CHUCK OSBORNE RESPONSE
Chuck Osborne <cosborne@neo.rr.com> Today at 5:25 PM
To: Martin Olson
Hello Martin,
I believe today's blog (April 10, 2018, titled RICHARD JUSSEAUME, EXTENDS UNMERITED 'GRACE' TO NORTH CANTON GOV'T), should have been titled,
"NORTH CANTON TAXPAYERS INCUR NEEDLESS COST FOR FAILURES OF CITY OFFICIALS!"
That is how I see it.
If City officials had attended the February 9, 2018, dedication of Walsh University's newest academic building, the Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center, there would have been NO cost to City taxpayers.
I am sorry you feel my brief mention of the cost to North Canton taxpayers was "totally inappropriate given the circumstances and setting for last night's meeting."
What was inappropriate was that City officials failed to appear at the dedication earlier this year.
Further, it would have been disingenuous and unethical for me not to disclose the hypocrisy that City officials were acting out in their attempt to make amends to Walsh University at taxpayer expense.
In typical North Canton fashion, City officials were portraying in a public session that everything is "Blue Sky and Sunshine" when that was not entirely true.
North Canton City officials could easily have held a Town Hall meeting that would not have entailed the need to "Livestream" the meeting and hire a court reporter to transcribe, verbatim, the meeting minutes.
Whatever it is worth, I thank you for providing coverage of me in the Stark County Political Report (SCPR) among the many high-profile Stark County individuals that you cover.
You provide a great service to the community.
Sincerely,
Chuck Osborne
ORIGINAL BLOG
Please take a minute and get know Richard Jusseaume (LINK) and his beloved Walsh University (LINK) located in North Canton.
An especially gratifying experience for Jusseaume in his 17 years as president of Wash had to be the dedication of the Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center on Friday, February 9, 2018.
This is how, in part, how a university website page described the event:
Walsh University commemorated the dedication and opening of its newest academic building, the Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center on Friday, February 9, 2018. The ceremony featured remarks by Walsh University President Richard Jusseaume, Student Government President Melissa Valle, Board Chair The Honorable Judge Sara Lioi, Marlene Toot '85, and Br. Walter Zwierchowski, FIC, as well as a blessing by Monsignor Robert Siffrin, Vicar General for the Diocese of Youngstown. The Walsh University choir and band provided music for the ceremony. (See this LINK for a fuller account of the event)
Missing from the account is a recognition of any North Canton government officials.
Strange, no?
Not really!
For as The Stark County Political Report understands non-recognition, it was because there was NOBODY FROM NORTH CANTON GOVERNMENT in attendance!!!
Can you believe it?
There were no "direct" apologies by North Canton officials to Walsh last evening on the campus of this robust university, but the SCPR has learned that a primary reason for last night's council meeting being at Walsh was a make up of the apparently "inadvertent" (giving the North Canton officials a benefit of a doubt) absence of the February 9th celebration.
The Walsh student turnout of about 40 was impressive.
There was a "lame" we have been trying to do this for 13 years on the part of several city officials which one could take as an "indirect" apology.
Give me a break! Thirteen (13) years and Council at Walsh almost did not happen last night according to this account by Mayor Held.
If that is what "pulling out all the stops" on Councilman Cerreta's insistence to have North Canton Council meet at Walsh last night was all about, it is an unacceptable backhand form of apology for nobody showing on February 9th.
The mayor, the president of council or somebody, anybody should have manned up last night and referenced the no show insult and made a direct apology to President Jusseaume and thereby to the university community.
Held is usually good to do that sort of thing. Last night was a failure on his part.
One other thing.
It seems to the SCPR that citizen activist Chuck Osborne focusing on the cost to North Canton taxpayers (about $500) was totally inappropriate given the overall circumstances (i.e.the February 9th MIA North Canton officialdom) and setting for last night's meeting.
To the SCPR, $500 is an insignificant price to pay to in a small way atone for the February failure.
Hopefully, the "in-the-emotion-of-the-moment" statements by a number of council members that "we have to do this every year" will prove to reality and not just some platitude that everyone forgets soon after they are uttered.
And, yes, even if future North Canton Council meetings at Walsh entail some expense. After all, Walsh itself had some extra expense in hosting the meeting.
Osborne does a lot of valuable work as a citizen activist, but his $500 in expenses objection is not one of them. It is occasions like this nitpicking that make one feel sometimes that Osborne gets picky, picky, picky beyond common sense and thereby undermines his overall valuable work.
Walsh University is North Canton's largest employer at about 800 employees.
Mayor David Held cites Walsh as being a responsible citizen in that when it annexed to North Canton, he says it was done in order to get city water. It was a sacrifice for Walsh employees because in leaving Plain Township to be in North Canton's city limits, its employees had to agree to be subject to the city's 1.5% income tax.
Something that OMNI Orthopaedics (it was announced by Councilman at Large Mark Cerreta) is not willing to do.
And here is Mayor Held with his reaction to the Cerreta announcement.
President Jusseaume uttered not a word of dismay that no North Canton official was at Walsh's prized event of February 9th. What a gracious man he is, no? His approach is what one expects of a Christian university and he delivered last night.
But he did offer (as seen in the foregoing video) Walsh's assistance to help North Canton out of its economic development doldrums in announcing through the generosity of the former Hoover Company union (Electrical Workers Local 1085) and the Knights of Columbus Walsh University (in November, 2016) acquired title to the former Hoover union headquarters in downtown North Canton.
In Jusseaume's address to North Canton government last night, note the manner in which he broaches the topic of Walsh University assisting North Canton with community/economic development.
It is clear, the SCPR thinks, that the effort will not be a one-way-street and that for the endeavor to be successful, North Canton government will have to fully embrace a collaborative effort between Walsh and the North Canton Chamber of Commerce.
And here is a one-on-one SCPR interview with President Jusseaume following last evening's council meeting.
The SCPR salutes Walsh University and Richard Jusseaume for taking the "high road" in ignoring the February 9th slight and going the extra mile in helping a struggling North Canton government become community/economic development viable.
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