The Big Scheme

When Massillon's Mayor for Life proposed merging the city's unprofitable golf course with the Parks and Recreation Department, he pitched the plan as a cost saver.

"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 he promised the citizens that the city would not subsidize the golf course."
(Parks and Recreation Board minutes, November 14, 2002).

..."and he stated that he promised the citizens that the city would not subsidize the golf course"

Cicchinelli claimed his plan was "not a big scheme to have the parks department cover the golf course's expenses" (The Repository, December 17, 2002).

We have all come to the conclusion that it was indeed a big scheme to have the park's department cover the golf course's expenses.

According to today's Independent, The City of Massillon will be paying $524,000 on golf course debt in 2011. $174,000 of that debt will be paid for by the Parks Department from the .3% income tax that the voters of Massillon passed to fund parks and recreation.

The parks are a mess. The rubberized walking track at Reservoir Park has no rubberized surface. The ball parks are in disarray and many are unusable. Equipment is rusting and falling apart. There is a clear lack of basic maintenance and upkeep, and the dam is about to burst, literally.

$524,000 next year to pay the debt on a golf course which will NEVER, and we mean NEVER make a profit. Debt payments which continue until 2032.

Please mayor, explain to us simple residents who lack your 37 years of governmental experience, and your financial wisdom how your "merger" hasn't been a big scheme to, and we quote you mayor, how this wasn't "a big scheme to have the park's department cover the golf course's expenses?"