PERRY/MASSILLON ANNEXATION BATTLE: THE DEVIL SURFACES AGAIN? PERRY TRUSTEE CHESSLER VIDEO INCLUDED - A MUST SEE!!!

It has been almost two years ago now that the SCPR first learned from the lips of Massillon Mayor Frank Cicchinelli that a Massillon government official was comparing Hizzoner to the Devil.

Well, that official may have company. 

Who might that be?

While not naming the Mayor, Trustee Craig Chessler (Democrat - Perry Township), does refer to the Massillon attempt to annex the Perry Township located R.G. Drage Technical Career Center as being "diabolical."  (see video below for Chessler's actual description of the Massillon annexation initiative)

Chessler had just sat through a highly contentious Stark County commissioners meeting in which a "hearing" (if that is what you want to call it) was held on Massillon's petition to annex Drage into Tigerland.

It was obvious that commissioners are looking for a way to deny the petition.

So why don't they just deny it?

Because legal counsel Debbie Dawson (assistant to the chief of the Civil Division of the Stark County Prosecutor's office) told them that they would be violation annexation law if they did.

Not a good situation.  Public officials who are sworn to uphold the law defying the "advice of counsel" and put themselves in the position of having to defend themselves in court on what their lawyer thinks is an indefensible position.

The SCPR believes that the commissioners will in fact follow the advice of counsel next Wednesday and vote to approve the annexation.

If they don't, they probably are going to have to go out and hire alternative counsel.

Why?  In the opinion of The Report, Dawson is committed to the advice she is giving and would likely ask the commissioners to find alternative counsel if they elect not to follow her advice. 

Of course, given the County's financial crisis, how can the commissioners afford to do that?  

One thing that yesterday's hearing established is that the Ohio General Assembly bungled the re-work of annexation laws when it took on the task about five years ago.

The Report will show video in later reports on yesterday's meeting which manifests the commissioners' complete frustration with the process (or in the opinion of the SCPR - lack of process) of considering the annexation petition. 

As Prosecutor Dawson repeatedly pointed out to commissioners, once the seven criteria as provided in Ohio Revised Code Section 709.023 have been met (as confirmed by county administration officials and Dawson herself - which was done in yesterday's hearing) all the commissioners can do is vote yes in approving the petition.

As mentioned above, the SCPR will be presenting addition video of the annexation aspect of yesterday's commissioners' meeting to show the Stark County public how "undemocratic" the annexation process in Ohio is.

Stark Countians who believe in the right of citizens and even governments themselves (i.e. political subdivisions - e.g Townships) to due process of law (notice and the opportunity to be heard) should be contacting members of the Stark County delegation to the Legislature (Oelslager, Okey, Schiavoni, Schuring, Slesnick and Snitchler) with demands that the undemocratic structure of annexation processes be changed.

It seems clear to the SCPR that the Ohio Municipal League held far too much sway with the Legislature when the recent changes to annexation law were made.

Here is the video of Trustee Craig Chessler speaking about yesterday's "hearing" and annexation law in general.

PERRY TRUSTEES HAVE MISHANDLED THE ESCOLA/ENGLAND MATTER. PERRY SHOULD BEGIN REPLACING THEM BEGINNING WITH THE ELECTION OF NOVEMBER 3, 2009.

Tim Escola gets to resign/retire and Janine England gets fired.

And this after the Perry trustees weren't going to do anything at all about England.

Hmmm!

Ever wonder why this "different" treatment?

Think maybe there might be a complication in relationship within the Perry Township government complex while Escola was chief?

As the father of three professional level daughters, yours truly never likes it when stories like these surface where men get treated different than women. As the SCPR has said repeatedly in previous blogs, there is more to this story.

The trustees are desperately wailing about trying to put "the genie back in the bottle."

Again, a SCPR source tells yours truly that Trustee Capaldi was the first to know (among the trustees) about the video that showed Escola and England romantically involved.

When the SCPR first broke the story of Capaldi's proximity to the chain of events, she telephone yours truly trying to play the role of the bully. Obviously, she didn't know who she was talking to. She may be successful and raging at others, but not with the SCPR.

All the Capaldi/SCPR telephone contact as well as source description of her style of management indicated to yours truly, is that she does not have the temperament nor the judgment to be trustee. Perry Township voters should refuse to re-elect her.

But not only Capaldi, Chessler too should go. And when Laubacher comes up in two years, Perry voters should have a long memory and decline to return him to office.

From everything the SCPR is being told by sources, the Perry trustees as a block should have seen all the red flags waiving in a stiff Perry Township wind compelling the conscious to take note that something was amiss in the Escola/England relationship.

Now we have three trustees scrambling to save their political hides. Because they chose to ignore the obvious and because they appear to be trying to "cover up" a bigger mess than we in the public already know about; they should not be re-elected.

Think about it. What is it about township trustees? Marlboro (Devies), Nimishillen (9-1-1) and Perry (Escola/England)?

Why is Stark County coming up with less than able trustees in too many townships in Stark County?

PERRY TRUSTEES BY THEIR LAX HIRING PROCEDURES CAUSE PERRY RESIDENTS EMBARRASSMENT?

UPDATE: JULY 2, 2009 COMMENT BY MARY

The more I sniff this story, the more I get an aroma of a 'set up'. I'm not willing to let Escola off scott free. He still has a free will.

However, when we women set our minds to it, we can be very seductive, very enticing, very alluring. For a weak man, that can be likened to the scorpion kingdom, where, after mating, the female bites and kills the male. She's through with him, no longer needs him. She, the female and wiser of the two, got what she wanted; a few seconds of titillating pleasure. You guys are good for that.

Although not the brightest bulb in the pack, these guys never are, I think the chief would have had the good sense to turn the video camera off if he intended to get amorous with his passenger. So, could the female, and slickest of this duo have turned the camera back on, unbeknownst to a guy caught up in the moment of sexual arousement, or have I just been watching too much Lifetime?

Sorry guys, but we are smarter than you. More than one of you have been caught in a web we weaved for you. Most insects in the world of our buggy little friends know how to avoid that web that would mean their demise if they got caught in it. Too bad, you guys can't spot these webs when they are being woven for you. Maybe you should take the time to talk to an insect today. Better yet... just behave yourselves.

UPDATE: Video link to the Escola/England dalliance.

ORIGINAL STORY

The Stark County Political Report had been hearing from a number of sources that the now former Perry police chief Tim Escola is perceived to be by some who know him as being a "ladies man."

This assessment first came up when the SCPR was asking around as to who be a likely candidate to succeed outgoing Canton safety director Tom Nesbitt. Escola's name came up as a possible candidate but the common conclusion is that because of Escola brought personal baggage that would not make him a good fit for the already besieged Healy administration.

So why didn't Perry trustees pick up on talk around town about Escola and deal with it directly and forthrightly before hiring him as chief?

When things like this happen, it is often likely that the person being considered has the necessary "political connections" to get a pass on rigorous vetting.

Escola appears to be a prime example of "politics trumps good scrutiny."

Oh yes, Escola has impressive "past" credentials. But does this mean that Perry had no obligation to its citizenry to do a "current" check before hiring?

Trustee Craig Chessler must sense that he and his fellow trustees are open to strong criticism. Consider this quote from today's Massillon Independent story Cruiser catches Perry chief in alleged sex act:

“I’m not saying there wasn’t any wrongdoing at all. I’m saying the chief has submitted his letter of resignation, his retirement and we have accepted it. So the need to investigate as far as departmental violations as they relate to the chief is moot.”

Well, there may be no further need to investigate the chief, but there is a need to find out where the "hole" was in the Perry hiring process that allowed Escola to slip through in the light of Escola's perceived difficulties of properly handling relationships with women.

More and more women are becoming members of safety forces. It is critical that police department leadership (which is totally male staffed) throughout the county's police agencies have proper human resource training on appropriate and inappropriate relationship in the context of employment.

It is obvious that the Perry trustees failed the citizens of Perry Township on this count in hiring Escola.

Now the community stands embarrassed.

But Trustee Chessler, the president of the Board of Trustees, is in no mood to apologize to the Perry public for the deficient hiring process.

Perhaps there is no need to investigate Escola and England.

But the Perry trustees should bring in an outside entity to analyze the township's evaluative processes in determining new hires. And this should be done before Perry hires a new chief.