Editorial: Good to see agencies take time for decisions

It is always worth mentioning when government agencies, whether local, regional or national, take a breath to weigh the issues in front of them and act in the public’s interest, even if this means giving issues time to percolate and allow all parties to contribute their input. Putting off action isn’t always the same as kicking the can down the road.

Take, for example, the recent action by a federal judge to extend a moratorium on executions in Ohio into 2015. Executions using lethal injections have been under scrutiny since last January, when an Ohio inmate gasped for 26 minutes before he died, according to The Associated Press. A few months later, an inmate in Oklahoma died of a heart attack after an IV needle used to deliver the fatal dose of drugs was improperly inserted. An inmate in Arizona then took nearly two hours to die.

These men were all convicted of brutal crimes, but as the Ohio state prison’s agency spokeswoman, JoEllen Smith, reiterated in press reports, the agency “remains committed to carry out executions in a humane and lawful manner.”

We agree, and welcome the additional time federal Judge Gregory Frost provided Ohio to find the proper solution.

CANTON JOINT RECREATION DISTRICT

Another agency that has sought clarity on an issue of public interest is the Canton Joint Recreation District, and specifically board Vice President Brian Skiles.

Skiles sought input from fellow board members to discuss the recreation board’s use of legal counsel, which was questioned this summer in The Repository.

Skiles and board member John M. Rinaldi had asked about the board’s legal expenses regarding the use of attorney Sally Henning. After a closed-door meeting, Skiles reported that Henning’s work now will be conducted on a case-by-case basis.

“There’s more clarity now,” Skiles said.

We hope that the CJRD lives up to this promise. This community is invested in the success of the merger between the CJRD and the City of Canton Parks and Recreation Division.

Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority

The Repository has published many articles in the past year regarding the Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority. Most of them have been critical since a U.S. Department of Housing andUrban Development investigation found the agency had improperly spent $10.5 million, or had failed to properly document the expenditures.

We spoke of progress in a June 30 editorial, noting “SMHA has a long to-do list. It needs to get back into the good graces of the federal government. The slow but steady turnaround in this troubled agency can be credited to the arrival of Executive Director Herman Hill and, equally critical, to new awareness by the people and boards that

appoint SMHA board members of how important it is to make appointments that keep the agency on solid legal and financial ground and keep it oriented toward its goal.”

So it is gratifying to note that SMHA’s Section 8 Management Assessment Program has earned high marks from HUD. Last year, HUD ranked SMHA a “standard performer.” Hill credited his staff’s dedication and hard work for the improved ranking.

It takes leadership to admit that more time is necessary to make decisions that steer their agencies in a direction that serves the public’s good.

We applaud those leaders who are willing and able to step up and recognized the public good out weighs those of private or government agencies.

What’s your view on this topic? Email letters@cantonrep.com or post a comment at CantonRep.com.