The Zombie Apocalypse

The Undead.

You just can't be rid of them.

No matter what you do, they just won't go away.

"...he (Frank Cicchinelli), is an extraordinary mayor."
      - Former Safety Service Director Mike Loudiana

Extraordinary.

Hold that thought.

In November of 2002, Massillon City Council finalized a general obligation bond on the Legends of Massillon Golf Course, for roughly $7,281,000 dollars. This took the old debt from the original 18 hole course, rolled it in with the nine hole expansion, which was over budget, and created one really big loan that the city administration knew it could never pay back.

But our once and future Mayor for Life was a man with a plan.

He was going to unload the unprofitable, debt ridden legends of Massillon Golf Course on to the Parks and Recreation Board.

This happened ten years ago.

It was ten years ago almost to the night that Massillon's City Council decided to "streamline" city government and "merge" the debt ridden Legends of Massillon Golf Course with the Parks and Recreation Department.

Of course, our Extraordinary former Mayor didn't concoct this ruse without cover.

He claimed his financial hi jinx were merely an attempt to "streamline" city government.

"The Mayor explained that the merging of these two areas will maximize resources of the current departments and provide an organizational structure which will promote efficient operations giving top notch service to the public. The Mayor believes this decision now, in the long term, will be beneficial to everyone, and he stated that they promised the citizens that the city would not subsidize this golf course" (Parks and Recreation Board minutes, November 14, 2002).

Cicchinelli claimed that his proposal "was not a big scheme to have the parks department cover the golf course's expenses" (The Repository, December 17, 2002).

Except that it was "a big scheme to have the parks department cover the golf course's expenses."

A scheme that won't be paid off until 2032.

But he couldn't have done this alone.

Oh, no.

He had help.

He had the vote of then Massillon City Councilman Mike Loudiana.

And Mike was such an extraordinary supporter of our former mayor, that Cicchinelli eventually made Mike Loudiana his safety service director, essentially his right hand man in directing our fair city's ship of state.

And it was Mike Loudiana who was at our Extraordinary Mayor for Life's side while our mayor led our fair city into millions of dollars of debt, all the while racking up copious overtime for himself.

One would think that when the voters repudiated the Extraordinary One, a nickname whose genesis found life in Safety Service Director Loudiana's now infamous quote, that Loudiana would recognize his own role in this debacle, and quietly ride off in to the sunset.

Well, one would be wrong.

According to records at the Stark County Board of Elections, Mike Loudiana is making a comeback, and is running for a Massillon Council seat representing the First Ward, a seat currently held by Sarita Cunningham-Hedderly.

Hey, it's been a year, hopefully everyone will have forgotten Loudiana's role as a key player in the Cichinelli administration.

Or not.

We don't imagine this being the only attempt at political comeback by Team Cicchinelli alumni.

Just the first.