"When Kathy Catazaro-Perry takes over as the city’s mayor early next month, she will not have much time for on-the-job training before having to jump head-first into the vat of budgetary red ink inherited from the current administration" (Editorial, The Independent, November 30, 2011).
The Independent, in it's editorial today, supported Mayor Elect Kathy Catazaro-Perry's plan to buy low mileage used vehicles from Jackson Township at a fraction of the cost of new vehicles.
http://www.indeonline.com/local_news/x1141555516/Majority-of-council-backs-plan-to-buy-used-to-ready-snow-fleet
This seems like a sensible idea to almost everyone.
With what appears to be one extraordinary exception.
Catazaro-Perry is pitching a plan to spend $24,000 dollars to purchase two used dump trucks and two Jeep Cherokees. She realizes the city is dead broke, but still needs vehicles.
The current administration is pitching a plan to purchase, on a three year lease to own agreement, two dump trucks for $205,764 dollars.
Our crack Massillon Review finance team has calculated that the Cicchinelli plan would be $181,764 dollars more than the Catazaro-Perry plan.
Enough money for our dead beat city to pay it's delinquent dispatching bill.
Dispatching.
The people who summon the ambulance to our house if a family member is having a heart attack, or the police when someone is trying to break into our home.
Dispatching.
The Catazaro-Perry plan seems like a no brainer.
It makes financial sense.
The local newspaper thinks it to be a fine idea.
The majority of council seems to be on board.
So how to kill it?
"(Safety-Service Director Mike) Loudiana said he would ask the city’s mechanic to look at the township’s two dump trucks, but cautioned council about buying used" (The Independent, November 29, 2011).
The more cynical among us might be ready to declare 'Shenanigans.'
The more cynical among us may suspect that the truck inspection process is a little like the process which was used to determine the five worst streets in Massillon in need of repair this year.
Flawed.
According to City Engineer Keith Dylewski, these "select streets" "scored high on a ratings system used by his department" (Keith Dylewski justifying repairs to the mayor's street, The Independent, August 16, 2011).
and then;
"Correcting an earlier report, Dylewski said the paving project was not scored on a ratings system, but its condition still warrants the proposed repairs" (The Independent, August 29, 2011).
The more cynical amongst us might believe that the city mechanic sent out to inspect these vehicles will determine that they are unfit for even demolition derby, and that the city's only viable solution is to buy the new vehicles.
As our mayor originally proposed.
So that the vat of budgetary red ink becomes just a little deeper.
