The Joy of Politics

The Pledge

"Mayor Cicchinelli 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).

Massillon's Mayor for Life made this promise after being pressured at a Ward 4 Town Hall meeting. Cicchinelli pledged his support to rename Shriver Park after former Ward 4 Councilman, the late T. Roy Roberson.

This park renaming had been a personal crusade for current Ward 4 councilman Tony Townsend. Townsend thought it to be a simple request. It was a park in his ward, the residents of the ward approved it, and a trailblazing elected official would be honored. Seemed like a win-win for everyone.

Except that the mayor worked tirelessly to kill the name change.

When Townsend appeared to have support on city council for the name change, the mayor had his Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, with help from the boy wonder, Larry Slagle, prevent a vote.

Slagle pitched some nonsense about creating a "rubric" to deal with the complex world of park renaming and went through the charade of creating an official policy to rename parks.

Now, it's February, and Massillon does not yet have a budget for 2011, but we do now have a policy for renaming parks.

When the plan to rename the park came to the "independent" Parks and Recreation Board, two of the mayor's appointees, lackey Michelle Del Rio-Keller, and lackey Timothy Muzi "shockingly" voted "No."

But the mayor pledged?

Yeah, he publicly "pledged" to rename the park so that he would not anger Ward 4 voters.

Privately he worked to kill it.

His "pledge" was hollow.

Rumor on the street has been that Frank Cicchinelli killed the plan because Councilman Tony Townsend did not approach the mayor first before pitching his plan publicly.

Tony Townsend made the mistake of believing that he was an independent member of council, and did not follow the mayor for life's chain of command.

The chain of command, for all practical purposes, beginning and ending with the mayor.

The Joy of Politics

Long story short.

The Mayor for Life has decided to get himself a new Ward 4 member of council.

He recruited a woman named Jackie Carter to oppose Councilman Townsend in the Democratic primary election.

And who helped Jackie Carter circulate her nominating petition, helping her obtain the necessary signatures to run?

According to one of our faithful readers, it was Massillon's First Lady for Life, Joy Cicchinelli.

Joy Cicchinelli was canvassing for Jackie Carter.

Should Jackie Carter be elected, how do you think she will vote?

Get that woman a rubber stamp.