Massillon Lampoon's Summer Vacation

Massillon City Council needs a break. After a busy year of passing the mayor's unbalanced budget, purchasing the restaurant at the golf course, and spending our tax dollars to pay the mortgage for a private hotel, Massillon City Council needs a little rest and relaxation. Republican Donnie Peters, and Democrat Larry Slagle pitched the idea that council would cancel its work sessions and committee hearings that are scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, and hold those meetings on the 1st and 3rd Mondays, right before their regular council meetings. They would then only have to only meet twice in July and August, instead of four times. Rubber stamping for Massillon's Mayor for life can be a tiring job, and of course some vacation time is well earned. Not.

Get back to work! The City's unemployment rate is over 12 percent, and the dirty little secret is the City's finances are not on pace to meet expenditures. It's time for the City's annual summer financial crisis, but the mayor is afraid to sound the alarm because he is headed into an election next year. The Independent rightly criticized this move in an editorial. Donnie Peters and an unnamed "veteran" member of council managed to find time to cry to the Independent about their editorial. How about finding some time to ask City Auditor Jayne Ferrero how short the city is financially this year? Why don't one of you make that call?

Council President Glenn Gamber, our Mayor for Life's personal enforcer, thought they didn't have to vote on the schedule change now thinks they have to vote on the schedule change. Why the change of heart? Because the paper called him out? Gamber thought they would get their summer sabbatical and never have to vote on it. How clever. That Glenn Gamber, always putting the people first.

The only member on council to realize this was bad idea from the start was Kathy Catazaro-Perry. Catazaro-Perry is once again the only council member who is not absolutely and totally oblivious to the people who elected her. "Catazaro-Perry said she did not want to amend council's schedule because of the city's uncertain economic condition" (The Independent, June 8, 2010). Common sense. How refreshing. One of the architects of the summer vacation scheme, Larry Slagle, whined at Monday's meeting about The Independents's editorial. Busted. Get over it. It was a bad idea.