Innumerable Massillon Review sources have confirmed that the city is dead broke, and they have essentially stopped paying their bills.
Local merchants are not being paid for services rendered, or products delivered.
Employee pension payments are not being made, and the city is being penalized on top of the delinquent payments they already owe.
It appears that the city is unable to make the December bond payment on the Recreation Center, which is strange as the Rec Center is supposed to be paid with park tax money.
Must have been a miserable year at the golf course.
The only person who doesn't appear to have their "head in the sand," is Third Ward Council member, and mayoral hopeful, Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
She has met with the state auditors to discuss our extraordinary financial problems.
Even though the city can't pay its bills, and indeed has stopped paying bills, her colleagues on city council insist on spending the city's money like drunken sailors on shore leave.
On Monday night, Massillon City Council chose to spend $109,000 to fix streets.
Five streets.
The mayor's street and four others, at the behest of the City Engineer, Keith Dylewski.
Dylewski lied about a street ratings system, but it didn't matter to our esteemed council.
The mayor's street is getting fixed.
The Boy Wonder, Councilman Larry Slagle, exclaimed that it was a matter of safety that we pave the mayor's extraordinarily dangerous street by the Legends Golf Course.
We know, we know, don't worry, "the dollars will be there."
Slagle's partner, The Lap Dog of the Treasury, Council Finance Chair Paul Manson, doesn't have a problem spending money the city doesn't have.
It seems that Manson has a firm grip on the situation;
"We do understand this very well," he told her (Kathy Catazaro-Perry). "Maybe your problem is you don't understand it. We are not in fiscal watch. We are not in fiscal emergency. We do have bills that we have to pick and choose, but the city does not stop moving" (Paul Manson, The Independent, 9/21/11).
Thanks Paul. Rest assured, all is well, because "we are not in fiscal emergency."
Firstly, fiscal emergency means that, literally, the state comes in and assumes control of the city because the locals screwed it up so bad, they can't be trusted to run their own government.
In Paul Manson's world, until that happens, everything is fine.
Secondly, "We do have bills that we have to pick and choose"
You "pick and choose" which bills you pay?
Seriously?
When you order goods and services, do you explain to the local merchant that he may not get paid, because we "pick and choose" which bills to pay?
Paul Manson is right on one point.
Kathy Catazaro-Perry doesn't understand.
She doesn't understand the one fundamental truth of Massillon City government.
The inmates are clearly running the asylum.
