VIDEOS
(ENCORE PRESENTATION)
CANTON MAYOR
WILLIAM J. HEALY, II
SAYING
STARK COUNTY GOV'T
HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE
$5 MILLION TO
HALL OF FAME VILLIAGE PROJECT
========================
SERIES OF VIDEOS
ON
COMMISSIONERS BERNABEI & CREIGHTON
RESPONDING TO HEALY'S ACCOUNT
========================
Readers of The Stark County Political Report know that The Report's - more or less - reporting station and political analysis base from nearly the beginning of the SCPR in March, 2008 has been the Stark County commissioners' weekly meeting.
A big SCPR "thank you" to former Commissioner Todd Bosley who promoted the weekly commissioners' meeting as the "base of operations" for The Report - for the idea.
Though virtually powerless over much of Stark "County" government and having very little clout over Stark County's villages, cities, and townships, much of local government and government's step-sister "politics" filters through - even if in a perfunctory manner - through the county commissioners.
Despite the commissioners' meeting being The Report's government and politics "watering hole," the SCPR does get out and about across Stark County and "heads turn" when yours truly shows up a village, city, township, board of education or other local government associated meeting.
As readers know the SCPR can take the most benign and boring of meeting happenings and turn such into a very interesting story which can on occasion shake the very fundaments of Stark County's local government complex.
As dealt with in Tuesday's blog, as he wont to do, Canton mayor William J. Healy, II (who, as a local government official, is a godsend to this blogger) dropped a little morsel of "inaccurate" (at least, for now) information which got an interesting reaction from his dear and close friends (Janet Creighton and Thomas Bernabei) who constitute 2/3rds of the Stark County Board of County Commissioners.
Healy said that of the 30 millions or so - so far - committed to the newly announced in financial support of the newly announced Pro Football Hall of Fame Village "concept" project (HOF), Stark County had pledged (the SCPR's word; not Healy's) $5 million.
See this Healy video to make your own determination of whether or not it is fair for The Report to take Healy as saying that the Stark County commissioners' $5 million in county taxpayer support of the HOF project is a done deal.
One of the really neat things that the commissioners do that no other Stark County unit of local government does, is, after the official weekly commissioners' meeting is concluded, is to open the meeting to questions on the part of the media and presumably anybody else in attendance at the meeting.
The SCRP usually criticizes local government officials for their seeming "let's runaway and hide" persona (e.g. North Canton Council and Law Director Tim Fox), but the commissioners since Creighton and Bernabei came into office with their election in November, 2010 have "far and away" put their local government colleagues to shame.
So thank you Stark County commissioners Creighton and Bernabei of being "a light and a beacon" of democratic-republican principles of operation as a shining example - in this respect - of what Stark's other political subdivision of the State of Ohio can be!
At yesterday's commissioners' meeting, the SCPR during the Q&A asked the commissioners about Healy's $5 million commitment to the HOF project county government.
- SCPR Note: The question was posed to Bernabei and Creighton; Richard Regula was off to Washington, DC to help celebrate the 90th birthday of father and former Congressman Ralph Regula,
- (in the days when Stark County had only one congressman rather than the three Stark now has)
- ["three is better" according to Stark GOP chairman Jeff Matthews and state Rep. Christina Hagan, Republican - Marlboro.
"Did the [SCPR] miss something of a past commissioners meeting for The Report learned from Mayor Healy that the commissioners had agreed to ante up $5 million of taxpayer money for the HOF project?
Answer: (from Commissioner Bernabei):
The SCPR had not missed anything. No official action has taken place to put Stark County government on record as providing $5 million or any other number of dollars to the HOF project.
VIDEO: BERNABEI ON THE $5 MILLION QUESTION
Well, then it was "Katy, bar the door," Olson was off and running with a string of questions.
As he nearly always does, Commissioner Bernabei's responses offer a "fount of knowledge" and information as to the history and the current status of "outside-the-public-purview" discussion between the commissioners (i.e Bernabei; not a majority of the board), HOF officials and other local luminaries (public and private sectors) on the "behind-the-scenes" exploratory talks that have been going on at least a year and the SCPR has the impression: "much longer than anybody will ever admit to."
VIDEO: BERNABEI ON WHERE THE $5 MILLION OR "WHATEVER" WILL COME FROM
VIDEO: WHOM APPROACHED WHOM & WHEN
- SCPR Note: also some humor: Bernabei commits Creighton to donating $11 million a la New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson
VIDEO: COMMISSIONERS COMMIT TO A "PUBLIC HEARING" PROCESS BEFORE ANY DECISION MADE
VIDEO: BERNABEI ON SPECIFIC NUMBER - $5 MILLION OR WHATEVER - BEING CONSIDERED
COMMISSIONER BERNABEI'S "AS AN INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONER" VIEW ON HOF FUNDING
VIDEO: COMMISSIONER CREIGHTON "INDIVIDUAL VIEW AS A COMMISSIONER" VIEW
&
THE BERNABEI TAKE ON WHETHER OR THE HOF PROJECT WILL "ULTIMATELY" BRING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO STARK COUNTY
Before going further, readers should take note of what the HOF folks themselves have to say about the conception of the project:
Hall’s Board approves HOF Village Concept
11/11/2014
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees recently approved in concept a master plan to develop the current campus into a “Hall of Fame Village.”
At the center of the plan is the renovation of Pro Football Hall of Fame Field, the stadium adjacent to the Hall. Work on the stadium is expected to begin next fall.
The Hall of Fame will now proceed with securing partners to create a village that may include:
- a world-class hotel and conference center,
- an Academy of Excellence that would service the corporate world,
- a Center of Athletic Performance & Safety,
- youth football fields,
- retail,
- thematic restaurants, and
- mixed use residence for Hall of Famers and NFL Legends.
“The concept of Hall of Fame Village aligns with the Hall’s vision for the future,” stated Hall of Fame President David Baker. “The commitment by the Board of Trustees provides the staff the opportunity to begin the next steps recommended in recently completed feasibility studies.”
- SCPR Note: HOF quote restructured to emphasize the many aspects that the project envisions.
It is somewhat of "an ironic twist" for Canton mayor William J. Healy, II to be speaking (or, at the very least "sharing information") for Creighton and Bernabei.
These folks have not exactly been "bosom buddies" going way back to November, 2007 when Healy defeated Janet Creighton in her quest to be re-elected (a Republican mind you, in a 9 to 1 Democratic registration majority city) mayor of Canton.
Healy defeated her and quite convincingly.
Before that defeat, Creighton was deemed by many of us political types as being invincible in Stark County elections.
And that is probably still the case outside-the-city-of-Canton.
But nonetheless, Creighton's defeat was quite a humiliation for her.
If Healy had just let things settle in and, for most of his first term as mayor, not bashed Creighton on how she administered Canton government, maybe, in time, Creighton would have gotten over her defeat by Healy.
But he could not resist the opportunity "to blame her" for all Canton's problems so as to put himself in the "savior mode" which, of course, everybody knows is still "a work in progress."
As for Bernabei, he became Healy's first service director and chief of staff.
What a mistake that was!
You talk about mixing "oil and water," what a classic case that the Bernabei/Healy hookup turned out to be.
Both are highly self-confident and Bernabei, being the veteran administrator as Canton's long time law director, he was used to giving orders; not taking them.
Healy as the newly elected mayor had to be like "a kid in a brand new 'sand box.'"
Wouldn't you liked to have been "a fly on the wall" as subordinate Bernabei started barking out orders to "Hizzhonor?"
It is amazing, but Bernabei lasted an entire year as Healy's top administrator.
But then Bernabei goes out-of-town in early 2009.
"When 'the cat' is away, the [mouse] will play," no?
That folks is "the rest of the story!"
While Bernabei was away, Healy summoned the courage to dump him.
Sorry for the diversion, but some SCPR readers might not know why The Report thinks it is just a tad ironic that Healy would dare to share information (which, is inaccurate as of December 4, 2014) much less speak for Commissioners Creighton and Bernabei.
As is evident from Bernabei's responses to the SCPR's questions yesterday, both commissioners are "bullish" for the HOF project concept and it is near certain they will find a way - one way or another (i.e. not getting into Stark County's general fund money and/or the Justice System Sales Tax [JSST] revenues) - to come up with Stark County taxpayer supported revenue stream to redirect to the HOF project.
In time, the SCPR thinks Healy will be right.
But just not now.
The SCPR has got to say that covering Stark County government and politics is "really exciting stuff."
What "a cast of characters" we Stark Countians have for village, city, township and board of education officials, no?
And you can depend on the SCPR to bleed every ounce of the intrigue out of Stark County government and politics goings on!
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