God Save the King

The Independent newspaper speculates on whether or not Massillon's Mayor for Life will run for a seventh term in office. Apparently, the Mayor will be making this decision sometime in the next month or so. Those who don't think he is running point to the fact that he cancelled his annual golf outing fundraiser. We at the Massillon Review don't believe it is a question of if he will run. He has to run.

Without Massillon's Mayor for Life running our city with an iron grip that Fidel Castro would have been envious of, who would tell city council how to vote? These folks, for the most part, aren't Massillon's best and brightest. They are more comfortable rubber stamping for the mayor than having an original idea. We imagine Glenn Gamber, Paul Manson, David Hersher, David McCune, and Ron Mang would be absolutely lost without Frank calling all the shots. And what about the developers? How would Deville, Putman, and Helline make a profit off the backs of Massillon taxpayers without Frank pulling the strings? And who would make sure the mortgage at the Hampton Inn was paid? A new mayor might even decide to spend our park tax dollars on our parks. Who would take care of Massillon's debt ridden golf course? And what of the employees? Would Parks Director Kenn Kaminski still get a city car, and a city gas card so he could commute back and forth to Medina? Would he still get his built in overtime? And what of poor Mike Stevens, the head of the Street Department? Who would pay him excessive amounts of overtime during a harsh winter storm when he doesn't even plow any snow? Who will make sure certain local attorneys get large referral fees when the city outsources legal work? Who will threaten to cut off access to the local newspaper when they run stories unfavorable to the administration? Who will bully city employees, workers, citizens, and others when they dare speak out about city problems?

No, Massillon's Mayor for Life can't leave. The responsibilities are too many. The shoes are too big to fill. A Mayor for Life is just that. Mayor for life.