Pimpin' Ain't Easy

Larry Slagle voted against Massillon's Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal's unbalanced budget sham on December 20, 2010.

Cicchinelli's budget failed on a five to four vote.

Instead of fixing the budget, meeting with council members, or having the Finance Committee Chairman, Lap Dog of the Treasury Paul Manson, lead any real budget discussions, the mayor had a better plan.

He would do nothing.

He would resubmit the same pile of garbage he jokingly refers to as the city's budget, and just get one of the "no" votes to vote "yes."

Rumor on the street is that he has rustled up Larry Slagle's vote.

Slagle, who has given no real reason for changing his vote, is predicted to vote "yes" to the same document he voted "no" on three months ago.

If he makes the switch, he has clearly consented to being Frank Cicchinelli's personal political whore.

At least you always know where Taxman Hersher, Lap Dog of the Treasury Manson, The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer Glenn Gamber, David "I Am Above the Law" McCune (if he bothers to show up), and Ron Mang stand.

They are the loyal to the end rubber stamp bloc on city council.

They see their job as voting "yes" on whatever the mayor wants.

They are men of conviction, misguided as it is.

Larry Slagle is different.

If he votes yes, he will clearly show he has no conviction.

He will flip-flop.

He will have voted against the budget before he votes for it.

To prop up the mayor politically.

It would then appear he voted to table the final vote on the mayor's budget for two weeks merely to buy time.

To save face.

We predict our beloved Mayor for Life will show up to council, explain why the same budget that failed in December is good today, and after this illuminating presentation, Larry Slagle will have an epiphany, see the light, and realize that he supported the budget all along.

The delay will allow Slagle to say, that after much research and deliberation, he now has enough information to vote for the same budget he rejected in December.

Frank Cicchinelli will have explained it properly, answered all Larry Slagle's questions, and Slagle can vote yes.

And save Cicchinelli politically.

While tossing aside his convictions and integrity.

And serving as nothing more than a political prostitute.

We don't begrudge Larry Slagle changing his vote if the circumstances were different.

They weren't.

When council rebuked the Mayor's budget, Cicchinelli did nothing.

Made no changes.

Led no budget discussions.

Cicchinelli's plan all along was to twist some one's arm hard enough to change their vote.

Because there was no way in hell he would change his budget.

But he knew with enough persuasion, someone on council would change their mind.

And that someone appears to be Larry Slagle.