Do Nothing

They were back.

Massillon Auditor Jayne Ferrero's top assistant, Chief Deputy Auditor Pat Pentello, and Stark County Prosecutor John Fererro's top assistant, Chief Counsel John Kurtzman.

They were back to make an encore performance at city council to pitch the Ferrero family plan to fix Massillon city government.

Do nothing.

With the City of Massillon is swimming in a 'vat of red ink,' awash in unpaid bills as a result of former mayor Frank Cicchinelli's unchecked overspending, and current city auditor, and Cicchinelli ally Jayne Ferrero, providing the unchecked part, city finances are facing a multi-million dollar deficit.

New mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry has a plan.

Cut spending and raise additional money to dig the city out of the financial chasm created by Frank Cicchinelli and exacerbated by Auditor Ferrero.

Ferrero's non-existent oversight over Cicchinelli's reckless spending was akin to giving a drunken Kardashian sister a gold card and dropping her in the middle of a shopping mall.

There was excessive spending.

Back in November, Auditor Ferrero had a plan to raise revenue.

Currently Massillon has a 100% tax credit.

This means that if you live in Massillon, and work in another city with an income tax, like Canton, you would pay 100% of the income tax due Canton, where you work, and 0% (that's zero with a 'z') income tax to Massillon, where you live.

Auditor Ferrero wanted to reduce this credit to 50%.

The effect would be that Massillon residents who currently pay no city income tax, would pay half the city's income tax, a tax rate of less than 1%.

Jayne Ferrero pitched her tax plan.

Until her brother in law, Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, opposed it.

John Ferrero currently earns $115,703 dollars annually as Stark County Prosecutor.

He lives in Massillon.

He pays $0 dollars (that's zero with a 'z') in city income tax.

He opposes the reduction in the tax credit.

After working last year to raise our sales tax to provide funds for his own government office.

The tax credit reduction was Jayne Ferrero's idea.

And when brother in law John Ferrero opposed it, she grew silent.

Last night at city council, her chief deputy auditor, Pat Pentello spoke.

Pentello argued against employees having to pay a small part of their government provided health insurance.

Pentello, who as a result of her job duties, should know better than most people just how bad the city's finances are, quickly put her own interests ahead of the common good.

She argued against employees paying a piece of their insurance.

She once more argued against cuts.

John Ferrero's chief counsel, John Kurtzman, with his boss sitting in the room, once more spoke against reducing the tax credit.

He once more argued against raising revenues.

So, for the second council meeting in a row, the top assistants for Auitor Jayne Ferrero and Prosecutor John Ferrero, pitched the Ferrero family plan for Massillon.

No cuts.

No revenue.

Do nothing.

Their long time political ally Frank Cicchinelli must be very proud.

He couldn't have done any better himself in setting the city up for failure this year.

 His proxies are doing an extraordinary job.