The theatrics of Fire Chief Tom Burgasser would be most amusing if it were not for his dangerous level of misinformation.
In an effort to scare city council into passing the Extraordinary Mayor for Life's budget this past Friday, Burgasser was ready to call up the National Guard.
"With all due respect, I'd like to have one week's notice," Burgasser said. "I think that (Police) Chief (Robert) Williams would agree. We need to have time to call in the National Guard..." (Fire Chief Tom Burgasser, The Independent, March 26, 2011).
Council did pass an amended budget this evening that cut costs in the various city departments, thanks to the efforts of Councilman Larry Slagle, and without any help, whatsoever, from our Mayor for Life, and his Loyal Defender, City Auditor Jayne Ferrero.
Fire Chief Burgasser was relieved.
"I'm relieved I don't have to give the order I was going to give," said Burgasser, who discussed calling in the National Guard in the event of shutdown" (The Independent Web Site, March 30, 2011).
"I'm relieved I don't have to give the order I was going to give"
What order was that Chief Burgasser, your dinner order?
Because you have as much authority to call out the National Guard as Donald Duck does.
None.
Only two individuals may call up the Ohio National Guard.
The Governor of Ohio, in times of peace for state service.
The President of the United States for federal service.
The Presidential authority was established in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States.
Our crack Massillon Review legal team has been scouring the Constitution looking for the clause that allows the Massillon Fire Chief to call up the National Guard. They just can't find it.
So Chief Burgasser, you were either trying to scare the town's citizenry so that members of council would roll over and rubber stamp the mayor's budget, or you are seriously challenged on understanding the scope and limits of your position.
Which is it?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I'm Your Puppet
Massillon City Council met last night in attempt to start fixing our Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City's train wreck masquerading as a budget.
Councilman Larry Slagle wanted to propose a number of spending cuts. It looked like he had the support of Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Gary Anderson, Donnie Peters, Tony Townsend, and even Taxman Hersher.
The problem was the meeting only had seven members of council in attendance.
Lap Dog of the Treasury, Council Finance Chair Paul Manson was on vacation.
So Manson brought as much to the discussion as he always does.
David 'I am above the law' McCune was also absent.
Again.
As a result, council needed all seven members to vote to go forward so that they might discuss Slagle's proposed cuts.
"Although it needs a simple majority to pass the budget, seven votes are required to suspend rules. Councilman Ron Mang voted 'no,' setting up another possible vote at 5:45 Wednesday. Another meeting could be called for Thursday just in case" (The Independent, March 30, 2011).
Mang's vote was needed to just to discuss the budget.
His "yes" vote would have allowed council the ability just to talk about Slagle's plan.
Mang could have still voted "no" against Slagle's budget changes.
Mang wouldn't vote to allow them to even discuss it.
Ron Mang, who voted for the mayor's unbalanced budget twice in three months.
and voted for the unbalanced budget last year
and votes to pay the mortgage of the Hampton Inn
and votes to raise our sewer rates, license plate fees, and voted to create a "storm water utility fee."
and voted to buy the restaurant at the golf course, without a business plan
and voted to merge the golf course with the Parks and Recreation Department, so our Extraordinary Mayor for Life could hijack park money to keep his failing golf course afloat.
But Ron Mang would not provide a vote to allow the members of council to even have a discussion about making changes to the budget.
Perhaps if David McCune bothered to attend, he could have been the seventh vote to allow council to at least discuss changes in the budget.
Or not.
Of course, we are supremely confident that Ron Mang's "No" vote was entirely his own idea, and that he couldn't have possibly been 'extraordinarily' influenced.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKhLNY5GYI
Councilman Larry Slagle wanted to propose a number of spending cuts. It looked like he had the support of Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Gary Anderson, Donnie Peters, Tony Townsend, and even Taxman Hersher.
The problem was the meeting only had seven members of council in attendance.
Lap Dog of the Treasury, Council Finance Chair Paul Manson was on vacation.
So Manson brought as much to the discussion as he always does.
David 'I am above the law' McCune was also absent.
Again.
As a result, council needed all seven members to vote to go forward so that they might discuss Slagle's proposed cuts.
"Although it needs a simple majority to pass the budget, seven votes are required to suspend rules. Councilman Ron Mang voted 'no,' setting up another possible vote at 5:45 Wednesday. Another meeting could be called for Thursday just in case" (The Independent, March 30, 2011).
Mang's vote was needed to just to discuss the budget.
His "yes" vote would have allowed council the ability just to talk about Slagle's plan.
Mang could have still voted "no" against Slagle's budget changes.
Mang wouldn't vote to allow them to even discuss it.
Ron Mang, who voted for the mayor's unbalanced budget twice in three months.
and voted for the unbalanced budget last year
and votes to pay the mortgage of the Hampton Inn
and votes to raise our sewer rates, license plate fees, and voted to create a "storm water utility fee."
and voted to buy the restaurant at the golf course, without a business plan
and voted to merge the golf course with the Parks and Recreation Department, so our Extraordinary Mayor for Life could hijack park money to keep his failing golf course afloat.
But Ron Mang would not provide a vote to allow the members of council to even have a discussion about making changes to the budget.
Perhaps if David McCune bothered to attend, he could have been the seventh vote to allow council to at least discuss changes in the budget.
Or not.
Of course, we are supremely confident that Ron Mang's "No" vote was entirely his own idea, and that he couldn't have possibly been 'extraordinarily' influenced.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKhLNY5GYI
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Third Time's a Charm
After our Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City had the same budget proposal rejected by the same five members of city council on two separate occasions, our mayor had a plan.
Introduce the same budget for a third time.
The Cicchinelli budget plan to once more do nothing was so absurd that even his most loyal foot soldier, Taxman Hersher, finally spoke up.
"This budget has failed twice now," he said. "What's going to be different now? I have no reason to believe a third time's the charm" (Taxman Hersher, The Independent, March 29, 2011).
When you lose Taxman Hersher's undying support, you know all is lost.
Councilman Larry Slagle offered a compromise budget that has spending cuts.
Spending cuts? What a novel idea!
The mayor's Loyal Defender, Auditor Jayne Ferrero, appeared to oppose spending cuts.
Too bad.
The Massillon Review commends Larry Slagle for trying to fix the budget.
We also commend Gary Anderson, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Donnie Peters, and Tony Townsend for holding strong, and not rubber stamping the mayor's budget.
Frank Cicchinelli unleashed the full arsenal of blame on these five members of council.
He claimed they wanted to hurt the city. He claimed they violated their oaths of office.
He had his Fire Chief claim he needed to call out the National Guard.
He of course accepted no responsibility himself.
While proposing a balanced budget is supposed to be the mayor's job, the mayor was once more interested in affixing blame than fixing the budget.
Thank you Larry Slagle.
Thank you Gary Anderson, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Donnie Peters and Tony Townsend.
You did the right thing.
And the people know it.
Introduce the same budget for a third time.
The Cicchinelli budget plan to once more do nothing was so absurd that even his most loyal foot soldier, Taxman Hersher, finally spoke up.
"This budget has failed twice now," he said. "What's going to be different now? I have no reason to believe a third time's the charm" (Taxman Hersher, The Independent, March 29, 2011).
When you lose Taxman Hersher's undying support, you know all is lost.
Councilman Larry Slagle offered a compromise budget that has spending cuts.
Spending cuts? What a novel idea!
The mayor's Loyal Defender, Auditor Jayne Ferrero, appeared to oppose spending cuts.
Too bad.
The Massillon Review commends Larry Slagle for trying to fix the budget.
We also commend Gary Anderson, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Donnie Peters, and Tony Townsend for holding strong, and not rubber stamping the mayor's budget.
Frank Cicchinelli unleashed the full arsenal of blame on these five members of council.
He claimed they wanted to hurt the city. He claimed they violated their oaths of office.
He had his Fire Chief claim he needed to call out the National Guard.
He of course accepted no responsibility himself.
While proposing a balanced budget is supposed to be the mayor's job, the mayor was once more interested in affixing blame than fixing the budget.
Thank you Larry Slagle.
Thank you Gary Anderson, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Donnie Peters and Tony Townsend.
You did the right thing.
And the people know it.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Madness of King Frank
Friday's "Emergency" 7:00 AM council session, called by our Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City was a nonsensical farce. It was never meant as a serious attempt to work on the budget.
It was something much more important.
It was one last opportunity for the City's Sovereign to affix blame for the ruinous condition of city finances on his "enemies," in this case the five members of city council who voted "no" on the exact same budget they voted "no" on three months earlier.
Even his 'meeting notice' was nothing more than a rambling missive blaming city council for the complete destruction of the Western Hemisphere by their refusal to rubber stamp his unbalanced budget.
And then the circus began.
We have been informed that our Eternal Mayor had notices circulated to the various city employees to show up at this meeting. The notices urged them to make their feelings known to the five members of council who wanted to "shut down city government."
So the employees came.
And cheered as if they were spectators at the Roman Coliseum during the days of Emperor Nero. When their emperor gave his thumbs-up, they cheered. When he gave his thumbs-down, they booed.
We wonder if they shouldn't be at their jobs instead of acting as props for King Francis the Eternal's Broadway theatrics?
The ultimate acting, and most absurd fear tactic came when the mayor's loyal Fire Chief, Tom Burgasser, claimed that if there was to be no budget passed, his men would not come to work, and he would need to call out the National Guard.
"With all due respect, I'd like to have one week's notice," Burgasser said. "I think that (Police) Chief (Robert) Williams would agree. We need to have time to call in the National Guard..." (The Independent, March 26, 2011).
The National Guard?
If Gary Anderson, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Donnie Peters, Larry Slagle, or Tony Townsend didn't roll over and pass the mayor's unbalanced budget, we would need to call the National Guard to Massillon.
Isn't the Fire Chief just a little bit embarrassed by serving as the mayor's political pawn?
Doesn't he have a shred of self respect?
So let's get this straight. If city council doesn't pass the budget, exactly as the King submits it, we will need the National Guard to maintain order in Massillon.
Makes us look like Beirut, or Baghdad. Will there be a 'green zone' around city hall?
Doesn't the mayor realize that these scare tactics make him at best look desperate, and at worst look crazy?
It was something much more important.
It was one last opportunity for the City's Sovereign to affix blame for the ruinous condition of city finances on his "enemies," in this case the five members of city council who voted "no" on the exact same budget they voted "no" on three months earlier.
Even his 'meeting notice' was nothing more than a rambling missive blaming city council for the complete destruction of the Western Hemisphere by their refusal to rubber stamp his unbalanced budget.
And then the circus began.
We have been informed that our Eternal Mayor had notices circulated to the various city employees to show up at this meeting. The notices urged them to make their feelings known to the five members of council who wanted to "shut down city government."
So the employees came.
And cheered as if they were spectators at the Roman Coliseum during the days of Emperor Nero. When their emperor gave his thumbs-up, they cheered. When he gave his thumbs-down, they booed.
We wonder if they shouldn't be at their jobs instead of acting as props for King Francis the Eternal's Broadway theatrics?
The ultimate acting, and most absurd fear tactic came when the mayor's loyal Fire Chief, Tom Burgasser, claimed that if there was to be no budget passed, his men would not come to work, and he would need to call out the National Guard.
"With all due respect, I'd like to have one week's notice," Burgasser said. "I think that (Police) Chief (Robert) Williams would agree. We need to have time to call in the National Guard..." (The Independent, March 26, 2011).
The National Guard?
If Gary Anderson, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Donnie Peters, Larry Slagle, or Tony Townsend didn't roll over and pass the mayor's unbalanced budget, we would need to call the National Guard to Massillon.
Isn't the Fire Chief just a little bit embarrassed by serving as the mayor's political pawn?
Doesn't he have a shred of self respect?
So let's get this straight. If city council doesn't pass the budget, exactly as the King submits it, we will need the National Guard to maintain order in Massillon.
Makes us look like Beirut, or Baghdad. Will there be a 'green zone' around city hall?
Doesn't the mayor realize that these scare tactics make him at best look desperate, and at worst look crazy?
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Weekend at Frank's
Anyone with an IQ higher than a turnip knew that the special marathon council session that our Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City called for 7:00AM yesterday was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
In the notice for the special meeting, which we imagine the newspaper got before most members of council did, Cicchinelli told them to bring their toothbrushes, overnight bags, and food, because they were staying all weekend long to work on the budget.
The special meeting notice was nothing more than an attempt to blame the five members of council, who voted "no" on the same budget they voted "no" on three months ago. The budget is an unbalanced mess, and these five members of council did not wish to support the fiscal chaos our Dear Leader has created.
Cicchinelli basically implied that council members Catazaro-Perry, Peters, Slagle, Townsend and Anderson were responsible for the imminent collapse of civilization because they did vote as their Mayor for Life demanded.
However, Ward 5 Councilman Donnie Peters had the last laugh. Peters realized that this was a childish stunt by our temperamental mayor. Donnie Peters showed up to the meeting in camping gear, and brought his toothbrush and sleeping bag.
The weekend long meeting lasted a mere two hours.
"When council adjourned shortly before 9 a.m., Peters joked "you mean we are not staying here all night?" (The Independent, March 26, 2010).
Nope.
It was a stunt.
And Donnie Peters called him on it.
What it was not was a serious discussion of city finances.
In the notice for the special meeting, which we imagine the newspaper got before most members of council did, Cicchinelli told them to bring their toothbrushes, overnight bags, and food, because they were staying all weekend long to work on the budget.
The special meeting notice was nothing more than an attempt to blame the five members of council, who voted "no" on the same budget they voted "no" on three months ago. The budget is an unbalanced mess, and these five members of council did not wish to support the fiscal chaos our Dear Leader has created.
Cicchinelli basically implied that council members Catazaro-Perry, Peters, Slagle, Townsend and Anderson were responsible for the imminent collapse of civilization because they did vote as their Mayor for Life demanded.
However, Ward 5 Councilman Donnie Peters had the last laugh. Peters realized that this was a childish stunt by our temperamental mayor. Donnie Peters showed up to the meeting in camping gear, and brought his toothbrush and sleeping bag.
The weekend long meeting lasted a mere two hours.
"When council adjourned shortly before 9 a.m., Peters joked "you mean we are not staying here all night?" (The Independent, March 26, 2010).
Nope.
It was a stunt.
And Donnie Peters called him on it.
What it was not was a serious discussion of city finances.
Friday, March 25, 2011
7:00AM Lecture
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City, has called a marathon session of Massillon City Council scheduled to begin at 7:00AM.
It's not a serious attempt to pass a budget, it's a media stunt to afford our glorious leader one more opportunity to blame the five members of city council for voting "no" on the same budget they voted "no" on three months ago.
Frank Cicchinelli told council to "bring their toothbrushes" because they would be there all weekend.
He knows this is a stunt.
Serving as a member of city council is a part-time job.
The members of council have full-time day jobs so that they may earn a salary and pay taxes that support our golf courses, hotels, an arena that was never built, and mayoral pay raises.
The mayor's job is a full-time job. He can hang out all day, from 7:00 AM until the cows come home, because he draws a full-time salary for passing the buck, and spending our tax dollars on golf courses, hotels, an arena that was never built, and mayoral pay raises.
The mayor has a full-time support staff, and controls the vast majority of city departments, who expend the budget that he refuses to balance.
We assume his rambling declaration of blame, which called this morning's lecture, uh, meeting, made it to the newspaper way before most members of council got notice.
No, this is a show.
He will spend the day lecturing, and assessing blame, in front of the press, in a desperate attempt to blame part time members of council for the mess he has created.
A mess that is his job, as the full-time leader of the city, to fix.
After all, he created it.
It's not a serious attempt to pass a budget, it's a media stunt to afford our glorious leader one more opportunity to blame the five members of city council for voting "no" on the same budget they voted "no" on three months ago.
Frank Cicchinelli told council to "bring their toothbrushes" because they would be there all weekend.
He knows this is a stunt.
Serving as a member of city council is a part-time job.
The members of council have full-time day jobs so that they may earn a salary and pay taxes that support our golf courses, hotels, an arena that was never built, and mayoral pay raises.
The mayor's job is a full-time job. He can hang out all day, from 7:00 AM until the cows come home, because he draws a full-time salary for passing the buck, and spending our tax dollars on golf courses, hotels, an arena that was never built, and mayoral pay raises.
The mayor has a full-time support staff, and controls the vast majority of city departments, who expend the budget that he refuses to balance.
We assume his rambling declaration of blame, which called this morning's lecture, uh, meeting, made it to the newspaper way before most members of council got notice.
No, this is a show.
He will spend the day lecturing, and assessing blame, in front of the press, in a desperate attempt to blame part time members of council for the mess he has created.
A mess that is his job, as the full-time leader of the city, to fix.
After all, he created it.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
You Can Catch More Flies With Honey
Yesterday's editorial in the Independent newspaper took our Extraordinary Mayor for Life out to the wood shed.
"Council, in a 5-4 vote, said "no" to the mayor's proposed 2011 budget Monday evening, prompting the mayor to blame them for "... placing the very people who voted you into office in harm's way."
"Those remarks constitute political trash talk in the true sense of the term" (The Independent Editorial, March 23, 2011).
"political trash talk"
"The fact is Mayor Cicchinelli's budget does not balance" (The Independent Editorial, March 23, 2011).
and;
"Americans are tired of this type of governing. City council members, at least the ones who are not tied politically to the mayor, get it and voted down the budget" (The Independent Editorial, March 23, 2011).
"at least the ones who are not politically tied to the mayor"
Can you say "rubber stamps?"
Wow.
Not the response our Extraordinary Mayor for Life was counting on.
Of course, we have figured out what the problem is with the Independent's editorial.
They hate Massillon.
As a result, it is now time for our mayor to begin one of his periodic boycotts of the local paper.
He throws these fits from time to time when the Independent does not tow the line.
However, King Francis the Eternal has not yet given up on laying all blame for the budget mess at the feet of the five members of city council who voted "no" on the same budget they voted "no" on three months ago.
Because as we all have learned by now, the buck NEVER stops at the desk of Frank Cicchinelli.
The Lord Sovereign of the City has called for a special meeting of the city council for 7AM Friday morning.
He didn't do this so that everyone could come together, bury the hatchet, and fix the budget.
He used the meeting notice as one more opportunity to blame the members of council who voted down his unbalanced budget.
The notice for the meeting included more ramblings about how city council members violated their oaths of office by not following their mayor blindly over a cliff.
"In his letter, Cicchinelli blasted the five councilors who rejected the budget, including councilmen Larry Slagle and Gary Anderson, saying they have left the city "in peril" and daily operations "hanging in limbo" (The Independent, March 24, 2011).
"By defeating this ordinance you did an injustice to this city and our citizens by trying to force us to go into shutdown" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, March 24, 2011).
We know. And Kathy Catzazaro-Perry is responsible for the Kennedy assassination.
It isn't about fixing his budget.
It is still about passing the buck, and assessing blame to his 'enemies.'
This is a media stunt. We imagine the Independent received the rambling diatribe laced meeting notice before most members of council did.
Cicchinelli wanted to make a political statement, not seriously deal with the budget.
We understand that the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Lap Dog of the Treasury Paul Manson will be on vacation and will not be in attendance.
How will we ever able to tell? Manson will be discussing city finances about as much as he does when he is present.
The mayor's magic trick, if he can pull it off, is to convince the voters that the five part-time members of council are responsible for the city's budget fiasco, and not the full-time mayor, with the large full-time staff, who employs all the city department heads, who work at his pleasure.
He is definitely off to a rocky start.
"Council, in a 5-4 vote, said "no" to the mayor's proposed 2011 budget Monday evening, prompting the mayor to blame them for "... placing the very people who voted you into office in harm's way."
"Those remarks constitute political trash talk in the true sense of the term" (The Independent Editorial, March 23, 2011).
"political trash talk"
"The fact is Mayor Cicchinelli's budget does not balance" (The Independent Editorial, March 23, 2011).
and;
"Americans are tired of this type of governing. City council members, at least the ones who are not tied politically to the mayor, get it and voted down the budget" (The Independent Editorial, March 23, 2011).
"at least the ones who are not politically tied to the mayor"
Can you say "rubber stamps?"
Wow.
Not the response our Extraordinary Mayor for Life was counting on.
Of course, we have figured out what the problem is with the Independent's editorial.
They hate Massillon.
As a result, it is now time for our mayor to begin one of his periodic boycotts of the local paper.
He throws these fits from time to time when the Independent does not tow the line.
However, King Francis the Eternal has not yet given up on laying all blame for the budget mess at the feet of the five members of city council who voted "no" on the same budget they voted "no" on three months ago.
Because as we all have learned by now, the buck NEVER stops at the desk of Frank Cicchinelli.
The Lord Sovereign of the City has called for a special meeting of the city council for 7AM Friday morning.
He didn't do this so that everyone could come together, bury the hatchet, and fix the budget.
He used the meeting notice as one more opportunity to blame the members of council who voted down his unbalanced budget.
The notice for the meeting included more ramblings about how city council members violated their oaths of office by not following their mayor blindly over a cliff.
"In his letter, Cicchinelli blasted the five councilors who rejected the budget, including councilmen Larry Slagle and Gary Anderson, saying they have left the city "in peril" and daily operations "hanging in limbo" (The Independent, March 24, 2011).
"By defeating this ordinance you did an injustice to this city and our citizens by trying to force us to go into shutdown" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, March 24, 2011).
We know. And Kathy Catzazaro-Perry is responsible for the Kennedy assassination.
It isn't about fixing his budget.
It is still about passing the buck, and assessing blame to his 'enemies.'
This is a media stunt. We imagine the Independent received the rambling diatribe laced meeting notice before most members of council did.
Cicchinelli wanted to make a political statement, not seriously deal with the budget.
We understand that the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Lap Dog of the Treasury Paul Manson will be on vacation and will not be in attendance.
How will we ever able to tell? Manson will be discussing city finances about as much as he does when he is present.
The mayor's magic trick, if he can pull it off, is to convince the voters that the five part-time members of council are responsible for the city's budget fiasco, and not the full-time mayor, with the large full-time staff, who employs all the city department heads, who work at his pleasure.
He is definitely off to a rocky start.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
One for the Thumb
Fred Blosser
Chris DiLoretto
John McGrath
Lisa Carmichael
These four people have served, or were hired to serve, as Massillon Schools Superintendent in the three years and three months Marshall Weinberg has served on the school board.
Weinberg will now be hiring the fifth superintendent of his short reign.
Rest assured the next candidate for superintendent will be properly vetted by the 'friends of the program.'
"Board President Marshall Weinberg contends that the turnover in superintendents is not a trend. It is, instead, purely coincidental. It has nothing to do with the board of education, the community or the direction of the district, he said" (The Independent, March 23, 2011).
Sure.
"purely coincidental"
There are a number of reasons the turnover is so high, and why one hire, Chris DiLoretto, left before his start date.
Firstly, a number of the 'friends of the program' football boosters believe they run the school system. It is their toy, their hobby, the weekend project in their garage.
They tinker, without really knowing what they are doing.
The Superintendent, as the top dog, or top tiger to be correct, has to take the brunt of their obnoxious behavior, and complete lack of understanding about what running a school system truly means.
Secondly, according to word on the street, not one of these four prior superintendents, if they were speaking "off the record" could stand working with the Bloviator in Chief, Marshall Weinberg.
He knows everything. About everything. And tries constantly to usurp the authority of the Superintendent.
When you watch an episode of Every One Loves Marshall, better known as the televised school board meeting, you wonder if anyone else gets a speaking part.
Some day, the real story will come out, which will clearly explain the reasons that Lisa Carmichael could not stand Marshall, and sought other employment.
At least she let us know what she really thought of him.
Chris DiLoretto
John McGrath
Lisa Carmichael
These four people have served, or were hired to serve, as Massillon Schools Superintendent in the three years and three months Marshall Weinberg has served on the school board.
Weinberg will now be hiring the fifth superintendent of his short reign.
Rest assured the next candidate for superintendent will be properly vetted by the 'friends of the program.'
"Board President Marshall Weinberg contends that the turnover in superintendents is not a trend. It is, instead, purely coincidental. It has nothing to do with the board of education, the community or the direction of the district, he said" (The Independent, March 23, 2011).
Sure.
"purely coincidental"
There are a number of reasons the turnover is so high, and why one hire, Chris DiLoretto, left before his start date.
Firstly, a number of the 'friends of the program' football boosters believe they run the school system. It is their toy, their hobby, the weekend project in their garage.
They tinker, without really knowing what they are doing.
The Superintendent, as the top dog, or top tiger to be correct, has to take the brunt of their obnoxious behavior, and complete lack of understanding about what running a school system truly means.
Secondly, according to word on the street, not one of these four prior superintendents, if they were speaking "off the record" could stand working with the Bloviator in Chief, Marshall Weinberg.
He knows everything. About everything. And tries constantly to usurp the authority of the Superintendent.
When you watch an episode of Every One Loves Marshall, better known as the televised school board meeting, you wonder if anyone else gets a speaking part.
Some day, the real story will come out, which will clearly explain the reasons that Lisa Carmichael could not stand Marshall, and sought other employment.
At least she let us know what she really thought of him.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
They Hate Massillon
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the city is just shocked.
Shocked that the same five members of city council voted the same way on the same budget they voted "No" on just three months ago.
And after all the work Cicchinelli has put into fixing the budget since the "No" vote on December 20th.
Which was none.
Of course, we speculated that in the 'Buck stops every where but the mayor's desk,' world of Frank Cicchinelli, none of this would be his fault.
And Frank Cicchinelli does not disappoint.
It's all the fault of the five members of city council who voted "No" on the same budget they voted "No" on three months ago.
And why did they vote no?
Because the budget was an unbalanced mess?
Nope.
Because they hate the mayor, and they hate Massillon.
"I really believe you have members of council who their only goal is to create controversy, create chaos so somehow it would of course hurt the city and hurt me in particular" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, March 22, 2011).
It's all about Frank.
He did nothing wrong.
Donnie Peters, who has donated thousands of dollars to our Extraordinary Mayor for Life's campaigns, wanted to "hurt the city and hurt Frank."
Larry Slagle, who votes for what the mayor wants 90% of the time, wanted to "hurt the city."
Larry Slagle, who votes to use our Community Development Block Grant Money to pay the mortgage on the Hampton Inn, voted to spend our park dollars to buy a restaurant, and voted to impose Taxman Hersher's "Storm Water Utility Fee," wanted to "hurt Frank."
"The action tonight by the five members of council to me show the disdain that they have for the operation of city government" (Frank Cicchinelli, post council meeting press conference, March 21, 2011).
We all knew none of this would be his fault.
Shocked that the same five members of city council voted the same way on the same budget they voted "No" on just three months ago.
And after all the work Cicchinelli has put into fixing the budget since the "No" vote on December 20th.
Which was none.
Of course, we speculated that in the 'Buck stops every where but the mayor's desk,' world of Frank Cicchinelli, none of this would be his fault.
And Frank Cicchinelli does not disappoint.
It's all the fault of the five members of city council who voted "No" on the same budget they voted "No" on three months ago.
And why did they vote no?
Because the budget was an unbalanced mess?
Nope.
Because they hate the mayor, and they hate Massillon.
"I really believe you have members of council who their only goal is to create controversy, create chaos so somehow it would of course hurt the city and hurt me in particular" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, March 22, 2011).
It's all about Frank.
He did nothing wrong.
Donnie Peters, who has donated thousands of dollars to our Extraordinary Mayor for Life's campaigns, wanted to "hurt the city and hurt Frank."
Larry Slagle, who votes for what the mayor wants 90% of the time, wanted to "hurt the city."
Larry Slagle, who votes to use our Community Development Block Grant Money to pay the mortgage on the Hampton Inn, voted to spend our park dollars to buy a restaurant, and voted to impose Taxman Hersher's "Storm Water Utility Fee," wanted to "hurt Frank."
"The action tonight by the five members of council to me show the disdain that they have for the operation of city government" (Frank Cicchinelli, post council meeting press conference, March 21, 2011).
We all knew none of this would be his fault.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Who Will Get The Blame?
Massillon City Council has actually had the courage to vote down the unbalanced budget presented by Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City.
It was voted down 5 - 4.
This was the same vote when council voted down the same budget three months ago.
Despite what we believe to be enormous pressure to vote "Yes", Larry Slagle, Donnie Peters, and Gary Anderson did not flip-flop.
The mayor's ingenious strategy of doing absolutely nothing to fix his budget did not appear to work.
The mayor's 'plan,' if you can call it that, was to get a "No" vote to switch and vote "Yes."
Larry Slagle, Donnie Peters, and Gary Anderson acted courageously and stood by their convictions.
We are confident it was not an easy vote to cast in the face of tremendous lobbying from Team Cicchinelli.
We are also confident the mayor will be looking for others to blame his budgetary fiasco on.
As the buck never stops at the mayor's desk in Massillon.
This ball, however, is clearly in his court.
Council rejected this exact same budget three months ago.
The mayor offered no changes, no cuts, no new revenue streams, no budget hearings, and no discussion.
Enveloped by his own arrogance, he was not about to make any changes.
He was going to make council blink.
They didn't.
The blame is the mayor's.
He will, of course, not accept it.
But it is his and his alone.
Arrogance and bullying is no way to run a city.
And tonight proved it.
It was voted down 5 - 4.
This was the same vote when council voted down the same budget three months ago.
Despite what we believe to be enormous pressure to vote "Yes", Larry Slagle, Donnie Peters, and Gary Anderson did not flip-flop.
The mayor's ingenious strategy of doing absolutely nothing to fix his budget did not appear to work.
The mayor's 'plan,' if you can call it that, was to get a "No" vote to switch and vote "Yes."
Larry Slagle, Donnie Peters, and Gary Anderson acted courageously and stood by their convictions.
We are confident it was not an easy vote to cast in the face of tremendous lobbying from Team Cicchinelli.
We are also confident the mayor will be looking for others to blame his budgetary fiasco on.
As the buck never stops at the mayor's desk in Massillon.
This ball, however, is clearly in his court.
Council rejected this exact same budget three months ago.
The mayor offered no changes, no cuts, no new revenue streams, no budget hearings, and no discussion.
Enveloped by his own arrogance, he was not about to make any changes.
He was going to make council blink.
They didn't.
The blame is the mayor's.
He will, of course, not accept it.
But it is his and his alone.
Arrogance and bullying is no way to run a city.
And tonight proved it.
Congratulations Marshall!
The Massillon Review would like to extend a hearty congratulations to Massillon School Board President Marshall Weinberg.
Weinberg has successfully run Massillon Schools Superintendent Lisa Carmichael out of town.
Carmichael will be taking the reigns of the Ontario Local School District in Mansfield, Ohio.
We can now hire a new superintendent who will agree to "reorganize" the athletic department, "complete the DREAM," and put football at the top of the pyramid, both athletically and academically.
The 'friends of the program' football boosters can now totally run the show.
We can well imagine the stories Lisa Carmichael can share with the people of Mansfield about Marshall Weinberg and his football first philosophy for school governance.
The 'ownership group' that believes they run the football program will be celebrating well into the early hours of the morning.
Congratulations!
Weinberg has successfully run Massillon Schools Superintendent Lisa Carmichael out of town.
Carmichael will be taking the reigns of the Ontario Local School District in Mansfield, Ohio.
We can now hire a new superintendent who will agree to "reorganize" the athletic department, "complete the DREAM," and put football at the top of the pyramid, both athletically and academically.
The 'friends of the program' football boosters can now totally run the show.
We can well imagine the stories Lisa Carmichael can share with the people of Mansfield about Marshall Weinberg and his football first philosophy for school governance.
The 'ownership group' that believes they run the football program will be celebrating well into the early hours of the morning.
Congratulations!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Buck Does Not Stop With Gary Anderson
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City will be celebrating victory tomorrow night.
Massillon's hapless rubber stamps, better known as city council, will approve the mayor's unbalanced budget.
This very same budget was rejected three months ago, on a five to four vote.
The mayor never had any inclination to fix, adjust, or make honest his proposed city budget.
He did not discuss city finances at any great length.
He did not pour over the numbers looking for cuts.
He did not explore new revenue streams.
He did nothing.
His plan was to get a member of council to flip-flop.
To sell out their convictions.
We assumed it would be 5th Ward Councilman Donnie Peters, or At Large Councilman Larry Slagle, as they both have a history of following the mayor over a cliff.
It may yet bet one of them.
But the person who has publicly stated that they will flip-flop, and give the mayor his 5th vote, appears to be 2nd Ward Councilman Gary Anderson.
Anderson appears to be an easy mark for our Extraordinary Mayor and his minions.
Gary Anderson was already conned by Frank Cicchinelli to believe it was his job, as a part-time, rookie councilman to negotiate Massillon's higher water rates with Aqua Ohio.
Not the mayor, who has a large, full-time, professional staff.
And Anderson bought into this.
He wandered over to Aqua Ohio, sat down with their corporate management, and we assume lawyers, and represented us, the Massillon water customers, during negotiations.
Rumor on the street is that the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Glenn Gamber, has been working overtime to get Gary Anderson's vote for Cicchinelli's budget.
The mayor famously never does the dirty work himself.
We imagine Glenn Gamber telling Gary Anderson how the city will shut down if he doesn't vote for Frank's budget.
We can envision Gamber playing on Anderson's sense of duty and moral obligation.
Gary, it's not your fault.
Frank Cicchinelli submitted the budget.
Frank Cicchinelli refused to discuss it.
Frank Cicchinelli refused to cut it.
Frank Cicchinelli refused to find additional revenue streams.
If the city "shuts down," it will be Frank Cicchinelli's fault.
His plan all along was to con some one, by playing on their fears, or sense of duty.
He has successfully "turned the table," by making this your fault, not his fault.
"Gary, if you don't vote for Frank's budget, you will be responsible for shutting down city government."
They are lying to you.
It won't be your fault.
It will be Frank's fault.
They are making you believe it will be your fault.
The moment Cicchinelli took the "my way or the highway" approach to city budgeting, it became his fault.
Tell Glenn Gamber to stick it, and vote your conscience.
Contrary to popular belief, the buck should occasionally stop at the mayor's desk.
Massillon's hapless rubber stamps, better known as city council, will approve the mayor's unbalanced budget.
This very same budget was rejected three months ago, on a five to four vote.
The mayor never had any inclination to fix, adjust, or make honest his proposed city budget.
He did not discuss city finances at any great length.
He did not pour over the numbers looking for cuts.
He did not explore new revenue streams.
He did nothing.
His plan was to get a member of council to flip-flop.
To sell out their convictions.
We assumed it would be 5th Ward Councilman Donnie Peters, or At Large Councilman Larry Slagle, as they both have a history of following the mayor over a cliff.
It may yet bet one of them.
But the person who has publicly stated that they will flip-flop, and give the mayor his 5th vote, appears to be 2nd Ward Councilman Gary Anderson.
Anderson appears to be an easy mark for our Extraordinary Mayor and his minions.
Gary Anderson was already conned by Frank Cicchinelli to believe it was his job, as a part-time, rookie councilman to negotiate Massillon's higher water rates with Aqua Ohio.
Not the mayor, who has a large, full-time, professional staff.
And Anderson bought into this.
He wandered over to Aqua Ohio, sat down with their corporate management, and we assume lawyers, and represented us, the Massillon water customers, during negotiations.
Rumor on the street is that the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Glenn Gamber, has been working overtime to get Gary Anderson's vote for Cicchinelli's budget.
The mayor famously never does the dirty work himself.
We imagine Glenn Gamber telling Gary Anderson how the city will shut down if he doesn't vote for Frank's budget.
We can envision Gamber playing on Anderson's sense of duty and moral obligation.
Gary, it's not your fault.
Frank Cicchinelli submitted the budget.
Frank Cicchinelli refused to discuss it.
Frank Cicchinelli refused to cut it.
Frank Cicchinelli refused to find additional revenue streams.
If the city "shuts down," it will be Frank Cicchinelli's fault.
His plan all along was to con some one, by playing on their fears, or sense of duty.
He has successfully "turned the table," by making this your fault, not his fault.
"Gary, if you don't vote for Frank's budget, you will be responsible for shutting down city government."
They are lying to you.
It won't be your fault.
It will be Frank's fault.
They are making you believe it will be your fault.
The moment Cicchinelli took the "my way or the highway" approach to city budgeting, it became his fault.
Tell Glenn Gamber to stick it, and vote your conscience.
Contrary to popular belief, the buck should occasionally stop at the mayor's desk.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Democrat of the Year
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City, has never been one to let the buck stop at his desk as mayor of Massillon.
Apparently, the buck doesn't stop at his desk as far as his campaign for mayor goes, either.
When confronted with the fact that his campaign was launching a "Hail Mary" pass, and trying to get Republican voters to switch parties so that they would vote for him in the Democratic primary, we learn it was the work of people in his committee.
"Some people have done that from my committee," he said. (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, March 18, 2011).
People from his committee.
His wife, and Safety-Service Director Mike Loudiana.
"The Committee"
"The Committee" (Mike and Joy) believe Frank to be "extraordinary."
It is becoming obvious that Frank Cicchinelli is not working to be Democrat of the year.
He kicked then Democratic Governor, Ted Strickland, and former Democratic President Bill Clinton out of town.
He is having his rubber stamps kill the Project-Labor Agreement (PLA) ordinance several council members are pushing. The unions, who are a big part of the Democratic party, strongly support this ordinance.
The kiss of death for the PLA will be if Frank "pledges" his support to pass it.
We know how his "pledges" work.
He supported Republican Dale Walterhouse against Democrat Kathy Catazaro-Perry for city council.
Rumor is that Frank Cicchinelli even threatened to quit the Democrat Executive Committee, the party's governing council. (Republicans have an Executive Committee too).
He has called the former Democratic Chairman a carpetbagger.
He has called the current Democratic Political Director a carpetbagger.
He has decided to look for votes in the Republican party to salvage his bid for mayor in the Democratic primary.
The Massillon Review has received several emails from Republican readers about our posting regarding the mayor's quest for party switchers. They think it's a great idea. They will be voting for Catazaro-Perry.
As a result of our Extraordinary Mayor for Life's strong Democratic party convictions and support for the Democratic party and it's candidates, we now convey him the title of "Democrat In Name Only" (DINO).
He is a Democrat only because it is politically expedient to be a Democrat to be elected in Massillon.
We are guessing that the rank and file Democrats are beginning to figure this out.
Apparently, the buck doesn't stop at his desk as far as his campaign for mayor goes, either.
When confronted with the fact that his campaign was launching a "Hail Mary" pass, and trying to get Republican voters to switch parties so that they would vote for him in the Democratic primary, we learn it was the work of people in his committee.
"Some people have done that from my committee," he said. (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, March 18, 2011).
People from his committee.
His wife, and Safety-Service Director Mike Loudiana.
"The Committee"
"The Committee" (Mike and Joy) believe Frank to be "extraordinary."
It is becoming obvious that Frank Cicchinelli is not working to be Democrat of the year.
He kicked then Democratic Governor, Ted Strickland, and former Democratic President Bill Clinton out of town.
He is having his rubber stamps kill the Project-Labor Agreement (PLA) ordinance several council members are pushing. The unions, who are a big part of the Democratic party, strongly support this ordinance.
The kiss of death for the PLA will be if Frank "pledges" his support to pass it.
We know how his "pledges" work.
He supported Republican Dale Walterhouse against Democrat Kathy Catazaro-Perry for city council.
Rumor is that Frank Cicchinelli even threatened to quit the Democrat Executive Committee, the party's governing council. (Republicans have an Executive Committee too).
He has called the former Democratic Chairman a carpetbagger.
He has called the current Democratic Political Director a carpetbagger.
He has decided to look for votes in the Republican party to salvage his bid for mayor in the Democratic primary.
The Massillon Review has received several emails from Republican readers about our posting regarding the mayor's quest for party switchers. They think it's a great idea. They will be voting for Catazaro-Perry.
As a result of our Extraordinary Mayor for Life's strong Democratic party convictions and support for the Democratic party and it's candidates, we now convey him the title of "Democrat In Name Only" (DINO).
He is a Democrat only because it is politically expedient to be a Democrat to be elected in Massillon.
We are guessing that the rank and file Democrats are beginning to figure this out.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Our Extraordinary Mayor for Life
Massillon's beloved Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City is not what most Democrats consider a faithful supporter of the Democratic Party.
When former Ohio Governor, Democrat Ted Strickland was in an election fight to the finish with current Governor, Republican John Kasich, Strickland wanted to hold a campaign rally in Massillon before the Massillon - McKinley football game. Joining Governor Strickland would be former President Bill Clinton, perhaps the most popular Democrat in America today.
They wanted to visit Massillon and rally the Democratic faithful.
And what did our 'Democratic' mayor do to help his supposed political party?
He told Strickland and Clinton to hit the bricks.
President Clinton and Governor Strickland did not properly kiss the King's ring.
Our Glorious Leader was slighted.
"Though not faulting Cupples (representative of Governor Strickland) Cicchinelli repeatedly said he was upset to learn about the event in his Sunday newspaper. He even suggested people in his own party intentionally left him out of the loop" (The Independent, October 26, 2010).
His monstrous ego was bruised, and who did a former Democratic President, and Democratic Governor think they were to come into Frank's town without his blessing?
This is Frank's town.
It is widely speculated that the only reason Frank Cicchinelli is a Democrat is because Massillon is a Democratic city.
Just a few short years ago, Cicchinelli was publicly supporting Republican council candidate Dale Walterhouse in his unsuccessful bid to unseat the Democrat, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, in Ward 3.
And now, as several members of city council are trying to pass a project-labor agreement (PLA) ordinance, which the local unions support, Cicchinelli is having his minions work against the ordinance.
The unions are a strong part of the Democratic Party.
And Cicchinelli appears to be working behind the scenes to kill their ordinance.
Cicchinelli's party loyalty is just that deep.
His 'Democratic convictions' are just that strong.
It is beginning to look like our Mayor for Life isn't banking on the Democratic rank and file returning him to office.
As a number of the hard working Massillon Review staff are registered Republicans, we received a letter from the "Friends of Cicchinelli" committee geared to Republican voters.
The letter is a request for Republican voters to switch their party affiliation and vote Democrat in the next primary so we may vote for Frank.
Seriously.
Cicchinelli is so desperate that he is hoping Republican voters switch to the Democrat party to vote for him.
This is often referred to as a "Hail Mary Pass" in football vernacular.
Uh, Mayor,
Most Republicans are fiscally conservative.
You are not.
You have squandered our tax dollars on a golf course, a hotel, a restaurant, a hockey arena that was never built, and pay raises for yourself.
This isn't limited government.
And in comparing the candidates, Kathy Catazaro-Perry appears to be a whole lot more fiscally conservative than you.
When you wanted to increase the license plate tax, she said no.
When your rubber stamps wanted to increase sewer fees, storm water fees, and building fees, she said no.
When you wanted to pass an unbalanced budget, she said no.
Actually, the mayor better hope a whole lot of Republicans don't take him up on his offer.
Because they won't be voting for him.
The letter refers to our beloved mayor for life as, "an extraordinary Mayor."
Extraordinary.
And yet so humble.
As a result of Team Cicchinelli referring to Frank as "extraordinary," we now add this description to his formal title;
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City.
Because he is just so "extraordinary."
When former Ohio Governor, Democrat Ted Strickland was in an election fight to the finish with current Governor, Republican John Kasich, Strickland wanted to hold a campaign rally in Massillon before the Massillon - McKinley football game. Joining Governor Strickland would be former President Bill Clinton, perhaps the most popular Democrat in America today.
They wanted to visit Massillon and rally the Democratic faithful.
And what did our 'Democratic' mayor do to help his supposed political party?
He told Strickland and Clinton to hit the bricks.
President Clinton and Governor Strickland did not properly kiss the King's ring.
Our Glorious Leader was slighted.
"Though not faulting Cupples (representative of Governor Strickland) Cicchinelli repeatedly said he was upset to learn about the event in his Sunday newspaper. He even suggested people in his own party intentionally left him out of the loop" (The Independent, October 26, 2010).
His monstrous ego was bruised, and who did a former Democratic President, and Democratic Governor think they were to come into Frank's town without his blessing?
This is Frank's town.
It is widely speculated that the only reason Frank Cicchinelli is a Democrat is because Massillon is a Democratic city.
Just a few short years ago, Cicchinelli was publicly supporting Republican council candidate Dale Walterhouse in his unsuccessful bid to unseat the Democrat, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, in Ward 3.
And now, as several members of city council are trying to pass a project-labor agreement (PLA) ordinance, which the local unions support, Cicchinelli is having his minions work against the ordinance.
The unions are a strong part of the Democratic Party.
And Cicchinelli appears to be working behind the scenes to kill their ordinance.
Cicchinelli's party loyalty is just that deep.
His 'Democratic convictions' are just that strong.
It is beginning to look like our Mayor for Life isn't banking on the Democratic rank and file returning him to office.
As a number of the hard working Massillon Review staff are registered Republicans, we received a letter from the "Friends of Cicchinelli" committee geared to Republican voters.
The letter is a request for Republican voters to switch their party affiliation and vote Democrat in the next primary so we may vote for Frank.
Seriously.
Cicchinelli is so desperate that he is hoping Republican voters switch to the Democrat party to vote for him.
This is often referred to as a "Hail Mary Pass" in football vernacular.
Uh, Mayor,
Most Republicans are fiscally conservative.
You are not.
You have squandered our tax dollars on a golf course, a hotel, a restaurant, a hockey arena that was never built, and pay raises for yourself.
This isn't limited government.
And in comparing the candidates, Kathy Catazaro-Perry appears to be a whole lot more fiscally conservative than you.
When you wanted to increase the license plate tax, she said no.
When your rubber stamps wanted to increase sewer fees, storm water fees, and building fees, she said no.
When you wanted to pass an unbalanced budget, she said no.
Actually, the mayor better hope a whole lot of Republicans don't take him up on his offer.
Because they won't be voting for him.
The letter refers to our beloved mayor for life as, "an extraordinary Mayor."
Extraordinary.
And yet so humble.
As a result of Team Cicchinelli referring to Frank as "extraordinary," we now add this description to his formal title;
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of the City.
Because he is just so "extraordinary."
Working Class Mayor for Life
It appears Massillon's Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of Massillon is opposed to Project-Labor Agreements.
What is a Project Labor Agreement?
According to the Independent, a Project-Labor Agreement (PLA), "is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between a public employer and all of the contractors and subcontractors involved in a construction project. All costs, including wages and benefits such as health insurance, are set in advance" (The Independent, March 16, 2011).
Massillon City Council is debating whether or not to pass an ordinance requiring the use of PLA's for city construction projects.
Local unions are pushing Massillon to pass a PLA ordinance. Unions support the use of PLA's because they believe their members will receive better pay and benefits for working on a construction project covered by a PLA.
And how do we surmise that our beloved mayor is opposed to the PLA ordinance?
Because his Lap Dog, Paul Manson, spoke out against the ordinance.
Councilman Larry Slagle was pitching the idea of the PLA, and lamenting the decline of unions, which Slagle believes is hurting the middle class.
Lap Dog Manson then berated Slagle for expressing his pro union views.
Manson, who as Chairman of the City Council Finance Committee, can't lead city council in a rudimentary discussion of city finances, decided to get up in arms over project-labor agreements.
"Manson said he was tired of Slagle's "rhetoric," called his argument "crap" and told him to get off his "soapbox" (The Independent, March 16, 2011).
Manson is up in arms because Frank Cicchinelli, who is up in arms, can't say he is up in arms.
Frank Cicchinelli is in the fight of his political life in the Democratic primary for mayor against Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
Unions and organized labor are very active in Democratic politics.
We imagine Cicchinelli telling the local unions he loves them, and that he is all for the project-labor agreements.
It's a lot like his "pledge" to the people of Ward 4 to help Councilman Tony Townsend rename a park in honor of the late T. Roy Roberson.
While he "pledged" to help, his rubber stamps killed the idea, so Cicchinelli would not be exposed to the political fall out.
We believe Cicchinelli will have his lackeys kill the PLA idea as well.
Because Cicchinelli is mad at the unions.
Not because he disagrees with their practices or beliefs.
But because a number of local unions supported Tim Bryan for mayor four years ago.
And the mayor for life never forgets.
So while he is angling for union support for his campaign, he is having the rubber stamps kill the PLA ordinance the unions want.
Because he never does the dirty work himself.
Because the buck always stops somewhere else in the political world of Frank Cicchinelli.
What is a Project Labor Agreement?
According to the Independent, a Project-Labor Agreement (PLA), "is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between a public employer and all of the contractors and subcontractors involved in a construction project. All costs, including wages and benefits such as health insurance, are set in advance" (The Independent, March 16, 2011).
Massillon City Council is debating whether or not to pass an ordinance requiring the use of PLA's for city construction projects.
Local unions are pushing Massillon to pass a PLA ordinance. Unions support the use of PLA's because they believe their members will receive better pay and benefits for working on a construction project covered by a PLA.
And how do we surmise that our beloved mayor is opposed to the PLA ordinance?
Because his Lap Dog, Paul Manson, spoke out against the ordinance.
Councilman Larry Slagle was pitching the idea of the PLA, and lamenting the decline of unions, which Slagle believes is hurting the middle class.
Lap Dog Manson then berated Slagle for expressing his pro union views.
Manson, who as Chairman of the City Council Finance Committee, can't lead city council in a rudimentary discussion of city finances, decided to get up in arms over project-labor agreements.
"Manson said he was tired of Slagle's "rhetoric," called his argument "crap" and told him to get off his "soapbox" (The Independent, March 16, 2011).
Manson is up in arms because Frank Cicchinelli, who is up in arms, can't say he is up in arms.
Frank Cicchinelli is in the fight of his political life in the Democratic primary for mayor against Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
Unions and organized labor are very active in Democratic politics.
We imagine Cicchinelli telling the local unions he loves them, and that he is all for the project-labor agreements.
It's a lot like his "pledge" to the people of Ward 4 to help Councilman Tony Townsend rename a park in honor of the late T. Roy Roberson.
While he "pledged" to help, his rubber stamps killed the idea, so Cicchinelli would not be exposed to the political fall out.
We believe Cicchinelli will have his lackeys kill the PLA idea as well.
Because Cicchinelli is mad at the unions.
Not because he disagrees with their practices or beliefs.
But because a number of local unions supported Tim Bryan for mayor four years ago.
And the mayor for life never forgets.
So while he is angling for union support for his campaign, he is having the rubber stamps kill the PLA ordinance the unions want.
Because he never does the dirty work himself.
Because the buck always stops somewhere else in the political world of Frank Cicchinelli.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Lame Duck Carpetbaggers
Insidious blood sucking parasites who embed themselves in our community, and are impossible to rid.
Bed Bugs?
Nope.
Worse.
Carpetbaggers.
And our beloved Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Mayor of Massillon, has called them out.
Massillon Clerk of Courts Johnnie Maier, and his Deputy Clerk of Courts, Stark County Democratic Political Czar Shane Jackson.
"They don't like me and they could care less about the city of Massillon" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, February 8, 2011).
Of course not.
Maier is a resident of Tuscarawas Township, and Jackson resides in Perry Township.
Perry Township.
Where we have learned Kathy Catazaro-Perry attends church.
A pagan land, where they probably sacrifice goats to a Wiccan goddess.
Probably Jackson's idea to convert Catazaro-Perry away from our native Massillonian Christianity.
Among our mayor's numerous allegations, is that Maier and Jackson control Ward 2 Councilman Gary Anderson, Ward 3 Councilwoman Kathy Catazaro-Perry, and Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend.
"There's no question their goal is to completely control city government" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, February 8, 2011).
They nefariously manipulate these three members of council to perpetuate an "anti-Massillon," and "anti-Cicchinelli" agenda.
Except it appears they forgot to tell Councilman Gary Anderson that he is under their control, and that he must continuously do their bidding.
Gary Anderson is flip flopping.
He is voting to support the mayor's unbalanced budget next Monday.
He voted against the budget in December.
Maier and Jackson have appeared to lose control over their supposed minion.
That would never happen to our mayor for life.
If the Carpetbaggers plan on controlling council members, they need to do a better job.
Perhaps they can get help from the expert.
Massillon's Mayor for Life Frank Cicchinelli.
The mayor's minions never break ranks.
The Carpetbaggers could learn a thing or two from the master.
Bed Bugs?
Nope.
Worse.
Carpetbaggers.
And our beloved Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Mayor of Massillon, has called them out.
Massillon Clerk of Courts Johnnie Maier, and his Deputy Clerk of Courts, Stark County Democratic Political Czar Shane Jackson.
"They don't like me and they could care less about the city of Massillon" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, February 8, 2011).
Of course not.
Maier is a resident of Tuscarawas Township, and Jackson resides in Perry Township.
Perry Township.
Where we have learned Kathy Catazaro-Perry attends church.
A pagan land, where they probably sacrifice goats to a Wiccan goddess.
Probably Jackson's idea to convert Catazaro-Perry away from our native Massillonian Christianity.
Among our mayor's numerous allegations, is that Maier and Jackson control Ward 2 Councilman Gary Anderson, Ward 3 Councilwoman Kathy Catazaro-Perry, and Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend.
"There's no question their goal is to completely control city government" (Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, February 8, 2011).
They nefariously manipulate these three members of council to perpetuate an "anti-Massillon," and "anti-Cicchinelli" agenda.
Except it appears they forgot to tell Councilman Gary Anderson that he is under their control, and that he must continuously do their bidding.
Gary Anderson is flip flopping.
He is voting to support the mayor's unbalanced budget next Monday.
He voted against the budget in December.
Maier and Jackson have appeared to lose control over their supposed minion.
That would never happen to our mayor for life.
If the Carpetbaggers plan on controlling council members, they need to do a better job.
Perhaps they can get help from the expert.
Massillon's Mayor for Life Frank Cicchinelli.
The mayor's minions never break ranks.
The Carpetbaggers could learn a thing or two from the master.
23 Minutes
According to the Independent, Massillon City Council has spent a whopping 23 minutes discussing the city's budget in public session since it was rejected on a 5 to 4 vote on December 20th until last Monday's council meeting.
23 minutes.
If only the city's budget were as important as the renaming of a city park.
When Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend tried to rename a park after trail blazing Massillon politician, the late T. Roy Roberson, the debate raged for months, from May until December.
When Townsend tried to get city council to merely vote on the matter, The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, worked tirelessly to obstruct, delay, and avoid a vote.
But Glenn had help.
Enter The Boy Wonder, Larry Slagle.
Slagle helped the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer put off the vote, because Slagle believed we shouldn't rush an issue as critical as renaming a park.
"I'm not dragging my feet on this is, but in my opinion changing names on parks is a very important process. There is no reason to rush it; there is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request" (Larry Slagle, The Independent, September 19, 2010).
"There is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request."
Slagle went so far as to draft a new parks renaming policy.
He used the existing, undated, unsigned "Independent" Parks and Recreation Board policy as a "rubric" to develop his own policy.
It's a shame this "rubric" could not be applied to something like, say, the city's budget.
It's a shame that when considering something as critical as the city's budget, council doesn't adopt the mantra of "there is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request."
"considering all aspects of the request"
Like having real budget hearings, and real budget discussions.
Like having a Finance Committee Chairman who sees his job as being more than the mayor's lap dog.
Like having Larry Slagle channel his zeal for naming parks into something tangible, like the city's budget.
If Slagle only cared about city finances as much as he cared about park names.
Why isn't Larry Slagle pushing Paul Manson to have budget discussions with the same vigor he used during the park naming debate?
Surely the city's budget is as important as naming a park?
It was Larry Slagle who successfully delayed a vote on renaming Shriver park.
The vote eventually failed, which is what most people believe the mayor wanted all along.
As his rubber stamps on council all voted to kill the name change.
Now Slagle has delayed a vote on the city budget.
In this instance, to help pass it.
Which is, again, exactly what the mayor wants.
And most likely it will be Slagle who flip flops on his vote.
And the delay will have been a parlor trick designed to help Larry Slagle save face.
Because our Mayor for Life will not be discussing his budget.
Nor will others discuss his budget.
Which is why we spend months debating a park.
And 23 minutes debating the city budget.
And Larry Slagle is once again complicit in doing what is wrong, while believing, or being tricked in to believing he is doing what is right.
23 minutes.
If only the city's budget were as important as the renaming of a city park.
When Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend tried to rename a park after trail blazing Massillon politician, the late T. Roy Roberson, the debate raged for months, from May until December.
When Townsend tried to get city council to merely vote on the matter, The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, worked tirelessly to obstruct, delay, and avoid a vote.
But Glenn had help.
Enter The Boy Wonder, Larry Slagle.
Slagle helped the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer put off the vote, because Slagle believed we shouldn't rush an issue as critical as renaming a park.
"I'm not dragging my feet on this is, but in my opinion changing names on parks is a very important process. There is no reason to rush it; there is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request" (Larry Slagle, The Independent, September 19, 2010).
"There is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request."
Slagle went so far as to draft a new parks renaming policy.
He used the existing, undated, unsigned "Independent" Parks and Recreation Board policy as a "rubric" to develop his own policy.
It's a shame this "rubric" could not be applied to something like, say, the city's budget.
It's a shame that when considering something as critical as the city's budget, council doesn't adopt the mantra of "there is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request."
"considering all aspects of the request"
Like having real budget hearings, and real budget discussions.
Like having a Finance Committee Chairman who sees his job as being more than the mayor's lap dog.
Like having Larry Slagle channel his zeal for naming parks into something tangible, like the city's budget.
If Slagle only cared about city finances as much as he cared about park names.
Why isn't Larry Slagle pushing Paul Manson to have budget discussions with the same vigor he used during the park naming debate?
Surely the city's budget is as important as naming a park?
It was Larry Slagle who successfully delayed a vote on renaming Shriver park.
The vote eventually failed, which is what most people believe the mayor wanted all along.
As his rubber stamps on council all voted to kill the name change.
Now Slagle has delayed a vote on the city budget.
In this instance, to help pass it.
Which is, again, exactly what the mayor wants.
And most likely it will be Slagle who flip flops on his vote.
And the delay will have been a parlor trick designed to help Larry Slagle save face.
Because our Mayor for Life will not be discussing his budget.
Nor will others discuss his budget.
Which is why we spend months debating a park.
And 23 minutes debating the city budget.
And Larry Slagle is once again complicit in doing what is wrong, while believing, or being tricked in to believing he is doing what is right.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Pimpin' Ain't Easy
Larry Slagle voted against Massillon's Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal's unbalanced budget sham on December 20, 2010.
Cicchinelli's budget failed on a five to four vote.
Instead of fixing the budget, meeting with council members, or having the Finance Committee Chairman, Lap Dog of the Treasury Paul Manson, lead any real budget discussions, the mayor had a better plan.
He would do nothing.
He would resubmit the same pile of garbage he jokingly refers to as the city's budget, and just get one of the "no" votes to vote "yes."
Rumor on the street is that he has rustled up Larry Slagle's vote.
Slagle, who has given no real reason for changing his vote, is predicted to vote "yes" to the same document he voted "no" on three months ago.
If he makes the switch, he has clearly consented to being Frank Cicchinelli's personal political whore.
At least you always know where Taxman Hersher, Lap Dog of the Treasury Manson, The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer Glenn Gamber, David "I Am Above the Law" McCune (if he bothers to show up), and Ron Mang stand.
They are the loyal to the end rubber stamp bloc on city council.
They see their job as voting "yes" on whatever the mayor wants.
They are men of conviction, misguided as it is.
Larry Slagle is different.
If he votes yes, he will clearly show he has no conviction.
He will flip-flop.
He will have voted against the budget before he votes for it.
To prop up the mayor politically.
It would then appear he voted to table the final vote on the mayor's budget for two weeks merely to buy time.
To save face.
We predict our beloved Mayor for Life will show up to council, explain why the same budget that failed in December is good today, and after this illuminating presentation, Larry Slagle will have an epiphany, see the light, and realize that he supported the budget all along.
The delay will allow Slagle to say, that after much research and deliberation, he now has enough information to vote for the same budget he rejected in December.
Frank Cicchinelli will have explained it properly, answered all Larry Slagle's questions, and Slagle can vote yes.
And save Cicchinelli politically.
While tossing aside his convictions and integrity.
And serving as nothing more than a political prostitute.
We don't begrudge Larry Slagle changing his vote if the circumstances were different.
They weren't.
When council rebuked the Mayor's budget, Cicchinelli did nothing.
Made no changes.
Led no budget discussions.
Cicchinelli's plan all along was to twist some one's arm hard enough to change their vote.
Because there was no way in hell he would change his budget.
But he knew with enough persuasion, someone on council would change their mind.
And that someone appears to be Larry Slagle.
Cicchinelli's budget failed on a five to four vote.
Instead of fixing the budget, meeting with council members, or having the Finance Committee Chairman, Lap Dog of the Treasury Paul Manson, lead any real budget discussions, the mayor had a better plan.
He would do nothing.
He would resubmit the same pile of garbage he jokingly refers to as the city's budget, and just get one of the "no" votes to vote "yes."
Rumor on the street is that he has rustled up Larry Slagle's vote.
Slagle, who has given no real reason for changing his vote, is predicted to vote "yes" to the same document he voted "no" on three months ago.
If he makes the switch, he has clearly consented to being Frank Cicchinelli's personal political whore.
At least you always know where Taxman Hersher, Lap Dog of the Treasury Manson, The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer Glenn Gamber, David "I Am Above the Law" McCune (if he bothers to show up), and Ron Mang stand.
They are the loyal to the end rubber stamp bloc on city council.
They see their job as voting "yes" on whatever the mayor wants.
They are men of conviction, misguided as it is.
Larry Slagle is different.
If he votes yes, he will clearly show he has no conviction.
He will flip-flop.
He will have voted against the budget before he votes for it.
To prop up the mayor politically.
It would then appear he voted to table the final vote on the mayor's budget for two weeks merely to buy time.
To save face.
We predict our beloved Mayor for Life will show up to council, explain why the same budget that failed in December is good today, and after this illuminating presentation, Larry Slagle will have an epiphany, see the light, and realize that he supported the budget all along.
The delay will allow Slagle to say, that after much research and deliberation, he now has enough information to vote for the same budget he rejected in December.
Frank Cicchinelli will have explained it properly, answered all Larry Slagle's questions, and Slagle can vote yes.
And save Cicchinelli politically.
While tossing aside his convictions and integrity.
And serving as nothing more than a political prostitute.
We don't begrudge Larry Slagle changing his vote if the circumstances were different.
They weren't.
When council rebuked the Mayor's budget, Cicchinelli did nothing.
Made no changes.
Led no budget discussions.
Cicchinelli's plan all along was to twist some one's arm hard enough to change their vote.
Because there was no way in hell he would change his budget.
But he knew with enough persuasion, someone on council would change their mind.
And that someone appears to be Larry Slagle.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
It's Going To Get Nasty
When Massillon's Mayor for Life, our Lord Mayor, King Francis the Eternal, announced he was running for a seventh term as mayor for life, he shared his beliefs about the tone of the coming campaign.
"I absolutely anticipate (personal attacks)... It's going to get nasty" (Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, July 31, 2010).
He of course was correct.
As it is Frank Cicchinelli and his loyalists who couldn't wait to start slinging the mud.
From the Independent's editorial on February 7th;
The ink had barely dried on Kathy Catazaro-Perry's petitions to run for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Massillon when mayor Cicchinelli began slinging mud, using terms such as "sneaky" to describe his opponent in the May primary election and "carpetbaggers" in reference to some of her supporters.
Already the mayor has gone so far as to allege that Catazaro-Perry "could care less about the city of Massillon."
Harsh words from a man who claimed he wanted to "keep it clean."
Now our mayor for life can witness his supporters attacking his opposition.
The Cicchinelli faithful have speculated about Kathy Catazaro-Perry's church attendance.
"Why does she go to St. Joan of Arc church? Is it really Massillon first with her?"
Ah yes, salvation may only be attained within the corporate limits of the City of Massillon.
Then a supporter verbally attacked the child of a candidate who is challenging one of the mayor for life's council rubber stamps in the Democratic primary.
And now one of our faithful readers informs us of an attack on the special needs day care center that Catazaro-Perry helped start.
Guess what's wrong with it?
It's in Canton!
Maybe it is in Canton because it's mission is, according to it's web site, "Specializing in daycare for special needs children in Stark County, Ohio."
Stark County.
All of it.
And Canton is in the middle of the county.
Probably would be hard for parents in Alliance and Louisville to get their kids to Massillon every day.
This line of attack plays in to Cicchinelli's allegation that Catzaro-Perry "could care less about the city of Massillon."
And this complaint that because Catazaro-Perry's special needs day care facility is in Canton, that she is some how unfit to be mayor, is the kind of sad, pathetic allegation that this election season can do without.
Of course, it is tough for the mayor's supporters to talk about the issues.
Because city government is broke.
And the mayor is to blame.
Whether he takes responsibility or not.
And on Election Day, the buck may finally stop where it should.
At Frank Cicchinelli's desk.
"I absolutely anticipate (personal attacks)... It's going to get nasty" (Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, July 31, 2010).
He of course was correct.
As it is Frank Cicchinelli and his loyalists who couldn't wait to start slinging the mud.
From the Independent's editorial on February 7th;
The ink had barely dried on Kathy Catazaro-Perry's petitions to run for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Massillon when mayor Cicchinelli began slinging mud, using terms such as "sneaky" to describe his opponent in the May primary election and "carpetbaggers" in reference to some of her supporters.
Already the mayor has gone so far as to allege that Catazaro-Perry "could care less about the city of Massillon."
Harsh words from a man who claimed he wanted to "keep it clean."
Now our mayor for life can witness his supporters attacking his opposition.
The Cicchinelli faithful have speculated about Kathy Catazaro-Perry's church attendance.
"Why does she go to St. Joan of Arc church? Is it really Massillon first with her?"
Ah yes, salvation may only be attained within the corporate limits of the City of Massillon.
Then a supporter verbally attacked the child of a candidate who is challenging one of the mayor for life's council rubber stamps in the Democratic primary.
And now one of our faithful readers informs us of an attack on the special needs day care center that Catazaro-Perry helped start.
Guess what's wrong with it?
It's in Canton!
Maybe it is in Canton because it's mission is, according to it's web site, "Specializing in daycare for special needs children in Stark County, Ohio."
Stark County.
All of it.
And Canton is in the middle of the county.
Probably would be hard for parents in Alliance and Louisville to get their kids to Massillon every day.
This line of attack plays in to Cicchinelli's allegation that Catzaro-Perry "could care less about the city of Massillon."
And this complaint that because Catazaro-Perry's special needs day care facility is in Canton, that she is some how unfit to be mayor, is the kind of sad, pathetic allegation that this election season can do without.
Of course, it is tough for the mayor's supporters to talk about the issues.
Because city government is broke.
And the mayor is to blame.
Whether he takes responsibility or not.
And on Election Day, the buck may finally stop where it should.
At Frank Cicchinelli's desk.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Mayor for Life
In 1973, Massillon's Mayor for Life, Frank Cicchinelli, was elected to Massillon City Council.
Thus began Frank Cicchinelli's 38 year uninterrupted run in Massillon City government, the last 24 years as Massillon's mayor.
The story goes that even as a young councilman in his early twenties, Frank Cicchinelli's life ambition was to be Mayor of Massillon. And he achieved that goal in 1987.
When he narrowly defeated former Councilman Tim Bryan four years ago, the mayor's supporters claimed that "Tim Bryan shouldn't have run. He should have waited four years. This is gonna be Frank's last term."
It wasn't.
Team Cicchinelli is now claiming that Kathy Catazaro-Perry should have stepped aside, and waited until 2015 to run for mayor, because they claim that this really will be the mayor's last term.
We know better. If he wins a seventh term, he will run for an eighth term.
Frank Cicchinelli will only leave the office of mayor for one of two reasons.
1.) He dies in office.
2.) He loses.
Frank Cicchinelli will not be leaving the mayor's office for any other reason.
Because in his mind, "Frank Cicchinelli," and "Mayor of Massillon" are synonymous terms.
The mayor's office is his office.
He is personally offended when someone runs for mayor, because they are running for "his" job.
He is consumed by conspiracy theories because any one who dares criticize his performance as Massillon's CEO is criticizing him personally.
He can longer separate himself personally from the job duties, or the policies.
They are all one entity.
And he isn't leaving unless he is forced to.
The term "Mayor for Life," does not merely symbolize an extremely long period of service.
It symbolizes a mind set. Frank Cicchinelli is mayor for as long as he draws breath.
It is his job. It belongs to him.
If a person disagrees with his policies, they are labeled as "Anti Massillon," or "Mayor Haters."
He can no longer separate himself from the office.
The job is no longer about helping the residents of Massillon.
It has degenerated into a political game of survival
His survival.
His identity.
His reason to get up in the morning.
It is Frank Cicchinelli who believes Frank Cicchinelli is Massillon's "Mayor for Life."
Our use of the term merely confirms what he already believes.
Thus began Frank Cicchinelli's 38 year uninterrupted run in Massillon City government, the last 24 years as Massillon's mayor.
The story goes that even as a young councilman in his early twenties, Frank Cicchinelli's life ambition was to be Mayor of Massillon. And he achieved that goal in 1987.
When he narrowly defeated former Councilman Tim Bryan four years ago, the mayor's supporters claimed that "Tim Bryan shouldn't have run. He should have waited four years. This is gonna be Frank's last term."
It wasn't.
Team Cicchinelli is now claiming that Kathy Catazaro-Perry should have stepped aside, and waited until 2015 to run for mayor, because they claim that this really will be the mayor's last term.
We know better. If he wins a seventh term, he will run for an eighth term.
Frank Cicchinelli will only leave the office of mayor for one of two reasons.
1.) He dies in office.
2.) He loses.
Frank Cicchinelli will not be leaving the mayor's office for any other reason.
Because in his mind, "Frank Cicchinelli," and "Mayor of Massillon" are synonymous terms.
The mayor's office is his office.
He is personally offended when someone runs for mayor, because they are running for "his" job.
He is consumed by conspiracy theories because any one who dares criticize his performance as Massillon's CEO is criticizing him personally.
He can longer separate himself personally from the job duties, or the policies.
They are all one entity.
And he isn't leaving unless he is forced to.
The term "Mayor for Life," does not merely symbolize an extremely long period of service.
It symbolizes a mind set. Frank Cicchinelli is mayor for as long as he draws breath.
It is his job. It belongs to him.
If a person disagrees with his policies, they are labeled as "Anti Massillon," or "Mayor Haters."
He can no longer separate himself from the office.
The job is no longer about helping the residents of Massillon.
It has degenerated into a political game of survival
His survival.
His identity.
His reason to get up in the morning.
It is Frank Cicchinelli who believes Frank Cicchinelli is Massillon's "Mayor for Life."
Our use of the term merely confirms what he already believes.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Massillon Review Endorsements
The Massillon Review team will be examining the various contests for city offices chosen in the May primary, and we will be issuing candidate endorsements.
The crack Massillon Review research team is thoroughly studying the candidates, checking the facts, and meeting round the clock so that we make informed, reasoned decisions when endorsing candidates for Massillon public office.
We take this task with all the seriousness that it deserves. Our goal is to provide our faithful readers guidance as they choose the people to lead our fair city.
Allegations of Bias
We are not immune to the criticism. We realize that some people have accused us of bias.
Some people believe that we take sides and some people have even suggested we have an agenda.
People should be rightly suspicious of our personal feelings impacting our journalistic integrity.
We are well aware of what we have written;
"The Massillon Review will not be attending this event (Kathy Catazaro-Perry's fundraiser) as we do not wish to see Kathy Catazaro-Perry defeat our beloved mayor for life" (The Massillon Review, February 24, 2011).
and our response to Kathy Catazaro-Perry filing petitions to run for mayor;
www.massillonreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/somber-afternoon-for-massillon-review.html
We make the following pledge to our readers;
We will work tirelessly to set aside our bias and personal support of Mayor for Life Frank Cicchinelli's candidacy so that we may make a fair endorsement decision in the Democratic primary for mayor.
The Kathy Catazaro-Perry supporters have our word that we will provide her an honest chance to obtain our coveted endorsement.
We promise.
The crack Massillon Review research team is thoroughly studying the candidates, checking the facts, and meeting round the clock so that we make informed, reasoned decisions when endorsing candidates for Massillon public office.
We take this task with all the seriousness that it deserves. Our goal is to provide our faithful readers guidance as they choose the people to lead our fair city.
Allegations of Bias
We are not immune to the criticism. We realize that some people have accused us of bias.
Some people believe that we take sides and some people have even suggested we have an agenda.
People should be rightly suspicious of our personal feelings impacting our journalistic integrity.
We are well aware of what we have written;
"The Massillon Review will not be attending this event (Kathy Catazaro-Perry's fundraiser) as we do not wish to see Kathy Catazaro-Perry defeat our beloved mayor for life" (The Massillon Review, February 24, 2011).
and our response to Kathy Catazaro-Perry filing petitions to run for mayor;
www.massillonreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/somber-afternoon-for-massillon-review.html
We make the following pledge to our readers;
We will work tirelessly to set aside our bias and personal support of Mayor for Life Frank Cicchinelli's candidacy so that we may make a fair endorsement decision in the Democratic primary for mayor.
The Kathy Catazaro-Perry supporters have our word that we will provide her an honest chance to obtain our coveted endorsement.
We promise.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Retirement
Massillon's First Ward Council Representative, Ron Mang, is withdrawing from his campaign for another two year term on Massillon City Council.
Mang will serve out the last year of his term, but will not be seeking re-election.
Mang, citing health reasons, has decided to retire.
We wish Ron Mang good health, and all the best in retirement.
Ron Mang has had a lengthy career in public service, and certainly has earned some rest.
Mang will serve out the last year of his term, but will not be seeking re-election.
Mang, citing health reasons, has decided to retire.
We wish Ron Mang good health, and all the best in retirement.
Ron Mang has had a lengthy career in public service, and certainly has earned some rest.
Just a Reminder
Just a reminder for all you anti-Massillon mayor haters out there.
Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Democratic candidate for mayor, will be holding a Campaign Kick-Off Fundraiser tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Firehouse Grill and Pub, 48 2nd Street SE.
The fundraiser will run from 5:00PM until 7:00PM.
Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased at the door.
Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Democratic candidate for mayor, will be holding a Campaign Kick-Off Fundraiser tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Firehouse Grill and Pub, 48 2nd Street SE.
The fundraiser will run from 5:00PM until 7:00PM.
Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased at the door.
Marshall's Not Surprised
Last week, Massillon School Board President Marshall Weinberg told the Independent that "he's not surprised to hear that (Lisa) Carmichael is seeking other job opportunities" (The Independent, February 28, 2011).
Carmichael had interviewed for a job in Belpre, and last Friday we learn Carmichael interviewed for a superintendent's position in Streetsboro.
Of course Marshall is "not surprised."
Weinberg is one of the 'friends of the program' football boosters who is trying to run Carmichael out of town, because she didn't acquiesce to the 'football first' reorganization of the Washington High School Athletic Department.
The plan was that the head football coach would become athletic director, and an assistant football coach, at the time Offensive Coordinator Alex Wood, would be the assistant athletic director. The football program would then be the undisputed king of the athletic department.
Carmichael opposed this blatant takeover of the athletic department by the 'friends of the program,' and has drawn their wrath and ire ever since.
She hasn't been alone. She is joined as an 'enemy of the boosters' by school board member Tom Seesan. Seesan, who many originally thought would support the "restructuring" of the athletic department when he was elected to the board in 2009, supported Superintendent Carmichael instead.
Seesan was then the target of a very nasty campaign geared to forcing Seesan to resign.
Various 'friends of the program' protested school board meetings, and placed signs in their yards demanding that "Seesan Resign."
Of course, these were the 'friends of the program' minions. The head 'friends of the program' had others do their dirty work for them.
As they always do.
It is clear that at least two, perhaps three members of the school board no longer wish to have Lisa Carmichael as superintendent.
But they can't just fire her. She has about two and a half years left on her contract.
The cash strapped school district would have to buy her contract out.
And the backlash from such an expensive move merely for the sake of advancing an agenda solely related to a high school football program would be substantial.
The best option for the 'friends of the program' football boosters is that Carmichael finds another job, so that they may find a superintendent more sympathetic to their desire to control the football program.
Marshall Weinberg had complimentary things to say about Superintendent Carmichael;
"My impression of our superintendent, from the day she walked in the door, is that she is extremely hardworking, does her research well and logs an enormous amount of hours at her job" (Marshall Weinberg, The Independent, February 28, 2011).
What he didn't say is that he wanted her to stay.
Because he doesn't.
Because it is football first with President Weinberg.
Carmichael had interviewed for a job in Belpre, and last Friday we learn Carmichael interviewed for a superintendent's position in Streetsboro.
Of course Marshall is "not surprised."
Weinberg is one of the 'friends of the program' football boosters who is trying to run Carmichael out of town, because she didn't acquiesce to the 'football first' reorganization of the Washington High School Athletic Department.
The plan was that the head football coach would become athletic director, and an assistant football coach, at the time Offensive Coordinator Alex Wood, would be the assistant athletic director. The football program would then be the undisputed king of the athletic department.
Carmichael opposed this blatant takeover of the athletic department by the 'friends of the program,' and has drawn their wrath and ire ever since.
She hasn't been alone. She is joined as an 'enemy of the boosters' by school board member Tom Seesan. Seesan, who many originally thought would support the "restructuring" of the athletic department when he was elected to the board in 2009, supported Superintendent Carmichael instead.
Seesan was then the target of a very nasty campaign geared to forcing Seesan to resign.
Various 'friends of the program' protested school board meetings, and placed signs in their yards demanding that "Seesan Resign."
Of course, these were the 'friends of the program' minions. The head 'friends of the program' had others do their dirty work for them.
As they always do.
It is clear that at least two, perhaps three members of the school board no longer wish to have Lisa Carmichael as superintendent.
But they can't just fire her. She has about two and a half years left on her contract.
The cash strapped school district would have to buy her contract out.
And the backlash from such an expensive move merely for the sake of advancing an agenda solely related to a high school football program would be substantial.
The best option for the 'friends of the program' football boosters is that Carmichael finds another job, so that they may find a superintendent more sympathetic to their desire to control the football program.
Marshall Weinberg had complimentary things to say about Superintendent Carmichael;
"My impression of our superintendent, from the day she walked in the door, is that she is extremely hardworking, does her research well and logs an enormous amount of hours at her job" (Marshall Weinberg, The Independent, February 28, 2011).
What he didn't say is that he wanted her to stay.
Because he doesn't.
Because it is football first with President Weinberg.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Poor Attendance
According to one of our faithful Massillon Review readers, Loyal Rubber Stamp Dave McCune, Massillon's 6th Ward Councilman, has been having trouble coming to the council meetings.
According to our check of the minutes, McCune has missed two out of the four regularly scheduled council meetings in January and February, as well as a number of work sessions/committee meetings.
Members of City Council earn $7,555 dollars per year and only meet once a week, or less, depending on whether or not council members Donnie Peters and Larry Slagle want to schedule summer vacations for city council.
This comes to about $145.00 per meeting. Most meetings don't last two hours.
The mayor needs your vote.
As a loyal rubber stamp, our beloved Mayor, King Francis the Eternal, needs Dave McCune's vote.
Attendance is critical.
McCune has an obligation to show up every week and vote however the mayor tells him to vote.
The voters of Ward 6 have elected a rubber stamp, and they expect that their rubber stamp should show up every week and fulfill his stamping obligations.
As the number of rubber stamps on council is dropping, and because council members Donnie Peters and Larry Slagle sometimes dare oppose our Lord Mayor, McCune is often the critical fifth vote to pass unbalanced budgets, and to buy restaurants.
It's only one meeting a week.
Get to work.
According to our check of the minutes, McCune has missed two out of the four regularly scheduled council meetings in January and February, as well as a number of work sessions/committee meetings.
Members of City Council earn $7,555 dollars per year and only meet once a week, or less, depending on whether or not council members Donnie Peters and Larry Slagle want to schedule summer vacations for city council.
This comes to about $145.00 per meeting. Most meetings don't last two hours.
The mayor needs your vote.
As a loyal rubber stamp, our beloved Mayor, King Francis the Eternal, needs Dave McCune's vote.
Attendance is critical.
McCune has an obligation to show up every week and vote however the mayor tells him to vote.
The voters of Ward 6 have elected a rubber stamp, and they expect that their rubber stamp should show up every week and fulfill his stamping obligations.
As the number of rubber stamps on council is dropping, and because council members Donnie Peters and Larry Slagle sometimes dare oppose our Lord Mayor, McCune is often the critical fifth vote to pass unbalanced budgets, and to buy restaurants.
It's only one meeting a week.
Get to work.
Friday, March 4, 2011
A Little Advice
Back in November, Republican Lee Brunckhart took out petitions to run for the Republican nomination for mayor of Massillon.
And Brunckhart appeared ready for the challenge;
"The one thing I keep hearing is we need to give the city of Massillon back to the people and the people need to have a voice, they need to be heard," he said. "That's why they send us to office" (Lee Brunckhart, The Independent, November 8, 2010).
Republican LeVera "Pinkie" Guillan, a leading member of the Massillon Area Republican organization called Brunckhart "young and energetic and full of ideas" (The Independent, November 5, 2010).
And Brunckhart got off to a fast start, having a strong presence at the Massillon Holiday Parade.
It is important to the city's Republicans that we too have a voice in city government.
Massillon needs a strong Republican candidate in the November election.
Massillon needs a Republican primary where both candidates, Mr. Oser and Mr. Brunckhart, debate the city's problems, and discuss the best path forward for Massillon.
And in May, the Republicans will select a candidate, and the entire party needs to rally around that candidate.
But we need a spirited debate among our candidates so that good ideas rise to the surface.
From both Republican candidates.
Last week, the Independent ran a story about Senate Bill 5, the plan by the State of Ohio to rescind collective bargaining for public (state) employees.
The story asked for comment from the four candidates for mayor;
Mayor for Life Cicchinelli, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Andrew Oser, and Lee Brunckhart.
Only Brunckhart was not available for comment. The newspaper had to get his thoughts about Senate Bill 5 from his Facebook page.
This past Saturday, The Independent published an overview of the mayor's race.
The newspaper once again received comments from Mayor for Life Cicchinelli, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, and Andrew Oser.
Lee Brunckhart was once again unavailable for comment.
If Lee Brunckhart is a serious candidate for mayor, and we hope that he is, he needs to start talking to reporters. If they leave a message for him because he is unavailable, he needs to call them back.
If you can't answer questions from a reporter, and are always quoted as being "unavailable for comment," do you really think a whole lot of people will cast their vote for you?
And Brunckhart appeared ready for the challenge;
"The one thing I keep hearing is we need to give the city of Massillon back to the people and the people need to have a voice, they need to be heard," he said. "That's why they send us to office" (Lee Brunckhart, The Independent, November 8, 2010).
Republican LeVera "Pinkie" Guillan, a leading member of the Massillon Area Republican organization called Brunckhart "young and energetic and full of ideas" (The Independent, November 5, 2010).
And Brunckhart got off to a fast start, having a strong presence at the Massillon Holiday Parade.
It is important to the city's Republicans that we too have a voice in city government.
Massillon needs a strong Republican candidate in the November election.
Massillon needs a Republican primary where both candidates, Mr. Oser and Mr. Brunckhart, debate the city's problems, and discuss the best path forward for Massillon.
And in May, the Republicans will select a candidate, and the entire party needs to rally around that candidate.
But we need a spirited debate among our candidates so that good ideas rise to the surface.
From both Republican candidates.
Last week, the Independent ran a story about Senate Bill 5, the plan by the State of Ohio to rescind collective bargaining for public (state) employees.
The story asked for comment from the four candidates for mayor;
Mayor for Life Cicchinelli, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Andrew Oser, and Lee Brunckhart.
Only Brunckhart was not available for comment. The newspaper had to get his thoughts about Senate Bill 5 from his Facebook page.
This past Saturday, The Independent published an overview of the mayor's race.
The newspaper once again received comments from Mayor for Life Cicchinelli, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, and Andrew Oser.
Lee Brunckhart was once again unavailable for comment.
If Lee Brunckhart is a serious candidate for mayor, and we hope that he is, he needs to start talking to reporters. If they leave a message for him because he is unavailable, he needs to call them back.
If you can't answer questions from a reporter, and are always quoted as being "unavailable for comment," do you really think a whole lot of people will cast their vote for you?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Are You Done Yet?
The hardworking Massillon Review Staff likes to get together every month, blow off a little steam, drink a few lemonades, and enjoy our favorite guilty pleasure.
Watching the monthly Massillon School Board meeting on TV.
We call it "Everybody Loves Marshall."
We tune in every month to see a "decision made out of strength" unfold.
We tune in every month to see "one of the issues tearing at the board" be put to rest.
We tune in every month to see our President, Marshall Weinberg, lead our schools.
And run the meetings.
And talk.
And talk.
And talk.
Televising the monthly meetings was Marshall's idea.
It was revealed on the January episode of Everybody Loves Marshall that the cost of televising the meetings would be $10,000 dollars annually, plus about another $2,500 for the appropriate microphones to outfit the various city schools where the Massillon School Board alternates its monthly meetings.
We originally thought President Weinberg wanted to televise the meetings because he wanted everyone else in the city to fall in love with the sound of his own voice, just as he had.
Apparently, we were wrong.
Weinberg gave two reasons for televising the school board meetings.
The first reason was that the Independent, according to Weinberg, did not properly cover the election of new school board officers. How would the people know about the glory and the splendor that was the selection of Marshall Weinberg as school board president if our local newspaper did not properly acknowledge this seminal event?
The second reason was to refute "anonymous blogs."
"if there is one part of it (serving on the school board) that has been less than enjoyable it is the amazing amount of misinformation that is put out to our public. And where do they turn for the information? They go to these anonymous blogs" (Marshall Weinberg, Massillon School Board Meeting, January 26, 2011).
"misinformation"
Like "Recent issues including an assistant coach and booster club member growing and selling marijuana, could have been avoided, Weinberg said, if the football coach could report directly to the superintendent" (Marshall Weinberg, The Independent, March 30, 2010).
This was Weinberg's rationale for his support of the 'football first' plan, which would have made the head football coach the High School's Athletic Director, and an assistant coach the Assistant Athletic Director, and would have put football unquestionably at the top of the Washington High School food chain.
Misinformation. Claiming a drug crime could have been avoided if the football coach were the athletic director.
Misinformation.
Let us examine the costs to the taxpayer.
Televising the school board meetings - $12,500 dollars in 2011.
Anonymous Blogs - $0 dollars in 2011.
The never ending bloviating as Marshall Weinberg runs the school board meetings.
Priceless.
The high point of the February school board meeting was during a discussion of school district bills.
Weinberg had just delivered a lengthy soliloquy worth of a Shakespearean drama.
He then turns to the school district's treasurer, Teresa Emmerling, and says;
"Are you done yet."
We waited for the laugh track.
Watching the monthly Massillon School Board meeting on TV.
We call it "Everybody Loves Marshall."
We tune in every month to see a "decision made out of strength" unfold.
We tune in every month to see "one of the issues tearing at the board" be put to rest.
We tune in every month to see our President, Marshall Weinberg, lead our schools.
And run the meetings.
And talk.
And talk.
And talk.
Televising the monthly meetings was Marshall's idea.
It was revealed on the January episode of Everybody Loves Marshall that the cost of televising the meetings would be $10,000 dollars annually, plus about another $2,500 for the appropriate microphones to outfit the various city schools where the Massillon School Board alternates its monthly meetings.
We originally thought President Weinberg wanted to televise the meetings because he wanted everyone else in the city to fall in love with the sound of his own voice, just as he had.
Apparently, we were wrong.
Weinberg gave two reasons for televising the school board meetings.
The first reason was that the Independent, according to Weinberg, did not properly cover the election of new school board officers. How would the people know about the glory and the splendor that was the selection of Marshall Weinberg as school board president if our local newspaper did not properly acknowledge this seminal event?
The second reason was to refute "anonymous blogs."
"if there is one part of it (serving on the school board) that has been less than enjoyable it is the amazing amount of misinformation that is put out to our public. And where do they turn for the information? They go to these anonymous blogs" (Marshall Weinberg, Massillon School Board Meeting, January 26, 2011).
"misinformation"
Like "Recent issues including an assistant coach and booster club member growing and selling marijuana, could have been avoided, Weinberg said, if the football coach could report directly to the superintendent" (Marshall Weinberg, The Independent, March 30, 2010).
This was Weinberg's rationale for his support of the 'football first' plan, which would have made the head football coach the High School's Athletic Director, and an assistant coach the Assistant Athletic Director, and would have put football unquestionably at the top of the Washington High School food chain.
Misinformation. Claiming a drug crime could have been avoided if the football coach were the athletic director.
Misinformation.
Let us examine the costs to the taxpayer.
Televising the school board meetings - $12,500 dollars in 2011.
Anonymous Blogs - $0 dollars in 2011.
The never ending bloviating as Marshall Weinberg runs the school board meetings.
Priceless.
The high point of the February school board meeting was during a discussion of school district bills.
Weinberg had just delivered a lengthy soliloquy worth of a Shakespearean drama.
He then turns to the school district's treasurer, Teresa Emmerling, and says;
"Are you done yet."
We waited for the laugh track.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Saving Frank
On December 20, 2010, Massillon City Council voted down Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal's unbalanced budget.
The mayor's budget shell game was rejected by a vote of 5 to 4.
The loyal to the bitter end rubber stamp bloc of Taxman Hersher, Lap Dog of the Treasury Manson, David "I am the law" McCune and Ron Mang voted for the mayor's unbalanced budget.
Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Tony Townsend, Gary Anderson, Larry Slagle and Donnie Peters voted no.
On March 9th, 68 days into 2011, Massillon City Council will once again be voting on the city's 2011 budget.
And what did our Sovereign Mayor change in his budget proposal after it was rejected in December?
Nothing.
The March budget is actually worse than the one rejected in December. $337,000 dollars of 2011 money was needed to pay 2010 bills.
Why didn't the mayor go back to the drawing board and fix his budget?
Two reasons.
1.) The mayor is NEVER wrong.
2.) It's not his problem.
"Cicchinelli said Friday that if council votes against the budget when it comes up for a third reading on March 9, that it is its (council's) responsibility to make changes" (The Independent, February 22, 2011).
And what will he do if the same people vote the same way on the same budget.
Nothing.
Because the same people won't be voting the same way on the same budget.
The mayor's plan, if you can call it such, is to have either Larry Slagle or Donnie Peters change his vote.
And one of them will flip flop.
Or both of them will flip flop.
It's just a question of who.
After Peters voted against the mayor's train wreck of a budget on December 20, the tax problems affecting Peters' downtown business, the Checkered Flag NASCAR store, "mysteriously" found their way to the Independent newspaper.
Of course, this was just a coincidence, and Lord knows our mayor for life is such a reasonable and non-vindictive personality that he was in no way connected with this event.
Peters is still a Cicchinelli devotee. He is a generous contributor to the mayor's campaign fund, and we are sure the tax issue is now water under the bridge.
Peters could cheerfully put away his Republican In Name Only pseudo conservative beliefs, and help his pal the mayor out with his vote.
Failing to pass a budget would cripple the mayor as he heads into a May showdown with Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Glenn Gamber, is probably working Peters over to get his vote for the mayor.
Larry Slagle is also a strong candidate for flip flopping.
Slagle is a close pal of the Mayor's Legal Beagle, Law Director Pericles Stergios.
Team Cicchinelli is probably working on Slagle's perceived sense of fairness in getting him to change his vote.
We can just hear it.
We imagine the discussions going a lot like this;
"Larry, if the mayor's budget doesn't pass, it will hurt him politically. We know the budget is an unbalanced pile of crap, but you have to help save Frank."
Save Frank.
It's not about the financial health of the city.
It's not about what is right, and what is wrong.
It's about "Saving Frank."
And one, or both, of these members of city council will toss their convictions out the window, so they can appease the various city insiders who profit from this mayor, and they will vote to "Save Frank."
The mayor's budget shell game was rejected by a vote of 5 to 4.
The loyal to the bitter end rubber stamp bloc of Taxman Hersher, Lap Dog of the Treasury Manson, David "I am the law" McCune and Ron Mang voted for the mayor's unbalanced budget.
Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Tony Townsend, Gary Anderson, Larry Slagle and Donnie Peters voted no.
On March 9th, 68 days into 2011, Massillon City Council will once again be voting on the city's 2011 budget.
And what did our Sovereign Mayor change in his budget proposal after it was rejected in December?
Nothing.
The March budget is actually worse than the one rejected in December. $337,000 dollars of 2011 money was needed to pay 2010 bills.
Why didn't the mayor go back to the drawing board and fix his budget?
Two reasons.
1.) The mayor is NEVER wrong.
2.) It's not his problem.
"Cicchinelli said Friday that if council votes against the budget when it comes up for a third reading on March 9, that it is its (council's) responsibility to make changes" (The Independent, February 22, 2011).
And what will he do if the same people vote the same way on the same budget.
Nothing.
Because the same people won't be voting the same way on the same budget.
The mayor's plan, if you can call it such, is to have either Larry Slagle or Donnie Peters change his vote.
And one of them will flip flop.
Or both of them will flip flop.
It's just a question of who.
After Peters voted against the mayor's train wreck of a budget on December 20, the tax problems affecting Peters' downtown business, the Checkered Flag NASCAR store, "mysteriously" found their way to the Independent newspaper.
Of course, this was just a coincidence, and Lord knows our mayor for life is such a reasonable and non-vindictive personality that he was in no way connected with this event.
Peters is still a Cicchinelli devotee. He is a generous contributor to the mayor's campaign fund, and we are sure the tax issue is now water under the bridge.
Peters could cheerfully put away his Republican In Name Only pseudo conservative beliefs, and help his pal the mayor out with his vote.
Failing to pass a budget would cripple the mayor as he heads into a May showdown with Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Glenn Gamber, is probably working Peters over to get his vote for the mayor.
Larry Slagle is also a strong candidate for flip flopping.
Slagle is a close pal of the Mayor's Legal Beagle, Law Director Pericles Stergios.
Team Cicchinelli is probably working on Slagle's perceived sense of fairness in getting him to change his vote.
We can just hear it.
We imagine the discussions going a lot like this;
"Larry, if the mayor's budget doesn't pass, it will hurt him politically. We know the budget is an unbalanced pile of crap, but you have to help save Frank."
Save Frank.
It's not about the financial health of the city.
It's not about what is right, and what is wrong.
It's about "Saving Frank."
And one, or both, of these members of city council will toss their convictions out the window, so they can appease the various city insiders who profit from this mayor, and they will vote to "Save Frank."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It's Raining, It's Pouring. The Mayor for Life is Snoring
The City of Massillon has closed Reservoir and South Sippo parks until further notice because of flooding.
And what is holding back the flood waters of Reservoir Park?
Why the Reservoir Dam is.
The very same Reservoir Dam that was given a First Class Hazard rating by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) because it poses a risk of "probable loss of human life."
Probable loss of human life.
Hey, we shouldn't blame the city, they have only known about this problem for the last ten years or so;
"in 2000, the city submitted repair plans and a hydrologic and hydraulic study to the ODNR, but it (the city) never resubmitted it to ODNR after the agency made comments to the plans" (The Independent, February 17, 2011).
Of course, who could blame our beloved Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, and his Lackey Extraordinaire, Parks Czar Kenn Kaminski.
These dams must be extremely complicated with all the "hydrologic and hydraulic" technical stuff involved.
What could the city possibly do?
Well, the ODNR had some suggestions. Due to the technical nature of these recommendations, we understand that they may be hard to follow.
Remove brush from the upstream slope shoreline and around the spillway sidewalls. Seed all disturbed areas to provide proper grass cover.
Repair erosion gullies on the downstream slope.
Repair the rodent burrows on the upstream slope.
Remove or grind down the tree stubs on the embankment.
Remove planters on the downstream slope .
It took a report from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to tell Kenn Kaminski to remove brush, plant grass, remove tree stumps, and fill in rodent burrows.
Wow. Look at Massillon.
Lackey Extraordinaire Kaminski finally put forth a proposal that the "independent" parks board approved for a comprehensive engineering study of the dam. The study will provide plans on how to replace, or repair the dam.
The study will cost $40,700 dollars.
According to Kaminski, "The funding for this project with our current budget is going to be difficult..." (The Independent, February 17, 2011).
Difficult.
Probable loss of human life.
Difficult.
It wasn't "difficult" to find the last $50,000 dollar payment for the Club Legends restaurant at the golf course in this year's budget, was it?
It wasn't difficult to use parks dollars to pay on the debt at the Legends of Massillon golf course this year, was it?
Let us all hope the dam holds up just a little longer so that we don't have to worry about "probable loss of human life."
And let's hope finding the necessary dollars to fix the dam, and avoid "probable loss of human life" won't be "difficult" either.
And what is holding back the flood waters of Reservoir Park?
Why the Reservoir Dam is.
The very same Reservoir Dam that was given a First Class Hazard rating by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) because it poses a risk of "probable loss of human life."
Probable loss of human life.
Hey, we shouldn't blame the city, they have only known about this problem for the last ten years or so;
"in 2000, the city submitted repair plans and a hydrologic and hydraulic study to the ODNR, but it (the city) never resubmitted it to ODNR after the agency made comments to the plans" (The Independent, February 17, 2011).
Of course, who could blame our beloved Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, and his Lackey Extraordinaire, Parks Czar Kenn Kaminski.
These dams must be extremely complicated with all the "hydrologic and hydraulic" technical stuff involved.
What could the city possibly do?
Well, the ODNR had some suggestions. Due to the technical nature of these recommendations, we understand that they may be hard to follow.
Remove brush from the upstream slope shoreline and around the spillway sidewalls. Seed all disturbed areas to provide proper grass cover.
Repair erosion gullies on the downstream slope.
Repair the rodent burrows on the upstream slope.
Remove or grind down the tree stubs on the embankment.
Remove planters on the downstream slope .
It took a report from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to tell Kenn Kaminski to remove brush, plant grass, remove tree stumps, and fill in rodent burrows.
Wow. Look at Massillon.
Lackey Extraordinaire Kaminski finally put forth a proposal that the "independent" parks board approved for a comprehensive engineering study of the dam. The study will provide plans on how to replace, or repair the dam.
The study will cost $40,700 dollars.
According to Kaminski, "The funding for this project with our current budget is going to be difficult..." (The Independent, February 17, 2011).
Difficult.
Probable loss of human life.
Difficult.
It wasn't "difficult" to find the last $50,000 dollar payment for the Club Legends restaurant at the golf course in this year's budget, was it?
It wasn't difficult to use parks dollars to pay on the debt at the Legends of Massillon golf course this year, was it?
Let us all hope the dam holds up just a little longer so that we don't have to worry about "probable loss of human life."
And let's hope finding the necessary dollars to fix the dam, and avoid "probable loss of human life" won't be "difficult" either.
Kudos to Marshall Weinberg
According to a story in this past weekend's Independent, Massillon School Board President Marshall Weinberg participated in Massillon Middle School's multicultural lessons last week.
"Weinberg talked with students about his faith and family heritage. His goal, he said, was to help them understand the world around them by exploring their own connections to Judaism" (The Independent, February 26, 2011).
Weinberg appeared to enjoy the class room experience and interacting with the kids.
We don't always agree with Weinberg, but he is a community leader, and his experiences and his heritage are life lessons that are of benefit to our children.
The community thanks Marshall for the generous gift of his time.
"Weinberg talked with students about his faith and family heritage. His goal, he said, was to help them understand the world around them by exploring their own connections to Judaism" (The Independent, February 26, 2011).
Weinberg appeared to enjoy the class room experience and interacting with the kids.
We don't always agree with Weinberg, but he is a community leader, and his experiences and his heritage are life lessons that are of benefit to our children.
The community thanks Marshall for the generous gift of his time.
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