As Massillon's Mayor for Life contemplates running for a seventh term as Mayor for Life, let us reminisce about days gone buy. Let us return to yesteryear, 1987, when 14 year city council veteran Frank Cicchinelli was elected to his first term as Mayor for Life...
1987
President Ronald Reagan urges Mikhail Gorbachev, Secretary General of the Soviet Union, to tear down the Berlin Wall.
John Maronto leads the Massillon Tigers to a 6 - 4 record in his final season as head coach. The Tigers go down to defeat at the hands of the Canton McKinley Bulldogs for the fourth straight year.
John Elway leads the Denver Broncos into Super Bowl XXII, after leading his team to a game tying 98 yard scoring drive against the Cleveland Browns.
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow is born.
Cost of a gallon of gas is 89 cents.
Cost of a postage stamp is 22 cents.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the year at 1,938.
Box Office Hits included Fatal Attraction, Good Morning Vietnam and Dirty Dancing.
The Cosby Show, Cheers, and Moonlighting were all the rage on TV.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Men Who Would Be King
As Massillon's Mayor for Life searches deep within his soul to determine if he should lead the people of Massillon for another four years, we are looking at prospective pretenders and contenders to the throne. In the unlikely event, and we believe very unlikely event, that our soveriegn ruler would step down from the throne after a mere 38 years as a Massillon elected official, 14 on council, and 24 as mayor, we are examing those individuals who may lay claim to the throne. We have divided the group into two categories; those who shouldn't run, but will, and those who should run, but won't. We examine another pretender.
Donnie Peters, Massillon City Council, Ward 5
Peters would seem an obvious candidate. He is the only elected Republican in Massillon City government. One small problem. He really doesn't behave like a Republican. Heck, he even donates generously to Mayor Cicchinelli's campaign. Lets examine the depth of Donnie Peters' conservative views;
Donnie Peters on taxation
Peters, Massillon's answer to Thomas Jefferson, claims that the city's income tax "comes with the territory," and he's tired of hearing arguments about "taxation without representation" (The Independent, 4/13/10). Unfortunately for Peters, our country addressed that one in the Declaration of Independence. He should try reading it. When the Tea Party has a rally in Massillon, we are pretty sure Peters won't be invited to speak.
Donnie Peters on balancing the city's budget
Surely a "conservative Republican" like Donnie Peters wouldn't vote for an unbalanced budget, would he? Yes he would. Peters was the decisive fifth vote on council responsible for passing the city's unbalanced budget, and leading the city into its annual Summer Financial Crisis.
Donnie Peters on fiscal responsibility
Peters faithfully votes to spend our tax dollars on subsidizing the privately owned Hampton Inn Hotel.
Donnie Peters on leading by example
On June 18, when Auditor Jayne Ferrero declared that the city was a million dollars short for the year, Donnie Peters knew what council had to do to solve the problem. They needed to go on vacation. Peters, who was opposed to summer vacations before he was for them, worked with Councilman Larry Slagle to push a summer schedule through council which cut meeting days in half for July and August. This was the same Donnie Peters who was so opposed to a Summer vacation schedule in 2008, that he proposed to hit councilman Slagle in the mouth, and left Larry Slagle with some final words during the vacation debate, "Hey, Slagle, (expletive) you" (The Independent, July 29, 2008).
Donnie Peters is an elected Republican. He, in theory, should have a Republican view or two, such as a belief in fiscal responsibility and low taxes. It has made the Massillon Review wonder who pulls his strings? Who's his daddy?
Peters shouldn't run for mayor as a Republican, because, well, he really isn't a Republican. Donnie Peters needs to step aside and allow the party to run a real Republican candidate.
Donnie Peters, Massillon City Council, Ward 5
Peters would seem an obvious candidate. He is the only elected Republican in Massillon City government. One small problem. He really doesn't behave like a Republican. Heck, he even donates generously to Mayor Cicchinelli's campaign. Lets examine the depth of Donnie Peters' conservative views;
Donnie Peters on taxation
Peters, Massillon's answer to Thomas Jefferson, claims that the city's income tax "comes with the territory," and he's tired of hearing arguments about "taxation without representation" (The Independent, 4/13/10). Unfortunately for Peters, our country addressed that one in the Declaration of Independence. He should try reading it. When the Tea Party has a rally in Massillon, we are pretty sure Peters won't be invited to speak.
Donnie Peters on balancing the city's budget
Surely a "conservative Republican" like Donnie Peters wouldn't vote for an unbalanced budget, would he? Yes he would. Peters was the decisive fifth vote on council responsible for passing the city's unbalanced budget, and leading the city into its annual Summer Financial Crisis.
Donnie Peters on fiscal responsibility
Peters faithfully votes to spend our tax dollars on subsidizing the privately owned Hampton Inn Hotel.
Donnie Peters on leading by example
On June 18, when Auditor Jayne Ferrero declared that the city was a million dollars short for the year, Donnie Peters knew what council had to do to solve the problem. They needed to go on vacation. Peters, who was opposed to summer vacations before he was for them, worked with Councilman Larry Slagle to push a summer schedule through council which cut meeting days in half for July and August. This was the same Donnie Peters who was so opposed to a Summer vacation schedule in 2008, that he proposed to hit councilman Slagle in the mouth, and left Larry Slagle with some final words during the vacation debate, "Hey, Slagle, (expletive) you" (The Independent, July 29, 2008).
Donnie Peters is an elected Republican. He, in theory, should have a Republican view or two, such as a belief in fiscal responsibility and low taxes. It has made the Massillon Review wonder who pulls his strings? Who's his daddy?
Peters shouldn't run for mayor as a Republican, because, well, he really isn't a Republican. Donnie Peters needs to step aside and allow the party to run a real Republican candidate.
Monday, June 28, 2010
On Deck
The Independent wrote an article contemplating the possibility that Frank Cicchinelli, Massillon's Mayor for Life, may not run for a 7th term as Mayor. The Mayor cancelled his annual golf outing, and this is fueling the rumor mill that our mayor may not continue in city government. Cicchinelli has served as an elected official of the City of Massillon since winning a seat on council in 1973. He served 14 years on council, and at the end of his current term as mayor (his 6th), he will have served 38 consecutive years. If he were to step down, it would leave quite a power vacuum in city government. Who would try and take his place? There are two types of people who could attempt to replace him as mayor. Those who shouldn't run, but will, and those who should run, but won't. Today we will examine one of those who shouldn't run, but probably will. We look at a pretender. We look at Massillon Council President Glenn Gamber.
Glenn Gamber, Massillon City Council President
When you look up the term "rubber stamp" in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Glenn Gamber next to the definition. He is amongst Mayor Cicchinelli's most loyal, and longest serving rubber stamps. Gamber was elected Massillon's Fifth Ward Councilman in 1995. Gamber has loyally, faithfully, and blindly supported just about anything Massillon's Mayor for Life has proposed. Gamber repeatedly voted for Mayor Cicchinelli's budgets. Gamber went along and voted for the Mayor's plan to merge the golf course with the Parks Department, so money that was designated for parks and recreation could be used to prop up the failing golf course. He voted to spend our tax dollars on the privately owned Hampton Inn. As council president, he broke the tie vote in favor of spending park tax dollars on buying the restaurant at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course, even though there was no business plan.
When it looked like he might lose his 5th ward council seat in 2005, he became council president when the sitting council president magically received a make work job through the patronage of Frank Cicchinelli. He is Cicchinelli's enforcer on council. He keeps the rest of the rubber stamps in line. He has many council members believing he is their boss, when his job as council president is merely to preside over and run the meetings. He protects the mayor and the mayor's administration. The public good is a very distant concern. When Kathy Catazaro-Perry tried to force a vote and repeal the ordinance that grants council, the mayor, the auditor, treasurer, and law director lifetime, unvoted, annual pay raises, he fought it with everything he had. He wouldn't even permit a public vote, he asked for an off the record show of hands so as to not incriminate those council members who wanted to keep their unvoted, annual, lifetime pay raises.
He is a follower who has loyally served and supported Massillon's Mayor for Life. While he is a good follower, he lacks Frank Cicchinelli's political skills and certainly could not pull the strings as effectively as Massillon's Mayor for Life has. If Cicchinelli were to step down, Gamber probably would not be his first choice as a replacement, although quite the manipulator, Cicchinelli probably has Gamber believing otherwise to maintain his undying loyalty.
Glenn Gamber, Massillon City Council President
When you look up the term "rubber stamp" in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Glenn Gamber next to the definition. He is amongst Mayor Cicchinelli's most loyal, and longest serving rubber stamps. Gamber was elected Massillon's Fifth Ward Councilman in 1995. Gamber has loyally, faithfully, and blindly supported just about anything Massillon's Mayor for Life has proposed. Gamber repeatedly voted for Mayor Cicchinelli's budgets. Gamber went along and voted for the Mayor's plan to merge the golf course with the Parks Department, so money that was designated for parks and recreation could be used to prop up the failing golf course. He voted to spend our tax dollars on the privately owned Hampton Inn. As council president, he broke the tie vote in favor of spending park tax dollars on buying the restaurant at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course, even though there was no business plan.
When it looked like he might lose his 5th ward council seat in 2005, he became council president when the sitting council president magically received a make work job through the patronage of Frank Cicchinelli. He is Cicchinelli's enforcer on council. He keeps the rest of the rubber stamps in line. He has many council members believing he is their boss, when his job as council president is merely to preside over and run the meetings. He protects the mayor and the mayor's administration. The public good is a very distant concern. When Kathy Catazaro-Perry tried to force a vote and repeal the ordinance that grants council, the mayor, the auditor, treasurer, and law director lifetime, unvoted, annual pay raises, he fought it with everything he had. He wouldn't even permit a public vote, he asked for an off the record show of hands so as to not incriminate those council members who wanted to keep their unvoted, annual, lifetime pay raises.
He is a follower who has loyally served and supported Massillon's Mayor for Life. While he is a good follower, he lacks Frank Cicchinelli's political skills and certainly could not pull the strings as effectively as Massillon's Mayor for Life has. If Cicchinelli were to step down, Gamber probably would not be his first choice as a replacement, although quite the manipulator, Cicchinelli probably has Gamber believing otherwise to maintain his undying loyalty.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Who's Your Daddy?
In 2003, Donnie Peters ran as a Republican for City Council in Massillon's Ward 5. He ran against incumbent councilman Glenn Gamber. Peters, by all accounts, ran a good campaign, but came up short by only 8 votes. Peters vowed to run again in 2005. Gamber, realizing that Peters would probably beat him this time, decided to "retire" from politics in 2005. Yes, he "retired" until a miracle from above, and by above, we mean Massillon's Mayor for Life. Gamber was a loyal rubber stamp for Massillon's Mayor for Life, and needed to continue in public service.
The City Council President in 2005 was Dennis Harwig. Harwig filed petitions to run for President again. On the last day a candidate can file petitions for the 2005 elections, Glenn Gamber shows up at the Board of Elections, and files petitions to run against Harwig. It looks like their will be a Democratic Primary for City Council President. Nope. The fix was in.
Massillon's Mayor for Life creates a city job for Dennis Harwig as "Income Tax Investigator." Harwig is supposed to make sure that out of town construction company employees are paying city income taxes. Harwig doesn't do much, and is often caught sleeping in a city hall office. During last year's Annual Summer Budget Crisis, Harwig "retires" as their is pressure to eliminate his job because real city employees are forced to take layoffs and furloughs.
To take his "job" as Income Tax Investigator, Harwig resigns as a candidate in 2005, and resigns as council president. Gamber, by default, as the only remaining Democratic candidate, is appointed City Council President without a fight. The only losers are the voters, as they are tricked by Gamber's "retirement."
Donnie Peters then becomes Ward 5 councilman without much of a fight, as the incumbent, Glenn Gamber, is maneuvered into the council presidency.
Peters promised to use his business experience to focus on jobs and the economy. He was conservative, a Republican, and promised to be his own man. Unfortunately, Peters is spending his time cozying up to Massillon's Mayor for Life. Peters generously contributes to the Mayor's campaigns. Peters does the Mayor's dirty work on council, attacking, embarrassing, and setting up the council members that Cicchinelli sees as "anti-Cicchinelli." Peters, an alleged conservative Republican, was the fifth and deciding vote needed to pass the Mayor's unbalanced budget. Some people have speculated he did this in return for getting Tremont road paved, which magically got moved up on the city's paving list after the budget vote. Peters faithfully votes to spend our tax dollars for the mortgage on a private hotel. And the Donnie Peters who was so violently opposed to city council cutting their meeting schedule in the Summer of 2008, so opposed that he threatened Councilman Larry Slagle with physical violence, now worked with Slagle this year to reduce council meeting days in the Summer.
What happened to Donnie Peters, the conservative Republican? How did he turn into a Repubican in Name Only (RINO). Who's your daddy?
The City Council President in 2005 was Dennis Harwig. Harwig filed petitions to run for President again. On the last day a candidate can file petitions for the 2005 elections, Glenn Gamber shows up at the Board of Elections, and files petitions to run against Harwig. It looks like their will be a Democratic Primary for City Council President. Nope. The fix was in.
Massillon's Mayor for Life creates a city job for Dennis Harwig as "Income Tax Investigator." Harwig is supposed to make sure that out of town construction company employees are paying city income taxes. Harwig doesn't do much, and is often caught sleeping in a city hall office. During last year's Annual Summer Budget Crisis, Harwig "retires" as their is pressure to eliminate his job because real city employees are forced to take layoffs and furloughs.
To take his "job" as Income Tax Investigator, Harwig resigns as a candidate in 2005, and resigns as council president. Gamber, by default, as the only remaining Democratic candidate, is appointed City Council President without a fight. The only losers are the voters, as they are tricked by Gamber's "retirement."
Donnie Peters then becomes Ward 5 councilman without much of a fight, as the incumbent, Glenn Gamber, is maneuvered into the council presidency.
Peters promised to use his business experience to focus on jobs and the economy. He was conservative, a Republican, and promised to be his own man. Unfortunately, Peters is spending his time cozying up to Massillon's Mayor for Life. Peters generously contributes to the Mayor's campaigns. Peters does the Mayor's dirty work on council, attacking, embarrassing, and setting up the council members that Cicchinelli sees as "anti-Cicchinelli." Peters, an alleged conservative Republican, was the fifth and deciding vote needed to pass the Mayor's unbalanced budget. Some people have speculated he did this in return for getting Tremont road paved, which magically got moved up on the city's paving list after the budget vote. Peters faithfully votes to spend our tax dollars for the mortgage on a private hotel. And the Donnie Peters who was so violently opposed to city council cutting their meeting schedule in the Summer of 2008, so opposed that he threatened Councilman Larry Slagle with physical violence, now worked with Slagle this year to reduce council meeting days in the Summer.
What happened to Donnie Peters, the conservative Republican? How did he turn into a Repubican in Name Only (RINO). Who's your daddy?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Business Plan? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Business Plan!
In March of this year, Massillon City Council members Larry Slagle, David Hersher, David McCune and Ron Mang voted to spend $199,000 of our parks tax dollars to buy Club Legends, the restaurant at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course. It was a tie vote, but Council President Glenn Gamber broke the tie in favor of buying the restaurant. Parks Director Kenn Kaminski was all for this purchase. According to Kaminski, the city was "receiving a turn-key operation" (The Independent, March 9, 2010), and Kaminski believed the city would "rake in between $50,000 & $100,000 annually" (The Independent, March 16, 2010). The city was raking in something, but we doubt it was $100,000.
Rookie councilman Gary Anderson would not support the purchase because the city "did not have a business plan to show how the restaurant would operate" (The Independent, March 16, 2010). What did Anderson know? He was a rookie. He just got on council. He didn't have the years of experience in government that Glenn Gamber and Ron Mang have. He didn't have the financial and banking background that David Hersher has. He didn't have the sharp legal mind that attorney Larry Slagle has. What did he know? He merely had common sense. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck, regardless of what Massillon's Mayor for Life tells you.
The city had no business plan then, and the city has no business plan now. Less than two weeks ago, the Massillon Chamber of Commerce had their annual golf outing at the Legends. Included with golf was dinner at Club Legends. We are confident that Club Legends, roughly three months after being bought by the city, provided Massillon's business community with a scrumptious meal, and all the amenities, after all, this was a "turn-key" operation. Nope.
According to Massillon Review sources, dinner was catered in by a local caterer. Couldn't Club Legends provide the meals in house? The city bought a restaurant it can't operate. It has no business plan, and the city council brain trust that approved this deal never asked for one.
Rookie councilman Gary Anderson would not support the purchase because the city "did not have a business plan to show how the restaurant would operate" (The Independent, March 16, 2010). What did Anderson know? He was a rookie. He just got on council. He didn't have the years of experience in government that Glenn Gamber and Ron Mang have. He didn't have the financial and banking background that David Hersher has. He didn't have the sharp legal mind that attorney Larry Slagle has. What did he know? He merely had common sense. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck, regardless of what Massillon's Mayor for Life tells you.
The city had no business plan then, and the city has no business plan now. Less than two weeks ago, the Massillon Chamber of Commerce had their annual golf outing at the Legends. Included with golf was dinner at Club Legends. We are confident that Club Legends, roughly three months after being bought by the city, provided Massillon's business community with a scrumptious meal, and all the amenities, after all, this was a "turn-key" operation. Nope.
According to Massillon Review sources, dinner was catered in by a local caterer. Couldn't Club Legends provide the meals in house? The city bought a restaurant it can't operate. It has no business plan, and the city council brain trust that approved this deal never asked for one.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Hockeytown, USA, Post Mortem
The Massillon Arctic Express, the minor league hockey team that moved from Saginaw, Michigan, to Massillon, Ohio, to play hockey in Massillon's proposed 6,500 seat arena, moved to Canton in January, 2002. They changed their name to the Canton XPress, and then later to the Canton IcePatrol. They never played a game.
The United Hockey League (UHL), the low-level minor league that awarded the Arctic Express franchise to Massillon, became the International Hockey League, then merged into the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League (CHL), is a step down from the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), which is a step down from the American Hockey League (AHL), which is a step down from the National Hockey League. The Central Hockey League is home to such tradition laden hockey franchises as the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and the Odessa Jackalopes.
When the Arctic Express fled to Canton, the MG/Dove management group found another hockey league to provide Massillon and its proposed 6,500 seat arena a hockey team. It was the Continental Elite Hockey League. The Continental Elite Hockey League was a junior hockey league, meaning the players are under 21, usually aged 16 to 20. The league folded in 2004.
Proposed arena financier, and scam artist, Steven Waldman, plead guilty to various counts of fraud and money laundering in August, 2006, was sentenced to 30 years in a Miami, Florida, court. Waldman was given credit for time served, placed on probation, and released. It has been alleged that he violated his probation, and has a July trial date pending.
The site of Massillon's 6,500 seat hockey arena is now home to Massillon's Great Escape Movie Theater.
Frank Cicchinelli continues to reign over the City of Massillon as Mayor for Life...
Roll Credits...
The United Hockey League (UHL), the low-level minor league that awarded the Arctic Express franchise to Massillon, became the International Hockey League, then merged into the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League (CHL), is a step down from the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), which is a step down from the American Hockey League (AHL), which is a step down from the National Hockey League. The Central Hockey League is home to such tradition laden hockey franchises as the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and the Odessa Jackalopes.
When the Arctic Express fled to Canton, the MG/Dove management group found another hockey league to provide Massillon and its proposed 6,500 seat arena a hockey team. It was the Continental Elite Hockey League. The Continental Elite Hockey League was a junior hockey league, meaning the players are under 21, usually aged 16 to 20. The league folded in 2004.
Proposed arena financier, and scam artist, Steven Waldman, plead guilty to various counts of fraud and money laundering in August, 2006, was sentenced to 30 years in a Miami, Florida, court. Waldman was given credit for time served, placed on probation, and released. It has been alleged that he violated his probation, and has a July trial date pending.
The site of Massillon's 6,500 seat hockey arena is now home to Massillon's Great Escape Movie Theater.
Frank Cicchinelli continues to reign over the City of Massillon as Mayor for Life...
Roll Credits...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Vacation Time!
Massillon City Council voted 6 - 3 last night to go on vacation! They will be only meeting twice in July and August. We can see why they earned a break. The vote to cut the number of meeting days in half comes a mere three days after Auditor Jayne Ferrero declared that the city was ONE MILLION DOLLARS short this year in its budget.
The usual block of mayoral rubber stamps voted to go on vacation, Manson, Hersher, McCune, Slagle, Mang, and Peters. Anderson, Catazaro-Perry, and Townsend were the only three members of council who have a clue about how foolish this looks as the city is staring square in the face of yet another budget disaster.
It was an interesting two-some that hatched the vacation plan, Republican Donnie Peters, and Democrat Larry Slagle. You see, Peters was opposed to vacations before he was for them. Peters was opposed to vacation time as recently as 2008. Very opposed. Violently opposed.
From The Independent, July 29, 2008;
"Before every councillor could vacate chambers Monday, Councilman Donnie Peters, R-5, both threatened and swore at Slagle. According to Slagle and Peters, the councilmen were discussing a recent decision to maintain council's summer schedule instead of cutting two meetings from both July and August. Slagle favored the resolution to cut the meetings, while Peters opposed it. Peters was the driving force behind the death of the revised summer schedule, claiming the lawmakers should not take time off. Slagle, who mentioned the summer schedule during the work session, said he told Peters after the meeting that it would be "naive" to think councilors only worked during meetings. Slagle, Peters and Manson were discussing the issue in a room off of council chambers when Peters suddenly stormed out. Stopping short of leaving chambers altogether, Peters looked back at Slagle and shouted, "One of these days I'm going to hit you in the mouth." As if his remarks did not reach Slagle, Peters yelled again "Hey, Slagle, (expletive) you."
Hey Donnie, why the change of heart? This idea was as bad in 2008 as it is now. You flip flopped. Why? Who pulls your strings, anyways. Who's your daddy? Why don't you man up and start thinking for yourself again. And by the way. The city's broke. Get the (expletive) back to work!
The usual block of mayoral rubber stamps voted to go on vacation, Manson, Hersher, McCune, Slagle, Mang, and Peters. Anderson, Catazaro-Perry, and Townsend were the only three members of council who have a clue about how foolish this looks as the city is staring square in the face of yet another budget disaster.
It was an interesting two-some that hatched the vacation plan, Republican Donnie Peters, and Democrat Larry Slagle. You see, Peters was opposed to vacations before he was for them. Peters was opposed to vacation time as recently as 2008. Very opposed. Violently opposed.
From The Independent, July 29, 2008;
"Before every councillor could vacate chambers Monday, Councilman Donnie Peters, R-5, both threatened and swore at Slagle. According to Slagle and Peters, the councilmen were discussing a recent decision to maintain council's summer schedule instead of cutting two meetings from both July and August. Slagle favored the resolution to cut the meetings, while Peters opposed it. Peters was the driving force behind the death of the revised summer schedule, claiming the lawmakers should not take time off. Slagle, who mentioned the summer schedule during the work session, said he told Peters after the meeting that it would be "naive" to think councilors only worked during meetings. Slagle, Peters and Manson were discussing the issue in a room off of council chambers when Peters suddenly stormed out. Stopping short of leaving chambers altogether, Peters looked back at Slagle and shouted, "One of these days I'm going to hit you in the mouth." As if his remarks did not reach Slagle, Peters yelled again "Hey, Slagle, (expletive) you."
Hey Donnie, why the change of heart? This idea was as bad in 2008 as it is now. You flip flopped. Why? Who pulls your strings, anyways. Who's your daddy? Why don't you man up and start thinking for yourself again. And by the way. The city's broke. Get the (expletive) back to work!
Monday, June 21, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come... The Finale
As we left our last installment, it was the middle of 2003, three and a half years after our Mayor for Life promised us a 6,500 seat hockey arena. The project had turned into a scam. MG/Dove had spent the million dollar state grant Mayor Cicchinelli gave them, there was no construction, no possibility of construction, and no financing in place to build the arena.
Bob Russ, then Repository Suburban Editor, compared Frank Cicchinelli's blind faith in the arena being built to Linus, of Peanuts fame, waiting for the Great Pumpkin. In the animated cartoon special, Linus convinces Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, to give up trick-or-treating to sit in a pumpkin patch and wait for the Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin never arrives. Russ compares then city council members Paul Lambert and Mike Loudiana to Sally.
On June 3, 2003, the Independent write a strong editorial urging the mayor to give up on the arena, that "City officials need to face reality and move on."
Does Massillon's Mayor for Life face reality? Absolutely not. Because he had a dream...
"Cicchinelli said he remembers talking about a downtown civic center in Massillon while he was still a student at Kent State University Stark Campus. That was two years before Cicchinelli won a seat on City Council and 16 years before he became mayor" (The Repository, November 9, 2003).
And what of the taxpayers' million dollars? Will the City of Massillon have to pay the grant back to the State of Ohio? "This isn't a problem, Cicchinelli insists, because the $1 million came in the form of a grant, it doesn't have to be repaid" (The Repository, July 27, 2003).
This isn't a problem? We were swindled for an arena that wasn't built, and this isn't a problem? MG/Dove claimed it spent about $700,000 of the million dollar grant and they were sitting on the rest of the money. We bet they were.
They were sitting on our money as they tried to work out financing through Steven Waldman, of Florida based Global Arbitrage. Let's see how that worked out.
Not so good. According to a September 30, 2003, article in The Independent, Steven Waldman was a fraud. Waldman had promised about 75 project developers, including MG/Dove and Massillon's arena, project funding. No group ever got any funding, but Waldman collected various up-front fees from businesses wanting money. Shocking. Waldman was arrested in Florida in October, 2004, for scamming fees from developers without funding a single project, including Massillon's 6,500 seat hockey arena.
"In a letter MG/Dove provided to Massillon officials in January 2003, Waldman claimed he had more than $750 million through multiple financial organizations. But in the letter, Waldman misspelled the name of Banco de Brasil" (The Repository, October 23, 2004). What a shrewd operator. He must have been one smart cookie to fool our Mayor for Life, correct spelling or not. Who wouldn't believe a story about hundreds of millions of dollars and a bank in Brazil?
In the end, over four years after the project was announced, even our Mayor for Life started to have some doubts. We suspect when the financier was arrested for fraud, even Frank Cicchinelli started to maybe suspect that the arena was not going to be built.
It was a sad ending, really. 6,500 Massillonians denied the opportunity during hockey season to see teenagers playing Junior League hockey. The dream of Hockeytown, USA, was over.
How did the citizens of Massillon react to this scam? How did they react to their mayor being hoodwinked for over four years? They re-elected Mayor Frank Cicchinelli to a fifth term in 2003, and a six term in 2007. If he runs for a 7th term in 2011, we suspect the people of Massillon will elect him to that as well.
Bob Russ, then Repository Suburban Editor, compared Frank Cicchinelli's blind faith in the arena being built to Linus, of Peanuts fame, waiting for the Great Pumpkin. In the animated cartoon special, Linus convinces Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, to give up trick-or-treating to sit in a pumpkin patch and wait for the Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin never arrives. Russ compares then city council members Paul Lambert and Mike Loudiana to Sally.
On June 3, 2003, the Independent write a strong editorial urging the mayor to give up on the arena, that "City officials need to face reality and move on."
Does Massillon's Mayor for Life face reality? Absolutely not. Because he had a dream...
"Cicchinelli said he remembers talking about a downtown civic center in Massillon while he was still a student at Kent State University Stark Campus. That was two years before Cicchinelli won a seat on City Council and 16 years before he became mayor" (The Repository, November 9, 2003).
And what of the taxpayers' million dollars? Will the City of Massillon have to pay the grant back to the State of Ohio? "This isn't a problem, Cicchinelli insists, because the $1 million came in the form of a grant, it doesn't have to be repaid" (The Repository, July 27, 2003).
This isn't a problem? We were swindled for an arena that wasn't built, and this isn't a problem? MG/Dove claimed it spent about $700,000 of the million dollar grant and they were sitting on the rest of the money. We bet they were.
They were sitting on our money as they tried to work out financing through Steven Waldman, of Florida based Global Arbitrage. Let's see how that worked out.
Not so good. According to a September 30, 2003, article in The Independent, Steven Waldman was a fraud. Waldman had promised about 75 project developers, including MG/Dove and Massillon's arena, project funding. No group ever got any funding, but Waldman collected various up-front fees from businesses wanting money. Shocking. Waldman was arrested in Florida in October, 2004, for scamming fees from developers without funding a single project, including Massillon's 6,500 seat hockey arena.
"In a letter MG/Dove provided to Massillon officials in January 2003, Waldman claimed he had more than $750 million through multiple financial organizations. But in the letter, Waldman misspelled the name of Banco de Brasil" (The Repository, October 23, 2004). What a shrewd operator. He must have been one smart cookie to fool our Mayor for Life, correct spelling or not. Who wouldn't believe a story about hundreds of millions of dollars and a bank in Brazil?
In the end, over four years after the project was announced, even our Mayor for Life started to have some doubts. We suspect when the financier was arrested for fraud, even Frank Cicchinelli started to maybe suspect that the arena was not going to be built.
It was a sad ending, really. 6,500 Massillonians denied the opportunity during hockey season to see teenagers playing Junior League hockey. The dream of Hockeytown, USA, was over.
How did the citizens of Massillon react to this scam? How did they react to their mayor being hoodwinked for over four years? They re-elected Mayor Frank Cicchinelli to a fifth term in 2003, and a six term in 2007. If he runs for a 7th term in 2011, we suspect the people of Massillon will elect him to that as well.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
God Save the King
The Independent newspaper speculates on whether or not Massillon's Mayor for Life will run for a seventh term in office. Apparently, the Mayor will be making this decision sometime in the next month or so. Those who don't think he is running point to the fact that he cancelled his annual golf outing fundraiser. We at the Massillon Review don't believe it is a question of if he will run. He has to run.
Without Massillon's Mayor for Life running our city with an iron grip that Fidel Castro would have been envious of, who would tell city council how to vote? These folks, for the most part, aren't Massillon's best and brightest. They are more comfortable rubber stamping for the mayor than having an original idea. We imagine Glenn Gamber, Paul Manson, David Hersher, David McCune, and Ron Mang would be absolutely lost without Frank calling all the shots. And what about the developers? How would Deville, Putman, and Helline make a profit off the backs of Massillon taxpayers without Frank pulling the strings? And who would make sure the mortgage at the Hampton Inn was paid? A new mayor might even decide to spend our park tax dollars on our parks. Who would take care of Massillon's debt ridden golf course? And what of the employees? Would Parks Director Kenn Kaminski still get a city car, and a city gas card so he could commute back and forth to Medina? Would he still get his built in overtime? And what of poor Mike Stevens, the head of the Street Department? Who would pay him excessive amounts of overtime during a harsh winter storm when he doesn't even plow any snow? Who will make sure certain local attorneys get large referral fees when the city outsources legal work? Who will threaten to cut off access to the local newspaper when they run stories unfavorable to the administration? Who will bully city employees, workers, citizens, and others when they dare speak out about city problems?
No, Massillon's Mayor for Life can't leave. The responsibilities are too many. The shoes are too big to fill. A Mayor for Life is just that. Mayor for life.
Without Massillon's Mayor for Life running our city with an iron grip that Fidel Castro would have been envious of, who would tell city council how to vote? These folks, for the most part, aren't Massillon's best and brightest. They are more comfortable rubber stamping for the mayor than having an original idea. We imagine Glenn Gamber, Paul Manson, David Hersher, David McCune, and Ron Mang would be absolutely lost without Frank calling all the shots. And what about the developers? How would Deville, Putman, and Helline make a profit off the backs of Massillon taxpayers without Frank pulling the strings? And who would make sure the mortgage at the Hampton Inn was paid? A new mayor might even decide to spend our park tax dollars on our parks. Who would take care of Massillon's debt ridden golf course? And what of the employees? Would Parks Director Kenn Kaminski still get a city car, and a city gas card so he could commute back and forth to Medina? Would he still get his built in overtime? And what of poor Mike Stevens, the head of the Street Department? Who would pay him excessive amounts of overtime during a harsh winter storm when he doesn't even plow any snow? Who will make sure certain local attorneys get large referral fees when the city outsources legal work? Who will threaten to cut off access to the local newspaper when they run stories unfavorable to the administration? Who will bully city employees, workers, citizens, and others when they dare speak out about city problems?
No, Massillon's Mayor for Life can't leave. The responsibilities are too many. The shoes are too big to fill. A Mayor for Life is just that. Mayor for life.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Surprise!
Auditor Jayne Ferrero announced that the City of Massillon is facing....
Drum Roll please.... A budget shortfall
The City's budget is short ONE MILLION DOLLARS.
According to Auditor Jayne Ferrero, who has the quote of the day;
"We're on target for the budget that was passed, but we know that we did not budget enough in there for police and fire salaries" (The Independent, June 18, 2010).
Really? You mean the Mayor submitted, and council approved a budget that was not really balanced? We are shocked!
Here it is, Summer, and the city is facing a financial crisis. Who could have ever predicted that?
We did. One month ago, on May 19th. Check for yourself and see how we did.
www.massillonreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/summertime.html
As for Donnie Peters and Larry Slagle's Summer vacation plans. Forget it. Get back to work.
Drum Roll please.... A budget shortfall
The City's budget is short ONE MILLION DOLLARS.
According to Auditor Jayne Ferrero, who has the quote of the day;
"We're on target for the budget that was passed, but we know that we did not budget enough in there for police and fire salaries" (The Independent, June 18, 2010).
Really? You mean the Mayor submitted, and council approved a budget that was not really balanced? We are shocked!
Here it is, Summer, and the city is facing a financial crisis. Who could have ever predicted that?
We did. One month ago, on May 19th. Check for yourself and see how we did.
www.massillonreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/summertime.html
As for Donnie Peters and Larry Slagle's Summer vacation plans. Forget it. Get back to work.
Rest and Relaxation
So, everyone deserves a little time off to rest and recharge the batteries. Even Massillon City Council. Rubber stamping for Massillon's Mayor for Life is hard work. We certainly don't want council members developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
City Council meets in regular session the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, and meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month in work sessions/committee hearings. Republican Donnie Peters and Democrat Larry Slagle wanted to move the work sessions/committee hearings to the 1st and 3rd Monday, right before the regular meeting, so they would only have to meet twice a month in July and August.
Apparently, several of our faithful readers believe our council has more than earned some time off. Everyone else gets vacation, right? And besides, they work hard outside of council meetings. We refer to Larry Slagle, who, while complaining about the Independent criticizing his summer vacation plans for council, stated "I spend much more time outside this room on city council business than I do in the room" (The Independent, June 15, 2010).
We understand. Traipsing through our parks and looking for "park vandals" with Parks Director Kenn Kaminski, and meeting with our Mayor for Life to learn why spending our tax dollars on hotels and restaurants is a good thing can be time consuming. We have reconsidered our position.
City Council deserves a vacation. On one condition. If all is well, and the auditor assures you that the city is not currently short in meeting its budgetary obligations for 2010, you get the time off. If the city is short, you really do need to get back to work. Call her up. Ask her. Let us know.
City Council meets in regular session the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, and meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month in work sessions/committee hearings. Republican Donnie Peters and Democrat Larry Slagle wanted to move the work sessions/committee hearings to the 1st and 3rd Monday, right before the regular meeting, so they would only have to meet twice a month in July and August.
Apparently, several of our faithful readers believe our council has more than earned some time off. Everyone else gets vacation, right? And besides, they work hard outside of council meetings. We refer to Larry Slagle, who, while complaining about the Independent criticizing his summer vacation plans for council, stated "I spend much more time outside this room on city council business than I do in the room" (The Independent, June 15, 2010).
We understand. Traipsing through our parks and looking for "park vandals" with Parks Director Kenn Kaminski, and meeting with our Mayor for Life to learn why spending our tax dollars on hotels and restaurants is a good thing can be time consuming. We have reconsidered our position.
City Council deserves a vacation. On one condition. If all is well, and the auditor assures you that the city is not currently short in meeting its budgetary obligations for 2010, you get the time off. If the city is short, you really do need to get back to work. Call her up. Ask her. Let us know.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Massillon Lampoon's Summer Vacation
Massillon City Council needs a break. After a busy year of passing the mayor's unbalanced budget, purchasing the restaurant at the golf course, and spending our tax dollars to pay the mortgage for a private hotel, Massillon City Council needs a little rest and relaxation. Republican Donnie Peters, and Democrat Larry Slagle pitched the idea that council would cancel its work sessions and committee hearings that are scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, and hold those meetings on the 1st and 3rd Mondays, right before their regular council meetings. They would then only have to only meet twice in July and August, instead of four times. Rubber stamping for Massillon's Mayor for life can be a tiring job, and of course some vacation time is well earned. Not.
Get back to work! The City's unemployment rate is over 12 percent, and the dirty little secret is the City's finances are not on pace to meet expenditures. It's time for the City's annual summer financial crisis, but the mayor is afraid to sound the alarm because he is headed into an election next year. The Independent rightly criticized this move in an editorial. Donnie Peters and an unnamed "veteran" member of council managed to find time to cry to the Independent about their editorial. How about finding some time to ask City Auditor Jayne Ferrero how short the city is financially this year? Why don't one of you make that call?
Council President Glenn Gamber, our Mayor for Life's personal enforcer, thought they didn't have to vote on the schedule change now thinks they have to vote on the schedule change. Why the change of heart? Because the paper called him out? Gamber thought they would get their summer sabbatical and never have to vote on it. How clever. That Glenn Gamber, always putting the people first.
The only member on council to realize this was bad idea from the start was Kathy Catazaro-Perry. Catazaro-Perry is once again the only council member who is not absolutely and totally oblivious to the people who elected her. "Catazaro-Perry said she did not want to amend council's schedule because of the city's uncertain economic condition" (The Independent, June 8, 2010). Common sense. How refreshing. One of the architects of the summer vacation scheme, Larry Slagle, whined at Monday's meeting about The Independents's editorial. Busted. Get over it. It was a bad idea.
Get back to work! The City's unemployment rate is over 12 percent, and the dirty little secret is the City's finances are not on pace to meet expenditures. It's time for the City's annual summer financial crisis, but the mayor is afraid to sound the alarm because he is headed into an election next year. The Independent rightly criticized this move in an editorial. Donnie Peters and an unnamed "veteran" member of council managed to find time to cry to the Independent about their editorial. How about finding some time to ask City Auditor Jayne Ferrero how short the city is financially this year? Why don't one of you make that call?
Council President Glenn Gamber, our Mayor for Life's personal enforcer, thought they didn't have to vote on the schedule change now thinks they have to vote on the schedule change. Why the change of heart? Because the paper called him out? Gamber thought they would get their summer sabbatical and never have to vote on it. How clever. That Glenn Gamber, always putting the people first.
The only member on council to realize this was bad idea from the start was Kathy Catazaro-Perry. Catazaro-Perry is once again the only council member who is not absolutely and totally oblivious to the people who elected her. "Catazaro-Perry said she did not want to amend council's schedule because of the city's uncertain economic condition" (The Independent, June 8, 2010). Common sense. How refreshing. One of the architects of the summer vacation scheme, Larry Slagle, whined at Monday's meeting about The Independents's editorial. Busted. Get over it. It was a bad idea.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Balloon Payment
So, Massillon's Mayor for Life wants to refinance the City's loan on the Hampton Inn. Massillon borrowed $2.25 million dollars from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the form of a Section 108 loan. A Section 108 loan is normally used for low income housing, and economic development in low to moderate income areas. Apparently, downtown Massillon qualified. Our Mayor for Life believed that using tax dollars to pay a loan for a private hotel was the best use of our money. Why pave streets, fix sidewalks, and help create jobs when you can help provide a wealthy developer with his own hotel.
Massillon borrowed $2.25 million dollars about 10 years ago to pay for the Hampton Inn. We (the taxpayers) have made $2.17 million dollars in payments on the hotel. We have paid $1,645,000 in interest, and $525,000 on the principal. We still owe another $1,725,000. Our Mayor wants us to refinance the loan, because it will save us $500,000 in interest costs over the next ten years. Here is the kicker. At the end of the 20 year loan, in 2019, we will still owe a ONE MILLION DOLLAR balloon payment. Even with the proposed refinancing, the balloon payment would still be $984,000 (The Independent, June 15, 2010).
As we calculate, 2019 will be the final year of our Mayor for Life's 8th four year term as Mayor. This would be year 32 as mayor, and year 46 in city government. We are confident that he will have this minor detail sorted out by then.
If you believe that millions spent on a private hotel is an acceptable use of your tax dollars, you may wish to thank eight of the nine members of Massillon City Council. At the May 3rd council meeting, city council voted to appropriate another $211,000 for the hotel. Only Kathy Catazaro-Perry had the good sense to vote no.
Massillon's Mayor for Life has all but one member of city council believing that they have no choice, but to vote to spend our tax dollars to pay the Hampton Inn loan. If they have no choice, why is there even a vote? Of course, you don't get to be Mayor for Life by letting city council members think for themselves. Fortunately for Frank Cicchinelli, most of them are just loyal rubber stamps who approve anything the mayor wants.
Yes, they should refinance the loan. No, they never should have taken it out in the first place. Community Development Director Aane Aaby believes the hotel developers will happily chip in with the final balloon payment (The Independent, June 15, 2010). The Massillon Review is a bit more skeptical.
Massillon borrowed $2.25 million dollars about 10 years ago to pay for the Hampton Inn. We (the taxpayers) have made $2.17 million dollars in payments on the hotel. We have paid $1,645,000 in interest, and $525,000 on the principal. We still owe another $1,725,000. Our Mayor wants us to refinance the loan, because it will save us $500,000 in interest costs over the next ten years. Here is the kicker. At the end of the 20 year loan, in 2019, we will still owe a ONE MILLION DOLLAR balloon payment. Even with the proposed refinancing, the balloon payment would still be $984,000 (The Independent, June 15, 2010).
As we calculate, 2019 will be the final year of our Mayor for Life's 8th four year term as Mayor. This would be year 32 as mayor, and year 46 in city government. We are confident that he will have this minor detail sorted out by then.
If you believe that millions spent on a private hotel is an acceptable use of your tax dollars, you may wish to thank eight of the nine members of Massillon City Council. At the May 3rd council meeting, city council voted to appropriate another $211,000 for the hotel. Only Kathy Catazaro-Perry had the good sense to vote no.
Massillon's Mayor for Life has all but one member of city council believing that they have no choice, but to vote to spend our tax dollars to pay the Hampton Inn loan. If they have no choice, why is there even a vote? Of course, you don't get to be Mayor for Life by letting city council members think for themselves. Fortunately for Frank Cicchinelli, most of them are just loyal rubber stamps who approve anything the mayor wants.
Yes, they should refinance the loan. No, they never should have taken it out in the first place. Community Development Director Aane Aaby believes the hotel developers will happily chip in with the final balloon payment (The Independent, June 15, 2010). The Massillon Review is a bit more skeptical.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come... Part 6
When we left, Christmas 2002 was approaching. It had been three years since Massillon's 6,500 seat arena was announced. The Arctic Express had fled to Canton, MG/Dove spent one million tax dollars, and all we had to show was an empty construction trailer, and empty lot, a rusting pile of steel, and the enduring faith of Massillon's Mayor for Life who still believed in the dream of Hockeytown, USA.
MG/Dove never received the bank financing it needed to build Massillon's 6,500 seat arena. MG/Dove now needed to borrow 24 MILLION DOLLARS to build a hockey arena in Massillon, Ohio, where the anchor tenant was now going to be a junior hockey team, as The Arctic Express had packed up and moved to Canton. A 6,500 seat arena so teenagers could play hockey. A bank would be foolish to not loan them the money. It makes such great business sense.
In 2002, MG/Dove started to negotiate with a company who was going to loan them the 24 MILLION DOLLARS, a company that believed in the dream, a company which saw the tremendous business opportunity linked to teenagers playing hockey. The company that was going to provide MG/Dove the loan for this endeavor? Global Arbitrage. Not Local Arbitrage. Not State Arbitrage. Not even National Arbitrage. Global Arbitrage. If a company has the name "Global" in its corporate moniker, it must be HUGE, not some scam operation run out of some guy's basement... oops... We will get back to that thought later.
Massillon City Council gave MG/Dove a deadline of December 31, 2002, to close on the loan, or else. The or else part ended up being that Massillon City Council would give them yet another deadline well into the future. On December 31, 2002, The Repository reported that Mayor Cicchinelli believed the loan would come through by the end of the day. It didn't.
In January, 2003, Steven A. Waldman from Global Arbitrage told then Massillon Law Director John Ferrero that funding was on the way, although the loan had not actually been closed. "We're going to get there," Cicchinelli said, "Everybody just has to be patient" (The Repository, January 7, 2003).
And patient we were. And then in May 2003, the construction trailer disappeared from the arena site, and the steel that had been rusting away at the construction site was now gone. MG/Dove probably sold the steel for scrap. All that was left at the former Agathon Park were several signs, declaring the site as the future home of the arena. "Cicchinelli still wasn't concerned because construction trailers and equipment have been removed from the site. He remains optimistic The Arena will be built." (The Repository, May 14, 2003).
Wow. A man with vision. No common sense, but plenty of vision.
In July, 2003, even Cicchinelli's most reliable rubber stamps on City Council thought it might be time to possibly, maybe, take down the signs declaring the site as the future home of The Arena.
"Those signs won't come down until we know the project is over," the Mayor said, "and we don't know that" (The Repository, July 3, 2003).
And what of the million dollar state grant that Massillon's Mayor for Life gave to MG/Dove for "site preparation?" Would the state want its money back? Was MG/Dove on the hook for it? Or was the taxpayers' money lost, and unrecoverable?
Stay tuned...
MG/Dove never received the bank financing it needed to build Massillon's 6,500 seat arena. MG/Dove now needed to borrow 24 MILLION DOLLARS to build a hockey arena in Massillon, Ohio, where the anchor tenant was now going to be a junior hockey team, as The Arctic Express had packed up and moved to Canton. A 6,500 seat arena so teenagers could play hockey. A bank would be foolish to not loan them the money. It makes such great business sense.
In 2002, MG/Dove started to negotiate with a company who was going to loan them the 24 MILLION DOLLARS, a company that believed in the dream, a company which saw the tremendous business opportunity linked to teenagers playing hockey. The company that was going to provide MG/Dove the loan for this endeavor? Global Arbitrage. Not Local Arbitrage. Not State Arbitrage. Not even National Arbitrage. Global Arbitrage. If a company has the name "Global" in its corporate moniker, it must be HUGE, not some scam operation run out of some guy's basement... oops... We will get back to that thought later.
Massillon City Council gave MG/Dove a deadline of December 31, 2002, to close on the loan, or else. The or else part ended up being that Massillon City Council would give them yet another deadline well into the future. On December 31, 2002, The Repository reported that Mayor Cicchinelli believed the loan would come through by the end of the day. It didn't.
In January, 2003, Steven A. Waldman from Global Arbitrage told then Massillon Law Director John Ferrero that funding was on the way, although the loan had not actually been closed. "We're going to get there," Cicchinelli said, "Everybody just has to be patient" (The Repository, January 7, 2003).
And patient we were. And then in May 2003, the construction trailer disappeared from the arena site, and the steel that had been rusting away at the construction site was now gone. MG/Dove probably sold the steel for scrap. All that was left at the former Agathon Park were several signs, declaring the site as the future home of the arena. "Cicchinelli still wasn't concerned because construction trailers and equipment have been removed from the site. He remains optimistic The Arena will be built." (The Repository, May 14, 2003).
Wow. A man with vision. No common sense, but plenty of vision.
In July, 2003, even Cicchinelli's most reliable rubber stamps on City Council thought it might be time to possibly, maybe, take down the signs declaring the site as the future home of The Arena.
"Those signs won't come down until we know the project is over," the Mayor said, "and we don't know that" (The Repository, July 3, 2003).
And what of the million dollar state grant that Massillon's Mayor for Life gave to MG/Dove for "site preparation?" Would the state want its money back? Was MG/Dove on the hook for it? Or was the taxpayers' money lost, and unrecoverable?
Stay tuned...
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Kingdom of Massillon
Some of the world's longest reigning monarchs;
Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom, 58 years as Queen
Queen Margrethe II, Kingdom of Denmark, 38 years as Queen
King Juan Carlos I, Kingdom of Spain, 34 years as King
Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, Massillon's Mayor for Life, 36 years, 5 months and 14 days as an elected official of the City of Massillon.
Mayor Cicchinelli has reigned over our city longer than all but 11 current monarchs have reigned over their respective kingdoms.
One thing our Mayor has in common with a King, they both have jobs for life.
Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom, 58 years as Queen
Queen Margrethe II, Kingdom of Denmark, 38 years as Queen
King Juan Carlos I, Kingdom of Spain, 34 years as King
Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, Massillon's Mayor for Life, 36 years, 5 months and 14 days as an elected official of the City of Massillon.
Mayor Cicchinelli has reigned over our city longer than all but 11 current monarchs have reigned over their respective kingdoms.
One thing our Mayor has in common with a King, they both have jobs for life.
Friday, June 11, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come... Part 5
As we left off in our last chapter, The Arctic Express had fled to Canton, the arena construction site was nothing more than a sand lot with an empty construction trailer, but Massillon's Mayor for Life was confident that hockey was coming to Tigertown. So confident in fact, he turned over the $1 million dollar state grant the city received for "site preparation" to the developers, MG/Dove. He was confident they would be good custodians of our tax dollars and actually really, really planned on building a 6,500 seat arena in Massillon for minor league hockey. After all, we handed them one million dollars when they had never actually secured the necessary bank loans to build it in the first place. That's OK. Massillon Councilman Glenn Gamber, free thinking, independent, government finance expert that he is, was "satisfied that MG/Dove Enterprises has the financing to get the Arena built" (The Repository, March 16, 2002).
While our beloved Arctic Express had left for greener pastures in Canton, MG/Dove rustled up a new hockey team for Massillon. It was a junior hockey team. Nothing fills up a 6,500 seat arena like teenagers playing hockey. No, this wasn't turning into a scam. We were going to build a twenty million dollar plus arena so teenagers could play hockey.
In early May, 2002, it was announced that construction would begin any day now. As a matter of fact, Mayor Cicchinelli told The Repository that he has "no doubts the arena will be ready for use this year" (The Repository, May 7, 2002).
One June 19, 2002, The Repository reported that American Buildings Company filed a lien against the project. They had not been paid for the steel that was delivered to the construction site in March. Oh yeah, construction was supposed to start up in June.
On July 29, 2002, Massillon's Mayor for Life told city council to stay the course and keep supporting the $20 million dollar arena project.
And as we rolled into November, 2002, there was still no construction. MG/Dove had spent our million dollars. Even The Independent had sued MG/Dove for unpaid advertising bills. But our Mayor would not give up. He would stay the course. The Massillon Arena had been up against sinister forces. MG/Dove hadn't scammed us. It was the work of Osama Bin Laden.
Cicchinelli blamed the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks for the arena's slow development. Seriously. For real. He did. (The Repository, November 3, 2002). He hadn't been swindled out of a million dollars. It was Al-Qaeda.
As Christmas, 2002, approached, the dream of Hockeytown, USA, was three years old. All we had to show was an empty lot, a rusting pile of unpaid steel, an empty construction trailer without phone, or electricity, and a million dollars of taxpayer money spent. We also had the unwavering faith of one man. Mayor Frank Cicchinelli.
To be continued...
While our beloved Arctic Express had left for greener pastures in Canton, MG/Dove rustled up a new hockey team for Massillon. It was a junior hockey team. Nothing fills up a 6,500 seat arena like teenagers playing hockey. No, this wasn't turning into a scam. We were going to build a twenty million dollar plus arena so teenagers could play hockey.
In early May, 2002, it was announced that construction would begin any day now. As a matter of fact, Mayor Cicchinelli told The Repository that he has "no doubts the arena will be ready for use this year" (The Repository, May 7, 2002).
One June 19, 2002, The Repository reported that American Buildings Company filed a lien against the project. They had not been paid for the steel that was delivered to the construction site in March. Oh yeah, construction was supposed to start up in June.
On July 29, 2002, Massillon's Mayor for Life told city council to stay the course and keep supporting the $20 million dollar arena project.
And as we rolled into November, 2002, there was still no construction. MG/Dove had spent our million dollars. Even The Independent had sued MG/Dove for unpaid advertising bills. But our Mayor would not give up. He would stay the course. The Massillon Arena had been up against sinister forces. MG/Dove hadn't scammed us. It was the work of Osama Bin Laden.
Cicchinelli blamed the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks for the arena's slow development. Seriously. For real. He did. (The Repository, November 3, 2002). He hadn't been swindled out of a million dollars. It was Al-Qaeda.
As Christmas, 2002, approached, the dream of Hockeytown, USA, was three years old. All we had to show was an empty lot, a rusting pile of unpaid steel, an empty construction trailer without phone, or electricity, and a million dollars of taxpayer money spent. We also had the unwavering faith of one man. Mayor Frank Cicchinelli.
To be continued...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thanks a Lot
Massillon's Mayor for Life came to City Council Monday night to announce an exciting way to save the city money. Massillon can refinance its section 108 loan. This is the loan the city took out to pay the mortgage at the Hampton Inn. The hotel is in private hands. The city pays the mortgage. Someone else owns the hotel. Brilliant. What a shrewd business deal.
Mayor Cicchinelli believes the city will be able to save almost $500,000 dollars in interest costs over the next ten years. The city already committed $211,000 dollars for this year's hotel loan payment.
What is a "Section 108 Loan"
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
The Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program is a source of financing allotted for the economic development, housing rehabilitation, public facilities rehab, construction or installation for the benefit of low- to moderate - income persons, or to aid in the prevention of slums.
What does paying the mortgage for a privately owned hotel have to do with housing for poor people?
Nothing. It's a hotel!
The Massillon Review has a better plan to save money. Don't use our tax dollars to pay the mortgage for hotels owned by wealthy developers.
Mayor Cicchinelli believes the city will be able to save almost $500,000 dollars in interest costs over the next ten years. The city already committed $211,000 dollars for this year's hotel loan payment.
What is a "Section 108 Loan"
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
The Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program is a source of financing allotted for the economic development, housing rehabilitation, public facilities rehab, construction or installation for the benefit of low- to moderate - income persons, or to aid in the prevention of slums.
What does paying the mortgage for a privately owned hotel have to do with housing for poor people?
Nothing. It's a hotel!
The Massillon Review has a better plan to save money. Don't use our tax dollars to pay the mortgage for hotels owned by wealthy developers.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come... Part 4
As we left you yesterday, Hockeytown, USA, was riding high. Ground had been broken on Massillon's new 6,500 seat hockey arena, luxury seats and suites were being sold to Massillon's movers and shakers, and Massillon's Mayor for Life was basking in the glow of vindication. The anti-Cicchinelli, anti-administration, anti-Arctic Express mayor haters were on the run... Could things get any better?
Yes they could! In November of 2001, the geniuses that run our state government thought it prudent to commit $1.5 million dollars of our tax money to Massillon for road and sewer work at the site of Massillon's new arena. That brings the state of Ohio's share to $2.5 million dollars for minor league hockey. Yes, and we keep electing Senator Schuring and Representative Oelslager. Or is that Senator Oelslager and Representative Schuring. Hard to keep track when they keep switching seats to avoid the term limit law.
The stab in the back
Old timers will still talk about how their hearts were broken when Brooklyn's beloved Dodgers left for Los Angeles. Colts fans still tear up when talking about their Baltimore Colts sneaking out of town in the middle of the night to relocate to Indianapolis. Massillonians couldn't understand the depth of despair these fans felt when their sports teams left town. Until it happened to us.
On January 10, 2002, The Repository reported that our beloved Arctic Express were leaving town... and going to Canton! This stab in the back would be felt for years as Hockeytown, USA, lost its heart and soul. Yes, the Express (or "Xpress") would now be the Canton Express, playing their home games at the Canton Civic Center. Massillon's hockey fans had been abandoned.
Kevin Carr, the General Manager of the now Canton Express was unhappy about the progress on construction at Massillon's 6,500 seat arena. "It's just a sand lot and a trailer at this point" (The Repository, January 10, 2002).
See, professional sports is just big business. What about the loyal and devoted fans? Don't they have a voice? Just because Canton had an arena, seats, and a hockey rink is a flimsy excuse to pack up and leave the people who invested their loyalty in your team.
The hockey team had left town, there was no construction going on at the site of the arena, and the State of Ohio committed TWO AND ONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS of our tax dollars for a hockey arena that was increasingly looking like a scam. Our Mayor for Life was at a crossroads.
It was increasingly clear that this project was a debacle, but our mayor forged on. Putting common sense aside, he would continue to pursue the dream of Hockeytown, USA. Smarter men would have stopped. Not Frank Cicchinelli. He would fight on.
To be continued...
Yes they could! In November of 2001, the geniuses that run our state government thought it prudent to commit $1.5 million dollars of our tax money to Massillon for road and sewer work at the site of Massillon's new arena. That brings the state of Ohio's share to $2.5 million dollars for minor league hockey. Yes, and we keep electing Senator Schuring and Representative Oelslager. Or is that Senator Oelslager and Representative Schuring. Hard to keep track when they keep switching seats to avoid the term limit law.
The stab in the back
Old timers will still talk about how their hearts were broken when Brooklyn's beloved Dodgers left for Los Angeles. Colts fans still tear up when talking about their Baltimore Colts sneaking out of town in the middle of the night to relocate to Indianapolis. Massillonians couldn't understand the depth of despair these fans felt when their sports teams left town. Until it happened to us.
On January 10, 2002, The Repository reported that our beloved Arctic Express were leaving town... and going to Canton! This stab in the back would be felt for years as Hockeytown, USA, lost its heart and soul. Yes, the Express (or "Xpress") would now be the Canton Express, playing their home games at the Canton Civic Center. Massillon's hockey fans had been abandoned.
Kevin Carr, the General Manager of the now Canton Express was unhappy about the progress on construction at Massillon's 6,500 seat arena. "It's just a sand lot and a trailer at this point" (The Repository, January 10, 2002).
See, professional sports is just big business. What about the loyal and devoted fans? Don't they have a voice? Just because Canton had an arena, seats, and a hockey rink is a flimsy excuse to pack up and leave the people who invested their loyalty in your team.
The hockey team had left town, there was no construction going on at the site of the arena, and the State of Ohio committed TWO AND ONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS of our tax dollars for a hockey arena that was increasingly looking like a scam. Our Mayor for Life was at a crossroads.
It was increasingly clear that this project was a debacle, but our mayor forged on. Putting common sense aside, he would continue to pursue the dream of Hockeytown, USA. Smarter men would have stopped. Not Frank Cicchinelli. He would fight on.
To be continued...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come... Part 3
At a city council meeting in May, 2001, Massillon City Council cheerfully accepted a one million dollar state grant to prepare Agathon Park for Massillon's new 6,500 seat arena. The hockey team, the Arctic Express, were in debt, and being sued. They had 100 people show up at their last game, and the arena developers, MG Dove, had yet to get financing, but this didn't stop Massillon City Council from accepting one million dollars of our taxes to prepare the site for arena construction.
Meanwhile, the Arctic Express are looking to play somewhere else, and the United Hockey League Commissioner admitted that he didn't think the team would be playing hockey in Massillon next year.
Problem Solved?
On June 19, 2001, The Repository announced that the arena investors, MG Corp and Dove Enterprises (MG Dove) have received financing to build the arena. They thank Massillon's Mayor for Life for cooperating with the developers to the satisfaction of the lenders. It looks like Massillon's beloved Arctic Express is back on track! In August, the State of Ohio sends Massillon the one million dollars for the arena's site preparation. According to Mayor Cicchinelli, the state grant is "the last piece of the puzzle" (The Repository, August 7, 2001).
The Arctic Express must have been giddy with excitement about playing hockey in their new Massillon arena. Nope. They closed their offices in late August, 2001, but the City of Massillon was pressing on. Even if the hockey team closed up shop, the city was still going to build an arena for them to play in. If you build it, they will come back.
October 2, 2001, It's On!
On October 2, 2001, ground was broken for the new 6,500 seat Massillon Arena. There was nothing but joy in Hockeytown as United Hockey League officials, and city officials were on hand for the momentous and happy occasion. Later that morning, MG Dove invited Massillon's movers and shakers to the Lions Lincoln Theatre, to sell them premium seating and luxury suites to Massillon's new arena. They were happy to take a down payment so that you could lock in the best seats in the house when the arena was up and running. It was nothing but blue skies in Hockeytown as local folks and businesses plunked down deposits for luxury suites at Massillon's soon to be built state of the art hockey arena.
To be continued...
Meanwhile, the Arctic Express are looking to play somewhere else, and the United Hockey League Commissioner admitted that he didn't think the team would be playing hockey in Massillon next year.
Problem Solved?
On June 19, 2001, The Repository announced that the arena investors, MG Corp and Dove Enterprises (MG Dove) have received financing to build the arena. They thank Massillon's Mayor for Life for cooperating with the developers to the satisfaction of the lenders. It looks like Massillon's beloved Arctic Express is back on track! In August, the State of Ohio sends Massillon the one million dollars for the arena's site preparation. According to Mayor Cicchinelli, the state grant is "the last piece of the puzzle" (The Repository, August 7, 2001).
The Arctic Express must have been giddy with excitement about playing hockey in their new Massillon arena. Nope. They closed their offices in late August, 2001, but the City of Massillon was pressing on. Even if the hockey team closed up shop, the city was still going to build an arena for them to play in. If you build it, they will come back.
October 2, 2001, It's On!
On October 2, 2001, ground was broken for the new 6,500 seat Massillon Arena. There was nothing but joy in Hockeytown as United Hockey League officials, and city officials were on hand for the momentous and happy occasion. Later that morning, MG Dove invited Massillon's movers and shakers to the Lions Lincoln Theatre, to sell them premium seating and luxury suites to Massillon's new arena. They were happy to take a down payment so that you could lock in the best seats in the house when the arena was up and running. It was nothing but blue skies in Hockeytown as local folks and businesses plunked down deposits for luxury suites at Massillon's soon to be built state of the art hockey arena.
To be continued...
Monday, June 7, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come... Part 2
The Story of Massillon's Hockey Team, the Arctic Express... .
When we left last time, hockey fever was raging in Massillon, the team had just been re-named, and a new 6,500 seat arena was about to join the downtown skyline. All was well in Hockeytown, or was it?
.
In April, 2000, The then Ohio Gears, now Arctic Express, ended their season at the Center Ice Arena in Jackson Township. Attendance was about 100 people. Not a typo. 100. In May of 2000, The Repository announced (5/13) that the Massillon Arctic Express had petitioned the United Hockey League to take a year off without playing. The UHL consented. The players were all let go. The Arctic Express would not start playing hockey in Massillon until the 2001/2002 season, when they would play in Massillon's 6,500 seat arena.
.
In June, 2000, the Arctic Express hired a head coach, Keith Gretzky, younger brother of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky.
.
On January 20, 2001, The Repository published an article implying that all may not be well in Hockeytown, USA. Ground had not yet been broken for the arena project, and head coach Keith Gretzky had jumped ship. Mayor Cicchinelli was still optimistic the arena would be ready for the Fall.
.
By the end of January, the cat was out of the bag - the developers could not get financing to build the arena. The State of Ohio did not cough up the TEN MILLION DOLLARS Mayor Cicchinelli had asked them for. Really? They must be "anti-Cicchinelli." Unfortunately, the State did pony up one million dollars of our tax money to assist with the project, which Mayor Cicchinelli agreed to give to the developers for "site preparation."
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The Express, which had yet to play a game in Massillon, were already in serious financial trouble, and were seeking new investors.
Friday, June 4, 2010
If You Build It, They Will Come
The Story of Hockeytown, USA, and the Massillon Arctic Express
The Saginaw Gears, a minor league hockey team from Saginaw, Michigan, announced in late 1999 that they would be coming to the hotbed of minor league hockey in Ohio, Massillon, to play their games in Massillon's new 6,500 seat civic arena. When the Gears packed up and left Saginaw, they had various unpaid debts of about $80,000 dollars. According to an article in The Repository (12/21/99), the Gears were facing potential losses of $600,000 dollars for the current season, and had already lost 2 million dollars over the past four seasons. Didn't seem like a great business venture, but they found a kindred spirit in Massillon's Mayor for Life, Frank Cicchinelli.
On December 23, 1999, two days before Christmas, it was announced that MG Dove Enterprises would build the new Massillon Arena, and construction would be completed in the Fall of 2000. In January of 2000, In Januray 2000 (hold on, we have to stop laughing), In January 2000, Mayor Cicchinelli asked the State of Ohio for TEN MILLION DOLLARS to help build Massillon's new hockey arena on the site of Agathon Park. The TEN MILLION DOLLARS was to build the parking deck next to the arena. We understand. If you are going to build a 6,500 seat hockey arena for a failing minor league hockey team, you most certainly need a parking deck for all the cars.
In March of 2000, City Council offered to lease Agathon Park to MG Dove Enterprises for the whopping sum of ten dollars per year. Yes, that is ten, as in ten, as in ten dollars. One wonders if Massillon's City Council negotiated the sale of Manhattan for the indians. Any current members of City Council around for this vote? One. Glenn Gamber. We wonder how he voted? The project's opening date was then moved from Fall of 2000 to February of 2001. In May of 2000, Canal Fulton resident Mark Miller won a contest for renaming the team. Mark won 25 tickets to the home opener, a pre-game party for him and his buddies, and an opportunity to meet the players. The Gears were now the Arctic Express, and hockey was coming to Massillon!
(To be continued...)
The Saginaw Gears, a minor league hockey team from Saginaw, Michigan, announced in late 1999 that they would be coming to the hotbed of minor league hockey in Ohio, Massillon, to play their games in Massillon's new 6,500 seat civic arena. When the Gears packed up and left Saginaw, they had various unpaid debts of about $80,000 dollars. According to an article in The Repository (12/21/99), the Gears were facing potential losses of $600,000 dollars for the current season, and had already lost 2 million dollars over the past four seasons. Didn't seem like a great business venture, but they found a kindred spirit in Massillon's Mayor for Life, Frank Cicchinelli.
On December 23, 1999, two days before Christmas, it was announced that MG Dove Enterprises would build the new Massillon Arena, and construction would be completed in the Fall of 2000. In January of 2000, In Januray 2000 (hold on, we have to stop laughing), In January 2000, Mayor Cicchinelli asked the State of Ohio for TEN MILLION DOLLARS to help build Massillon's new hockey arena on the site of Agathon Park. The TEN MILLION DOLLARS was to build the parking deck next to the arena. We understand. If you are going to build a 6,500 seat hockey arena for a failing minor league hockey team, you most certainly need a parking deck for all the cars.
In March of 2000, City Council offered to lease Agathon Park to MG Dove Enterprises for the whopping sum of ten dollars per year. Yes, that is ten, as in ten, as in ten dollars. One wonders if Massillon's City Council negotiated the sale of Manhattan for the indians. Any current members of City Council around for this vote? One. Glenn Gamber. We wonder how he voted? The project's opening date was then moved from Fall of 2000 to February of 2001. In May of 2000, Canal Fulton resident Mark Miller won a contest for renaming the team. Mark won 25 tickets to the home opener, a pre-game party for him and his buddies, and an opportunity to meet the players. The Gears were now the Arctic Express, and hockey was coming to Massillon!
(To be continued...)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Opening up the Mailbag
Time to answer some reader mail-
In response to the query regarding Republican Councilman Donnie Peters' contributions to the campaign of Massillon's Mayor for Life, yes, we are aware that this wasn't Donnie Peters' first contribution, and yes, we are aware that he is an annual donor. Donnie Peters is a loyal and faithful contributor to Mayor Cicchinelli.
In response to another Donnie Peters question, yes, we did find it interesting that Donnie Peters gave our Mayor for Life the one vote he needed to pass his unbalanced budget, and that the city paving schedule was immediately changed, and Tremont was given priority to be paved, something Peters has long wanted. We are confident that this is merely a coincidence.
Another reader wanted The Massillon Review to be aware that weeds are overtaking the mulch laid at Genshaft Field. It was laid in preparation for Kenn Kaminski's Vandals Tour. See, the Parks Department spruced up a little for the tour Kenn Kaminski provided for several members of city council to show them what magnificent parks we have. The tour is over, the council members are gone, and neglect is once again the order of the day.
Our favorite question - "Can you be anti-Cicchinelli and anti-administration without being anti-Massillon?"
The answer of course is yes. It is unfortunate, but Massillon's Mayor for Life and his lackeys have slipped into the bad habit of labeling anyone who disagrees with a particular policy or decision of our Mayor and his rubber stamps as "anti-Cicchinelli." If you believe something to be a bad idea, you have an "agenda."
"Do you know what is going on the Golf Course Restaurant?"
No, we do not, but neither does the City, so we don't feel so bad. They have no business plan, and the last thing The Massillon Review has heard is that the individual we taxpayers purchased the restaurant from is being paid additional money to run it. What a deal.
In response to the query regarding Republican Councilman Donnie Peters' contributions to the campaign of Massillon's Mayor for Life, yes, we are aware that this wasn't Donnie Peters' first contribution, and yes, we are aware that he is an annual donor. Donnie Peters is a loyal and faithful contributor to Mayor Cicchinelli.
In response to another Donnie Peters question, yes, we did find it interesting that Donnie Peters gave our Mayor for Life the one vote he needed to pass his unbalanced budget, and that the city paving schedule was immediately changed, and Tremont was given priority to be paved, something Peters has long wanted. We are confident that this is merely a coincidence.
Another reader wanted The Massillon Review to be aware that weeds are overtaking the mulch laid at Genshaft Field. It was laid in preparation for Kenn Kaminski's Vandals Tour. See, the Parks Department spruced up a little for the tour Kenn Kaminski provided for several members of city council to show them what magnificent parks we have. The tour is over, the council members are gone, and neglect is once again the order of the day.
Our favorite question - "Can you be anti-Cicchinelli and anti-administration without being anti-Massillon?"
The answer of course is yes. It is unfortunate, but Massillon's Mayor for Life and his lackeys have slipped into the bad habit of labeling anyone who disagrees with a particular policy or decision of our Mayor and his rubber stamps as "anti-Cicchinelli." If you believe something to be a bad idea, you have an "agenda."
"Do you know what is going on the Golf Course Restaurant?"
No, we do not, but neither does the City, so we don't feel so bad. They have no business plan, and the last thing The Massillon Review has heard is that the individual we taxpayers purchased the restaurant from is being paid additional money to run it. What a deal.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
New Park Board Appointment
Massillon Mayor Frank Cicchinelli has nominated Michelle Del Rio-Keller as the newest member of Massillon's Park and Recreation Board. Massillon City Council will be voting on June 7 to confirm her appointment. If confirmed, she will fill the remaining seven months of former Park Board member Margy Vogt's unexpired term. Del Rio-Keller is a Vice President at FirstMerit Bank. On its surface, this does not appear to be an overtly political choice by the mayor, which is what the Massillon Review finds shocking. Hopefully Michelle Del Rio-Keller will be an independent voice, who will do right by the parks and recreation department, and by the tax payer. We are cautiously optimistic. As this is only a seven month appointment, if Del Rio-Keller does not rubber stamp for the boss, she can be replaced by someone who will. We wish Del Rio-Keller good luck, and urge her to be wary of Massillon's ever dangerous Park Vandals.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
We Can Do So Much Better
A Plaque dedication was held yesterday, Memorial Day, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Viaduct. The bronze plaque contains the names of the 18 Massillon servicemen who died during the war. This was organized by a committee which included retired Judge Richard Kettler, and local historian Margy Vogt. Margy Vogt was also the keynote speaker at the Memorial Day Ceremony following Massillon's annual Memorial Day Parade.
Judge Kettler is a retired Massillon Municipal Court Judge. A Republican respected by people of both political parties, Kettler served our nation with distinction during the Vietnam War as a member of the United States Air Force. Kettler is active with various veterans' organizations and is a person who deeply cares about his community.
Margy Vogt is so much more than a local historian. Margy is the keeper of the Massillon story. A person would be challenged to find someone more committed to their community than Margy Vogt. The Massillon Museum and Margy Vogt are almost synonymous. It is hard to think of one without thinking of the other.
The Massillon Memorial Day activities clarified the level of commitment these two people have for their community. These are the types of individuals who should be leading our community. People who have the common good ahead of personal political gamesmanship. People who work to build consensus, and do not strive to create division. People who take responsibility, and don't worry about who to blame when things go wrong. People who listen to the ideas of others, and do not dismiss a good idea because it wasn't their idea. People who would do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do.
Either one of these two individuals would make an excellent Republican candidate for Mayor of Massillon next year. They would likely receive support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Our city deserves so much better than the crass political gamesmanship, the financial irresponsibility, the paranoia, and the vindictiveness of our current city administration.
Mayor Frank Cicchinelli will have served 38 uninterrupted years in Massillon City Government, the last quarter century as Mayor. It is time for our Mayor for Life to enter retirement. It is time for a city leader who is focused on the community, not just the next election. We deserve better. We can do better. Good people need to rise to the occasion and bring Massillon the change it so desperately needs.
Judge Kettler is a retired Massillon Municipal Court Judge. A Republican respected by people of both political parties, Kettler served our nation with distinction during the Vietnam War as a member of the United States Air Force. Kettler is active with various veterans' organizations and is a person who deeply cares about his community.
Margy Vogt is so much more than a local historian. Margy is the keeper of the Massillon story. A person would be challenged to find someone more committed to their community than Margy Vogt. The Massillon Museum and Margy Vogt are almost synonymous. It is hard to think of one without thinking of the other.
The Massillon Memorial Day activities clarified the level of commitment these two people have for their community. These are the types of individuals who should be leading our community. People who have the common good ahead of personal political gamesmanship. People who work to build consensus, and do not strive to create division. People who take responsibility, and don't worry about who to blame when things go wrong. People who listen to the ideas of others, and do not dismiss a good idea because it wasn't their idea. People who would do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do.
Either one of these two individuals would make an excellent Republican candidate for Mayor of Massillon next year. They would likely receive support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Our city deserves so much better than the crass political gamesmanship, the financial irresponsibility, the paranoia, and the vindictiveness of our current city administration.
Mayor Frank Cicchinelli will have served 38 uninterrupted years in Massillon City Government, the last quarter century as Mayor. It is time for our Mayor for Life to enter retirement. It is time for a city leader who is focused on the community, not just the next election. We deserve better. We can do better. Good people need to rise to the occasion and bring Massillon the change it so desperately needs.
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