Marshall Law

Local restaurateur Kevin Smith was charged by the federal government for "conspiracy to cultivate marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and maintaining a premises to manufacture marijuana in Stark County, Ohio." It has been alleged that Kevin Smith had one of the most sophisticated marijuana growing operations in the history of our fair city.

Kevin Smith is a former Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club President, who was a member of the Football Booster Club's Senior Executive Board. Kevin has been temporarily suspended from his Booster Club duties until the conclusion of his legal proceedings. Kevin Smith ran for Massillon City School Board as part of a team with Ron Pribich, a former school board member, in 2003. Kevin was also appointed by Massillon's Mayor for Life to the City's Zoning Board of Appeals. Perhaps Kevin was hopeful that the two homes he owned where the marijuana was growing could be zoned for agriculture. Besides his apparent love of poker, he circulated campaign petitions for Dale Walterhouse when Walterhouse, at the urging of certain politicians, tried to defeat Kathy Catazaro-Perry for Ward 3 Council.

It is a tragedy when something like this happens in our City. Unfortunately for our community, it didn't have to go down like this. If we had just made the Massillon Tiger Football Coach the Athletic Director as well, this wouldn't have had to happen. It's true. According to Massillon School Board Member Marshall Weinberg, recent issues, including an assistant coach and booster club member growing and selling marijuana, could have been avoided, if the football coach could report directly to the superintendent (The Independent, March 30, 2010).

We blew it. Had only School Board members Tom Seesan, Vicky Becherucci, and Gary Miller made the football coach the athletic director as well, not only would the DREAM project have been saved, but we could have curtailed Massillon's drug trade as well.

It is clear where the blame for this fiasco lies. Squarely at the feet of Massillon Schools Superintendent Lisa Carmichael. She opposed the plan to make the head football the athletic director. Had she only heeded Marhsall Weinberg's prudent advice, we could have taken a bite out of Massillon's drug problem. Shame on you Lisa, how do you sleep at night?