Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for 44 days, King Francis the Debt Ridden, is leaving his successor a present on his way out the door.
$1.5 Million dollars in unpaid bills, and no money with which to pay them.
It has become clear that the current mayor's financial plan for his final months in charge is to hang on financially until January 1st, and dump his mountain of unpaid bills on his successor, Mayor Elect Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
This works on several levels for our Extraordinary Leader.
Firstly, as our Faithful Readers have come to realize, the buck never, and we mean never, stops at our mayor's desk. As long as the electric company doesn't turn off the lights by the end of the year, he can dump his binge spending and unpaid bills on his successor, without ever having to deal with the consequences.
Secondly, Kathy Catazaro-Perry defeated our beloved leader in the Democratic primary this past May and ended his 24 year run as Massillon's Leader Supreme. It is no secret that Catazaro-Perry is Cicchinelli's most despised of enemies, which is an accomplishment for someone who has an enemies list as long as our current mayor has.
She must be punished for her treachery.
And punished she will be.
"There also will be a projected $1.5 million year-end deficit, which includes unpaid installments to the fire pension account and for dispatching expenses incurred at the Regional Emergency Dispatch Center" (The Independent, November 16, 2011).
"... and for dispatching expenses incurred at the Regional Emergency Dispatch Center"
We aren't paying for "dispatching expenses?"
You know, the people you call to summon the fire department in case your house is burning, or your spouse is having a heart attack?
Dispatching.
Seems like that should be higher up on the priority list.
Even before paving the mayor's street.
Or paying the mortgage for a housing complex, or a hotel.
Dispatching.
Well, when the fire trucks don't come because of non-payment for dispatching services, our Extraordinary Leader will probably be out of office, and he can blame the "next guy" (or gal).
We envision Catazaro-Perry's plight when she assumes office in January akin to the hapless Wile E. Coyote of cartoon fame.
Waiting at the bottom of the cliff for the anvil to fall on her head.
Mayor Cicchinelli has done nothing to deal with this shortfall.
His shortfall.
Nothing.
Except dump it on the next person.
Which, in examining his recent tenure as the city's chief executive, is an appropriate, and expected, way for him to exit the scene.
Leaving a mess that others will have to clean up.
