Today is Election Day in our fair city.
Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for 53 days will be replaced with his successor by day's end, most likely by his most despised of rivals, Third Ward Council Representative Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
Catazaro-Perry will inherit a city deeply mired in debt.
She will inherit a city that is so broke it has stopped paying most of its bills.
She will inherit a city which is the victim of bad development deal after bad development deal, where the taxpayers are left holding the bag.
She will inherit a city whose leader has decided to fiddle while Rome burns.
Leading our city will be a daunting task.
But does it really matter who is chosen as mayor today?
The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, is running unopposed today.
The Mayor's Loyal Defender, and self proclaimed "Financial Officer" of the city (The Independent, November 1, 2011), Jayne Ferrero, is running unopposed today.
The Mayor's Legal Beagle, Law Director Perry Stergios, is running unopposed today.
Finance Chairman Paul Manson, the loyalist of loyalists, will be, in all likelihood, re-elected today.
Taxman Dave Hersher and The Absent One, Councilman David McCune, may be in a fight today for political survival, but they may well survive.
The only person who may be gone from the Cicchinelli regime could be Frank Cicchinelli himself.
Will the aforementioned survivors carry on the battle while their leader hunkers down in opposition?
Will they move on from the Cicchinelli era and stake out their own positions?
It is this question that will determine our city's future more than who will be chosen as the next mayor.
Will Team Cicchinelli still be a team with its Quarterback on the sidelines?
Team Cicchinelli has worked vigorously behind the scenes to assist The Common Man, Lee Brunckhart, in the race for mayor. Once this effort fails, will they give up the ghost?
Or will they carry on.
The smart money is with the latter.
