23 Minutes

According to the Independent, Massillon City Council has spent a whopping 23 minutes discussing the city's budget in public session since it was rejected on a 5 to 4 vote on December 20th until last Monday's council meeting.

23 minutes.

If only the city's budget were as important as the renaming of a city park.

When Ward 4 Councilman Tony Townsend tried to rename a park after trail blazing Massillon politician, the late T. Roy Roberson, the debate raged for months, from May until December.

When Townsend tried to get city council to merely vote on the matter, The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Council President Glenn Gamber, worked tirelessly to obstruct, delay, and avoid a vote.

But Glenn had help.

Enter The Boy Wonder, Larry Slagle.

Slagle helped the Mayor's Loyal Enforcer put off the vote, because Slagle believed we shouldn't rush an issue as critical as renaming a park.

"I'm not dragging my feet on this is, but in my opinion changing names on parks is a very important process. There is no reason to rush it; there is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request" (Larry Slagle, The Independent, September 19, 2010).

"There is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request."

Slagle went so far as to draft a new parks renaming policy.

He used the existing, undated, unsigned "Independent" Parks and Recreation Board policy as a "rubric" to develop his own policy.

It's a shame this "rubric" could not be applied to something like, say, the city's budget.

It's a shame that when considering something as critical as the city's budget, council doesn't adopt the mantra of "there is no reason to take steps to do it without considering all aspects of the request."

"considering all aspects of the request"

Like having real budget hearings, and real budget discussions.

Like having a Finance Committee Chairman who sees his job as being more than the mayor's lap dog.

Like having Larry Slagle channel his zeal for naming parks into something tangible, like the city's budget.

If Slagle only cared about city finances as much as he cared about park names.

Why isn't Larry Slagle pushing Paul Manson to have budget discussions with the same vigor he used during the park naming debate?

Surely the city's budget is as important as naming a park?

It was Larry Slagle who successfully delayed a vote on renaming Shriver park.

The vote eventually failed, which is what most people believe the mayor wanted all along.

As his rubber stamps on council all voted to kill the name change.

Now Slagle has delayed a vote on the city budget.

In this instance, to help pass it.

Which is, again, exactly what the mayor wants.

And most likely it will be Slagle who flip flops on his vote.

And the delay will have been a parlor trick designed to help Larry Slagle save face.

Because our Mayor for Life will not be discussing his budget.

Nor will others discuss his budget.

Which is why we spend months debating a park.

And 23 minutes debating the city budget.

And Larry Slagle is once again complicit in doing what is wrong, while believing, or being tricked in to believing he is doing what is right.