Bad Blood

Relations between Massillon's Extraordinary Mayor for Life and developer Carl Oser have never been good. Whenever Oser tries to develop the land he owns on the south side of Lincoln Way East, Cicchinelli opposes it. If Carl Oser wanted to build a free medical clinic that handed out free life saving medication, Cicchinelli would fight the rezoning. To call this a personal feud would be a vast understatement.

When Oser's grandson, Andrew Oser, announced he was running for mayor, he referred to Cicchinelli as a "vindictive, sociopathic control freak" who is "running the city into the ground" (The Independent, October 29, 2010).

Perhaps Andrew Oser didn't realize just how "extraordinary" our mayor really is.

Frank Cicchinelli is so "extraordinary," that his 'campaign committee,' Safety-Service Director Mike Loudiana and First Lady for Life Joy Cicchinelli, sent letters to Republican voters asking them to "temporarily switch parties" so that Republicans could cast an extraordinary vote for an extraordinary mayor.

Akron Beacon Journal Columnist Bob Dyer pointed out that this attempt to get Massillon voters to switch political parties for the day might not be legal.

Andrew Oser concurred and has filed an election complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission.

A hearing has been scheduled for this Thursday at 9:30AM.

Sounds serious.

Charges were filed against the mayor and his wife, who serves as the mayor's campaign treasurer.

In the buck stops every where but at the mayor's desk world of Frank Cicchinelli, we are left wondering who gets thrown under the bus, and who takes the blame.

Because it won't be Frank.

Will a tearful Mike Loudiana throw himself at the mercy of the tribunal, say it was all his fault, and beg for leniency?

Will Joy Cicchinelli be taking the rap?

Who will Frank Cicchinelli serve up to take responsibility?

Or perhaps the Elections Commission will realize just how "extraordinary" our mayor for life truly is, and just dismiss the complaint.

Because as we all know by now, you don't get to be mayor for life by taking the blame for breaking election laws.