On Deck

The Independent wrote an article contemplating the possibility that Frank Cicchinelli, Massillon's Mayor for Life, may not run for a 7th term as Mayor. The Mayor cancelled his annual golf outing, and this is fueling the rumor mill that our mayor may not continue in city government. Cicchinelli has served as an elected official of the City of Massillon since winning a seat on council in 1973. He served 14 years on council, and at the end of his current term as mayor (his 6th), he will have served 38 consecutive years. If he were to step down, it would leave quite a power vacuum in city government. Who would try and take his place? There are two types of people who could attempt to replace him as mayor. Those who shouldn't run, but will, and those who should run, but won't. Today we will examine one of those who shouldn't run, but probably will. We look at a pretender. We look at Massillon Council President Glenn Gamber.

Glenn Gamber, Massillon City Council President
When you look up the term "rubber stamp" in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Glenn Gamber next to the definition. He is amongst Mayor Cicchinelli's most loyal, and longest serving rubber stamps. Gamber was elected Massillon's Fifth Ward Councilman in 1995. Gamber has loyally, faithfully, and blindly supported just about anything Massillon's Mayor for Life has proposed. Gamber repeatedly voted for Mayor Cicchinelli's budgets. Gamber went along and voted for the Mayor's plan to merge the golf course with the Parks Department, so money that was designated for parks and recreation could be used to prop up the failing golf course. He voted to spend our tax dollars on the privately owned Hampton Inn. As council president, he broke the tie vote in favor of spending park tax dollars on buying the restaurant at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course, even though there was no business plan.

When it looked like he might lose his 5th ward council seat in 2005, he became council president when the sitting council president magically received a make work job through the patronage of Frank Cicchinelli. He is Cicchinelli's enforcer on council. He keeps the rest of the rubber stamps in line. He has many council members believing he is their boss, when his job as council president is merely to preside over and run the meetings. He protects the mayor and the mayor's administration. The public good is a very distant concern. When Kathy Catazaro-Perry tried to force a vote and repeal the ordinance that grants council, the mayor, the auditor, treasurer, and law director lifetime, unvoted, annual pay raises, he fought it with everything he had. He wouldn't even permit a public vote, he asked for an off the record show of hands so as to not incriminate those council members who wanted to keep their unvoted, annual, lifetime pay raises.

He is a follower who has loyally served and supported Massillon's Mayor for Life. While he is a good follower, he lacks Frank Cicchinelli's political skills and certainly could not pull the strings as effectively as Massillon's Mayor for Life has. If Cicchinelli were to step down, Gamber probably would not be his first choice as a replacement, although quite the manipulator, Cicchinelli probably has Gamber believing otherwise to maintain his undying loyalty.