(VIDEO) CITY OF CANTON: A LEGISLATIVE FIGHT OR A POLITICAL FIGHT?

Canton City Council has been fighting over the form of updating its building code and concomitant inspection requirements for about a year.   It's a fight between the "white hats" (those favoring mandatory inspections at sale or once every five years) and the "black hats" (those who worry about the cost to slumlords and whether or not the increased standard of inspection will pay for itself or threaten an additional drain on the city's general fund).  An outsider might think this is a good thing.

Why?

Because one of Canton's many problems is neighborhood deterioration.  For what good building codes are, Canton's prior codes have not been effective towards deterring slumlords from coming to Canton in droves to collect their rents, put very little - if anything, into the rental units and then move on when their houses/apartments collapse.

And the SCPR agrees that it would be a good thing for Canton to vigorously attack its neighborhood.deterioration problem.

But is restoring the neighborhoods "really" what's at play in this fight?

The Report thinks not.

This fight is against a political backdrop of incumbent Democratic Mayor William J. Healy, II straining to survive an intraparty challenge from Councilman Bill Smuckler come May, 2011 and the Democratic primary.

What the Smuckler forces on council will be doing from now until May will be to find one issue or another to make political hay for the challenger.  And, Healy supporters will be doing the same for the mayor.

Doesn't mean that some "good for the citizens" won't come out of the political vying.  But it does mean that the governors (the mayor, the appointed officials and the council members) cannot for the life of themselves get out of their primarily political stance into a more civic model.

Unless and until Canton's governing class learns to minimize the political, Canton will continue its downward slide.  New businesses will not be attracted to a city in constant political turmoil.  All that will get any new economic development to Canton will be the special deals (i.e. tax incentives, et cetera).  Once those evaporate, the businesses will vamoose.  For there is nothing inherently compelling about Canton as it presently stands and is operated.

All Cantonians can hope for is for May 3, 2011 to come and go quickly.

Perhaps, if Smuckler wins - remember, the word is "perhaps," Canton has a better chance to get out of the "politics for the sake of politics" mode and move on to a bona fide repair of its image, its infrastructure and onto "real" economic development.

Smuckler appears to be less political than Healy.  However, that may not be saying much.  Mayor Healy is, in the view of the SCPR, a master politician.  Maybe enough of a master to survive as mayor of Canton.

Here is a video snippet of the argument between the two adversaries Healy (West) and Smuckler (Hawk).

HEALY SUPPORTERS DO NOT FARE WELL IN CANTON CITY COUNCIL RACES

From Canton Mayor's William Healy's perspective, yesterday's elections had to be a disappointment. Late in the campaign the gloves came off in his fight to unseat Ward 1 Councilman Greg Hawk. But Healy did not come close in his effort. His candidate, former Republican Bob Harper lost by a nearly 2 to 1 margin.

By being front and center in the Harper campaign and by sending his supporters help Hawk's opponent, Healy put himself in a position of having to own the Hawk/Harper results.

Will Healy's opponents on Council take the Ward 1 election as a referendum on Healy's performance in office so far? Could be.

The SCPR believes that more skirmishes with Council lie ahead for Healy and his losing political capital investment in the Ward 1 race will signal to council members that Healy is a lame duck mayor with little chance of re-election, if he lasts that long.

The SCPR sees council-at-large replacement of Don Casar as a person who has a steep learning curve and consequently will fall under the strong influence of long time councilman Bill Smuckler, hardly a Healy admirer, as he learns the ins and outs of being a counciiman.

What next?

Council will continue to focus on its own agenda for Canton and will only work with Healy on matters that Healy follows Council's lead on.

Bill Smuckler is likely positioning himself for one last run at becoming mayor of Canton, even if it means taking Healy on in a primary.

Smuckler would have no problem at all at challenging an incumbent mayor.

After all, when Smuckler needed to be focusing his time, energy and resources in running against Republican candidate Janet Creighton in 2003, who ran against him in the Democratic primary?

None other than Hizzonor.

DISCUSSION: "A POLITICAL DOGFIGHT" BETWEEN CANTON MAYOR WILLIAM J. HEALY, II & WARD 1 COUNCILMAN GREG HAWK? YES, TO PUT IT MILDLY!

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) has learned that open warfare has broken out between Canton Mayor William J. Healy and Ward 1 Councilman Greg Hawk.

A few days ago The Report did a blog on Hawk getting a job with Massillon Muny clerk of courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.

Did that story strike a cord with the Healy camp?

A TeamHealy member who has called yours truly every name in the book because of the SCPR hard hitting pieces on the Mayor, all of sudden became The Report's best friend?

Not hardly!

This person started feeding the SCPR information about Hawk. Yours truly has been around the block and time or two and for this person and another Healy supporter (Eric Resnick - who gave The Report info about Healy's future legislative agenda and then complained when yours truly wrote about it) to not understand this is interesting.

The Report accepts information from various sources and works hard to be satisfied that the info has substance. Coincidentally, The Report's incisive political analysis may benefit certain political figures. That's today. Tomorrow, if that's where the story leads, may not be so pleasing to these folks.

Both of these two have to get up earlier in the morning to get ahead of The Report.

As The Report has said about Healy, he is one of the most opportunistic/manipulative politician yours truly has ever been around. That's why the SCPR did a blog with a character laughing vigorously at the thought that William J. Healy offering a "true" ethics reform package. The Report has opinionated that Healy is politically amoral and only thinks about his own skin in his political machinations.

Many times over, The Report has said that Healy thinks he is smarter than the rest of the world (and certainly the likes of Tom Bernabei, Allan Schulman and Bill Smuckler) and contemptuously toys with them, The Report, The Repository and others (in his own mind).

Now it turns out that Healy is ratcheting up his political game.

One of Healy's most bitter political enemies in Canton Ward 1 Councilman Greg Hawk.

Hawk has an opponent in the upcoming May primary: Robert Harper. The SCPR has learned that Healy has directed his political assets to go all out for Harper in the Democratic primary (Harper was a Republican according to Stark County Board of Election records as late as May, 2005).

And that is Healy's perfect right.

Moreover, the Healy supporter source complains that Hawk was originally Healy friendly, although the Healyite claims that Hawk publicly says he voted for Republican Janet Creighton in 2007, but is to be chastised for questioning Healy et al during the city budget considerations. Really? Councilman Hawk is disloyal because he does his job as a councilman?

What happened next is what should disturb Stark County law enforcement officials and Cantonian citizens.

At a recent area function in which local "celebrity" figures (political, civic and whatever), Mayor Healy made a very serious hearsay (hearsay in that it had been passed onto Healy - according to Healy - by a knowledgeable woman) allegation about a Hawk family member to a group of attendees and alleged drug activities in the Hawk home

But get this?

Healy makes it known this group of people at the celebrity event that he (Mr. Let Me Propose Ethics Reform for Canton) that he's not going to the police with the allegations.

That's Healy's ethics for you.

What an outrage!!!

Hawks reaction? Quite understandable. Four letter words were flying all over the place hurled in Healy's direction.

The more that the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT digs into how Healy operates and his false notion that nobody in Canton or Stark County or maybe even the world is sharp as "hizzoner," the more The Report is convinced that governing Canton in a constructive, productive and helpful way is not Healy's primary agenda.

No, not at all!

As far as the SCPR is concerned, Healy is all about Healy!!!!

DISCUSSIONS: COMMISSIONER TOM HARMON PASSING OUT PUBLIC JOBS AGAIN?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) has learned from a highly reliable source that Stark County Commissioner Tom Harmon is at it again.

At what?

Helping his political friends get public jobs that the general public never gets a shot at.

Harmon himself was originally appointed by Stark Democrats as county commissioner when former commissioner Gayle Jackson left for a Strickland administration job (probably at the behest of and certainly with the assistance of Stark County Democratic Party chair Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.)

The beneficiary this time?

Canton City Councilman Greg Hawk who is the owner/operator of Original Arcade Coneys (located at 215 West Tuscarawas St) and who is Canton City Ward 1C precinct committeeman.

In addition to owning and operating his own business and being a paid Canton City Council member, Hawk is now also working for Massillon elected official Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. Hawk joins Stark County Democratic Political Director Shane Jackson (who is Gayle's son) in the Massillon clerk of courts office. Shane's sister Lisa is the Plain Township administrator. A job she landed after she left the Stark County recorder's office because she had married Recorder Rick Campbell.

Why is The Report making a deal out of the Hawk hiring?

Let's see, three jobs he has. Okay he owns and operates his own business. This is wonderful. His second job is as an elected official. This is fine too. He went out got himself elected.

And The Report would be fine with him having a third job with local government, if The Report believed that he was the best person for this job. He may be. But who did he compete with to get the job? Let's see the list. Many very able Stark Countians have no job.

Stark organized Democrats (as Republicans like Janet Creighton and Jane Vignos did) are really loading up political insiders with jobs in taxpayer provided jobs.

If the general public only knew the degree to which Stark Republicans and Democrats alike set aside taxpayer funded jobs for their political cronies and allies, Stark Countians would likely be less likely to support city income tax issues, county sales/use tax issues, et cetera.

Yours truly has generally supported tax initiatives. Because? Because government does take money. However, our elected officials need to run government operations as if the money was coming out of their own pockets.

When we taxpayers get a growing sense of being abused by our elected leaders in their hiring practices, then it is time to stop and take a hard look.

These elected leaders may think they are playing us taxpayers for being fools, but they aren't. We are very much aware of what they do. A word to the wise: unless these leaders stop excluding the general public and stop it soon, we (voters who normally support funding government) will dry up their money.

The Report knows of and has reported on and will continue to report on Stark County politically connected folks who seemed to end up with a disproportionate number of public, taxpayer funded jobs.

A mission of The Report is to give readers an independent look at how political partisans use taxpayer dollars to provide for their political friends and for their families. Oh, they don't do direct hires. But they mask the hirings by having fellow officeholders do the hiring.

The issue is not the competence these folks have for these jobs. In some cases, the hirees are not competent (remember Ohio congressman Wayne Hays and Elizabeth Ray), but out-and-out incompetence is the exception rather than the rule.

The prime issue is whether or not the general public had a fair opportunity to get these jobs?

The Report has also learned that there may be something in the works at the hand of a Stark County Democratic Party and elected official to send a Stark Countian to Columbus to the Ohio treasurer's office so that a local taxpayer funded job opens for that official's relative.

Stay tuned. The Report is on this story and will be watching closely to see if it materializes.

The Report's guess is that this official is so utterly arrogant that the plan will proceed notwithstanding that the official is being watched with hawkeye precision.