Prepared Comments Made to
NORTH CANTON CITY COUNCIL
June 23, 2014
Last Monday, Council President
Peters announced Council’s pick for the vacant Ward Four Council seat. The
vacancy came about when a long-time member of Council and
for many years President of City Council abruptly resigned his seat
under a cloud of controversy.
Compounding problems exponentially
in the Council office is the loss of a highly valued, high-skilled, and extremely
professional Council Clerk who had served North Canton City Council for nearly
seventeen years.
One would think that with the chaos
that has been broiling within North Canton City Council for the last year that
this Council body might have wanted to restore some stability and confidence in
its government.
Sadly, that apparently is not the
case.
The request for interested
applicants for the vacant Ward Four Council seat resulted in the timely
application of one individual. I say “timely” as only one resident of Ward Four
expressed an interest in the vacant Council seat by the deadline set by Council.
The applicant in my estimation was
“manna from heaven” for the City of North Canton at this moment in time. City
Council has been reeling in turmoil with its Law Director Tim Fox in the
driver’s seat, and the City desperately needs to restore stability and
sensibility to City Hall.
The applicant who filed in a timely
fashion for the vacant seat was Roy Batista, a former 27-year Law Director for
the City of North Canton. One could not find a better qualified more
knowledgeable individual to return order and stability to City Hall at this
time.
But leave it to North Canton City
Council to inject a double dose of politics and self-interest into the
selection process.
I should interject here that it was
Roy Batista who, nearly two years ago as temporary Law Director before current
Law Director Tim Fox was appointed, sanctioned the placement of the Health Care
Initiative on the ballot. The proposed Health Care Ordinance, known as Issue 5,
was passed overwhelmingly by the voters 3 to 1 in the 2012 General Election.
Four members of this City Council
violated the legally enacted Health Care Ordinance and three still remain on this
Council. The fourth member of Council recently resigned creating the present opening
on Council. And now City Council is contesting the Health Care Ordinance in
Common Pleas Court at the urging of Law Director Fox and in spite of the fact
that members of Council have surrendered their enrollment in the City’s Health
Care Plan per the legally enacted Ordinance initiated by the citizens of North
Canton.
Could Roy Batista have brought some
valuable insight to the Health Care issue now before the Courts? You betcha!
Do members of City Council want to
hear anything other than what their current Law Director has to say about that
pending case?
Obviously not.
As a result, a second applicant was
sought out for the vacant council seat who then submitted a letter of interest
after the deadline posted by Council. It is my understanding that Councilmember
Cerreta sought out this second applicant.
No one is better qualified to sit
as a member of North Canton City Council than an individual who has been an
attorney for over forty years and further, who has served this City so well as
its Law Director for twenty-seven years.
What were you thinking, Mr.
Cerreta?
The next time you board a flight to
Florida tell the Captain sitting in the
left seat in the cockpit with 20,000 flight hours that you would rather have a
friend of yours who recently got his private pilot’s license fly you and your
family. How many of your fellow passengers would agree with that logic?
The decision to select a novice to
serve on City Council over an individual with the credentials of a Roy Batista
reflects on this Council’s ability to make sound decisions, and quite frankly
is an utter embarrassment for North Canton citizens.
Mr. Peters, Council’s choice to fill
the vacant Council seat clearly is a choice of self-interest over what is best
for the community.
This Council did the very same
thing nearly two years ago when it advertised for candidates to fill the
position of Law Director, then abandoned the selection process after
advertising and interviewing applicants and abruptly chose a sitting council
member to be the City’s first full-time Law Director.
This City has been paying a grave
price ever since for that failed decision. The current Law Director is a
wrecking ball at City Hall, so much so that a highly qualified and respected
Clerk of Council has left the City rather than continue to work in the Council
office.
Council’s choice for the vacant
Council seat was a shameless snub of Mr. Batista.
Shame, shame on every single one of
you for the politics you play at the expense of the citizens you are sworn to
represent.
Thank you,
Chuck Osborne,
Resident
City of North Canton
