Working Class Mayor for Life

It appears Massillon's Mayor for Life, King Francis the Eternal, Lord Sovereign of Massillon is opposed to Project-Labor Agreements.

What is a Project Labor Agreement?

According to the Independent, a Project-Labor Agreement (PLA), "is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between a public employer and all of the contractors and subcontractors involved in a construction project. All costs, including wages and benefits such as health insurance, are set in advance" (The Independent, March 16, 2011).

Massillon City Council is debating whether or not to pass an ordinance requiring the use of PLA's for city construction projects.

Local unions are pushing Massillon to pass a PLA ordinance. Unions support the use of PLA's because they believe their members will receive better pay and benefits for working on a construction project covered by a PLA.

And how do we surmise that our beloved mayor is opposed to the PLA ordinance?

Because his Lap Dog, Paul Manson, spoke out against the ordinance.

Councilman Larry Slagle was pitching the idea of the PLA, and lamenting the decline of unions, which Slagle believes is hurting the middle class.

Lap Dog Manson then berated Slagle for expressing his pro union views.

Manson, who as Chairman of the City Council Finance Committee, can't lead city council in a rudimentary discussion of city finances, decided to get up in arms over project-labor agreements.

"Manson said he was tired of Slagle's "rhetoric," called his argument "crap" and told him to get off his "soapbox" (The Independent, March 16, 2011).

Manson is up in arms because Frank Cicchinelli, who is up in arms, can't say he is up in arms.

Frank Cicchinelli is in the fight of his political life in the Democratic primary for mayor against Kathy Catazaro-Perry.

Unions and organized labor are very active in Democratic politics.

We imagine Cicchinelli telling the local unions he loves them, and that he is all for the project-labor agreements.

It's a lot like his "pledge" to the people of Ward 4 to help Councilman Tony Townsend rename a park in honor of the late T. Roy Roberson.

While he "pledged" to help, his rubber stamps killed the idea, so Cicchinelli would not be exposed to the political fall out.

We believe Cicchinelli will have his lackeys kill the PLA idea as well.

Because Cicchinelli is mad at the unions.

Not because he disagrees with their practices or beliefs.

But because a number of local unions supported Tim Bryan for mayor four years ago.

And the mayor for life never forgets.

So while he is angling for union support for his campaign, he is having the rubber stamps kill the PLA ordinance the unions want.

Because he never does the dirty work himself.

Because the buck always stops somewhere else in the political world of Frank Cicchinelli.