This was sent to us by one of our Faithful Readers, apparantly one with plenty of free time.
For those of us who have been wondering what our former Mayor for Life has been up to in retirement.
It looks like he is attempting to rally the young people of Massillon in advance of his extraordinary return to city leadership.
Now, in keeping with our never ending quest to be fair and balanced, we want a dance video of our current mayor,
As a participant in Dancing with the Stars, we imagine she would bust a better move, and cut a better rug.
Not that our former mayor's dance stylings are anything short of extraordinary.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Reminiscing
One of our faithful readers sent us this picture from the 2002 Washington High School Yearbook -
The ill-fated Arena groundbreaking.
The ill-fated Arena groundbreaking.
Yeah, Mayor Cicchinelli was 'instrumental' in moving this project from the drafting board into reality.
Just ask Global Arbitrage and the Banco de Brasil.
We wonder if Steve Waldman, The Arena's proposed financier, is out of prison yet.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Ruining Your Chances
When Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry proposed reducing the City's income tax credit from a 100% credit to a 50% credit, and then later to a 65% credit, she didn't receive a lot of support from City Council's Finance Chairman, Donnie Peters.
When the issue was last defeated in September, Peters decried that "the credit reduction would have angered a third of the city’s voters.“Than you ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase,” (The Independent, September 5, 2012).
This 'third of the city's voters' Peters is referring to don't pay any Massillon income tax.
That's because Massillon is a city that has a 100% tax credit.
This means that if you live in Massillon, but work in another city, say Canton, you pay 100% of Canton's income tax, and pay no income tax in Massillon, where you live.
A 100% tax credit for taxes paid to another city is applied to your Massillon tax bill.
And, according to Peters, trying to reduce the tax credit from a 100% credit, means you "ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase."
The proposal last September was to lower the tax credit from 100% to 65%, meaning that people who work in another city, but live in Massillon, would have to pay roughly 1/3 of the income tax that everyone else pays.
Of course, according to Chief Counsel to the Stark County Prosecutor, John Kurtzman, this is unacceptable, as it takes food of our plates, and shoes off our feet.
A two thirds of 1% income tax for Massillon, where he lives, will vastly impact his ability to feed and clothe himself.
Fair enough.
So, in September, Finance Chairman Donnie Peters was unequivocally clear. A tax credit reduction means an income tax increase can never pass.
Again, fair enough.
The question then becomes, why is Peters now championing a .3% income tax increase, coupled with elimination of the 100% tax credit on the proposed .3% increase?
It appears, in the spirit of former Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry's infamous flip-flopping, that Donnie was "against it, before he was for it."
It just doesn't make any sense.
An increase in the income tax rate would have to be approved by a vote of the people.
And Peters clearly stated that, "the credit reduction would have angered a third of the city’s voters.“Than you ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase."
Yet he is now proposing the very thing he claimed would anger the voters.
According to Peters, it won't pass.
So why is he doing it?
What is really going on here?
When the issue was last defeated in September, Peters decried that "the credit reduction would have angered a third of the city’s voters.“Than you ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase,” (The Independent, September 5, 2012).
This 'third of the city's voters' Peters is referring to don't pay any Massillon income tax.
That's because Massillon is a city that has a 100% tax credit.
This means that if you live in Massillon, but work in another city, say Canton, you pay 100% of Canton's income tax, and pay no income tax in Massillon, where you live.
A 100% tax credit for taxes paid to another city is applied to your Massillon tax bill.
And, according to Peters, trying to reduce the tax credit from a 100% credit, means you "ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase."
The proposal last September was to lower the tax credit from 100% to 65%, meaning that people who work in another city, but live in Massillon, would have to pay roughly 1/3 of the income tax that everyone else pays.
Of course, according to Chief Counsel to the Stark County Prosecutor, John Kurtzman, this is unacceptable, as it takes food of our plates, and shoes off our feet.
A two thirds of 1% income tax for Massillon, where he lives, will vastly impact his ability to feed and clothe himself.
Fair enough.
So, in September, Finance Chairman Donnie Peters was unequivocally clear. A tax credit reduction means an income tax increase can never pass.
Again, fair enough.
The question then becomes, why is Peters now championing a .3% income tax increase, coupled with elimination of the 100% tax credit on the proposed .3% increase?
It appears, in the spirit of former Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry's infamous flip-flopping, that Donnie was "against it, before he was for it."
It just doesn't make any sense.
An increase in the income tax rate would have to be approved by a vote of the people.
And Peters clearly stated that, "the credit reduction would have angered a third of the city’s voters.“Than you ruin your chances of ever passing an income tax increase."
Yet he is now proposing the very thing he claimed would anger the voters.
According to Peters, it won't pass.
So why is he doing it?
What is really going on here?
Monday, December 24, 2012
Twas the Night Before Christmas
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...
The clatter and noise on the roof of the Massillon Review can only mean one extraordinary thing!
It's the return of Massillon's very own Surly Old St. Nick, the Extraordinary One, none other than Santa Frank.
Welcome back, Santa Frank!
"Ho, Ho, Ho... Santa is back with a vengeance this Christmas Eve, but truth be known, Santa has never really left the North Pole. Kathy What's Her Name can have the reigns to Santa's sleigh when she pries them from Santa's cold, dead hands!"
"Santa's loyal elves have kept the City Hall, I mean the 'North Pole Workshop' humming along in Santa's absence, laying the groundwork for Santa's triumphant return!"
"As a result, Santa has plenty of toys for Massillon's good girls and boys, and for the rest of you anti-Santa, anti-North Pole carpetbaggers, Santa has brought extra coal this year!"
"Ho, Ho, Ho! Santa sees that his favorite elf, Santa's Loyal Enforcer, has announced his retirement. Well, don't anyone worry! Santa found a way to keep his Loyal Enforcer in office before when the going got tough, and Santa is confident the Loyal Enforcer will end up un-retiring... again. Look for him to pop up in another North Pole office just as soon as he collects his pension and health care benefits. While Santa's Loyal Enforcer has faithfully mustered the troops to oppose the new mayor, we are a bit concerned about his driving abilities. Even Santa's sleigh has occasionally clipped the odd car in the parking lot, but to hit the same care twice in one night, well, that takes some doing. Santa is putting driving lessons in his stocking this year. When the Loyal Enforcer comes out of retirement... again, native born North Poleians need not fear parking next to him!"
"Now, Santa sees that North Pole City Treasurer Paul Lambert is retiring. Mrs. Santa has a little free time these days. And she isn't one to sit home and bake cookies. "That Woman" who temporarily took Santa's job as mayor should appoint Mrs. Claus as treasurer. Mrs. Claus and she have much in common. Neither one is actually from Massillon! Ho, Ho, Ho!"
"Santa sees that Santa's former Safety Service Director, Mike Loudiana, is throwing his hat into the ring to run for North Pole City Council. Santa couldn't have run the North Pole without Mike's help. Mike has taken a lot of flak for calling Santa, "Extraordinary," but Mike can't help calling them like he sees them! Mike's gift this year is a case of amnesia for the North Pole voters. Once they remember how Mike helped put the North Pole in the mess it's in now, and once people see the vast overtime he racked up as North Pole Safety Service Director, the voters of the North Pole's First Ward may not see fit to elect him. And that would be an extraordinary shame."
"Santa wants to personally thank the North Pole Auditor's office for the fine work they have done this past year. The Auditor elves do fantastic work keeping Santa informed of "That Woman's" dealings, and they worked vigorously to help Santa cover his proverbial behind as Santa left the North Pole Mayor's office last year. "That Woman" has an incredible mess on her hand, and without the Auditor's office exacerbating the situation, Santa would have been left holding more of the bag! They get Santa's unending gratitude! Ho, Ho, Ho!"
"Now, not all of Santa's former elves were as loyal as they could have been. Former North Pole Community Development Director Aane Aaby refused to quit before "That Woman" took office. He actually helped with the transition and taught the New Guy how to pay the Hotel bill! Aane Aaby gets a big lump of coal. The New Guy gets saddled with Santa's Hotel Deal, which is worse than getting a lump of coal!"
"Fire Chief Burgasser gets a lump of coal, too. Even though the North Pole Fire Station should have been condemned years ago, as Santa never kept it maintained properly, Chief Burgasser should have fought harder when "That Woman" closed it. And Santa called and gave him Hell for not doing it."
"Now what to give the ungrateful residents of the North Pole, who turned Santa Frank out after a mere 24 years in charge? Well, Santa left everyone the same thing in their collective stockings. The debt on the golf course. Which brings Santa to one of his favorite elves, Elf Moe. Elf Moe helped Santa unload the North Pole golf debt on the North Pole Parks and Recreation Department in the first place. Elf Moe voted to do it. And while Santa was in charge at the North Pole, Elf Moe said nary a word. But once Santa left, and "That Woman" took over, Elf Moe has had a change of heart. Elf Moe wants to give the golf course back. Forget the fact the North Pole is millions in debt and would literally collapse if that happened. Elf Moe is an elf on a mission, making "That Woman's" life miserable. Elf Moe gets a shiny new big screen television for the Legends of the North Pole Golf Course Club House. Money well spent!"
"The rest of you get the millions of debt we still owe, which won't be paid off until 2032. Ho, Ho, Ho!"
"As for Santa, it is much easier to drive his sleigh, now that Santa Claus Lane is no longer one of the Five Worst Roads at the North Pole, as determined by a study of a study that never happened. As for "That Woman," who temporarily took Santa's job, she got the mother of all disasters, the debt ridden, vat of red ink known as North Pole City government. And most of all, she gets no help in cleaning up the mess that Santa left her, which is the biggest lump of coal in Santa's bag. Ho, Ho, Ha, Ha!"
"Santa is back. And to quote Louie Brio's most recent Express Lube ad, it's good to be back riding with the boys!"
Believe!
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...
The clatter and noise on the roof of the Massillon Review can only mean one extraordinary thing!
It's the return of Massillon's very own Surly Old St. Nick, the Extraordinary One, none other than Santa Frank.
Welcome back, Santa Frank!
"Ho, Ho, Ho... Santa is back with a vengeance this Christmas Eve, but truth be known, Santa has never really left the North Pole. Kathy What's Her Name can have the reigns to Santa's sleigh when she pries them from Santa's cold, dead hands!"
"Santa's loyal elves have kept the City Hall, I mean the 'North Pole Workshop' humming along in Santa's absence, laying the groundwork for Santa's triumphant return!"
"As a result, Santa has plenty of toys for Massillon's good girls and boys, and for the rest of you anti-Santa, anti-North Pole carpetbaggers, Santa has brought extra coal this year!"
"Ho, Ho, Ho! Santa sees that his favorite elf, Santa's Loyal Enforcer, has announced his retirement. Well, don't anyone worry! Santa found a way to keep his Loyal Enforcer in office before when the going got tough, and Santa is confident the Loyal Enforcer will end up un-retiring... again. Look for him to pop up in another North Pole office just as soon as he collects his pension and health care benefits. While Santa's Loyal Enforcer has faithfully mustered the troops to oppose the new mayor, we are a bit concerned about his driving abilities. Even Santa's sleigh has occasionally clipped the odd car in the parking lot, but to hit the same care twice in one night, well, that takes some doing. Santa is putting driving lessons in his stocking this year. When the Loyal Enforcer comes out of retirement... again, native born North Poleians need not fear parking next to him!"
"Now, Santa sees that North Pole City Treasurer Paul Lambert is retiring. Mrs. Santa has a little free time these days. And she isn't one to sit home and bake cookies. "That Woman" who temporarily took Santa's job as mayor should appoint Mrs. Claus as treasurer. Mrs. Claus and she have much in common. Neither one is actually from Massillon! Ho, Ho, Ho!"
"Santa sees that Santa's former Safety Service Director, Mike Loudiana, is throwing his hat into the ring to run for North Pole City Council. Santa couldn't have run the North Pole without Mike's help. Mike has taken a lot of flak for calling Santa, "Extraordinary," but Mike can't help calling them like he sees them! Mike's gift this year is a case of amnesia for the North Pole voters. Once they remember how Mike helped put the North Pole in the mess it's in now, and once people see the vast overtime he racked up as North Pole Safety Service Director, the voters of the North Pole's First Ward may not see fit to elect him. And that would be an extraordinary shame."
"Santa wants to personally thank the North Pole Auditor's office for the fine work they have done this past year. The Auditor elves do fantastic work keeping Santa informed of "That Woman's" dealings, and they worked vigorously to help Santa cover his proverbial behind as Santa left the North Pole Mayor's office last year. "That Woman" has an incredible mess on her hand, and without the Auditor's office exacerbating the situation, Santa would have been left holding more of the bag! They get Santa's unending gratitude! Ho, Ho, Ho!"
"Now, not all of Santa's former elves were as loyal as they could have been. Former North Pole Community Development Director Aane Aaby refused to quit before "That Woman" took office. He actually helped with the transition and taught the New Guy how to pay the Hotel bill! Aane Aaby gets a big lump of coal. The New Guy gets saddled with Santa's Hotel Deal, which is worse than getting a lump of coal!"
"Fire Chief Burgasser gets a lump of coal, too. Even though the North Pole Fire Station should have been condemned years ago, as Santa never kept it maintained properly, Chief Burgasser should have fought harder when "That Woman" closed it. And Santa called and gave him Hell for not doing it."
"Now what to give the ungrateful residents of the North Pole, who turned Santa Frank out after a mere 24 years in charge? Well, Santa left everyone the same thing in their collective stockings. The debt on the golf course. Which brings Santa to one of his favorite elves, Elf Moe. Elf Moe helped Santa unload the North Pole golf debt on the North Pole Parks and Recreation Department in the first place. Elf Moe voted to do it. And while Santa was in charge at the North Pole, Elf Moe said nary a word. But once Santa left, and "That Woman" took over, Elf Moe has had a change of heart. Elf Moe wants to give the golf course back. Forget the fact the North Pole is millions in debt and would literally collapse if that happened. Elf Moe is an elf on a mission, making "That Woman's" life miserable. Elf Moe gets a shiny new big screen television for the Legends of the North Pole Golf Course Club House. Money well spent!"
"The rest of you get the millions of debt we still owe, which won't be paid off until 2032. Ho, Ho, Ho!"
"As for Santa, it is much easier to drive his sleigh, now that Santa Claus Lane is no longer one of the Five Worst Roads at the North Pole, as determined by a study of a study that never happened. As for "That Woman," who temporarily took Santa's job, she got the mother of all disasters, the debt ridden, vat of red ink known as North Pole City government. And most of all, she gets no help in cleaning up the mess that Santa left her, which is the biggest lump of coal in Santa's bag. Ho, Ho, Ha, Ha!"
"Santa is back. And to quote Louie Brio's most recent Express Lube ad, it's good to be back riding with the boys!"
Believe!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
An Extraordinarily Cold Day in Hell
As the hardworking, recently recalled Massillon Review staff was cleaning up around the office, and dusting out the cobwebs, trying to get things spic and span in anticipation of Santa Frank's Christmas Eve visit, we got to talking about how you get to be City Treasurer when the current treasurer retires before his term is up.
Longtime City Treasurer Paul Lambert is retiring at the end of the year, but he has one year left on his elected four year term.
So, how does someone get to be treasurer for that last year?
As you know, the Review has whole heartedly endorsed the candidacy of Massillon's former First Lady for Life, the calm, the cool, the collected, Joy Cicchinelli.
We tasked our newly re-employed legal team to research the issue.
According to the crack Massillon Review legal team, an appointment to the soon to be vacant treasurer's seat will be made by the Democratic Party, as the departing treasurer is a Democrat;
"The county central committee of the political party with which the last occupant of the office was affiliated, acting through its members who reside in the city where the vacancy occurs, shall appoint a person to hold the office and to perform the duties thereof until a successor is elected and has qualified..."
This may be a bit of a difficulty for our endorsed candidate, as her husband, The Extraordinary One, actively supported Republican candidates in the last municipal elections.
A difficult obstacle for us to overcome, but not impossible...
Now, according to our crack legal team, the Democratic Party has 45 days in which to choose a replacement treasurer.
So, the question becomes, who gets to be treasurer until the Democratic Party chooses a treasurer?
And this is where it gets interesting;
"The mayor of the city may appoint a person to hold the city office of director of law, auditor, or treasurer as an acting officer and to perform the duties thereof between the occurrence of the vacancy and the time when the person appointed by the central committee qualifies and takes the office."
The mayor of the city may appoint a person to hold the city office... of treasurer.
If Joy Cicchinelli would want to be appointed as the acting treasurer, perhaps giving her a leg up with the Democratic Party selection, she would need Kathy Catazaro-Perry to appoint her.
Probably not gonna happen.
Longtime City Treasurer Paul Lambert is retiring at the end of the year, but he has one year left on his elected four year term.
So, how does someone get to be treasurer for that last year?
As you know, the Review has whole heartedly endorsed the candidacy of Massillon's former First Lady for Life, the calm, the cool, the collected, Joy Cicchinelli.
We tasked our newly re-employed legal team to research the issue.
According to the crack Massillon Review legal team, an appointment to the soon to be vacant treasurer's seat will be made by the Democratic Party, as the departing treasurer is a Democrat;
"The county central committee of the political party with which the last occupant of the office was affiliated, acting through its members who reside in the city where the vacancy occurs, shall appoint a person to hold the office and to perform the duties thereof until a successor is elected and has qualified..."
This may be a bit of a difficulty for our endorsed candidate, as her husband, The Extraordinary One, actively supported Republican candidates in the last municipal elections.
A difficult obstacle for us to overcome, but not impossible...
Now, according to our crack legal team, the Democratic Party has 45 days in which to choose a replacement treasurer.
So, the question becomes, who gets to be treasurer until the Democratic Party chooses a treasurer?
And this is where it gets interesting;
"The mayor of the city may appoint a person to hold the city office of director of law, auditor, or treasurer as an acting officer and to perform the duties thereof between the occurrence of the vacancy and the time when the person appointed by the central committee qualifies and takes the office."
The mayor of the city may appoint a person to hold the city office... of treasurer.
If Joy Cicchinelli would want to be appointed as the acting treasurer, perhaps giving her a leg up with the Democratic Party selection, she would need Kathy Catazaro-Perry to appoint her.
Probably not gonna happen.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Fool Me Once
It's official. Glenn Gamber, Massillon's City Council President, and faithful ally of our former mayor, The Extraordinary One, Frank Cicchinelli, is 'retiring' as Council President, effective December 28th.
This isn't Gamber's first attempt at 'retirement.'
In 2003, Republican Donnie Peters ran against then Massillon Ward 5 Councilman Glenn Gamber. Massillon's Ward 5, on the Southwest side of Massillon, is overwhelmingly Democratic. Donnie Peters almost upsets Glenn, and Glenn holds on to win by a mere 8 votes. As Donnie Peters gears up for a rematch in 2005, Glenn Gamber decided he has had enough of politics.
Glenn Gamber announces that he is 'retiring' from politics, and won't be seeking re-election.
Curiously enough, at the candidate filing deadline, Glenn files petitions to run for Massillon Council President. This was odd, because Massillon already had a Democratic Council President, Dennis Harwig. Was Glenn, who didn't think he could beat a Republican in an overwhelming Democratic ward, now thinking he could beat the sitting council president?
No.
Team Cicchinelli are fine chess players and were looking two moves down the board.
Dennis Harwig was magically appointed City Income Tax Investigator subsequent to Glenn Gamber filing to run against Harwig for council president. Harwig then vacates his council president's position when he takes his new job, allowing Glenn to win the Democratic Primary unopposed, and be appointed to the remainder of Harwig's term.
Through these political machinations, Glenn Gamber was able to continue his political career and be Massillon City Council President, effectively serving as Mayor Cicchinelli's Loyal Enforcer on Massillon City Council.
While we acknowledge that Glenn is leaving his position as council president, we don't believe he is leaving elected office.
We believe Glenn Gamber will retire from public service, take his pension and, more importantly, his retiree health insurance, and run for another city office.
To double dip.
Earning a pension, health care benefits, and drawing a salary when he chooses his next office.
He 'retired' once before.
We don't think he's actually going any where.
We do believe the next move on the chess board has already been decided upon.
This isn't Gamber's first attempt at 'retirement.'
In 2003, Republican Donnie Peters ran against then Massillon Ward 5 Councilman Glenn Gamber. Massillon's Ward 5, on the Southwest side of Massillon, is overwhelmingly Democratic. Donnie Peters almost upsets Glenn, and Glenn holds on to win by a mere 8 votes. As Donnie Peters gears up for a rematch in 2005, Glenn Gamber decided he has had enough of politics.
Glenn Gamber announces that he is 'retiring' from politics, and won't be seeking re-election.
Curiously enough, at the candidate filing deadline, Glenn files petitions to run for Massillon Council President. This was odd, because Massillon already had a Democratic Council President, Dennis Harwig. Was Glenn, who didn't think he could beat a Republican in an overwhelming Democratic ward, now thinking he could beat the sitting council president?
No.
Team Cicchinelli are fine chess players and were looking two moves down the board.
Dennis Harwig was magically appointed City Income Tax Investigator subsequent to Glenn Gamber filing to run against Harwig for council president. Harwig then vacates his council president's position when he takes his new job, allowing Glenn to win the Democratic Primary unopposed, and be appointed to the remainder of Harwig's term.
Through these political machinations, Glenn Gamber was able to continue his political career and be Massillon City Council President, effectively serving as Mayor Cicchinelli's Loyal Enforcer on Massillon City Council.
While we acknowledge that Glenn is leaving his position as council president, we don't believe he is leaving elected office.
We believe Glenn Gamber will retire from public service, take his pension and, more importantly, his retiree health insurance, and run for another city office.
To double dip.
Earning a pension, health care benefits, and drawing a salary when he chooses his next office.
He 'retired' once before.
We don't think he's actually going any where.
We do believe the next move on the chess board has already been decided upon.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Will Santa Frank Ride Again?
A longtime, faithful Review reader wondered if Santa Frank will once again hitch up the reindeer and ride through the Massillon night come Christmas Eve, delivering toys to the good girls and boys of our Fair City.
"It wouldn't be Christmas in Massillon without Santa Frank visiting on Christmas Eve. Will Santa Frank be coming this year?"
Of course he will.
He never returned the sleigh and the reindeer to his successor.
Believe.
Santa Frank will ride once more.
Joy to the World!
Longtime City Treasurer Paul Lambert is retiring at the end of December with one year left on his four year term. So who will replace him? Multiple faithful Review readers have emailed us about a potential replacement, so it looks like this particular rumor has some traction.
Word on the street is that our former First Lady for Life, Joy Cicchinelli, wants to be Massillon's next Watchdog of the Treasury.
Last we left Joy, she was bitterly complaining to Massillon School Superintendent Goodright, and a Massillon School Board member that then Mayor Elect Kathy Catazaro Perry was presenting the trophy at the 'Mayor's Cup Girls Basketball Tournament.'
Joy's beef was that Catazaro-Perry wasn't mayor yet, and shouldn't have been allowed to present the trophy.
It was the evening of December 30th, 2011, about one day before Catazaro-Perry officially took over the debt riddled mess known as Massillon City government.
Of course, neither Cicchinelli was in attendance for the basketball tournament.
As a matter of fact, they never came.
And why should they? It wasn't something important like High School Football.
The problem wasn't that the current mayor never came, it was that the mayor-elect came in his stead.
And Joy was not a happy camper.
It is believed that Joy has been busily spending her free time spewing venom against her husband's successor throughout cyberspace.
You know, constructive work for the good of the city.
We, however, believe Joy Cicchinelli would be an inspired choice for city treasurer, and whole heartedly endorse this endeavor.
Her level headedness, rational behavior, and her tendency to never overreact are qualifications making her well suited to this position.
Besides, how hard can the job be?
As a result of the financial black hole our Extraordinary Former Mayor left us in, there isn't a whole lot of money left to count.
The big question?
Whether or not Joy would sign the current mayor's paycheck every week.
Word on the street is that our former First Lady for Life, Joy Cicchinelli, wants to be Massillon's next Watchdog of the Treasury.
Last we left Joy, she was bitterly complaining to Massillon School Superintendent Goodright, and a Massillon School Board member that then Mayor Elect Kathy Catazaro Perry was presenting the trophy at the 'Mayor's Cup Girls Basketball Tournament.'
Joy's beef was that Catazaro-Perry wasn't mayor yet, and shouldn't have been allowed to present the trophy.
It was the evening of December 30th, 2011, about one day before Catazaro-Perry officially took over the debt riddled mess known as Massillon City government.
Of course, neither Cicchinelli was in attendance for the basketball tournament.
As a matter of fact, they never came.
And why should they? It wasn't something important like High School Football.
The problem wasn't that the current mayor never came, it was that the mayor-elect came in his stead.
And Joy was not a happy camper.
It is believed that Joy has been busily spending her free time spewing venom against her husband's successor throughout cyberspace.
You know, constructive work for the good of the city.
We, however, believe Joy Cicchinelli would be an inspired choice for city treasurer, and whole heartedly endorse this endeavor.
Her level headedness, rational behavior, and her tendency to never overreact are qualifications making her well suited to this position.
Besides, how hard can the job be?
As a result of the financial black hole our Extraordinary Former Mayor left us in, there isn't a whole lot of money left to count.
The big question?
Whether or not Joy would sign the current mayor's paycheck every week.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Please Sir, I Want Some More
The Chief Counsel to Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, John Kurtzman, doesn't like taxes.
Strike that.
He doesn't like some taxes.
Some taxes are good, like the Stark County Sales Tax, which generates money to run the government office where he works.
Thanks in part to John Kurtzman's campaigning, Stark County residents are now paying a higher sales tax.
"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).
And some taxes are bad, like the proposed income tax credit reduction proposed twice over the past year by Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry.
As a Massillon resident who works in Canton, John Kurtzman pays income tax to the City of Canton, where he works, and no income tax to the City of Massillon, where he lives.
He receives a 100% tax credit, meaning his Massillon income taxes are deducted by the amount he pays in Canton income taxes by 100%.
Most cities have a tax credit for residents residing in that particular city, but working in another city, but a 100% tax credit is unusually high, and extremely rare.
Catazaro-Perry's last attempt to have Massillon residents who work in another city to pay a portion of Massillon's income tax was a proposed 35% tax credit reduction.
If passed, this meant that folks like John Kurtzman would only have to pay 35% of the City's 1.8% income tax rate.
This would have been about 2/3 of one percent.
This amount was still unacceptable to John Kurtzman.
At the August 20th meeting of Massillon City Council, John Kurtzman was unable to attend, but Stark County Auditor employee John Oates, aka "Oatey," read a letter from John Kurtzman expressing his opposition to paying any City income tax what so ever because -
"it’s a penalty on the unfortunate bread winners who are forced to work outside the city"
Fast forward to the present.
At this past Monday's City Council meeting, City Council Finance Chair Donnie Peters proposed to raise the City's income tax rate .3% to 2.1%.
A raise in the City's income tax must be approved by a vote of the people.
More interesting, Peters also proposed eliminating the 100% tax credit on his .3% increase.
Peters, who vehemently opposed Catazaro-Perry's plans to generate more revenue via a tax credit reduction, was now proposing a tax credit reduction of his own.
Why the change?
Did Peters have a philosophical change in his views on taxation?
Isn't he concerned that John Kurtzman will be back to oppose this tax credit reduction because it is a "penalty" on the "unfortunate bread winners who are forced to work outside the city?"
The answer is no.
No one will complain about Donnie Peters' proposed tax reduction.
No one will point out Peters' hypocrisy for proposing a tax credit reduction in December, while chiding Catazaro-Perry for doing the same just four months prior.
Because the reasons are, of course, extraordinary...
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
What's Good for the Goose
Larry Slagle took a 3.55% pay raise as a member of Massillon City Council this year.
It was automatic. It was unvoted.
The elected officials get a raise every year.
It is automatic. It is unvoted.
The city workers received a pay freeze, and a reduction of benefits.
27 lost their jobs because of the horrific state of our city's finances.
The city workers, at least those not in a union, were ordered by council, including Larry Slagle who voted in the affirmative, to pay 15% of their health care premiums.
We believe city workers, just like workers in the private sector, should pay part of their health care.
We do recognize this results in a decrease of their take home pay, and is essentially a pay cut.
This pay cut was supported by Larry Slagle, who took a raise for himself.
He froze the pay and cut the benefits of the worker bees.
And took a raise for himself.
And he is not ashamed.
“(We) have been told we should be ashamed because we have not given back our pay raises,” Slagle said at the close of Monday’s council meeting. “First of all, I’m not ashamed of that at all" (The Independent, May 9, 2012).
Last year's Larry Slagle vowed to examine the ordinance that gives members of city council automatic, unvoted pay raises for life.
"In 2011, Slagle vowed that he would examine the 1995 ordinance that establishes the pay-raise mechanism for the 14 city employees, which includes council, its president, the auditor, treasurer, law director and mayor" (The Independent, May 9, 2012).
And after thoroughly researching the issue, Councilman Slagle decided the elected officials of Massillon were "dramatically underpaid."
The members of Massillon City Council make $7,823 dollars per year for this part time job.
In North Canton, they make $4,800 per year.
In Louisville, they make $3,000 per year
Regardless, we agree people are not getting rich serving on council.
We do, however, take exception to the "we deserve more" argument on several fronts;
Firstly, Slagle knew what the salary was when he ran for the office and was elected all of six months ago.
We assume no one forced Mr. Slagle to run, and that he did so of his own free will.
Secondly, we challenge Mr. Slagle to find another governmental body where the elected officials get an annual, unvoted pay raise every year, for life.
Annual. Unvoted. Pay raise for life.
Good Luck!
Thirdly, being on council is a part time job.
$7,823 dollars for 52 Monday night meetings.
That's $150 dollars per meeting.
A part time job.
We ask this question. If annual, unvoted pay raises for life is such a fine idea, why not give the worker bees what you got?
This solution would end any and all labor strife within Massillon City government forever.
Give the workers the same annual, unvoted pay raise for life deal that you have.
No more contract negotiations.
No more bargaining.
No labor-management impasses ever.
Give them the same raises you get.
Instead of a pay freeze this year, they would get your 3.55% raise.
No you say?
Then you are a hypocrite.
What's good for the goose should be good for the gander.
And if you can't see the absurdity of freezing, cutting, and laying off the workers while you yourself take a pay increase, then your grasp on reality is tenuous at best.
Either treat everyone the same, or repeal the automatic raises.
Be consistent.
We realize you aren't getting rich on $7,823 dollars a year.
But you chose to do this, and this is not your full-time vocation.
Under your watch, 27 people just lost their full-time vocation.
And guess what?
It isn't anyone else's fault that you got your hand caught in the cookie jar.
It's on you.
And when you and your colleagues were "showin' tough love," and "cuttin' to the bone," it is disingenuous that you impose sacrifice on others while you take a pay increase for yourself, regardless of the amount.
No, you are not getting rich doing the job.
But your decision to take the raise, under the present financial circumstances facing the city was your choice.
And if you are "not ashamed" to take the raise, then you should not be angry when it is pointed out that you took the raise.
You did.
You took it.
You made a choice.
You knew the ramifications.
Accept the responsibility and quit looking for scapegoats.
If you have an issue with anyone, it is with the man in the mirror, and with no one else.
It was automatic. It was unvoted.
The elected officials get a raise every year.
It is automatic. It is unvoted.
The city workers received a pay freeze, and a reduction of benefits.
27 lost their jobs because of the horrific state of our city's finances.
The city workers, at least those not in a union, were ordered by council, including Larry Slagle who voted in the affirmative, to pay 15% of their health care premiums.
We believe city workers, just like workers in the private sector, should pay part of their health care.
We do recognize this results in a decrease of their take home pay, and is essentially a pay cut.
This pay cut was supported by Larry Slagle, who took a raise for himself.
He froze the pay and cut the benefits of the worker bees.
And took a raise for himself.
And he is not ashamed.
“(We) have been told we should be ashamed because we have not given back our pay raises,” Slagle said at the close of Monday’s council meeting. “First of all, I’m not ashamed of that at all" (The Independent, May 9, 2012).
Last year's Larry Slagle vowed to examine the ordinance that gives members of city council automatic, unvoted pay raises for life.
"In 2011, Slagle vowed that he would examine the 1995 ordinance that establishes the pay-raise mechanism for the 14 city employees, which includes council, its president, the auditor, treasurer, law director and mayor" (The Independent, May 9, 2012).
And after thoroughly researching the issue, Councilman Slagle decided the elected officials of Massillon were "dramatically underpaid."
The members of Massillon City Council make $7,823 dollars per year for this part time job.
In North Canton, they make $4,800 per year.
In Louisville, they make $3,000 per year
Regardless, we agree people are not getting rich serving on council.
We do, however, take exception to the "we deserve more" argument on several fronts;
Firstly, Slagle knew what the salary was when he ran for the office and was elected all of six months ago.
We assume no one forced Mr. Slagle to run, and that he did so of his own free will.
Secondly, we challenge Mr. Slagle to find another governmental body where the elected officials get an annual, unvoted pay raise every year, for life.
Annual. Unvoted. Pay raise for life.
Good Luck!
Thirdly, being on council is a part time job.
$7,823 dollars for 52 Monday night meetings.
That's $150 dollars per meeting.
A part time job.
We ask this question. If annual, unvoted pay raises for life is such a fine idea, why not give the worker bees what you got?
This solution would end any and all labor strife within Massillon City government forever.
Give the workers the same annual, unvoted pay raise for life deal that you have.
No more contract negotiations.
No more bargaining.
No labor-management impasses ever.
Give them the same raises you get.
Instead of a pay freeze this year, they would get your 3.55% raise.
No you say?
Then you are a hypocrite.
What's good for the goose should be good for the gander.
And if you can't see the absurdity of freezing, cutting, and laying off the workers while you yourself take a pay increase, then your grasp on reality is tenuous at best.
Either treat everyone the same, or repeal the automatic raises.
Be consistent.
We realize you aren't getting rich on $7,823 dollars a year.
But you chose to do this, and this is not your full-time vocation.
Under your watch, 27 people just lost their full-time vocation.
And guess what?
It isn't anyone else's fault that you got your hand caught in the cookie jar.
It's on you.
And when you and your colleagues were "showin' tough love," and "cuttin' to the bone," it is disingenuous that you impose sacrifice on others while you take a pay increase for yourself, regardless of the amount.
No, you are not getting rich doing the job.
But your decision to take the raise, under the present financial circumstances facing the city was your choice.
And if you are "not ashamed" to take the raise, then you should not be angry when it is pointed out that you took the raise.
You did.
You took it.
You made a choice.
You knew the ramifications.
Accept the responsibility and quit looking for scapegoats.
If you have an issue with anyone, it is with the man in the mirror, and with no one else.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
It's Not Over Until I Say it's Over!
If you look up good sportsmanship in the dictionary, the one thing you can be absolutely sure of that won't appear is a picture of our beloved 6 term, 24 year, former mayor for life, the extraordinary one, Frank Cicchinelli.
When he lost the Democratic primary one year ago today, he decided not to be a statesman, and quietly leave the stage.
The first thing he did was to go about assessing blame for his loss. And the stories about who was truly responsible are well travelled.
The guilty include;
The Independent newspaper - they were "anti-Cicchinelli" and were out to get him, despite the fact they endorsed him for a seventh term.
The Massillon Tiger Football Boosters - they could have done more to support one of their own.
The Carpetbaggers - those "anti-Cicchinelli" mayor haters who don't even live here. Remember the 'line in the sand?'
The people of Tuslaw - they worked against Frank for no good reason. We know he tried to annex the entire Tuslaw school system, but those people were making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Jackson Township Trustee John Pizzino - Mayor Cicchinelli's cousin. Cicchinelli demanded that Pizzino run against Massillon Clerk of Courts Johnnie Maier. Pizzino said no.
The no good voters - They forgot about all the good work our beloved mayor selflessly performed, solely for the good of the city.
The guilty did not include;
Himself.
None of it was his fault.
None of it.
Not the deplorable condition of our parks
Not the Legends of Massillon Golf Course debacle
Not the Arena swindle
Not the Hampton Inn sweetheart deal
Not the 59 Duncan Place scam
Not the overspending
Not the mismanagement
None of it.
To say he did not leave with grace and dignity is a vast understatement of biblical proportions.
In his last 8 months, he spent money he did not have.
He hired people he really could not afford.
He made sure his street was "one of the five worst streets in the city," in order to get it repaved.
With the help of City Auditor Jayne Ferrero, he left the new mayor with almost 3 million dollars of unpaid bills.
He set the city up for an extraordinary crash.
But it wouldn't happen on his watch.
This would be someone else's problem.
But he isn't finished.
Cicchinelli is not done.
He is still involved.
Working behind the scenes.
Working through his former loyalists.
Because it's not over until he says it is.
Multiple Massillon Review faithful readers have communicated the story of how just last week, our former mayor called our current fire chief and screamed at him. Cicchinelli took the fire chief to task for allowing "those people" to close Fire Station No. 3 on Wales Road.
Fire Station No. 3.
The building department deemed it's condition to be "deplorable."
The Fire Department understood why it was closed.
“We understand why the city closed it — the health concerns,” said firefighter Perkowski, of the International Association of Firefighters Local 251 (The Independent, April 28, 2012).
It needed to be closed because 'someone' didn't take care of it... for 24 years.
Uh, Mr. Cicchinelli? You aren't the fire chief's boss anymore.
And whether you believe it, or not, and we realize you won't, you are the person with the most responsibility for 27 people losing their jobs this week.
Perhaps you should contemplate this fact as you continue to "work behind the scenes."
And, as a point of correction.
It's over.
When he lost the Democratic primary one year ago today, he decided not to be a statesman, and quietly leave the stage.
The first thing he did was to go about assessing blame for his loss. And the stories about who was truly responsible are well travelled.
The guilty include;
The Independent newspaper - they were "anti-Cicchinelli" and were out to get him, despite the fact they endorsed him for a seventh term.
The Massillon Tiger Football Boosters - they could have done more to support one of their own.
The Carpetbaggers - those "anti-Cicchinelli" mayor haters who don't even live here. Remember the 'line in the sand?'
The people of Tuslaw - they worked against Frank for no good reason. We know he tried to annex the entire Tuslaw school system, but those people were making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Jackson Township Trustee John Pizzino - Mayor Cicchinelli's cousin. Cicchinelli demanded that Pizzino run against Massillon Clerk of Courts Johnnie Maier. Pizzino said no.
The no good voters - They forgot about all the good work our beloved mayor selflessly performed, solely for the good of the city.
The guilty did not include;
Himself.
None of it was his fault.
None of it.
Not the deplorable condition of our parks
Not the Legends of Massillon Golf Course debacle
Not the Arena swindle
Not the Hampton Inn sweetheart deal
Not the 59 Duncan Place scam
Not the overspending
Not the mismanagement
None of it.
To say he did not leave with grace and dignity is a vast understatement of biblical proportions.
In his last 8 months, he spent money he did not have.
He hired people he really could not afford.
He made sure his street was "one of the five worst streets in the city," in order to get it repaved.
With the help of City Auditor Jayne Ferrero, he left the new mayor with almost 3 million dollars of unpaid bills.
He set the city up for an extraordinary crash.
But it wouldn't happen on his watch.
This would be someone else's problem.
But he isn't finished.
Cicchinelli is not done.
He is still involved.
Working behind the scenes.
Working through his former loyalists.
Because it's not over until he says it is.
Multiple Massillon Review faithful readers have communicated the story of how just last week, our former mayor called our current fire chief and screamed at him. Cicchinelli took the fire chief to task for allowing "those people" to close Fire Station No. 3 on Wales Road.
Fire Station No. 3.
The building department deemed it's condition to be "deplorable."
The Fire Department understood why it was closed.
“We understand why the city closed it — the health concerns,” said firefighter Perkowski, of the International Association of Firefighters Local 251 (The Independent, April 28, 2012).
It needed to be closed because 'someone' didn't take care of it... for 24 years.
Uh, Mr. Cicchinelli? You aren't the fire chief's boss anymore.
And whether you believe it, or not, and we realize you won't, you are the person with the most responsibility for 27 people losing their jobs this week.
Perhaps you should contemplate this fact as you continue to "work behind the scenes."
And, as a point of correction.
It's over.
So Much for Tough Love
"She (Catazaro-Perry) is going to have to make cuts, make consolidations. She’s going to have to do some tough love.” (Massillon City Auditor Jayne Ferrero, The Independent, January 20, 2012).
In Auditor Jayne Ferrero's world, it is clearly evident that 'tough love' applies only to the city's worker bees, and not to herself. Ferrero took her 3.55% pay raise., costing our cash strapped city $1,890 dollars.
Independent reporter Matthew Rink lays out who took the raises and who didn't;
http://www.indeonline.com/newsnow/x1018078992/Amid-layoffs-elected-officials-take-automatic-raises?zc_p=0
Kudos to the Republicans
All 5 Republican members of city council returned their pay raises. This included the four new Republican members of city council;
Sarita Cunningham Hedderly, Ward 1
Nancy Halter, Ward 2
Ed Lewis, Ward 6
Milan Chovin, At Large
Perhaps the aforementioned will remind their leader, Councilman Donnie Peters, of his January promise to repeal the automatic, unvoted, annual pay raise for life legislation.
Stergios understands
(Law Director Perry) Stergios said he understands the argument that forfeiting the raise is a symbolic gesture during difficult economic times (The Independent, May 3, 2012).
He understands the argument. He's just keeping the money.
In Auditor Jayne Ferrero's world, it is clearly evident that 'tough love' applies only to the city's worker bees, and not to herself. Ferrero took her 3.55% pay raise., costing our cash strapped city $1,890 dollars.
Independent reporter Matthew Rink lays out who took the raises and who didn't;
http://www.indeonline.com/newsnow/x1018078992/Amid-layoffs-elected-officials-take-automatic-raises?zc_p=0
Kudos to the Republicans
All 5 Republican members of city council returned their pay raises. This included the four new Republican members of city council;
Sarita Cunningham Hedderly, Ward 1
Nancy Halter, Ward 2
Ed Lewis, Ward 6
Milan Chovin, At Large
Perhaps the aforementioned will remind their leader, Councilman Donnie Peters, of his January promise to repeal the automatic, unvoted, annual pay raise for life legislation.
Stergios understands
(Law Director Perry) Stergios said he understands the argument that forfeiting the raise is a symbolic gesture during difficult economic times (The Independent, May 3, 2012).
He understands the argument. He's just keeping the money.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Answers Are Coming
According to one of our faithful readers, the Independent newspaper will be running a story tomorrow detailing which elected officials "showed tough love," "cut it to the bone," and returned their unvoted, annual pay raise.
We will also be learning which elected officials took their unvoted, annual pay raise while the worker bees took cuts, freezes, and layoffs.
Hopefully they all had the common sense and basic decency to not take a raise this year.
We are fairly confident that is not the case.
We will also be learning which elected officials took their unvoted, annual pay raise while the worker bees took cuts, freezes, and layoffs.
Hopefully they all had the common sense and basic decency to not take a raise this year.
We are fairly confident that is not the case.
Shared Sacrifice
Massillon City Council didn't have much to say on Monday when 27 city employees lost their jobs.
These job losses, these families who will suffer as a result, are the human faces attached to the rhetoric of "show tough love," or "cut it to the bone," mantra which has been extraordinarily easy for some members of our city government to trumpet to the local newspaper.
Massillon's finances are a mess.
Our prior mayor spent money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
Money he didn't have.
And the Auditor had no inclination to put the brakes on as he did it.
Now, while city council has cut benefits for the workers, froze employee salaries, and cheerleaded the "cut to the bone" bombast, they themselves received a 3.55% pay increase.
While others were losing their jobs, through no fault of their own, those in charge got a raise.
Last January, the Independent reported that Mayor Catazaro-Perry, Councilman Donnie Peters, Councilman Ed Lewis, and Councilwoman Nancy Halter returned the annual unvoted pay raise.
We are left wondering if anyone else returned their raise.
We are curious to know who is so brazen to accept a pay raise for themselves while the employees who work for them lose their jobs.
We really are curious.
And are asking our faithful readers for help.
We want names.
If someone knows who took the raises, and who returned them, please drop us an email.
The community deserves to know.
The Massillon Review Hypocrisy Early Warning System is on high alert.
These job losses, these families who will suffer as a result, are the human faces attached to the rhetoric of "show tough love," or "cut it to the bone," mantra which has been extraordinarily easy for some members of our city government to trumpet to the local newspaper.
Massillon's finances are a mess.
Our prior mayor spent money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
Money he didn't have.
And the Auditor had no inclination to put the brakes on as he did it.
Now, while city council has cut benefits for the workers, froze employee salaries, and cheerleaded the "cut to the bone" bombast, they themselves received a 3.55% pay increase.
While others were losing their jobs, through no fault of their own, those in charge got a raise.
Last January, the Independent reported that Mayor Catazaro-Perry, Councilman Donnie Peters, Councilman Ed Lewis, and Councilwoman Nancy Halter returned the annual unvoted pay raise.
We are left wondering if anyone else returned their raise.
We are curious to know who is so brazen to accept a pay raise for themselves while the employees who work for them lose their jobs.
We really are curious.
And are asking our faithful readers for help.
We want names.
If someone knows who took the raises, and who returned them, please drop us an email.
The community deserves to know.
The Massillon Review Hypocrisy Early Warning System is on high alert.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Gas Bag
Our beloved city is broke. Left in the wake of the gross mismanagement and reckless spending of our once and future mayor, The Extraordinary One, King Francis the Temporarily displaced.
Yesterday, it was announced that 27 employees are being laid off.
The tragic result of years of fiscal malfeasance.
The chickens coming home to roost.
But the news isn't all bad.
As our faithful readers know, our elected officials get an annual, unvoted pay raise every year.
Seems hypocritical to lay people off, "taking food away from their children," while taking a pay raise for yourself.
But Massillon had a champion!
The Republican Leader of Massillon City Council, President Pro Tem, and Finance Committee Chairman, Donnie Peters was going to put a stop to this unsavory practice.
“I’m going to try to repeal it (the pay raise ordinance),” said Peters, the ranking Republican and Council president pro tem. “Everyone says it doesn’t make it (pay-raise issue) political. Well, make it political” (The Independent, January 27, 2012).
January 27th.
According to our crack Massillon Review research team, that was 95 DAYS AGO.
95 days ago.
And in that 95 days, the city's worker bees took pay freezes, benefit cuts, and 27 of them just lost their job.
But fear not, Massillon.
Donnie Peters is on the job.
And has done absolutely nothing to keep his promise.
Nothing.
Now, we understand the former Mayor's Loyal Enforcer won't permit him, but we don't see where he has even bothered to try.
An empty promise.
More hot air.
One more political gas bag.
Yesterday, it was announced that 27 employees are being laid off.
The tragic result of years of fiscal malfeasance.
The chickens coming home to roost.
But the news isn't all bad.
As our faithful readers know, our elected officials get an annual, unvoted pay raise every year.
Seems hypocritical to lay people off, "taking food away from their children," while taking a pay raise for yourself.
But Massillon had a champion!
The Republican Leader of Massillon City Council, President Pro Tem, and Finance Committee Chairman, Donnie Peters was going to put a stop to this unsavory practice.
“I’m going to try to repeal it (the pay raise ordinance),” said Peters, the ranking Republican and Council president pro tem. “Everyone says it doesn’t make it (pay-raise issue) political. Well, make it political” (The Independent, January 27, 2012).
January 27th.
According to our crack Massillon Review research team, that was 95 DAYS AGO.
95 days ago.
And in that 95 days, the city's worker bees took pay freezes, benefit cuts, and 27 of them just lost their job.
But fear not, Massillon.
Donnie Peters is on the job.
And has done absolutely nothing to keep his promise.
Nothing.
Now, we understand the former Mayor's Loyal Enforcer won't permit him, but we don't see where he has even bothered to try.
An empty promise.
More hot air.
One more political gas bag.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Taking Food Away From Their Children
Some taxes are good.
According to John Kurtzman, Chief Counsel to Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, the Stark County Sales tax, which was passed last November, is, in the words of Martha Stewart, "a good thing."
Mr. Kurtzman worked diligently to pass the county sales tax, which funded important things like the office where he draws his paycheck.
"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).
And some taxes are bad.
Like the proposed reduction in the City of Massillon's 100% tax credit.
Chief Counsel Kurtzman, and Prosecutor John Ferrero are of the strong belief that they should continue to pay zero dollars (that's zero with a 'z') of income tax to the community where they live, and that asking them to pay half the income tax everyone else pays is much too egregious;
"They are then taking food away from their children, they’re taking shoes away from them and its just unfair to hit one person or one family and not the other"
(Chief Counsel John Kurtzman, opposing the reduction of the 100% income tax credit, Massillon City Council minutes, February 6, 2012).
What we have learned.
When the county was facing a financial crisis, it was OK to raise taxes, thus taking "food and shoes away from our children," because this money was being used to fund the office where Mr. Kurtzman works.
Conversely, with Massillon facing a financial crisis, it is NOT OK to ask people like John Kurtzman, who live in Massillon, to pay half the city's income tax, as it is wrong to take "food and shoes away from our children" when the money comes from Mr. Kurtzman's wallet.
Now that that's clear, let's examine those who will truly have to worry about feeding and clothing their children so that Chief Counsel Kurtzman and Prosecutor Ferrero can continue to avoid paying any income tax to the city where they live.
http://www.indeonline.com/newsnow/x1018072816/Massillon-to-lay-off-27-including-10-firefighters-9-police-officers
A small price to pay so that Chief Counsel Kurtzman and Prosecutor Ferrero can live in our beloved city tax free.
According to John Kurtzman, Chief Counsel to Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, the Stark County Sales tax, which was passed last November, is, in the words of Martha Stewart, "a good thing."
Mr. Kurtzman worked diligently to pass the county sales tax, which funded important things like the office where he draws his paycheck.
"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).
And some taxes are bad.
Like the proposed reduction in the City of Massillon's 100% tax credit.
Chief Counsel Kurtzman, and Prosecutor John Ferrero are of the strong belief that they should continue to pay zero dollars (that's zero with a 'z') of income tax to the community where they live, and that asking them to pay half the income tax everyone else pays is much too egregious;
"They are then taking food away from their children, they’re taking shoes away from them and its just unfair to hit one person or one family and not the other"
(Chief Counsel John Kurtzman, opposing the reduction of the 100% income tax credit, Massillon City Council minutes, February 6, 2012).
What we have learned.
When the county was facing a financial crisis, it was OK to raise taxes, thus taking "food and shoes away from our children," because this money was being used to fund the office where Mr. Kurtzman works.
Conversely, with Massillon facing a financial crisis, it is NOT OK to ask people like John Kurtzman, who live in Massillon, to pay half the city's income tax, as it is wrong to take "food and shoes away from our children" when the money comes from Mr. Kurtzman's wallet.
Now that that's clear, let's examine those who will truly have to worry about feeding and clothing their children so that Chief Counsel Kurtzman and Prosecutor Ferrero can continue to avoid paying any income tax to the city where they live.
http://www.indeonline.com/newsnow/x1018072816/Massillon-to-lay-off-27-including-10-firefighters-9-police-officers
A small price to pay so that Chief Counsel Kurtzman and Prosecutor Ferrero can live in our beloved city tax free.
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