Politics & Government

Chuck Osborne: North Canton City Council Election 2011

Osborne hopes to use his insight and understanding of North Canton to guide the city through difficult financial times as a member of the North Canton City Council

Editor's Note: As part of North Canton Patch's local election coverage, we will provide profiles of each of the candidates running for office. These profiles will offer biographical and issue-oriented details about each of the candidates to help you, the voters, make more-informed decisions at the ballot box. We also will have a short video of each candidate that will help you learn more about them. Stay tuned for more coverage of the election. 

And make sure to follow election news on our North Canton Elections Facebook page and keep checking back to our  which we'll be adding to as we continue reporting on this year's election.

Name: Chuck Osborne

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Age: 62

Occupation: Retired

Find out what's happening in North Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Education: BS/BA – Finance, University of Akron, Cum Laude 1991; MBA – Management, University of Akron, 1994; Paralegal Certificate, University of Akron, 2006

Political Affiliation: Registered Democrat

Office Sought: North Canton Council at Large

Previous Political Office Sought or Held: North Canton Council Member at Large, 2001-2003; Candidate for North Canton Mayor, 2003; Candidate for Ward 3 Council Member, 2005

Candidate Statement: As a former member of North Canton City Council (2001-2003), I have a great deal of insight and understanding of the issues that have faced North Canton over the last 10 years. I can say that I have not missed more than a handful of City Council meetings in 10 years (2001 to present). Many of the problems and issues have come full circle over those many years. In that time I have used the analytical business skills I learned as a finance undergrad and later as an MBA graduate from the University of Akron to understand and evaluate the many issues that have come before North Canton City Council and the city. I feel government should be run as a business and that government must work for the citizens. Further, government must be held accountable and the only way to do this is for there to be citizen participation in the democratic process. After extensive research, I have contributed to this process on many issues. Compiled on a North Canton Blog, titled “Open, Honest Government for North Canton,” are many whitepapers I have presented to North Canton City Council. This site can be found at http://opengovernment4nc.blogspot.com. I ask for your vote so I may be in a better position to help guide North Canton through difficult financial times ahead.

One issue facing North Canton at the moment is how the city will deal with state budget cuts.

I believe that the city of North Canton will have to take a number of new measures to deal with the upcoming cuts. First and foremost, I would like to see North Canton combine with other communities in the delivery of Fire Protection and EMS services in order to cut costs. I have urged this to the current administration for several years. Serious analysis of whether or not services currently delivered in house could be outsourced will clearly have to be studied and acted upon if found to provide savings to North Canton while still maintaining responsive services to citizens.

Outsourcing the position of city engineer is something that comes to mind that has been discussed for several years. If North Canton’s financial condition warrants extreme action, financial support of the city’s recreational activities could be removed from the General Fund and made to stand on its own in an enterprise fund to be financed by user fees and possibly by a recreational levy if approved by voters at the polls.

Another action taken by some communities here in Northeast Ohio is either a freeze or cut in salaries of all city employees and a negotiated reduction in employee benefits, which have outgrown the taxpayers’ ability to pay.

Another option, after costs of city services are whittled down, is either an increase in North Canton’s income tax rate or reducing the credit that the city gives to individuals who work outside the city of North Canton.


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