The Two Sides of Donnie Peters

Tonight, Massillon City Council will shut down Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend's attempt to honor former Councilman, and trailblazing city official, the late T. Roy Roberson.

The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, has used procedural delays to avoid a vote. Gamber did this because our beloved Mayor for Life wanted the issue die without a vote being taken. What the mayor did not take into consideration at the time was the tenacity of Councilman Townsend to keep pushing the issue.

The Mayor for Life was backed into a corner at a Ward 4 Town Hall Meeting this Summer. The vast majority of the attendees favored the name change of the park in their ward. And of course, you don't get to be mayor for life by alienating an entire council ward.

That's when Cicchinelli made The Pledge;

"Mayor Cicchinell told 4th Ward residents there are no plans to sell Shriver Park, or many others, and he pledged to Councilman Tony Townsend that he would help him rename Shriver by urging his Parks and Recreation Board Appointees to vote in favor of it" (The Independent, August 31, 2010).

Of Course, the mayor's appointees on the Parks Board voted no, as everyone knew they would.

Tonight his rubber stamps on council will vote no, as everyone knows they will.

Including Donnie Peters.

Donnie Peters, in the immortal words of failed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, was 'for the name change before he was against it.'

At the August council meeting where Tony Townsend made the motion to rename the park, his motion was seconded by none other than Councilman Donnie Peters.

Peters was supporting Townsend and his plan to honor T. Roy Roberson.

When things began to fall apart, because of the parliamentary machinations of the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, and his sidekick, the Boy Wonder Larry Slagle, Peters saw that the fix was in.

And Peters knew it was wrong.

"I have a sense whats about to happen tonight is a disservice to T. Roy, Peters told Townsend, urging him to be patient and allow the process to move forward" (Donnie Peters, The Independent, August 18, 2010).

Peters was on board, or so it seemed.

And then Peters saw the light. It was a bliding light. It was his obligation to rubber stamp for his beloved mayor for life.

"Peters said he initially supported Townsend's efforts because he believed the 4th Ward councilman was representing his constituents. But after what he called "careful consideration," Peters said he came to the conclusion that he and his colleagues may be setting a bad precedent for future councils" (The Independent, December 1, 2010).

We shall now undertake an effort to define Donnie Peters' most recent comments into proper English;

"careful consideration" means that Donnie Peters was worked over by none other than the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber. Gamber, a former 5th Ward councilman and mayoral loyalist, worked feverishly to get Peters back on the mayor's team.

"setting a bad precedent" means voting against the mayor for life.

Local Republicans, many of whom are unhappy with the way council's lone Republican member, Donnie Peters, constantly supports the Democratic mayor for life, financially as well as with his votes on council, refer to him as the 'Mayor's *****' (starts with a 'b,' and sounds like witch).

Peters' flip flop should not surprise any one. He is a Republican In Name Only (RINO), and his behavior is more in tune with Democrat John Kerry... he was for it, before he was against it.