Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for 117 Days, King Francis the Unavailable for Comment is, has been, and will always be ten moves ahead of Massillon City Council on the political chess board.
After spending the four months since his election defeat ignoring the city's monstrous budget shortfall, pushing police and fire contract negotiations off on to the next mayor, having nothing to say about the latest sweetheart deal to collapse, the Duncan Place senior housing project, residing on one of the five worst streets in the city, and generally being unavailable for comment on any topic, our beloved mayor has one policy concern that he wishes to address before his term of office expires at the end of the year.
He wants to redraw the boundaries for Massillon's six council wards.
By law, the city's six council wards must have populations that are about equal. Typically, these boundaries are drawn after each census, every ten years, to adjust for population changes.
And the mayor wants to offer his assistance to city council.
He has proposed a committee of five people to do the work.
Including himself.
As well as;
Community Development Director Aane Aaby (an appointee of the mayor)
The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber
A Republican member of city council (can only be Donnie Peters)
A Democratic member of city council (our guess is Paul Manson)
A Committee of five, just like the Park Board, with the mayor controlling at least three of the five votes (just like the park board).
This esteemed committee of five will be controlled by the mayor.
In essence, the mayor could draw the new council borders any way he wants, potentially leaving those he considers his enemies without a council seat.
Our guess is that either Tony Townsend, or Gary Anderson (or both) will be seatless, thrown into another member's ward, when the music stops.
That way our mayor can run candidates more to his liking in the new wards.
And he has the votes to do it.
All he needs is four votes.
Council has nine members, but longtime member Ron Mang has been ill, and unable to participate in council business, so there are effectively eight council members available for a vote.
Council members McCune, Manson, and Hersher will cheerfully rubber stamp the mayor's proposal.
Donnie Peters will vote for it because he gets to be on the committee, and can cut a deal to protect his own council seat.
And if Larry Slagle doesn't support it, it doesn't matter, as the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, gets to vote when there is a tie.
And our mayor will get to draw the new council boundaries.
So much for separate branches of government, and the separation of power.
City Council should be extremely suspicious of letting the mayor draw these council boundaries.
He hasn't been interested in city government since his defeat in the May Democratic primary.
Until now.
It makes one wonder why.
City council would be better served by keeping the mayor, who has an axe to grind, from participating in this process. They should choose committee members who aren't guided by their personal political agendas.
Letting Frank Cicchinelli control the city council boundaries is akin to letting the proverbial fox guard the hen house.
You are going to end up with chicken for dinner every single time.
