STEVE MEEKS (NEWLY APPOINTED STARK CO COMMISSIONER): STOOD BY AND WATCHED AS KEY HAMMONTREE OFFICIAL BECOMES STARK COUNTY ENGINEER? DOES MEEKS HAVE A SHORT MEMORY OR IS SOMETHING ELSE AT PLAY?

Since the SCPR first published the blog questioning whether or not appointing a Hammontree official (i.e. Keith Bennett, president and managing partner) as Stark County engineer, SCPR's sources have been sending yours truly information that confirms to The Report that not nearly enough questions were asked of Bennett before Stark County Democratic Party leaders tapped Bennett to be the new Stark County engineer.

One such souce referred the SCPR to a Repository report done by Robert Wang (Emerald estate flooding being addressed) on May 7, 2002 wherein he refers to a Hammontree assessment made by, then, Jackson Township trustee Steven M. Meeks.

Meeks is reported to have had this reaction to the flooding problem:

Trustee Steven Meeks said. Therefore, the township will have to pay at least part of the costs.   Meeks said that construction in the Emerald Estates development has made an existing flooding problem worse. It didn't help, he said, that the county approved a flawed and inadequate drainage plan drafted by Hammontree & Associates Ltd. 

So, the SCPR asks, when Meeks says that Hammontree put together "a flawed and inadequate drainage plan" at Emerald Estates, and then not have misgivings about one of Hammontree's top people becoming the Stark County engineer:  what gives Steve?

Why didn't Meeks caution his "joined-at-the-hip" friend, confidant and fellow (before Meeks became Governor Strickland's Region 9 director) Jackson Township official Randy Gonzalez (now chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party) about appointing Bennett?

If you can take Meeks' assessment of the Hammontree work as being accurate, shouldn't this have sent alarm bells ringing loudly to Meeks when he learned that Bennett of Hammontree was to be appointed Stark County engineer?

Should not Meeks have been saying to himself:  "Gee, there may be other Hammontree generated problems out there in the county, if Bennett (who is permitted to continue his financial ties to Hammontree - according to Gonzalez) is the engineer, how does Stark County get redress of its legal grievances without conflicts-in-interests problems surfacing."

According to Meeks,  Emerald Estates Hammontree "flawed" work contributed to flooding at Portage/High Mill and would cost Jackson Township taxpayers.

So, again, the SCPR asks; how can Meeks not see potential conflicts-in-interest problems with a former Hammontree man in charge at the engineer's office?

Did Stark County get nailed twice when the Gonzalez directed effort on behalf of Meeks and Bennett resulted in these two getting the party appointment for county commissioner and county engineer, respectively?

Once in pushing for an engineer who may be too close to a major player in Stark County political subdivision engineering and surveying projects to fully and adequate protect the public interest?

A second time in pushing for a person as commissioner who appears to be more politician than public servant?

Focusing on Meeks:

Did Meeks forget about the flooding problem that he says Hammontree factored into and the concomitant cost to Jackson taxpayers or, is this an instance of  his "going along to get along" with Chairman Gonzalez and the leadership of the Stark County Democratic Party?

The Report suspects that most readers of the SCPR will think Meeks' actions indicate the latter rather than the former; as does yours truly.

Meeks seems to the SCPR to be "of politics, by politics and for politics."   Who does Meeks say he is going to rely on as a model for being commissioner?  Tom Harmon and Gayle Jackson, that's who.  If there are two more politically atuned and astute people in all of Stark County, The Report would like to know who they are.  Neither Harmon nor Jackson achieved much, if anything, of substance for Stark Countians while commissioner. But they were accomplished politicians.

If the SCPR analysis of Meeks is anywhere close to being on the mark, then Stark Countians need to assess his every move as commissioner -  looking for the political angle.

Sometimes highly political people surprise you and become public servants above all else.

Stark Countians should be holding prayer vigils beseeching the Almighty to effect a transformation in Commissioner Steven M. Meeks.

GOVERNOR TO DECIDE WHEN "STARK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY" NEWLY APPOINTED COMMISSIONER STEVEN M. MEEKS TO TAKE OFFICE? SEE MEEKS ADDRESS COMMISSIONERS BOSLEY AND FERGUSON IN ACCOMPANYING VIDEO

On Tuesday night former Jackson trustee and current Region 9 director for Governor Strickland ("the eyes and ears" of the governor in northeast Ohio) achieved a "smashing" victory over his rivals as the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee voted on a replacement for recently resigned commissioner Tom Harmon (12/01/2009).

On Wednesday he was at the regular weekly meeting of the commissioners, but he was sitting in the audience alongside his mentor, former commissioner Harmon.

The SCPR has been told that Meeks had the approval of Strickland and Strickland's chief-of-staff John Haseley to seek the Stark commissioners position, but that - to use a favorite expression of Strickland "keeping his powder dry."  In other words, in an unlikely scenario in which Meeks (a Stark County Democratic Party powerhouse based on his storied political connections), failed in his bid, then Meeks still had a job.

So now Meeks must iron out the details with Strickland and Haseley as to when Meeks relinquishes his Region 9 directorship.

Meeks could be in the commissioners chair as soon as today or it could be January 1st before he assumes his appointed position.

Commissioners Bosley and Ferguson did have the "yet to be sworn-in" Meeks sit in on a couple of "executive sessions" held in the midst of yesterday's meetng.

There was a funny aside.  In announcing the beginning of one of the sessions, Commissioner Bosley asked the attendees to clear the room except for "Martin."  Bosley was quick to add:  "only kidding, Martin."

County administrator Mike Hanke then said to yours truly, "Martin, we may look stupid, but we are not that stupid!"

Gee, what does a guy have to do to get respect?

As an additional sidenote, The Report had a disucssion with a Democratic Party official in a position to know about the possibility that Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II will be replacing Meeks as previously reported and analyzed in the SCPR.

The official told yours truly that about the time that the SCPR reported that discussions were underway with Healy on his replacing Meeks, Mike McElfresh, president of the local trades union board, called Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez with the idea of engineering a Healy for Meeks swap.

The official also confirmed that the mere public discussion of a Healy move out of the mayor's office might mature into actuality. Most interesting was the official's observation that Healy has virtually no support at City Hall among staff below the cabinet level.

The SCPR is on record as being highly skeptical of a deal being worked to transition Healy to Meeks' job.  In the opinion of The Report, Healy has far too much ego to work for anyone other than himself and yours truly believes that John Hasely is far too savvy to saddle the governor with a problem, which Healy certainly would be.

But stranger things have happened.

What follows is a video of Meeks addressing those who attended yesterday's commissioner meeting.