People in Massillon should decide

"People in Massillon should decide. People who live in Massillon should decide who their mayor should be, who their council member should be. They shouldn't be influenced by anyone on the outside, any individual that doesn't live within the corporate limits of Massillon should not be concerned with who the mayor is..."
(Mayor Frank Cicchinelli, at his own press conference, when announcing his intentions to seek a seventh term as mayor)

"Cicchinelli also said outsiders should not dabble in city politics. He said he will call out such "carpetbaggers" for involving themselves in the mayor's race or other citywide races. "There's going to be a line drawn in the sand", he said..." (The Independent, July 31, 2010).

Frank Cicchinelli has made it clear that outsiders, "carpetbaggers," should not involve themselves in Massillon politics.

Except when they support him.

A number of our Democratic staffers here at the Review received an extraordinary piece of political mail from our extraordinary Mayor for Life yesterday.

It touted his accomplishments and his "rare ability to bring people together..."

Yes, we will agree his ability to bring people together is indeed very rare.

So rare that some would call it non-existent.

According to his own letter, "Frank's vision and commitment to large scale projects" has brought us, drum roll please... the Hampton Inn.

It wasn't his "vision and commitment," it was us paying the mortgage.

The letter was then signed by prominent citizenry.

Including carpetbaggers.

Frank Cicchinelli's own campaign letter included endorsements from, as our mayor would say, people who do not reside within the corporate limits of the city of Massillon.

"People in Massillon should decide who their mayor should be."

Apparently the "line in the sand" does not extend to himself.

The lesson is clear. If you want to support the mayor, you can live outside "the corporate limits of Massillon."

If you support his opponent, you can't.

Fair is fair.