(VIDEOS) IN EFFECT, HEALY ADMITS THAT HIS ADMINISTRATION HAS LOST CONTROL OF CANTON'S CRIME PROBLEM? CALLS IN FEDS & ATTY GENERAL DEWINE TO HELP FIX PROBLEM.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT SCHULMAN BLASTS DEWINE FOR EXCLUDING PRESS

VIDEOS

HEALY ON DEWINE VISIT
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SHULMAN ON DEWINE BARRING OF PRESS  
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HEALY "PUBLICLY" THANKS PRICE FOR SERVICE 
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It was an interesting night to say the least at Canton City Council's (Council) regular September 9, 2013 meeting.

At the very beginning of the meeting, Council president Allen Schulman recognized Mayor William J. Healy, II in a rather unusual move in terms of the usual order of a Council meeting.

The gist of Healy's comments were that a recent series of murders in Canton prompted him to contact federal and state of Ohio law enforcement officials to come to Canton to assist local officials in getting Canton's crime problem under control.

The feds say that they might come.  Ohio attorney general Michael DeWine was here yesterday to meet with Healy and a number of Canton/Stark County law enforcement types.

However, the typically "I never met a press release telling the public 'how great I am'" DeWine insisted that local media be excluded from the meeting.

 Well, Allen Schulman was upset, to say the least.



One has to wonder where Mayor Healy "really" was on the matter.

The SCPR has to believe that the mayor was all too happy to accommodate DeWine (by being "the good host") on his allowing DeWine to proceed without any public accountability as to what was discussed.

Schulman says there was absolutely nothing discussed in the meeting that was sensitive in terms of getting a grip on Canton's pervasive crime problem that the public should not have been privy to.

Undoubtedly, the Council president is right on the money.

However, there is the matter is the "airing of Canton's dirty laundry" in public and The Report is guessing that perhaps DeWine, being the politician he is and being up for reelection next year, wanted to spare the mayor the embarrassment of the press picking up on the magnitude of Canton's crime problem.

If that is the case, DeWine needs to get more familiar with Canton and Stark County.

Cantonians and Stark Countians are well aware of "how 'out-of-control' Canton's crime problem is."

And there is nothing that was said at yesterday's secret confab which would startle locals.

As if Healy did not have enough problems yesterday, his fire chief, Stephen Rich, showed up "in force" with his top fire department lieutenants and in the Public Speaks forum of Council painted an alarming picture of the how the Healy administration has let the fire and EMS personnel strength level atrophy to highly dangerous levels.

Reading between Rich's lines, were Canton to experience a conflagration or disaster necessitating resort to maximum EMS capability; the city is in "no way, shape or form" prepared to cope with either.

The mayor's answer?

Blame the state of Ohio and its draconian of local government funding beginning in 2011.

A further question.

Is the mayor's answer washing with the Canton public?

Perhaps not.

And maybe it is dawning on the mayor that with the Democratic primary being only 21 months away (May, 2015) and with the near certainty that there will be a formidable "Democratic" candidate to oppose him; time may be running out on efforts to get Canton's crime problem under control.

Yours truly, knowing how the mayor's "political" mind works, is confident that he is already focused on May, 2015 and "who to blame" as local media's headlines blare out the almost daily recounting of the reality that Canton is one of the least safe cities in all of America.

Earlier on in his tenure as mayor, Healy had high hopes of moving on from Canton to "bigger and better things."  Running for a statewide job (e.g. treasurer) or, perhaps, with the reelection of fellow Democrat Barack Obama, a Washington job.

But his administration of Canton (i.e. in addition to the crime problem; no significant economic development) has not been distinguishing for him.  Moreover, with the "constant revolving door" of leadership change, seemingly, any official who shows any backbone get pushed out the door.

Generally, in public, Healy says laudatory things about a given public official who leaves.



But privately, he has been prone to trashing them.

One may have to look to further than the departure of Warren Price. 

On August 29th, the Healy administration threw "a going away party" for Price.  But only one problem.  Warren Price did not show up at the party given to him.

The SCPR has heard two versions of what prompted Price not showing up.

One is that Healy had a discussion with one of Price's very closest of friends (unbeknownst to Healy) in which he said some pretty vile things about his former service director, chief-of-staff, annexation director and safety director.

A second account is that the night before (the 28th) the party, Healy and Price had had a heated confrontation.

And you know what, maybe both are on the mark.

So what is to be taken out of all the machinations coming out of the Healy administration?

Increasingly, it is becoming apparent to the SCPR that this administration should be known as being "the revolving door" administration.