Tough Love

Massillon City Auditor Marie Antoinette Fererro had some advice for the new mayor, Kathy Catazaro-Perry, in dealing with the monstrous budget hole that Fererro helped create, by acting as enabler in chief for her beloved former mayor, Frank Cicchinelli.

"She (Catazaro-Perry) is going to have to make cuts, make consolidations. She’s going to have to do some tough love.” (Jayne Ferrero, The Independent, January 20, 2012).

"make cuts"

"tough love"

Ferrero has been on a jihad as of late, personally blasting a hole into the city's already weakened finances.

 Ferrero is intentionally shorting the new mayor about three million dollars so Ferrero may pay off the old mayor's bills.

Right now.

So Catazaro-Perry will have to not only cover this year's bills this year,

but she will have to cover last year's bills as well.

Frank's bills.

But it's OK, because Jayne Ferrero has the answers;

"She (Catazaro-Perry) is going to have to make cuts, make consolidations. She’s going to have to do some tough love.” (Jayne Ferrero, The Independent, January 20, 2012).


again, "tough love"

again, "make cuts"

So, in the spirit of making cuts, Jayne Ferrero's top assistant, her second in command, her Deputy Auditor, Pat Pentello, comes to city council last night and pleads with city council to not make cuts, to not freeze employee compensation.

"Deputy Auditor Pat Pentello told council that non-union employees should not be the first group asked to make sacrifices" (The Independent, February 8, 2012).

Perhaps Pentello did not receive her boss's "tough love" memo?

We are supremely confident that Auditor Ferrero knew that her second in command was coming to council to plead against "making cuts," and to argue against "tough love."

We are beginning to think that Ferrero's "tough love" mantra is only meant for one person.

Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry.

While Auditor Ferrero's Top Assistant was arguing against budget cuts, her brother in law John Ferrero's Top Assistant was arguing against raising additional revenue.

Chief Counsel to Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, John Kurtzman, was arguing against reducing the city's 100% tax credit.

"John Kurtzman, chief counsel for Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, spoke against the tax-credit reduction, which would run for two years starting April 1" (The Independent, February 8, 2012).

Currently John Kurtzman and his boss, Prosecutor John Ferrero, pay zero (that's zero with a "z") taxes to the City of Massillon.

And they don't want that changed.

Now, Kurtzman was all for taxes before he was against taxes.

Kurtzman, just last fall, was stumping for an increase in the county sales tax at the behest of his boss, John Ferrero.

"John L. Kurtzman, chief counsel for the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office, told (Tuscarawas Township) trustees that Sheriff Timothy Swanson will hire back deputies if the tax passes and that some would be assigned to road patrol."

"Kurtzman, like many other county officials, encouraged trustees to pass a resolution of support. He highlighted several points regarding the tax, including that 30 percent of it will be paid by visitors to the county. The tax issue will appear as Issue 29 on the ballot" (The Independent, October 12, 2011).

Didn't John Kurtzman realize the devastating impact an increased sales tax would have on our community?

Let's just ask John Kurtzman.

“You are now pitting families against families,” he said. “When these people file their tax returns in April, they have to pay more taxes...They are taking food away from their children" (The Independent, February 8, 2012).

Kurtzman had no issue against "taking food away from their children" when he worked to raise the county sales tax.

We are also supremely confident that Prosecutor John Ferrero knew his second in command was coming to city council to oppose the raising of new revenues.

So, to sum up;

The City is facing a multi-million dollar shortfall created by our prior mayor's reckless, unchecked spending.

The shortfall has been exacerbated by Auditor Ferrero shorting the city revenues she could have certified for 2012, and paying all of Frank Cicchinelli's unpaid bills right now, this second, and not allowing the new administration to negotiate a payment plan.

While Auditor Ferrero's second in command is arguing against cuts,

Her brother in law's second in command is arguing against raising new revenue.

So, the Ferrero family plan for city government is to do nothing.

No cuts.

No new revenue.

So that the new mayor is blamed when Massillon government burns down to the ground in the center of a multi-million dollar shortfall.

Let's just call it "tough love."

For only one person.

For Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry.