.

And what's even stranger, is that Cole is superintendent/principal of a Canton-based charter school.

What is a prime characteristic of charter schools?

They do not hire union teachers!

Wow!  Kirven is big time advocate for "justice for local workers."  On July 1, 2010 he was the main organizer of a "justice for local workers" (LINK to a prior SCPR blog) rally.

While Kirven likes to say that the rally was not only for union workers but for all (union/nonunion) Stark County-based workers; make no mistake about it, the bottom line:   the rally was for union jobs.

As was the picketing effort in April of 2012 against the Outback Steakhouse and Bonefish Grill building projects adjacent to The Strip in North Canton (LINK to North Canton Patch article and video featuring Kirven).

Last year (May, 2012), Hall of Fame AFL-CIO president Dan Scuiry appeared before the Canton City Council to talk down a Healy administration plan to market city of Canton promotional materials made by non-union workers in China.  (LINK to prior SCPR blog)

Who was a major proponent of the plan which was ultimately passed by council?  You've got it:  Councilman Joe Cole.

But strangely enough so did Morris and everybody else on council.  It is hard to believe that Morris, being the strong union man he is, would vote for such a piece of legislation.

Apparently, everyone has his weak moments.

As the SCPR sees this race, Cole has very little chance to unseat Morris.

So not only does Kirven have a problem identifying with the councilman who best represents union interests (Morris); he picks a likely loser come November (Cole).

Hmm?

Morris is part of a group of Canton City council first termers (Morris, Fisher [5th], Mariol [7th] and Mack [8th] who the SCPR has termed as being "the young turks."

The young turks have banded together to defeat a number of Healy administration legislative initiatives and moreover have become aggressively proactive in a united effort to reverse Canton neighborhood deterioration.

The SCPR is well taken with their political courage and their positive plan to change Canton for the better.

They have been aided in their effort by Councilwoman Cirelli, Councilman Greg Hawk (Ward 1), both of whom are long time Healy foes, and here and there by Ward 3 Councilman Jim Griffin.

Cole, completing his second term, has decided to fall in line with the Healy administration and along with councilpersons Babcock (at-large), Dougherty (Ward 6), Smith (4th) and West (2nd).

The Report is told that "the young turks" will be campaigning together.

Cole, on the other hand has been a major disappointment.  Among his impressive credentials:  (from LinkedIn profile)

• -YSTARK and The Canton Repository’s “Twenty under 40,” (Inaugural Class)
• -Stark County Young Democrat of the Year, 2009

The SCPR once had high expectations for him.  But he has failed to deliver as an independent minded, energetic and visionary Canton legislator.  Rather he has decided to fall in with the mayor and base his political survival on being joined at the hip with Healy and his allies.

Come November 7th, the SCPR believes that Joe Cole will be ex-Councilman Joe Cole.

For he played the game of "filing for political office musical chairs" with Mary Cirelli and ended up without a chair.

Joe Cole outfoxed by veteran Canton/Stark County politician Mary Cirelli!