Hurry Up

The 2010 Massillon City budget was passed in March of 2010. Our Mayor for Life's lap dog, Council Finance Chairman Paul Manson, wants the 2011 budget voted on before the end of this year.

"I want to take a vote by the end of the year" (Paul Manson, The Independent, November 5, 2010).

Why is Manson in such a hurry?

The issues are complex. The budget, as submitted by the mayor, is unbalanced. There is not enough money for police and fire salaries, and according to the mayor;

"The need for additional revenue is not going to go away" (The Independent, November 9, 2010).

So why the rush? Why does the budget have to be wrapped up by the end of the year?

Because 2011 is an election year and our Mayor for Life is likely to face an aggressive challenge in the Democratic Primary in the spring.

He can't be running for re-election with the debate over his unbalanced budget still raging on.

The rubber stamps know that they have to put the budget to bed before the New Year, otherwise the mayor's budget, which according to an editorial in last Friday's Independent, has more holes than the plot of a bad 1950's science fiction movie, will be a campaign issue.

Our Mayor for Life will be busy enough defending his debt ravaged golf course, his hijacking of park funds to prop up the golf course, spending $199,000 to buy a restaurant at the golf course, a restaurant which a high ranking city employee admitted had no business plan, spending tax dollars to pay the mortgage for a private hotel, signing off on legislation granting himself annual unvoted pay raises, spending a million dollars on an arena that was never built, and ignoring a dam which is about to burst.

He doesn't have time to talk about his unbalanced budget.

Council needs to hurry up.