Tuesday, August 22, 2017

ELECTION 2017: NORTH CANTON CITY COUNCIL—KIESLING AS TARGET?

PLUS

COUNCILMAN DAN GRIFFITH DEBUNKS NOTION OF COUNCIL MEETING LESS


VIDEOS

COUNCILMAN-AT-LARGE
DAN GRIFFITH
"MISUNDERSTANDING ON HIS MEETING CHANGE PROPOSAL"

...

WARD 4 COUNCILMAN
DOMINIC FONTE
ON
GRIFFITH PROPOSAL


It is apparent to The Stark County Political Report (SCPR) that veteran North Canton City councilwoman Marcia Kiesling is the target of some of those North Canton citizens who want to see a change in the membership of council in the wake of the upcoming November 7th election.

Pictured above is a collage going back over the past two years or so of council group photos in which Councilwoman at Large Kiesling is absent.

A council member absence is not an unusual happening for councils across Stark County's cities and villages, but, in some instances, it seems as if some members are absent far more frequently than others.

In North Canton, the SCPR take is that Kiesling and fellow council member Stephanie Werren (R, Ward 3) take the prize over their council peers for absenteeism.


After last night's meeting (which started at 7:00 p.m. and which lasted 11 minutes), the SCPR learned that a group of North Canton citizens had gathered at North Canton Hoover High School's soccer facility to capture on video council meeting absent Councilwoman Kiesling attending her daughter's first soccer match of the season.

That effort showed to the SCPR that a main issue on the part of the involved citizenry indicates that Kiesling will be targeted for her spotty attendance record at council meetings, at least over the last five years of so.

In 2015, the SCPR published this chart showing attendance of then council members for the period December 1, 2011 through September 9, 2013:


As far as the SCPR knows, no compilation of Kiesling attendance exist but as the photo at the head of this blog is evidence of, it is not unheard of for Councilwoman Kiesling to be among the missing at a council meeting.

As a matter of blog traditions, the SCPR has annually published a January 1st New Year's Day "public official" Resolution for the New Year blog.

Included in the 2014 blog:


Only Ward 1 Democratic councilman Doug Folts  (the only Democrat on all of North Canton City Council) exceeds Kiesling in longevity on council who goes back to in the neighborhood of 2001 as an elected councilperson at large.


But she has lost a council-at-large arge election along the way:


The question:  Is she going to be the odd person out in this year's election?


Kiesling not only has the "absenteeism" to contend with, but she has been at the center of a number of controversies that have occupied council since her return to council in 2005; nearly 12 years ago.

Before it became apparent to the SCPR (as of post-council-meeting last night) that Kiesling is being targeted to be fourth person in vote tally in the council-at-large race for three positions, the conventional wisdom is that Councilman Dan Griffith is the most likely candidate to become an ex-councilperson.

Probably the very best council member that North Canton has had going back to the late 1990s and into the 2000 to 2015 era (with a stin as mayor) has been Daryl Revoldt who at one time was on the congressional staff of the recently deceased 16th congressional district Ralph Regula.

Moreover, he has had interspersperced employment with Ohio Department of Development, a private sector business located in Wooster and with Stark State College.

Everybody that the SCPR talks to thinks that Revoldt will dominate the results come November 7th.

Which, of course, presents the question who is going to be out?

If there is an alternate target to Kiesling, it would be Councilman Griffith.

He caused a furor in recent days in suggesting to council that it modify council's meeting formula to this:

Councilman Griffith on video after the meeting answered the questions of  the SCPR as to whether or not a concern on the part of some North Canton citizens that his proposal was designed to further isolate council in interacting with the North Canton public.

Councilman Griffith:



As you have seen, he thinks the opposite is the case and appears somewhat troubled that not one North Canton citizen approached him before last night's meeting about the effect of his proposal.

Councilman Dominic Fonte (who faces a formidable challenge of his own to his being re-elected Ward 4 councilman) had this to say about Griffith's effort:



In any event, no matter who one believes; it appears that the Griffith proposal is DOA.

However, his raising the question of restructuring North Canton meetings scheme of things will not help him come November.

He may, however, breathing a sigh of relief that Marcia Kiesling seems to be the councilperson with the BIG TARGET on her back for being retired as a North Canton councilperson.

It appears to the SCPR that there is likely to be significant change in the membership of North Canton City Council this November (and, perhaps, the mayoralty) which should be worrisome to some un-elected officials in North Canton government.

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