CHARTER COMMISSION SERIES: HERE COME THE "ANTI" CHARTER GROUPS IN DISGUISE?

UPDATED AT 08:30 AM

For those Cantonians who want to separate the sheep from the wolves on the Canton Charter Issue 47 matter in next week's election, it can be somewhat difficult.

But within the last couple weeks or so, what some think to be the "anti" charter government groups surfaced with campaign mailers.

From what the SCPR understands from sources,  the first was one put out by Local #94 business agent David Kirven a couple weeks ago.



For those who think David Kirven and his trade unionists are not the primary force behind the "Truth About Charter" flyer/mailer, take a look at this campaign finance report filing on October 22nd with the Stark County Board of Elections.



In reviewing the above pdf file, note the following:

• Campaign treasurer:   Richard A. Mallon, II,
• Only two contributions:
• $10,000 - East Central Ohio Buildings & Construction Trades, PCE which David Kirven is president of and which his union Local #94, Plumbers and Pipefitters is a key union unit member of,
• $500 - Jefferson Jackson Club of which Kirven was president until recently to be succeeded by Canton City Council's Ward 5 councilman Kevin Fisher is probably THE MOST VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED person in all of Canton to Canton considering going to a charter government format,

Of the three, the SCPR is most disappointed in R.A. Mallonn.

Why would that be?

Yours truly goes back some 13 years with Mallonn who during his 2002 campaign for Stark County commissioner against Republican Richard Regula reached out and help the Olson for State Representative campaign.

During that campaign, he got to know Mary Olson, my wife.

R.A. when he sees me always asks about Mary which of course is gratifying.

Of late, his asking has been especially pleasing as Mary recently went through open heart surgery.

Why is the SCPR so disappointed in R.A. Mallon?

Because it appears that he looked me in the eye (err camera) and to put it euphemistically told an untruth about the Truth About Charter PAC being a mix of pro/anti charter folks.

Take a look at this video.



What does the Truth About Charter mailer say about the organization's stance?

Though the SCPR favors Canton having a charter, there is plenty of room for disagreement and folks are entitled to oppose it.

But why the subterfuge?

To say it again, how disappointing that R.A. Mallon (Canton's auditor) could not just be out with it.  He is clearly opposed to the charter as are those behind the Truth About Charter.

The PAC is not about the truth in the objective sense.  It is about "the subjective truth" as the embodiment of union interests and the interests of elective office holders who fear they will ultimately be out of a job if a charter were to be implemented by the citizens of Canton.

Apparently, another anti-charter voice is Canton treasurer Kim Perez.

Like Mallonn, Perez has become a fixture in Stark County political subdivision government and seemingly thinks he is entitled to remain a fixture.

The Report's take on the likes of Mallonn and Perez hanging on beyond their prime is that their doing so stagnates Canton because they are core representatives of "old school" politics and government more focused on the preservation of the status quo as the rest of world goes flying by.

Mayor Healy does have one thing right, there has been way too much of this style of government and politics in Canton going back decades much of it at the hand of deficient Republican executive leadership.  So much that such is indeed a reason why Canton is so far behind in the year 2015.

He sees himself as something different, the SCPR does not.

Until recently (Perez), he has surrounded himself with the likes of Mallonn and Perez and and thereby shows that "birds of a feather do indeed flock together" in terms of unimaginative leadership.

It would have been no answer at all for Cantonians to have selected Kim Perez over Healy in the Canton Democratic primary in May.

Perez gives the appearance of political/governmental dynamism, but that he collects genuflecting supporters such as Canton councilman-at-large Jimmy Babcock and Ward 5 councilman Kevin Fisher around him is evidence that the appearance is a mere mirage.

Take a look at the Perez sponsored mailer which the SCPR is told went out very recently.

A number of things to note about this mailer:

• It implies, the SCPR agrees with a source of The Report's copy of the mailer, that the list of 15 are endorse by the "organized" Stark County Democratic Party, 
• Note:  10 of the 15 on "the Kim Perez" approved list have pretty much nowhere to be seen in terms of making themselves accessible to the Canton public on Issue 47.
• in that it is paid for by the Kim Perez campaign fund clearly suggests that Treasurer Perez is pursing his self interest in maintaining the Canton treasurer's office and must figure that the 15 mailer endorsed candidates will help his protect his turf even if such is not in the best interest of the city going forward,

Of course, Kirven and Perez did not volunteer to make copies of the mailer available to the SCPR.   A specific request was made of Kirven.  What he doesn't understand is that The Report is kept well stocked with such materials and therefore he cannot be effective in his attempt the deny yours truly to these materials in order to keep the Canton/Stark County public informed.

His denial of the SCRP having camera access to Jefferson Jackson when he was president and his latest refusal to provide is a denial in the final sense of the word to the Canton/Stark County public.

The Report's source who provided copies of the mailers (only identified for purposes of SCPR disclaimer as the spouse of a pro-charter candidate for he commission) said that Stark County Dems' chairman Phil Giavasis and was told that the use of the Stark Dems' logo for purposes of the mailer was unauthorized and that the Stark Dems are not endorsing charter candidates.

Shame on Treasurer Perez for allowing the mailer to be constructed in such a fashion to strongly suggest otherwise, no?

Suffice it to say, those readers of the SCPR who favor the construction of a non-poison-pill ladened charter should Cantonians approve going forward, ought to think twice about voting for any of the 15 on the Perez list.

The Report notes that the list includes Law Director Joe Martuccio who has an interest in preserving the law director position in Canton government as an elective office.

To present a balance blog, the SCPR notes that Edmond Mack (the principal proponent of Canton having a charter) has also allied himself with fellows in forming what the call The Canton Good Government PAC.

The main support for The Canton Good Government PAC comes from Councilmen Edmond Mack (Ward 8), John Mariol (Ward 7) and council president Allen Schulman.

Moreover, there are actual candidates supporting the charter as Mack and Mariol envision it (merely mirroring Canton government as it currently exists) who put there money where their mouths are.

Kudos to these candidates.

To the SCPR Issue #47 as conceived by Mack and Mariol is a no brainer.

It provides an additional tool to help Canton structure itself so as to be responsive to the needs of its citizens.