Saving Frank

On December 20, 2010, Massillon City Council voted down Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal's unbalanced budget.

The mayor's budget shell game was rejected by a vote of 5 to 4.

The loyal to the bitter end rubber stamp bloc of Taxman Hersher, Lap Dog of the Treasury Manson, David "I am the law" McCune and Ron Mang voted for the mayor's unbalanced budget.

Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Tony Townsend, Gary Anderson, Larry Slagle and Donnie Peters voted no.

On March 9th, 68 days into 2011, Massillon City Council will once again be voting on the city's 2011 budget.

And what did our Sovereign Mayor change in his budget proposal after it was rejected in December?

Nothing.

The March budget is actually worse than the one rejected in December. $337,000 dollars of 2011 money was needed to pay 2010 bills.

Why didn't the mayor go back to the drawing board and fix his budget?

Two reasons.

1.) The mayor is NEVER wrong.

2.) It's not his problem.

"Cicchinelli said Friday that if council votes against the budget when it comes up for a third reading on March 9, that it is its (council's) responsibility to make changes" (The Independent, February 22, 2011).

And what will he do if the same people vote the same way on the same budget.

Nothing.

Because the same people won't be voting the same way on the same budget.

The mayor's plan, if you can call it such, is to have either Larry Slagle or Donnie Peters change his vote.

And one of them will flip flop.

Or both of them will flip flop.

It's just a question of who.

After Peters voted against the mayor's train wreck of a budget on December 20, the tax problems affecting Peters' downtown business, the Checkered Flag NASCAR store, "mysteriously" found their way to the Independent newspaper.

Of course, this was just a coincidence, and Lord knows our mayor for life is such a reasonable and non-vindictive personality that he was in no way connected with this event.

Peters is still a Cicchinelli devotee. He is a generous contributor to the mayor's campaign fund, and we are sure the tax issue is now water under the bridge.

Peters could cheerfully put away his Republican In Name Only pseudo conservative beliefs, and help his pal the mayor out with his vote.

Failing to pass a budget would cripple the mayor as he heads into a May showdown with Kathy Catazaro-Perry.

The Mayor's Loyal Enforcer, Glenn Gamber, is probably working Peters over to get his vote for the mayor.

Larry Slagle is also a strong candidate for flip flopping.

Slagle is a close pal of the Mayor's Legal Beagle, Law Director Pericles Stergios.

Team Cicchinelli is probably working on Slagle's perceived sense of fairness in getting him to change his vote.

We can just hear it.

We imagine the discussions going a lot like this;

"Larry, if the mayor's budget doesn't pass, it will hurt him politically. We know the budget is an unbalanced pile of crap, but you have to help save Frank."

Save Frank.

It's not about the financial health of the city.

It's not about what is right, and what is wrong.

It's about "Saving Frank."

And one, or both, of these members of city council will toss their convictions out the window, so they can appease the various city insiders who profit from this mayor, and they will vote to "Save Frank."