When Stark County's political cognoscenti (i.e. the astutely aware) want "the full story" on "inside the beltway of Stark County politics, they turn to the Stark County Political Report.
Yesterday, another Stark County media (no names please) published selected parts of Canton public safety director Thomas Ream's letter announcing his intention to retire as of April 19th of this year.
At the end of this blog readers are provided with "a full copy of Ream's letter" which has a few morsels of interesting information that the editors of that other media outlet did not pass onto Cantonians and Stark Countians at large.
One interesting omitted tidbit of Ream's letter (this past Monday, March 11, 2013) is that it came 99.99% to the day that Mayor William J. Healy, II threw Ream under the bus before the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) Executive Committee on February 12, 2013. (LINK to prior blog which has a video showing Healy's act)
It was the clear implication of Healy's presentation that Ream single-handedly decided to redefine the Canton-Stark County Crime Lab directorship job description (taking out the science background requirement) so that former Stark County chief deputy sheriff Rick Perez could qualify to be hired and was, in fact, hired by Ream.
Of course, it was the SCPR which broke the story yesterday that the Ream's letter was in the hands of Mayor Healy.
That it broke out into the public only yesterday (Friday) after having been written on Monday speaks volumes, no?
A point of yesterday's blog (LINK) is obviousness that Tom Ream - to put it nicely - was less than happy with Hizzhonor that on the 11th of February came Healy's press release announcement that he had obtained Ream's good friend and law enforcement colleague (Perez) resignation from the directorship which he had held all of one week.
The Report has been told that the ribbing of Ream of being thrown under the bus started almost immediately.
Undoubtedly, Ream, who has been with the Canton Police Department for 36 years, has a lot of personal pride in his professionalism and, in partcular, his work as safety director since August, 2009.
Who could abide the treatment he got from Healy?
And it is a credit to him that he did not lash out at the mayor in his resignation letter.
However, one can only guess what he is saying in private and to the mayor directly. The Report's guess is it ain't Sunday School language.
What "a turn of events" for Ream. From being Canton's top cop to being publicly embarrassed by his boss.
Of course, nobody believes that Healy himself was not up to his eyeballs in the Perez appointment.
If there is something political going on in Stark County and if William J. Healy, II thinks there is some benefit to him in it, he makes sure he is in the thick of things.
As he was as Stark's Dems met to select McDonald's successor.
A powerful Stark County Democrat told the SCPR this past Thursday at Healy's State of the City address that the political stars were lined up to make Lou Darrow McDonald's successor and guess who lost his political nerve?
You've got it: William J. Healy, II.
He ended up aligned with the Maiers because as he told "powerful Democrat," he didn't want to upset Randy Gonzalez (Stark County Democratic Party chairman).
Back in January Healy was making phone calls promoting Ream's selection by the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee (held February 5, 2011) as Mike McDonald's (who resigned - due to health reasons - as Stark County sheriff elect on January 3rd) successor as county sheriff.
Hmm?
One day you're a man's candidate for sheriff and a week later you are being thrown under the bus?
Hardly surprising when "the man" is William J. Healy, II, no? The man has to do what he has to do for the sake of his own political hide, no?
And he seemingly escapes without consequences time-after-time-after-time and thereby turning himself into an object of envy for 9-lived cats.
The SCPR would like to be empathetic with Director Ream but yours truly cannot come to being such.
Director Ream, one would think, had to have his "Eyes Wide Open" when he accepted his appointment three and one-half years ago.
But did he?
Or, were his "Eyes Wide Shut?"
Blinded by the sheer ambition to be Canton's top cop?
Now he has to live with the consequences of having ignored what he had to have seen in Healy in August of 2009.
For the decision to accept the directorship in August of 2009 has turned into the all too real and bitter result of Ream writing his letter of March 11, 2013!
A - stark - turn of events, no?
Here's Ream's letter of resignation:
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