Poker Night

As many of our loyal readers know, Friday Night is Poker Night at the Massillon Review. The hard working Massillon Review staff likes to get together, play cards, drink a few lemonades, and chat about what is going on in town. We will be discussing over hyped school board protests where only a dozen people show up, Kenn Kaminski's planned "secret" tour of vandal activity in our parks (Shhhh... Don't tell anybody), who will run the Club Legends restaurant, and why we hate Third Ward Councilwoman Kathy Catazaro-Perry. We will also be adding Tom Seesan to the ever growing enemies list, as he is clearly a traitor to the community.

As our Massillon Tigers are increasingly Canadianizing their schedule, we offer this link so that our Massillon fans can get better acclimated to our increasingly International opposition, and so that our Canadian fans feel at home. Good Luck National Arts College of Canada as you learn to play the great game of football. Best of Luck with your first ever practice. We look forward to seeing you in October!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwDvF0NtgdU

We can only hope our Massillon Review readers enjoy their Friday Nights half as much as we do!

Friday Night Lights

The Massillon Tiger Football Team has filled the last open vacancy on its 2010 schedule. Our opponent for Week 9 is the National Arts College of Canada. We would offer our readers a scouting report, except that the Arts College of Canada has never played a game. It's their first season of organized football. National Arts College will be the Tigers second Canadian opponent of the 2010 campaign, following Brantford, Ontario.

Unfortunately for the Canadian kids, they have to play by the rules of American Football when they come to town. Once these Canadian kids figure out that they get an extra down, they should be ready to rock. Of course, we only have 11 players on the field while they are used to playing with 12, and in America, everyone in the backfield can not all be in motion at the same time when the ball is snapped. No rouge points, no 25 yard deep end zones, and no 110 yard long fields. Once they figure out the rules, they will be a tough out.

The coach of National Arts College, who really does not know his players yet, and has yet to have an organized practice, appeared to be excited about bringing his team to Tigertown to match up with our Ohio State Semi-Finalists, according to a story in the Independent.

I'm sure we will haul in a boat load of computer points should we be fortunate enough to escape with a win, them playing a five game schedule and all. National Arts College has also lined up a game with St. Edward's... Junior Varsity Team.

Paul Brown Tiger Stadium should be packed to capacity for this intriguing Week 9 Matchup.

Now, many Tiger fans reject the idea of Massillon joining a league, such as the Federal League, because it would cheapen the Tiger tradition. Why play teams like Perry, Jackson, and Lake that would actually attract interest and attention when you can play teams from Canada, who play by a different set of rules.

We think the National Arts College of Canada would be better off playing a team from the Massillon Museum instead of the Greatest Show on Turf, our 22 times State Champion Massillon Tigers. Our Massillon Tigers would be better served by better scheduling. This game will not make either side proud.

Let Them Eat Cake

Massillon's Mayor for Life, and his rubber stamps on City Council spent $199,000 of our parks tax dollars to procure the concessions contract at Club Legends, the on site restaurant at the debt ridden Legends of Massillon Golf Course. It has been rumored that the financial wizards running our fair city are paying the person they just bought the restaurant from to continue to operate said restaurant. Seems logical. Buy him out and then pay him to still run it. We are confident that the City's business plan for our new restaurant is first rate. We can't wait to see it. Since we own the restaurant, do we get some kind of discount when we eat there?

So, Massillon's Golfing Elite have a place to meet to eat. But what about Joe Lunch Bucket? What of the working stiffs who pay the parks income tax to fund all this? Where can he go to meet and eat. He can picnic in the park!

We sure hope the kitchen at Club Legends is in better repair.

It Never Really Was About The Kids, Was It?

By all accounts, Massillon School Board Member Tom Seesan is a good and decent man. He is a Washington High School Graduate. He is active in his community. He is a Rotarian. He was a good Superintendent of the Stark County Board of MRDD, helping make life just a little better for those individuals who most need our assistance. His family has sacrificed more than most to allow us to live in a free country and enjoy the opportunities afforded to us every day. His son, Aaron, gave the last full measure of devotion in defense of our liberty. Tom Seesan ran for the Massillon Board of Education for the right reasons. He ran for school board because he wanted better schools. Now to some, he wears the black hat in our community because he did not sacrifice his principles by putting football in front of academics.

Tom Seesan was, and probably still is, in favor of Massillon's DREAM (Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon) project. One of the major contributors was the Paul and Carol David Foundation. They were providing the physical facilities for the project which included tech prep, college readiness, and health sciences. Unfortunately for the community, the David Foundation pulled its support for the project. Apparently, the "lynch pin" for the project to go forward was that the Head Football Coach had to be appointed Athletic Director, and that the Assistant Athletic Director would be the Offensive Coordinator. Other sports are coached by part time coaches who either teach full-time, or have outside employment, and are paid a small stipend to coach their sport. Under this scenario, the head football coach and offensive coordinator would have full-time jobs to, more or less, coach their sport, football.

Superintendent Lisa Carmichael opposed this proposal. So did Board Members Seesan, Becherucci and Miller. The Football Boosters and the various "Friends of the Program" were not happy. They spewed the brunt of their venom on Tom Seesan. Seesan was supposed to be a "football guy." The Boosters believed he was elected to carry out their vision for a restructured athletic department with football undeniably at the top of the pyramid. Seesan thought this was a bad idea. He voted his conscience and he voted no. Now he is attacked for his vote and treated as a traitor by some in the booster community. There are even calls for his resignation.

A number of the "football guys" are so unhappy, they wish to vote down Massillon's upcoming Renewal Levy to "send a message." The only message that will be "sent" is to our children who will have their academics gutted. "So what," is the response from those "close to the program." That is not their concern. Their only concern is that we have a good football team. We should have a good football team. And a good basketball team, and a good speech and debate team, and good academics, and health sciences, tech prep and college readiness programs. Unfortunately, for some of these folks, it has never really been about the kids. Fortunately for our community, for Tom Seesan it has been all along.

The Rumor Mill

The Massillon City Council, on a four to four vote with Council President Glenn Gamber breaking the tie, voted to buy out the concession contract for Club Legends, the restaurant at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course. Our City Council spent almost $200,000 of our parks and recreation department money to make the purchase. Instead of using these funds for desperately needed maintenance and upkeep in our parks, the City decided to go into the restaurant business. Most businesses have a business plan in hand when they start up. It appears that the new City owned restaurant does not. Massillon's Mayor for Life did not present a business plan when he advocated Council make this purchase.

So who is running our taxpayer funded restaurant? According to the rumor mill, the City is paying the former proprietor to run the restaurant we just bought from him. We certainly hope this rumor is not true. If it is true, it would be the epitome of poor planning and an inexcusably poor expenditure of our tax dollars.

Marshalling the Tough Choices

When Marshall Weinberg was running for the Massillon Board of Education, he was going to be a different kind of candidate. He claimed to have spent several years studying the school system before he became a candidate. When elected, he was going to run the Massillon Schools like a business. He was going to use his business management and finance experience to improve the district. He promised to raise educational standards and he was going to make sure our students had the best education possible. The football boosters weren't going to push Marshall around. It was academics first for Marshall Weinberg. This was the Marshall Plan for our schools.

Fast forward two years. Marshall Weinberg's main concern has become making sure that the Head Football Coach became the Massillon Athletic Director. Marshall claimed it was the lynch pin for the entire DREAM (Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon) project. (The Independent, March 30, 2010). Making the Head Football Coach the Athletic Director would solve the school district's problems. Having the Head Football Coach as AD, according to Marshall, may have even prevented an individual from growing and selling drugs in our fair city. (We are not kidding, we wish we were - The Independent, March 30, 2010).

Unfortunately for the students of Washington High School, the David foundation pulled its support for the DREAM project when this did not occur. Marshall, however, was a staunch supporter of these efforts, and now Marshall is the hero of the football boosters and other self-proclaimed "Friends of the Program." (No names, please, however, one of them could be considered a Tiger friend "for life").

Here is the conundrum for Marshall "It's all about the kids" Weinberg. Many of the football supporters are not happy with the decision of the elected board of education, and the District's Superintendent, Lisa Carmichael. They are angered that the Head Football Coach was not made the Athletic Director overseeing all the sports programs with football at its proper place at the top of the food chain. A number of them are so unhappy, they wish to do something about it. And they have a plan.

Massillon City Schools will have to renew a levy shortly. It's not a new tax, it's a renewal. This levy pays for such things as teacher salaries, instructional materials, utilities, and things one might require in order to educate children. These particular football supporters are planning to work against the levy's renewal. They wish to "send a message" to the administration that properly reflects their discontent.

What is Marshall to do? If it is really "all about the kids," he will support the levy and work to ensure our students have the best education possible. In doing this, he will anger his new supporters. If he works against the levy in order to "send a message," his new supporters will be happy, but the outcome would seriously damage the ability of the school district to educate our children.

What will Marshall "It's all about the kids" do?

Grandstanding

On December 21, 1995, right after our Mayor for Life was elected to his third term, City Council passed, and the Mayor signed an ordinance giving themselves, the Law Director, Auditor, and Treasurer lifetime pay raises. These annual lifetime pay raises don't require a vote by anyone. They are automatic, they are yearly, and they are indefinite. As our Mayor for Life was planning to be mayor for life, he may as well get an annual pay raise while doing it. And of course, you don't get to be Mayor for Life by approving a pay raise every year. You make it automatic and unvoted.

Here is how this works. Every year the Mayor, the Auditor, Law Director, Treasurer, City Council, and the City Council President get a salary increase tied to the Consumer Price Index. This ordinance is open ended, meaning it goes on forever. It is also uncapped, meaning there is no ceiling on how much it can be.

In 2009, the City of Massillon was once again facing extreme financial difficulties. Here was the rub. While city employees were taking pay freezes, and unpaid furloughs, the elected officials were receiving a 4.1% pay increase.

Councilwoman Kathy Catazaro-Perry offered a solution. She proposed rescinding the ordinance that granted these lifetime unvoted pay increases for the elected officials. Councilman, and loyal rubber stamp, Paul Manson accused Catazaro-Perry of "grandstanding." Observers of city council should note that whenever Councilwoman Catazaro-Perry has an idea contrary to what our Mayor for Life wants, the lapdogs attack her verbally with comments like "grandstanding," or its "political." Good idea, or not, they insult the messenger in an attempt to tarnish the idea so that business can continue on as usual.

Council President Glenn Gamber, who appears to be the Mayor's loyal enforcer on council, had a better idea. He was a man of action. He wanted the members of council to voluntarily return a part of their salary. He claimed it was a better way to help the City during its annual financial crisis. So they voluntarily returned a piece of their salary. Glenn Gamber basked in the warm embrace of his constituents for returning his pay. That is until February (deep into 2010) when he took his money back, 4.1% pay raise and all. A man of deep conviction. You see, it was voluntary, meaning a member of council could take it back at anytime. If Glenn Gamber had not intended this voluntary pay cut to be any more than a several month political ploy, one could rightly accuse him of grandstanding.

Massillon Review Fun Facts

Massillon Mayor Francis Cicchinelli has served as an elected official of the City of Massillon since January 1, 1974. He was first elected in 1973. At the end of his current term as Mayor, he will have served as an elected official for 38 years.

1973 - Frank Cicchinelli first elected to public office in Massillon

Average cost of a new house - $35,500

Average house hold income - $10,512

Cost of a gallon of gas - 39 cents

First Class Stamp - 8 cents

Chrysler Duster (car) - $2,822

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the year at 850

George Foreman defeats Joe Frazier for Heavyweight Championship

Miami Dolphins defeat Washington Redskins
in Super Bowl VII to cap perfect season

World Trade Center opens in New York City

Top movies included The Exorcist, The Sting, and American Graffiti

The People Can See for Themselves

The Massillon Review has received a number of comments regarding the deplorable condition of the parks. This letter sums them up perfectly.

Yesterday, I had the occasion to drive past Nave Road and look at the fine manicured golf course. I then drove past a number of parks. I went to the Bottoms and recalled how my son would play baseball there. He won't today. I took a stroll along Campbell path at the Reservoir Park (My sister in law used to go for walks there). She doesn't now. Not only are the parks falling into a state of neglect but the conditions of some of the equipment is such that it possesses a clear and present danger to the children who use it. What can we do?

The citizens of this community are not stupid. Nor are they blind. The Massillon Parks are in a state of deterioration. People see it. Kenn Kaminski can spin stories about park vandals, but the truth is that basic maintenance and upkeep have been abandoned in favor of subsidizing a debt ridden golf course.

What can we do?

A Man of his Word

Before Mayor Cicchinelli convinced Massillon City Council to merge the Legends of Massillon Golf Course with the Parks and Recreation Department, he approached the "independent" Parks and Recreation Board to accept the merger first. The Massillon Parks and Recreation Board is the five member board, created by state law, that in theory runs the parks and recreation department. In practice, they control very little.

Judge John Haas ruled last month that the Mayor and City Council can sell off park assets, and keep the money for the City's operations, without returning it to the parks department. Three members of this board are appointed by the Mayor, without city council approval. City council has since amended this local law, and now has the right to approve or deny a future mayoral appointment. The other two positions are appointed by the Massillon Board of Education. As with our current city council, the Mayor has a working majority on the parks board and can pass most anything he wants.

As we delve into the minutes of the Parks Board, let's see what our Mayor for Life told them when he pitched the idea of unloading the debt ridden golf course onto the back of our parks department.

From the November 14, 2002, Parks and Recreation Board Minutes;

"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 they promised the citizens that the City would not subsidize this golf course."

... and he stated that they promised the citizens that the City would not subsidize this golf course.

As we know the Mayor to be a man of his word, can the citizens have their parks money back? The parks are a mess, and they could really use some maintenance and upkeep.

Streamlining City Government

In November, 2002, the City of Massillon finalized a general obligation bond on the Legends of Massillon Golf Course for $7,281,000 and change. This included the old debt from the original 18 hole course, and the new debt from the ill-fated 9 hole expansion. They then created one really big pile of debt, which would not be paid off until 2032. Our Mayor for Life knew the City's general fund could not absorb the monstrous annual payments on this mountain of debt. It was then that he saw the light. It was time to "streamline city government."

At the December 2, 2002, Massillon City Council meeting, our Mayor for life said he wanted to merge the golf course with the parks and recreation department to make city government more efficient. Of course, this proposal had nothing to do with unloading the golf course's substantial debt on to the parks system. And we believe him because he said it wasn't so. Cicchinelli claimed that his proposal was "not a big scheme to have the parks department cover the golf course's expenses" (The Repository, 12/17/2002).

At the December 16th, 2002, Massillon City Council meeting , The Repository reported that Democratic Councilman Tim Bryan, who was against the merger before he was for it, "contended the move was another way to drain parks department funds to bolster the struggling golf course." Bryan was the one Democrat who figured this out, but he voted for it anyways. In fact, all the Democrats on council voted for the Mayor's plan to "streamline city government."

Council member Gloria Autrey, another Democrat, who was Chair of the Parks Committee, actually believed no money from the parks and recreation department would be used to subsidize the golf course. She believed the Mayor. She was fooled. It was.

The two Republicans on City Council, Claudette Istnick, and James Filhour, had the good common sense to see this "streamlining of city government" for what it was, a "big scheme to have the parks department cover the golf course's expenses."

And this is why our parks are a mess. And this is why we spend over twice what Jackson Township spends on its parks. And this is why with what would seem to be plenty of money, we have to charge our children to play baseball. And this is why Parks Director Kenn Kaminski scares us with stories of park vandals.

No, the Emperor was not wearing fine silken robes that day in December. Only the two Republicans were smart enough to see that he was naked.

The People Are Smarter Than They Think

In a story in the Independent on March 20, several members of Massillon City Council, specifically Kathy Catazaro-Perry and Tony Townsend, complained about the poor conditions of the City's parks. They wondered if the problem was that too much time and too much treasure was being spent on the City's golf course, and that the parks were not receiving basic maintenance and upkeep as a result. Parks Director Kenn Kaminski countered by claiming that the majority of the problems in the park were related to the activity of park vandals. He promised to take the elected officials of Massillon on a tour of the parks to show them the damage these vandals have wrought.

It is now a month later. No scheduled tours have been reported. Of course there is some vandalism. We recognize that. The truth is, however, our parks are in such deplorable shape because of a lack of basic maintenance and upkeep. The truth is our parks money, which is derived from a .3% parks and recreation tax passed by the voters in 1995, has been diverted to subsidize the golf course, its 7.2 million dollar debt load, and to purchase the restaurant at the golf course for almost 200,000 dollars.

The parks tax was never intended to pay for the golf course when voters passed the tax. It was seven years later, at our Mayor's urging, that the City's golf course was unloaded onto the parks and recreation board. When the City expanded the course from 18 to 27 holes in 2002, they had to rebuild the whole course. The golf course was literally built twice. The cost for this ran well over budget and the City was faced with a debt load that was beyond its ability to pay. The solution was to dump the golf course onto the parks and recreation board. Money that was supposed to go to our parks is now subsidizing the golf course.

No, we don't believe Kenn Kaminski will be taking our elected officials on the "vandals tour" anytime soon, because council members would have to be blindfolded to not see that the real damage was caused by neglect and a lack of basic maintenance and upkeep. Kaminski can't admit to that. He can't blame the poor conditions of our parks on a lack of funds for basic maintenance as a result of the money being used to subsidize the financially failing golf course. He can't say it, because it would be bad politics for his boss, Massillon's Mayor for Life, Frank Cicchinelli. You don't get to be Mayor for Life by taking the blame for poorly maintained parks because you needed parks money to prop up the ill-fated expansion and rebuilding of the Legends of Massillon Golf Course. As a result, Kaminski is left with his park vandals. Unfortunately for him, the visual evidence proves otherwise. The people see this for themselves, and unfortunately for the Mayor and his council rubber stamps, the people are smarter than they think.

Less Than Half

It appears that the Jackson Township park system is in pretty good shape. One would assume that Jackson Township spends quite a bit more on parks and recreation than Massillon does.

Let's examine this. The Massillon Parks and Recreation tax, passed by the voters of Massillon in 1995, generates a little over 2.2 million dollars a year. Of course, two million, two hundred thousand dollars ain't what it used to be, so the City started charging our community youth organizations, such as little league, and girls softball to use these facilities. Unfortunately for them, it does not appear that adequate resources have been spent on basic upkeep and maintenance of the parks and fields funded by our tax dollars, and their fees.

Over in Jackson Township, one might guess those community youth organizations spend a fortune to use their facilities. They do not. According to the Jackson Township website, they pay nothing. That's right, nothing. It is in the rules of the Jackson Township Parks and Recreation Department.

SECTION 101.17 - USE OF PARK FACILITIES; RECREATIONAL FIELDS/COURTS
No Charge;
Jackson Township Residents
Jackson Township Employees
Non-profit Organizations

No charge? Well, there probably is not a user fee because the Jackson Parks and Recreation Department must be huge. It must be staggering. They must spend millions and millions of dollars.

They do not. They spend less than half of what Massillon does. Less than half. According to the 2010 fiscal office report on the Jackson Township website, they will spend $1,036,943. A little over one million dollars. Less than half.

Are the Vandals Headed North?

The Massillon Review's crack investigative staff received these pictures of the parks in Jackson Township. Let's see if Jackson Township has the same problems with park vandals as Massillon Parks Director Kenn Kaminski claims Massillon has.


Pavilion, walking track, and observation deck in good condition.


Well maintained playground equipment.

Properly surfaced tennis court.

.

Fortunately for the residents of Jackson Township, "park vandals" have not attacked their parks with the same intensity as they have attacked Massillon's parks. It appears these park facilities receive proper maintenance and upkeep, and there is nothing park vandals fear more than maintenance and upkeep. Jackson Township must spend a lot of money on their parks. Jackson's youth sports organizations must have to pay a small fortune to use these well maintained facilities. It takes a lot of cash to keep the vandals away.

Vandals on the Loose

Parks Director Kenn Kaminski blames "vandals" for the deplorable conditions at our parks, not a lack of basic maintenance and upkeep because our park tax money has been siphoned off to subsidize the golf course. Kaminski promised the elected officials of Massillon a tour of the parks, to show them the devastation these vandals have caused. Kaminski hasn't delivered. Thanks to your help, the Massillon Review has. After a thorough inspection of our parks, we have uncovered the vandals' most potent weapon in their destruction of our park system. Neglect. Neglect has ruined our parks. These vandals must be stopped. Any tips or clues leading to their identity would be greatly appreciated.

Audit? We Don't Need No Stinking Audit

Last October, Massillon City Council member Kathy Catazaro-Perry suggested that the City of Massillon have the State Auditor conduct a Performance Audit of Massillon's operations. The City was once again in a financial crunch, and Catazaro-Perry thought a thorough review of city finances and operations might be helpful. Mayor Cicchinelli stated that he had never had the State conduct a performance audit during his six terms as Mayor. Councilman Paul Manson, a reliable loyalist for the Mayor, accused Catazaro-Perry of "grandstanding" by asking for the audit. We can clearly see why calling for the Performance Audit of a financially stressed city would be seen as "grandstanding."

According to the Auditor of State, a Performance Audit;
provides a comprehensive report on the efficiency and effectiveness of a government agency or operation, offering recommendations for improvement and potential cost savings. This is achieved by comparing an entity's performance to benchmarks set by similar operations and peer-group standards. Results of a Performance Audit can be used to improve the effectiveness of operations, save taxpayer dollars, and make better use of existing resources.

Looks like grandstanding to us, all that ridiculous "saving taxpayer dollars" and making "better use of existing resources."

Catazaro-Perry has once again called for a Performance Audit. Mayor Cicchinelli's response to the Independent seemed to indicate his opposition by stating, "A Performance Audit is not necessary at this time." He then tells the Independent that he finds it "extremely interesting that Kathy Catazaro-Perry continues to push this issue."

The Massillon Review has a staff pool going. We pick the date that the City of Massillon declares its annual financial shortfall. Whoever is closest is the winner. Nobody took a date past August. Happens every year. We read the stories claiming "City will run out of money." If a Performance Audit is not necessary at this time, we wonder when it would be necessary? Our guess is that it won't be necessary until after the next Mayor's race. If everything is being run to high standards and at maximum efficiency, the State Auditor won't have any recommendations to make.

It is well known that our Mayor for Life and Kathy Catazaro-Perry are not BFFs. Our Mayor for life has been claiming for years that Catazaro-Perry is out to get him, because she wants to be Mayor, and you don't get to be Mayor for Life by having credible opponents. When Catazaro-Perry says the Pledge of Allegiance at council meetings, the Mayor probably believes it is a sly political maneuver. If our Mayor for Life claims something is political, we don't argue, as he is the Master Politician. We believe that the Performance Audit will die on the vines, as it was Kathy Catazaro-Perry's idea. Good idea, or bad idea, it gets dismissed because it was her idea.

Pay to Play

According to a story in the Independent, the Massillon Parks and Recreation Department is now raising the fees to use city owned, taxpayer funded ball fields. This rate increase will apply to independent tournaments, City run leagues, and approved community youth organizations such as Little League, and Massillon ASA Girls Softball. For this increased rate, you get one less umpire than you got before the rates were raised.

Until now, community youth organizations like little league baseball, and girls softball did not have to pay fees, as these were city organizations, with city kids. They now have to pay. It's one thing to charge independent tournament operators, but our own hometown youth groups?

On what we are sure is an unrelated matter, and strictly a coincidence, Massillon City Council Members David Hersher, Ron Mang, David McCune, Larry Slagle, and Council President Glenn Gamber voted to spend $199,000 dollars of parks and recreation money to purchase a restaurant at the golf course. They did this at their March 15th meeting. We would imagine that this would create a hole in the parks budget, already stretched thin by having to subsidize a golf course with a staggering debt load.

Parks Director Kenn Kaminski, who claimed that the deplorable conditions at our city parks are the result of park "vandals," and not the result of a lack of basic maintenance and upkeep, claimed to the Independent that the city "can no longer subsidize associations or other groups that pay very little or nothing to the city."

Mr. Kaminski, our little league parents, and our softball parents, and everyone who lives and works in this City pays the income tax that is supposed to fund our parks. When the city voters passed the .3% income tax for parks and recreation, the people were promised, and we mean promised, "ball fields for our youth sports programs." We assumed they would be maintained properly, and they are not. We assumed the kids in our community could use them without additional cost. Apparently they may not.

Using Kaminski's "logic," when Tremont Avenue is finally paved, the city should put up a toll both to charge city residents who use the road, because the city "can no longer subsidize groups that pay very little or nothing to the city." They pay with their taxes, sir. They pay with their taxes.

What you, our Mayor for Life, and the rubber stamps on council who refuse to, or are unable to think for themselves have failed to realize is one simple truth. When our city officials were diverting the money the people of Massillon trusted would be used for parks and recreation, because, well, because they were told it would be, and sending it to the golf course instead, is that you broke the peoples trust. They were promised parks for the community. They were promised well maintained ball fields for their kids. They were not promised a golf course with a $7.2 million dollar debt that won't be paid off until 2032.

We Will Not Rest Until the Job is Done!

Parks Director Kenn Kaminski claims that our parks are in the shape they are because of the malicious activities of park vandals. He promised the elected officials of Massillon a tour of the parks to show them the evil deeds of these vandals. He has yet to deliver. The Massillon Review, however, with your help, is exposing vandal activity in our parks.

As a direct result of your concern, the Massillon Review promises to investigate and expose those responsible for the deplorable conditions of our parks. Our crack investigative staff will work tirelessly, day and night, until those responsible for the deplorable condition of our parks are uncovered and made public. We will not rest until the job is done. The vandals can run, but they can't hide.



What do these vandals have against baseball?


Vandals using their new weapon of choice. Oxidation.

.

Not even the swings are safe.

Marshalling Support

According to a story in The Independent, 57 Washington High School students crafted and signed a letter to Superintendent Lisa Carmichael and Jeff David, Chairman of the Paul and Carol David Foundation, urging them to set aside their differences, and to save the DREAM project, especially the college readiness program. It's good to see people taking the reigns of leadership in our school system. Unfortunately, its the kids, not the adults.

These students made a tactical error. They assumed the school system should put their academic concerns ahead of the concerns of those who wish to run the football program. If they wanted to save the DREAM project, perhaps they should have written a letter asking that the head football coach be made the Athletic Director, and that the Assistant AD be the offensive coordinator.

School Board Member Marshall Weinberg claimed, to The Independent, that the Athletic Director's position is the lynch pin to the entire DREAM project. Wow. Our kids may not be afforded college readiness programs because the Athletic Director is not also the head football coach. Makes sense. It's so clear. It's all about the kids. Weinberg continued his logical and well thought out argument by stating that if the head football coach were also Athletic Director, drug use in our community could be curbed as well. It's good that we elect thoughtful, grounded, and sensible people to our school board.

To even imply that our students' ability to have a college readiness program rested on the head football coach being the Athletic Director is ridiculous. Fortunately, Superintendent Lisa Carmichael plans on continuing the academic aspects of the DREAM project, regardless of who serves as Athletic Director.

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jack...

"The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again."
- James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams (1989)

Parks Director Kenn Kaminski has told City Council that vandals are the culprit for the deplorable conditions in our parks. It is not that the golf course is sucking up the money originally intended for our parks and that there is not enough money even for basic maintenance and upkeep. Kaminski even promised to take our elected officials on a tour of the parks to show them the havoc these vandals have wrought. He has not. Thanks to the loyal readers of the Massillon Review, we are.

When the voters of Massillon passed the .3% income tax for parks and recreation, a key promise was that money would be used to build and maintain ball fields for our youth. Baseball season is upon us. Let's see what the "vandals" are up to.


See how the vandals refuse to properly maintain the field.


Here, the vandals allowed grass to overtake the infield.


Look how the vandals have ruined the pitchers mound.


And home plate

Have these vandals no shame?

A Master at Work

Watching Mayor Frank Cicchinelli politically manipulate council members is like watching a great artist at work. It's like watching Rembrandt paint, or Mozart compose. This is why he is Mayor for life. This is why he has held elected office for 37 years. He is the Master. It's like watching the Massillon Tigers play football against a middle school team when he goes up against council. It's just not a fair fight.

Aqua Ohio, Massillon's water supplier, was going to make a request of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), for a 20 percent increase in our water rates. Oh my goodness, a 20 percent rate hike, what will we ever do? Well, Massillon could try and negotiate a lesser increase directly with Aqua Ohio and avoid the PUCO request. Now, Aqua Ohio was probably not going to get a 20% increase from the PUCO. They aimed high. Problem is, there was a chance they might get it. It was probably best that the City of Massillon negotiated directly with Aqua Ohio, and not roll the dice with the PUCO. Unfortunately, the Mayor would ultimately have been responsible for a rate increase if he negotiated it. His political enemies, which he claims are numerous, would use it against him. What is a Mayor for Life to do?

Our Mayor works hard to accept credit for that which is good, and to blame others for that which is bad. New jobs in Massillon? He did it. Budget cuts to make? Auditor's job. Taxes and fees to raise? Council's problem. Council is a part time job. They have one staff person. The Mayor's job is a full time job. He has a large staff. They work full time. The council is the legislative branch of government. In our council's case, they mainly rubber stamp the Mayor's proposals. The Mayor and his staff happily negotiate annexation deals, park sales, and restaurant buyouts. A proposed water rate increase is apparently not something our full-time Mayor and his full-time staff is responsible for. According to the Mayor, this is council's job.

Fortunately for Mayor Cicchinelli, the Chairman of City Council's Utilities committee is Gary Anderson. Gary Anderson is a new councilman who only won his election by 28 votes. Anderson was appointed to be the Democratic candidate for council in Ward 2 over Mayor Cicchinelli's hand picked candidate, Kevin Phillips. Anderson also thinks for himself, and is not a good rubber stamp for the Mayor's agenda. Mayor Cicchinelli told Gary Anderson that it was council's job to negotiate a rate increase with Aqua Ohio. Specifically, Mayor Cicchinelli convinced Gary Anderson it was his job, as Chair of the Utilities Committee, to negotiate with Aqua Ohio.

Gary Anderson foolishly believed it was his job, because the Mayor told him so, and why would the Mayor tell him this if it wasn't true? So now we have rookie, part time councilman Gary Anderson locking horns with the Aqua Ohio corporation, and we assume their lawyers, to negotiate a rate increase, while our veteran Mayor and his full time staff are not involved.

We believe Gary Anderson did the best he could. Anderson came back with a 14.75% increase phased in over three years, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The Massillon Review believes this is close to the rate Aqua Ohio wanted all alone. So now, the citizens of Massillon will face an almost 15% water rate hike over three years. Can't blame the Mayor, Gary Anderson did it.

Councilman Gary Anderson does not have Mayor Cicchinelli's political skills, and did not realize Cicchinelli played him like a skilled musician playing a fine violin. The rate hike will pass. Cicchinelli will not be responsible for negotiating it, and the blame will lay at the feet of one of his perceived enemies. One could guess that the Mayor's candidate for Ward 2 Council next year against Gary Anderson will be Kevin Phillips. And what do you think Kevin Phillips' issue will be? If you answered 15% water rate hike, you may just be right.

Bravo Mayor. Well played.

We See the Light

Our parks are in deplorable condition. We pay a .3% income tax for parks and recreation in Massillon. This is roughly 2.2 million dollars a year. Our Mayor for Life and his council loyalists have diverted our parks money to subsidize an unsuccessful golf course. Debt payments on the golf course are due until 2032. According to Parks Director Kenn Kaminski, the problem with our parks isn't a lack of basic maintenance and upkeep. According to Parks Director Kenn Kaminski, its park vandals. Kaminski certainly knows where his bread is buttered and doesn't dare say that the golf course is draining away money that was meant for our parks. The Massillon Review decided to investigate this vandalism spree on our own.


Look how the vandals don't clean up the accumulated debris at this foot bridge.


See how the vandals won't re-paint the surface at this tennis court.


Look at how the vandals have rusted out this park grill.

We see the light. Vandals.

In Search Of... Park Vandals

Massillon City Council, on a 4-4 vote, with Council President Glenn Gamber breaking the tie in favor of the resolution, voted to spend almost $200,000 of parks money to buy out the concessions contract at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course. Several members of council, who voted against this measure, complained about the poor condition of Massillon's parks. Parks Director Kenn Kaminski claimed that vandalism was the biggest problem in our parks. It wasn't that the money that could have gone to pay for park maintenance and upkeep was now diverted to buy a restaurant, and to pay off the enormous debt at the golf course, it was the vandals. Director Kaminski promised to take our elected officials on a tour of the parks to show them how "vandals" have ruined our parks. This has not yet happened. The Massillon Review grew tired of waiting, and sent its own crack investigative staff out into the field to uncover the evil doings of these park vandals. We started at the Chester and Florence Campbell Walking and Jogging Path at Reservoir Park. Look at how the vandals have worn away the rubberized track surface. We could see how routine care and upkeep would have never worked. It was so clearly the work of vandals.




The members of the former Doctors Hospital Service League must be so proud of how the city has meticulously maintained this gift to the community. The Campbell family must be equally proud.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from the Massillon Review

It's a different world

The Stark County Park District, like the Massillon Parks and Recreation district, relies on a voter passed tax to fund their operations. Stark Parks relies on a small property tax, while the Massillon Parks and Recreation district relies on a .3% income tax. Both these entities are funded by voter approved levies. In theory, both these entities are responsible to the taxpayers. One realizes this, and the other could care less.

If you go to the website of the Stark County Park District, you can read the district's five year plan. It's there for everyone to see. The Stark County Park District is very specific about how they will spend our tax dollars. Strangely enough, they spend these dollars on parks and trails. The Stark County Parks District is preparing a new five year plan. They are holding public meetings throughout Stark County to gather citizen input before they make decisions. They have already had meetings in Massillon and Navarre. It appears to be a very open process.

When the City of Massillon decided to steer the voter approved parks tax money to subsidize a golf course, there were no open public forums. This decision ultimately changed our park system. Citizen input was never considered. The City had 7.2 million dollars of golf course debt from building the same golf course twice, which they did when they added another nine holes. They couldn't pay the debt, so our Mayor for Life and the Democrats on Council decided to unload this albatross on to the city's parks and recreation board. They did this the week before Christmas, 2002. They do controversial stuff like this around Christmas because they know that the citizens are probably not paying the attention they should to their local government, what with the shopping, and wrapping, and cleaning, and family obligations.

While Stark Parks was preparing open public forums so people could tell the County Park Board what kind of park system they wanted, Mayor Cicchinelli and his council rubber stamps were preparing to spend almost $200,000 of park tax dollars to buy out the concessions contract at the golf course. We at the Massillon Review must have missed the paragraph in the Massillon Parks five year plan that justified and explained why this was a good idea. Actually, we at the Massillon Review have yet to locate the five year plan. It must be around here somewhere. The fact is, there is very little planning. Our parks are in dire need of maintenance and there is not enough parks money for parks, because it has been hijacked to subsidize an unprofitable golf course.

Park Director Kenn Kaminski claims the problems with our parks are because of vandals. He promised a City Council tour of the parks to show us that vandals are responsible for the lack of basic maintenance and upkeep. We are waiting. Show us.

It's All About the Kids

The Massillon Schools Dream Project - Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon. It was to include college readiness and leadership training, health sciences and tech prep with hands on health care experiences, as well as state of the art facilities.

The plug was pulled by the Paul and Carol David Foundation, who was paying for the new facilities, because apparently the head football coach, Jason Hall, was not made the Athletic Director.

Washington High School has some of the finest academic, athletic and extra-curricular programs and facilities in the area. These are great kids. Coach Hall has done a fantastic job as a football coach and as a leader in the school system. The grade point averages of our football players are stunning. Their parents should be damn proud of the performance of these student athletes, on and off the field. The kids in the Massillon School system have done nothing wrong. It's the adults who have let them down.

Why should the head football coach automatically be the Athletic Director and his offensive coordinator be the Assistant Athletic Director? What kind of message does this send our kids who are in other sports? You matter less? What about our Lady Tigers? Who cares, you aren't as important because you don't play football? The message to our other student athletes is horrible. Their coaches are paid small supplemental contracts. They aren't given jobs where their primary focus is to coach their sport.

The original commitment of the David Foundation was very generous. It would have greatly benefited the kids. Unfortunately, it isn't really about the kids. In Massillon, Ohio, and the rest of the United States of America, we each get one vote. We elect a board of education to run our school system. They appoint people to run the academics and athletics. It is accountable back to the voter. A gift is just that, a gift. It should come with no strings. A wealthy benefactor has no more right to choose a school athletic director than we do.

This had divided the Massillon community. Some people are talking about voting no for the next school levy because the head football coach will not be the athletic director. Really? Who does that punish? The school board? The Superintendent? No, it punishes the kids. A comment like that is actually dumber than when School Board Member Marshall Weinberg claimed that if Jason Hall were Athletic Director, drug activity would have been curtailed in the city. Marshall, you are now off the hook.

It should be about the kids. Apparently, it isn't.

The Marshall Plan

The Massillon DREAM Project is over. According to various newspaper stories, and the comments of various school board members, Paul & Carol David Foundation Chairman Jeff David pulled the plug on the David foundation's involvement because head football coach Jason Hall was not also made Massillon Athletic Director. According to board member Marshall Weinberg, doing so would have had such a positive effect on the Massillon community that the DREAM project would have been saved, the athletic department would have been improved, and apparently drug activity in the city would have been curtailed.

At last night's school board meeting, Marshall Weinberg and fellow board member Phillip Elum voted against renewing the contract of Tim Ridgley, the current Athletic Director. Board members Gary Miller, Tom Seesan, and Vicki Becherucci voted to keep Ridgley, therefore scuttling the plan to make the head football coach the athletic director as well.

Marshall Weinberg, when he ran for school board in 2007, promised to use his business management and finance background to create a more fiscally responsible school system. He ran on raising educational standards. He was a "numbers" guy, who was going to run our schools "like a business." He claimed to be an "outsider," running against the entrenched "insiders." It was going to be academics first, and football second. The football booster club guys, who many believe have too much influence on how the school system is operated, were not going to push Marshall around.

Well, that was true until he became one of them. It only took Weinberg two years to become the ultimate insider. His beliefs and promises from his 2007 campaign have disappeared. He is now the football booster club go to guy. He is now the football insider. He is pushing the agenda to give football priority in the athletic department. It may be a great idea. It may not be. It may save the DREAM program. It may not. What is most interesting to the Massillon Review is that Marshall Weinberg is now the school board member that Marshall Weinberg the candidate ran against. The Massillon Review expects to see Marshall playing the calliope at Touchdown Club meetings this fall. We are confident he will get a standing ovation!