Former President Harry S. Truman was credited with the phrase, "the buck stops here." He even had the phrase prominently displayed on his desk (see above). "The buck stops here," meant that responsibility, in Truman's case, responsibility for leading the country, ultimately ended with him, as President, as the leader of the country.
Unfortunately, that axiom has been lost on Massillon's Mayor for Life, Frank Cicchinelli. Few politicians work as hard as our mayor for life works on putting the blame for city problems on other people. Mayor Frank Cicchinelli has never been a subscriber of the philosophy that responsibility for an organization rests with its leadership, that indeed, the buck stops here.
When Aqua Ohio water threatened to go to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio earlier this year to ask for a 20% rate hike for our water rates, Cicchinelli blamed city council for dropping the ball and not negotiating with Aqua Ohio. Cicchinelli laid blame at the feet of rookie Councilman Gary Anderson, the head of the utilities committee on city council.
The mayor led Anderson to believe that Anderson, a part time councilman, with less than one year's experience, was to handle the city's negotiations with utility juggernaut Aqua Ohio. Why? Because negotiating higher water rates is politically unpopular. So instead, our city's leader, who has served in city government for 37 years, who has a full-time administrative support staff, dumped this on Gary Anderson. The buck stopped somewhere else.
www.massillonreview.blogspot.com/2010/03/buck-stops-somewhere-else.html
When the City of Massillon lost a $12,000 lawsuit because the city did not provide the public records it was legally required to provide to an attorney, what did Cicchinelli say?
"When contacted Friday, Cicchinelli deferred all questions to Stergios (Massillon Law Director Perry Stergios)" (The Independent, July 3, 2010).
Not his fault, call the law director.
When the debacle that was the expansion of the Legends of Massillon Golf Course saddled the city with millions of dollars of debt, creating a golf course that could never be profitable, and causing the mayor to raid the income tax that was meant for our parks, under the guise of "streamlining city government," surely our mayor took some responsibility, right?
Nope.
Don't blame Frank.
This was the fault of "golf enthusiasts" who "just got a little overzealous" (Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, Massillon City Council Minutes, August 20, 2007).
It was the golfers' fault! These golfers put the city in debt for years to come.
www.massillonreview.blogspot.com/2010/07/buck-stops-somewhere-else-again.html
Surely the mayor must take some blame for his failed scheme to annex the Tuslaw School District, and grab $120,000 from the school teachers of Tuslaw? This was his idea, right?
Guess again. City council made him do it.
"I've said from the very beginning there is a financial benefit to the city. Aren't I supposed to do that? Isn't that what council asked me to do in January? 'Well, mayor, come to us with proposals to increase revenue because we're going to have to make some salary line items in our budget.' I thought I heard all that. I do it, and then I'm criticized for doing it" (Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, The Independent, September 10, 2010).
The buck stopped with council.
The Independent reported that the city's contract with AT&T is about to expire next week, and if the city doesn't come up with a new contract, and quick, the cost the city pays for phone service will jump quite a bit. Apparently, the administration dropped the ball on the phone contract, and did not realize that it was about to expire, and had not negotiated a new one. So, who handles contract negotiations for telecommunications? The Mayor? Safety-Service Director Mike Loudiana? Law Director Perry Stergios?
Nope.
The mayor's longtime secretary, Mary Anne Coyne, was offered up to take the blame. Can't blame the mayor, he doesn't make mistakes. It looks like the mayor's secretary handles negotiations with mom and pop telecommunications provider AT&T.
And why not?
We have secretaries negotiating with AT&T, rookie, part time councilmen negotiating with water companies, and overzealous golfers responsible for golf course expansions and finance.
Our Mayor for Life, who happily takes responsibility for the economic activity generated every time a Massillon McDonalds sells a happy meal can't be responsible for everything, can he?
"She (Coyne) said she was caught off guard by the change and told council she would accept some of the blame in the matter" (The Independent, October 13, 2010).
Of course she would. She was happy to take one for the team. Can't blame Frank. The buck always stops somewhere else in Massillon.
