He Sat There Like a Stump

To no one's surprise, Massillon City Council voted five to four against 4th Ward Councilman Tony Townsend's plan to honor trailblazing former councilman, the late T. Roy Roberson.

Paul Manson, David Hersher, David McCune, Ron Mang and Donnie Peters voted no.

Our Mayor for Life, who cynically told the residents of the Massillon's fourth Ward that he would help them in renaming Shriver Park to honor the late T. Roy Roberson, sat silently as his rubber stamps on council killed the proposal, just like his rubber stamps on the park board voted to kill the proposal.

"Resident Kathleen Spencer questioned why Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, who said he supported the renaming, didn't speak up during proceedings. "He sat there like a stump," she said" (The Independent, December 7, 2010).

He sat there like a stump...

He sat there like a stump because while he spoke out of one side of his mouth claiming he was for the name change, he made sure his rubber stamps, on both the Park Board and City Council crushed the name change.

He sat there like a stump because he lied to the people of the 4th Ward.

Actions speak louder than words ever will. He had his lackeys kill the proposal.

Why? Perhaps because it wasn't his idea. Perhaps it was because Tony Townsend doesn't kiss his behind as much as Frank thinks he should. Perhaps he really does believe this simple effort to honor someone's memory is part of a deep political conspiracy. Who knows? The point was that he killed it because he could.

He flexed his muscle.

He taught Tony Townsend a valuable lesson about who runs the city.

The Mayor for Life does.

And don't you forget it.