Rebellion

There was rebellion at last night's Massillon City Council meeting as City Council voted down the Mayor for Life's unbalanced budget on a five to four vote.

Most of the Mayor for Life's recent controversial proposals have been passing on five to four votes. Bed rock rubber stamps Lap Dog of the Treasury Paul Manson, Taxman Dave Hersher, David McCune, and Ron Mang would be joined by either Donnie Peters, or Larry Slagle. If Slagle was against something, Peters would be for it, or vice-versa.

Slagle voted against the unbalanced 2010 budget.

Slagle also joined Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Gary Anderson and Tony Townsend in voting against the unbalanced 2011 budget.

What was the difference?

Donnie Peters flipped. Peters, who voted for the last unbalanced budget, voted against this unbalanced budget.

And the mayor loses the battle over his budget as open rebellion descends upon city council.

Yes, the budget had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese.

Yes, the budget had a grand canyonesque funding shortage for police and fire.

Yes, it was ill conceived.

So what.

On every other misguided issue, from purchasing a restaurant without a business plan, to creating a "storm water utility fee," to fighting a name change for a park, Massillon Mayor for Life and his ruling junta have always been able to secure five votes on council.

Until now.

The Mayor was no where to be found at Monday's council meeting.

He had his faithful Lap Dog of the Treasury, Paul Manson, fill in as attack dog in his absence.

Manson claimed the 'No' vote was "political."

"They are trying to duck responsibility," Manson said following Monday's meeting. "They made the decision to vote it down because it was easy" (The Independent, December 21, 2010).

Perhaps they voted it down because it was an unbalanced mess. Cities, by law, must pass a balanced budget. This budget was only balanced if you shorted police and fire salaries by over $1 million dollars.

The person who was "political" was the Mayor for Life, who crafted this budget knowing the city would run out of money at the end of the year. He didn't care. His "political" concern was not having the city's finances be an issue during his mayoral primary against likely challenger Kathy Catazaro-Perry.

Now the Mayor for Life and the Lap Dog of the Treasury are stuck.

The two of them, as mayor and as finance chairman, have to come up with a new budget that will get five votes.

Either that, or the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Glenn Gamber, will have to bring either Peters or Slagle back into the fold.

Our money is on the latter.