Two Of Canton’s Best Honored
(WHBC) – A ceremony was held to unveil and dedicate bronze busts of two men who did so much for the city of Canton.
The ceremony honoring Mayor Stanley A. Cmich and Judge Leroy J. Contie Jr. was held on Tuesday at Central Plaza South, which is along Market Avenue South across from the Stark County Office Building.
The idea to honor the two with bronze busts came from State Senator Kirk Schuring.
He says both were men of principle and integrity and made tremendous contributions to Canton’s rich history.
He says in the 1950s, then Safety Director Cmich and City Solicitor Contie helped rid the city of vice and corruption which had earned Canton the nickname ‘Little Chicago’.
“And they did such a great job of ridding the city of all that corruption and crime that Canton shortly afterward was declared an All American City,” Schuring told WHBC News at the ceremony.
Mayor Cmich (above) was Canton’s longest serving mayor, holding office for 20 years, while Judge Contie (below) served 30 years as a federal judge.
Schuring says something Cmich would say always stuck with him.
“When you score a victory make sure you give credit to others.”
And Schuring say Cmich stayed true to those words over his long tenure as mayor.
