SCPR ELECTION SERIES: MAYORALTY RACE—DAVID HELD

UPDATE:  THURSDAY—6:30 AM

David Held has been mayor of North Canton for 12 years.

Some North Cantonians think he is a shoe-in for another two years.  Others say:  "not so quick!"

What is the truth of the matter?

The Stark County Political Report (SCPR) for one cannot say.

It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers this blog generates in traffic in drawing North Canton voters to see/hear/read about Held in detail on virtually every current/recent issue of North Canton government.

• Among North Canton candidates interviewed and blogged about by The Report, the Kelly blog numbers are running second only to:
•  B.J. Boyajian:
•  who is outdistancing her Ward 4 opponent and incumbent Dominic Fonte by a 18 to 1 ratio in "hits" on their respective SCPR candidacy blogs. 

Held opponent, Scott Kelly, has an advantage in that Held has a record to defend.

Kelly, a former North Canton employee who lost his job as a firefighter in a North Canton belt tightening of few years ago is clearly on the attack on what he perceives to be a deficient David Held record as North Canton's chief executive.

As a relative political unknown, Kelly should, by conventional political analysis, have "a steep hill to climb" in his quest to unseat Held.

And yet there seems to be a feeling on the part of some North Cantonians that Kelly may be in the hunt to become mayor.

Perhaps councilperson-at-large candidate Daryl Revoldt put his finger on why Kelly might have a chance of unseating Held.

Revoldt in his SCPR interview referenced detecting a "disquiet" among North Canton's voters as he canvassed them in furtherance of his campaign.

Revoldt's take could have special significance on the basis of his having run in quite a few elections in his 25 year career as a North Canton government official.

If so, Held could be in trouble.

On the other hand, the SCPR would not be surprised to see Held win easily because, given his ceremonial role as mayor, he is the most visible representative of North Canton government and therefore has a high voter i.d. familiarity.

"Elephants in the room" in terms of not knowing what, if any, effect they may play in the outcome in this particular race include:

• Held's opposition to North Canton schools' Issue 44, and
• The "eyesore" in the heart of North Canton; namely, the former Hoover complex which sit directly across from North Canton City Hall
• FOR A DETAILED LOOK AT A SCPR ANALYSIS OF THIS HISTORY OF AND THE PROGRESSION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HOOVER COMPLEX, GO TO THIS "LINK" TO A SCPR BLOG OF AUGUST 26, 2014.

Held's opposition to Issue 44 may actually help Held.  The Report's take is that the issue is likely to fail.

The "eyesore" issue appears to be so prominent in the minds of North Cantonians that it in and of itself might cause Held and several councilpersons in competitive races to be left sitting on the North Canton political sidelines come November 8th.

Councilpersons Kiesling and/or Griffith (at-large) and Ward 3 councilwoman Stephanie Werren appear to be the most vulnerable.

Dominic Fonte (Ward 4 incumbent) has made a major effort to get beautification of the front of the Hoover complex up and running in a recent confrontation he had with developer Stu Lichter.

Nobody in North Canton government other than David Held is more closely tied to the re-development of the Hoover complex both: 

• in terms of keeping tabs on the progress of the Maple Street Commerce, LLC, and
• having being "front and center" in his ceremonial role as mayor as the project:
• got started, and
• added milestone developments along the way since it started

Here is what the former Hoover complex was touted to look like when completed as artist rendition shows when the was presented nearly 10 years ago.

Politically unfortunate for Held is the likelihood that his front and center public relations-esque ceremonial ties with the project place him, in the public mind, as the focal point of "all things" former Hoover complex."

Accordingly, he might have to bear the brunt of the "eyesore" come election day.

In the SCPR video clips presented over the remainder of this blog, Held gets a full opportunity to deal with key North Canton issues which may determine whether or not he continues as mayor.

DAVID HELD INTRODUCES HIMSELF

THE "POSITIVE" AS DAVID HELD SEES THINGS IN HIS YEARS AS MAYOR (2:49)

One of David Held's best qualities as a human being is ability to take negative situations and turn them into positives.

Held began in North Canton administration as chief administrator under then-mayor Tom Rice in 2000.  Over the next four years he and Rice's relationship disintegrated to the point that Rice fired him as administrator over policy differences.

Held could have felt sorry for himself and said to himself "who needs this!" and walked away from the North Canton political/government scene.

Being a championship level wrestler in his youth, such is not in the make up of David Held.

In 2005, he turned tables on the incumbent mayor Rice by running for the office and winning over over Rice by a rather decisive majority.

And its been "Easy Street" for him ever since.

In his final years as chief administrator and in his beginning years as mayor of North Canton, it dawned on him and undoubtedly all "aware" North Cantonians that the community financial/economic bulwark—The Hoover Company—was in a speeding downward spiral that would see the company—as it existed in its developing and heydey—"to be no more" in North Canton.

Who would have believed that such would be the end of a company whose payroll at one time enabled North Canton government to build up a $9 million budget surplus?

In the video segment below, Held details how he in collaboration with others picked up the empty, out-of-existence-in-North Canton Hoover Company as of 2007 factory and began the process of making "a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

Well, perhaps, not silk but, rather, a faux leather one?

Listen/watch Held (1:50) describe how he once again picked himself (this time as recently elected mayor of North Canton) and made what he nominates as his greatest positive in his 12 years as mayor.



A "TIME TO TRY MEN'S SOULS," INCLUDING DAVID HELD'S

If readers view no other video in the collection of videos in this blog, THIS ONE IS A MUST.

For in it Held tells the gut-wrenching, agonizing unfolding of The Hoover Company exiting North Canton.

This singular event tells tale of the worst of times for David Held as mayor.

As if the folding of The Hoover Company was not in and of itself financially devastating, North Canton, like political subdivision across Ohio has experienced draconian cuts in local government funding (beginning in 2011 to the tune of about $350,000; loss of estate tax revenues of about $400,000 to $1.3 million [see "More Footage" ... video below].

In what could turn into an ironical twist to this story is that in downsizing over several years North Canton government from 116 employees to 91, which included 2017 mayoral opponent Scott Kelly, Held may prove out to have been part of generating his own demise as mayor of North Canton.  (see "Cost Cutting" video below)

Of course, we will not know the answer to that possibility until the evening hours of November 7th.

The video: (3:59)



MORE FOOTAGE ON HELD TALKING ABOUT NORTH CANTON FINANCIAL HARD TIMES IN CONTEXT OF EMPHASIZING WITH SCHOOLS' FINANCES




Another video segment (1:36) that likely will be intriguing to North Cantonians is a short history of North Canton government and its dependence on The Hoover Company as the mainstay of the city's financial good times, to wit:



PERFORMANCE AUDITS:  A DAVID HELD/NC COUNCIL CONTRIBUTION TO EFFICIENCY IN STARK COUNTY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION GOVERNMENT

North Canton's use of a "performance audit" shows it to be a useful tool in the drive of governments to become more effective and efficient.

All financial distressed local units of Stark County (listen up Canton, Alliance, et cetera) ought to follow North Canton's example.

The video: (4:37)



IMPACT OF COST CUTTING ON MAYOR DAVID HELD & CITY OPERATIONS (6:40)



HELD'S PERCEPTION OF THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR IN NC GOVT (7:30)




IS NORTH CANTON'S EMS FOOTPRINT GETTING "UNWIELDY? (3:02)




ON HELD OPPOSITION TO CEDA (2014) & MORE ON STRENGTH OF HIS ADMINISTRATION (4:42)




DOING COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA IN THE RIGHT WAY AND THE NORTH RIDGE PLACE EFFECT ON NORTH CANTON SCHOOLS (8:56)



VOTE "NO" (SAYS HELD) ON SCHOOLS' ISSUE 44, SCHOOLS NEED TO FOLLOW NC GOV'T FINANCIAL MODEL (3:56)

• Topics addressed: (paraphrased summary of points)
• A mistake for schools to present Issue 44 to voters because:
• 0.75 "earned" income tax proposal is a "permanent" tax,
• increases some North Cantonians municipal/school tax burden to 2.75% (if they work in Canton); 3% (if they work in Akron); 2.25% (if they work in North Canton),
• For North Cantonians who work in city, they pay not only 2.25% but also for servicing the interest on the proposed bond issue,
• Schools need to slow down the replacement of districts older school buildings

Held in his own words:



ON THE FIELDCREST RE-ZONE ISSUE



HELD'S VISION OF NORTH CANTON TWO, FIVE YEARS OUT (16:16)

• Points made:
• Maple Street Commerce Hoover Project,
• is a "eyesore,"
• has addressed Lichter directly to fix up the aesthetics that the condition "as is" is not good PR for Maple Street,
• project is a "go,"
• $12 already million invested in doing 130 apartments in the facility,
• by 2018, new retail, and
• new parking,
• additional jobs (1,200 now) will be 2,400 jobs within five years,
• Quality is better than quantity (i.e. expanding North Canton borders) in North Canton development,
• want 
• top notch city services,
• best available technology,
• best available talent,
• North Canton's priorities,
• safety of residents and employees,
• high quality city services,
• good communication with residents,
• By 2018, North Canton will be a "state of the art" technology city,
• for example, a more interactive website,
• By 2018, improve Dogwood Park and Price Park to tune of at least $2 million perhaps as much as $5 million,

Held in his own words:



WRAP UP (1:15)