VIDEOS: NORTH CANTON, A BRIGHTER TOMORROW?

FINAL UPDATE:  2:00 PM (COMPLETE HELD PRESENTATION)

VIDEOS

MAYOR DAVID HELD

"ON THE STATE OF THE CITY"
(PUBLISHED)

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MAYOR DAVID HELD

RESPONDS TO SCPR QUESTIONS
(PUBLISHED)

 

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COUNCILMEN

JON SNYDER

DOUG FOLTZ

RESPOND TO SCPR QUESTIONS
(PUBLISHED)

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COUNCIL PRESIDENT JEFF PETERS

RESPONDS TO SCPR QUESTIONS
(PUBLISHED)

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DOUG LANE
 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 
(PUBLISHED)
 

There have been better times in North Canton.

And you don't have to back all that far.

However, a "healthy" North Canton is one which has The Hoover Company as its cornerstone.

How I remember as a lad growing up in Gettysburg, Pa that Christmas morning in the 1950s when my mother woke up from her night of dreams as to what Santa might bring her to an excited realization of her dreams as the brand new and gleaming Hoover Sweeper stood tall next to our tall, slim Christmas tree.

She could scarcely believe what she was seeing!

 "Hoover fine appliances around the house....around the world" - 1954

Hoover and North Canton in the same breath, the same sentence (North Canton based facilities were closed in 2007) are "no more" except within the memories of folks like those who are members of and staff the North Canton Heritage Society.

When the Hoover name last donned a Stark County business, it wasn't even located in North Canton.  The last gasp of remnants of the company name occurred in 2012 in Jackson Township.

But "life moves on."

And last night at Walsh University's Barrette Center Mayor David Held (mayor since 2005) held court with about 50 North Cantoninans as he addressed them as to "the State of the City."

In general, the SCPR's take on Held's presentation of being one of "cautious optimism."  What struck The Report as being somewhat odd was his not emphasizing the Industrial Realty Group (IRG, also Maple Street Commerce) effort to develop the former Hoover complex located in the heart of North Canton (directly across the street from City Hall) into a multifaceted manufacturing/business and office complex.

At last report, the "being-rehabbed" former Hoover plant accounts for about 1,000 North Canton income tax paying jobs.

Quite to the contrary.  He include in his presentation a list of ten companies/entities which now constitute the bulwark of North Canton employment.

Only Myers Control Power LLC (which was formerly located in Massillon) and Trubridge Inc. are housed in the

(See Held's entire 39 minute and 14 second "State of the City Address" at the end of this blog.

So what is the state of the North Canton?

In the estimate of the SCPR = in a word - struggling!

Right now the city seems to be treading water.

However, matters could be worse.

Held in his address emphasized that North Canton:

• Has "acres of diamonds" in its people and resource in place within the city which simply have to be mined,
• Is skilled in finding  "diamonds in the rough" within the city, and 
• Needs to focus on two goals, to wit:

One slide that Held did not spend much time on (especially the 2015/2016 "carryover" deficit numbers) should concern North Cantonians.

Looks like North Canton is projecting $1 million (2015) and a $2 million plus (2016) going forward, no?

The SCPR did address that question with Held after his presentation.



The Report sees a major problem for North Canton being solvent come 2015 and 2015.  And the city has no articulated plan of how to address the negative numbers.

If the city of North Canton is going to put a revenue raising issue before North Canton voters it, the SCPR thinks, will have to not later than next year.  The North Canton schools are projecting a $6 million deficit for 2017.

For if both put tax issues on at the same time, guess what the result might be?  You've got it.  Both are likely to fail.

At the conclusion of Held's message the Stark County Political Report talked with former council president Jon Snyder (Republican - Ward 4), Democratic Councilman Doug Foltz and current council president  Daniel "Jeff" Peters (a Republican).

A major concern with Snyder (who the SCPR thinks is North Canton's most knowledgeable and experienced government official) the possible loss of some $400,000 in revenue if an Ohio General Assembly bill passes which put the State of Ohio in charge of city income tax collections.

Here are Snyder and Foltz.



And here is the Peters interview.



The SCPR says "Hats Off! to the North Canton Chamber of Commerce for putting last night event on.  Doug Lane presented on the activities of the Chamber over the past year and North Canton superintendent of schools Michael Hartenstein presented for the North Canton City Schools.

In upcoming days, the SCPR will blog on both presentations.

Here is a video interview with Lane done after last night's event.



Mayor Held put the best spin he could on North Canton's future financial picture, but the SCPR thinks that it could be that the city is heading in the direction that Massillon is currently in (State of Ohio fiscal emergency) and Alliance is on the brink of.

It will take some creative and imaginative leadership on the part of North Canton officials to avoid Massillon's fiscal troubles.

Only time will tell whether or not the mayor and council is up to the challenge.

Here is the "complete" video of Mayor Held's State of the City speech.