Mayor David Held Speaks to Our Town

Happy New Year is a greeting that many of us will use over the next couple of weeks as we celebrate the oldest of all Holidays. The New Year Holiday is a time to gather with family and friends and to carry on with many traditions. The New Year is a period of rebirth as we establish New Year’s resolutions signifying our goals and commitments for the coming year.

We begin the New Year with a recent announcement that the Whirlpool Corporation has sold the Hoover floor-care business to Techtronic Industries (TTI).
This announcement brings a period of uncertainty for the Hoover employees as well as the City of North Canton. I have spoken with representatives of the Whirlpool Corporation and TTI and have been assured of a meeting once the regulatory approval process is complete. It is our intention to maintain Hoover jobs in the City of North Canton and to work with the new owner in order to accomplish this goal.

In reference to our city finances we have “tightened our belts” and I am pleased to announce that a balanced budget for 2007 has been presented to city council. Our city’s Director of Administration, Earle Wise Jr. and Finance Director Julie Herr have spent numerous hours preparing the budget in order to balance the city’s projected income with anticipated expenses. The budget process has been a collaborative effort with our safety and service personnel as we continuously seek to become more cost efficient in our daily operations. I would also like thank our City Council members for taking an active role in the budget process which they are presently reviewing. The budget is expected to be approved in the first part of January.

In closing, the administration’s New Years resolution is to continue to work in a collaborative manner with our community leaders, civic organizations, and city council, in order to best serve the people of our great city. It is our goal to keep our City the greatest community to live, work and to raise a family.

On a personal note I hope to “tighten my own belt” this year by exercising a little more at the North Canton YMCA. I hope to see you there!

Take Care and God Bless,

David Held