PART 2 - MASSILLON'S "TROUBLES, TROUBLES & MORE TROUBLES," THE LEGENDS GOLF COURSE

UPDATED:  11:00 a.m.

VIDEOS

COUNCILWOMAN DEL RIO-KELLER

PRESENTS AT COUNCIL MEETING

PARKS & RECREATION PLANS

FOR

"THE LEGENDS GOLF COURSE"

============================

SCPR INTERVIEW
OF
COUNCILWOMAN MICHELLE DEL RIO-KELLER

In the slickly done "Fall, 2014" edition of Massillon Magazine in line with Catazaro-Perry/Maier penchant for doing a "Madison Avenue" style cover up of brewing troubles beneath the surface, the mayor portrays herself as Saint Kathy of Massillon in being on the brink of saving Massilon from a financial crisis that may never have existed in the first place.

A case can be made that Her Honor forced the issue with the State of Ohio Auditor (SOA)  which on October 8, 2013 made a thinly justified finding (only one of six assessment criteria met) that Massillon is in fiscal emergency.

As Mayor-elect Catazaro-Perry in December, 2011 she was writing the SOA asking that an audit be done which she was confident would result in a finding that Massillon was in fiscal emergency even before the man she defeated in the Democratic primary election of May, 2011 (24 year mayor, Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr) was officially out of office.

The SOA refused her "out-of-hand" because a superficial look at Massillon's numbers showed the state auditors that the mayor didn't understand basic math which clearly indicated that no emergency financial condition existed in Massillon.

The SCPR sees the Catazaro-Perry initiated effort of December, 2012 as possibly being a political set up engineered by the "all things political" duo of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and R. Shane Jackson.

Though the two are public officials (clerk of courts and chief deputy clerk of courts, respectively) supported by Massillon taxpayers. The Stark County Political Report sees them primarily as politicians working up or on one political intrigue after another, after another.

Johnnie is a former Stark County Democratic Party chairman who many think still controls the Dems through current chairman and Canton Municipal Court clerk of courts Phil Giavasis.

And before him through Randy Gonzalez (a former chief deputy clerk for the Canton Municipal Court) who immediately after Maier's tenure as chairman until the Giavasis appointment was chairman of the Stark Dems.

Jackson is a long time political director of the Stark County Democratic Party.

So it is hard to believe that this duo don't look at all of life as being "one big political playground" and they are having "one big ball" playing "political football."

And that it appears to the SCPR is what they and their group of loyalists are doing with Massillon and Stark County government.

It may be "having fun" to Maier and Jackson.

But the consequences of them romping in the "political sandbox" could prove damaging to Massillonians and to Stark Countians in terms of a lack of quality of leadership and government.

In Massillon, the government unit which has to deal with the political mischief which seems to be being "dealt out is spades" by Maier and Jackson is Massillon City Council.

It was quite revealing to the SCPR, in sitting through council's work session Monday night as a number of troubles which currently plague Massillon were being addressed, to see the hands of Maier/Jackson all over "the troubles, troubles & more troubles" which had boiled to the surface.

Today, we cover the effort of Councilwoman-at-Large Michelle Del Rio-Keller's (a Democrat) to fix the long time broken problem of the Massillon City Government Legends golf course.

SOURCE OF PHOTOS:  
THE LEGENDS WEBSITE)

The city owes about $5.4 million in a mortgage on the 27 hole course which is currently being paid out of the .3% of income tax revenue approved by Massillon voters in 1995.

Formerly, the mortgage was paid out of Massillon's general fund.

The SCPR thinks the notion of a government unit owning a golf course to generate revenues to finance usual government services to taxpayers is one huge mistake.

Massillon started off with 18 holes in 1995.

However, Cicchinelli decided that things were going so well with 18 holes that "the more, the merrier" was in order and 9 holes were added in 1998.

Now he admits that the addition was a mistake.

But, of course, Massillon taxpayers are "left to pick up the pieces."

And such is exactly what Del Rio-Keller is trying to do.

Here is a video of her presentation on Monday.



And here is a post-meeting interview by the SCPR.





Just to spice things up a bit, the SCPR cannot pass up this opportunity to show how gullible Mayor Catazaro-Perry and her close-in political advisers are in terms of thinking they could solve The Legends' troubles by placing a "aquarium/waterpark" at the location.

From a April 11, 2014 SCPR blog:

Last month an out-of-state developer stepped forward with a project which should have been a "no-brainer" in terms of Catazaro-Perry and council working together to bring the proposal (an aquarium/waterpark combo) to reality.
But that hasn't happened and the SCPR will not happen as long as the site contemplated is the city owned "The Legends" golf course. 

Originally the plan was for the developer to lease the "excess" (i.e. the 9 holes added to the original 18 holes) part of the golf course for $10 per year for a term of 30 years. 

The neighborhood surrounding The Legends is one of Massillon's posh neighborhoods and to have a very large aquarium/waterpark in the daily eyesight of the residents in an idea that is never, ever going to fly.

As sweet as it would be for Massillon to be out of the golf course business for many Massillonians, there is indication that council may reject any such overture because members would not want to leave those who live in the vicinity of The Legends having to deal with the visage of the proposed commercial enterprise ... .

As it turned out, the excitement bought into The Legends "solve a problem" matter by the naive Catazaro-Perry entourage has to be disconcerting to Massillonians inasmuch as it appears that the developer(s) may have been looking for a government give-away and the Catazaro-Perry folks appear to have been biting.

The Report thinks the naivete was born of the administration's frustration of "having something on the table" to deal with Massillon's many troubles only one of which is what to do with The Legends.

In getting back to the Del Rio-Keller presentation, the questions is which of her ideas is likely to float with council and, probably, more importantly Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry and her behind-the-scenes-prop-ups?

Hire a full time manager? (favored by Del Rio-Keller and Paul Manson)

Bring in a full/part-time management firm?

Develop a Master Plan?

Off the table is a reduction of the course to an 18 hole course (opposed by Ward 4 residents who live next to or in the vicinity of the course), at least, as far as council is concerned contrary to the wishes of Massillon's Parks and Recreation Board which meets tonight to once again mull over the future of the the course.

The answer to "the future of The Legends" question, the SCPR thinks, is wrapped up in Massillon government politics.

Look for the decision, whatever it turns out to be, to be one grounded in "political muscle" and not "on the merits" of whether or not Massillon should be in the golf course business in the first place.

There probably isn't a poorer time to try to deal with "troubles, troubles & more troubles" in Massillon with the city being on the cusp of an election year.

In 2015, all of city council and the mayor's office is up for election.

Accordingly, the SCPR predicts that there likely will be no solution to The Legends problem because it is hard to see how the political objectives of the Catazaro/Maier/Jackson crowd can square up with the interests of the various council persons running for re-election.

And that 'ain't' all.

The Report thinks it is likely that Francis H. Cicchinelli will not challenge the mayor in Democratic primary in May but that she will be challenged by Republican Ed Lewis, IV (Republican, Ward 6, and chairman of the 'powerful' finance committee).

The Maier group is still smarting from having lost control of council (i.e. the Democrats losing control) to the Republicans in 2011.  Though Democrats regained control in 2013, the 'ain't' Maier group Democrats except for Shaddrick Stinson and council president Tony Townsend (who only votes in the case of a tie).

Look for Maier et al to try again to gain at least a plurality on council.

One of the seats that they will have to go "all-out" to defend with be that of Shaddrick Stinson (Democrat, Ward 4) as he is said to be the target of Ward 4 citizens who live in the area of The Legends.

The Report does not know where he ended up on supporting Stinson.  But Frank Cicchinelli was flirting with the idea of supporting him in 2013 face off with Republican candidate Jim Triner.

Stinson did not get a majority of the votes in the 2013 race.

Stinson was telling Cicchinelli that he was not a Johnnie A. Maier loyalist.  The SCPR's analysis is that he is beholden to the Maier Massillon Political Machine.  And his stances on most if not all issues between council and Catazaro-Perry have been with the mayor.

If Republicans can talk Triner or a viable alternative person (perhaps from among The Legends interest group) into running next year, it appears that the campaign factors on The Legends' issue are enough to put Stinson on the political sidelines.

Losing in Ward 4 would be  on the order of being stunning for the Maier Demcorats.

For they understand that notwithstanding the "political spin" they have tried to put on the "success" of the mayor's administration, the truth of the matter is within the perception of voting Massillonians as to whether or not Catazaro-Perry deserves her self-serving billing.

Should Catazaro-Perry get through the 2015 election year successfully, a second term will be disastrous for her and Massillon if she continues to be at odds with a majority of council.

That the Maier faction will be focusing on council as well as reelection of Catazaro-Perry enhances Lewis' chances, so the SCPR thinks.

Lewis is one of the unique elected officials who comes off as being "non-political" in nearly everything he does.

Even as Catazaro-Perry has tried to insult him, badger him; he has come off as looking like the statesman and she as the thorough going politician.

Should Lewis decide to run, the SCPR is saying now that it is likely he will win in November, 2015.

Already, the SCPR is told, scores of Republicans are organizing at the prospect of a Lewis candidacy.

One of his prime encouragers has been Stark County Republican commissioner Janet Weir Creighton.

However, a question of her reliability as a supporter of Republican candidates is in doubt insofar as the SCPR is concerned.

She could have been the person:

• in her role as a if not "the" leading Stark County Republican in terms of popular support, and
• as one of Republican governor John Kasich's hugely successful (wining by some 37,000 votes in Stark) 2014 campaign as northeast Ohio campaign coordinator 

to put Larry Dordea "over-the-top" in his race against Maier Loyalist Group candidate George T. Maier (Johnnie's brother, of course).

But she didn't lift a "significant" finger for Dordea.

She even refused to endorse Dordea when asked in public.

It would have been one thing had Dordea's qualifications to be sheriff was in question.

On the policing experience factor, it appears to be pretty much of a wash as between him and Maier.

However, on "the character question" the SCPR thinks Dordea was "head and shoulders" superior to George T. Maier.

The SCPR suspects that Creighton has ties to at least one in the Maier Loyalty Group that caused to her to withhold out-and-out support for Dordea.

If that is the case, the question for Lewis has to be:  Will she do the same to me if the Maiers use their SCPR suspected avenue to Creighton to prevail on her to back off on supporting the Ward 6 councilman.

Nobody should underestimate the ability of Maier (Johnnie) to worm his way into the councils/counsels of the Stark County Republican Party.  

Republican Stark County commissioner Richard Regula is a pretty obvious example of that, so the SCPR thinks.

If Lewis decides not to run, the SCPR thinks that the Creighton factor could be the deciding factor.

THERE SHE GOES AGAIN, KATHY CATAZARO-PERRY TRYING TO "WRECK" MASSILLON?

 UPDATE:  08:47 AM

The one line that Masillon should be focusing on to know what is "really" at play in the Massillon city government and politics "flare up" at Monday night's councl meeting is Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry's statement:

But to mask the "power politics" aspect of the fight over whether or not the money will be provided by Massillon City Council to fund a parking ticket officer, the mayor has decided to become inflammatory about the matter in claiming that the defunding is a racist/sexist act because her hire is a black woman.

What the mayor fails to mention is that the hire is not just any black woman but she (Dwan St. John) is a "politically connected 'black' woman;" the wife of none other than Deametrious St. John who until March 1, 2014 was a Stark County Democratic Party recommended appointee (the governor of Ohio actually makes the appointment at the behest of the local party in most instances) to the Stark County Board of Elections.

Deametrious (a pivotal figure in the creating of the Stark County Black Caucus) played a key role in putting former Catazaro-Perry safety director George T. Maier (Stark County's Democratic Party appointed sheriff) on the November, 2014 ballot when his qualifications under Ohio Revised Code Section 311.01 was challenged by a-then Massillon Democratic Party Ward 1 precinct committeewoman (Cynthia Balas-Bratton).

The SCPR has tabbed Deametrious St. John as a card-carrying member of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr Loyalty Club.

If there is any "ism" at play in Massillon, the SCPR thinks it is political "cronyISM!

If this matter was about the merits of the downtown Massillon merchants' need to have the city government help solve their parking problem, those councilpersons who go through the arithmetic of how the Catazaro-Perry administration has configured the job, then a "reasonable" executive would say:

"you know what, you have a point.  Given Massillon's precarious financial position and the fact that we have current employees doing furlough days, it was a mistake to create a fulltime position by merging two part time jobs (i.e. the parking officer position and an income tax department job) because doing so obligates the city to pay benefits which - in a tight budget - is not a thing to do."

The SCPR thinks that the KCP administration focus has not been on the numbers and the merits of the matter but on somebody's determination that Ms. St. John was to be hired (no posting of the job done) and in the mix it was concluded that one way or another she was to be put in a fulltime position.

After all with with her having a masters degree, it certainly would be a case of "being underemployed" were she only to be a part time parking officer which means no more than 30 hours per week, with no health care and retirement benefits, no?

The SCPR conjectures that the merits of the matter (from the Massillon taxpayer standpoint) did not match the Catazaro-Perry political needs, and, perhaps, St. John's financial needs and therefore "the public be damned" and "we - the administration are going to do as 'we dam well please,' and if I (KCP) need to get politically nasty to get my way - I will do so!

Hence, the racism and sexism charges.

For one who does not have the merits on one's side, the only alternative to prevail is to confuse matters and through out a "red herring or two," no?

To the SCPR there is a big political umbrella overlay to the St. John hire.

One of those voting to defund the parking ticket officer position is Ward 2 Republican councilwoman Nancy Halter.

So?

Well, from the Maier Loyalty Club perspective, her action has to be politically motivated, no?

Really?

Indeed!

For she is a part of the campaign of Republican Larry Dordea who is running against guess who for Stark County sheriff this November.

•  SCPR Note: Republicans (four in number) do not control Massillon City Council.  However, there is a gigantic rift in the Massillon Democratic Party (i.e. Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero and former mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr are avowed political foes of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and his political sycophant and chief deputy clerk of courts Shane Jackson) and consequently a number Democratic members (except for council president Tony Townsend and Ward 4 councilman Shaddrick Stinson) of council are quick to join the Republicans in stiffling Catazaro-Perry drive to political power.

Dordea's opponent is Catazaro-Perry former safety director George T. Maier.

And George:

•  became the Stark County Democratic Party appointed sheriff (one time [February 5, 2013] illegally according to the Ohio Supreme Court [reappointed on December 11, 2013] 
• largely through the efforts of his brother Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and former Stark County Democratic Party chairman 
• [currently Massillon clerk of courts 
• who is the power behind Catazaro-Perry becoming mayor in 2011 in a political grudge match between Maier, Jr and longtime political adversary and longtime former mayor Frank Cicchinelli.
• SCPR Note:  many think, as does The Report, that Catazaro-Perry is merely the "window dressing" in the mayor's office and that Maier, Junior and his loyalists run the executive branch of the city of Massillon

Dordea:

• is currently Hartville police chief, 
• former Alliance police chief,
• currently a Republican member of Alliance City Council,
• which is presided over as president by Dwan St. John attorney Steve Okey (who claims that the council defunding, as does Catazaro-Perry) was racially motivated,
• Note:  Steve Okey himself was recently appointed president of Alliance City Council over fellow Democrat Sue Ryan in an Alliance Democratic Party fight that included George T. Maier political operative (in the context of Maier's political campaign for sheriff) Derek Loy who, by the way, is an employee at the Stark County sheriff's department.
• Note:  The SCPR thinks Okey sought and was appointed president of Alliance City Council and a part of a grand political grand plan put together by Maier, Jr in cahoots with recently retired SCDP chair Randy Gonzalez to be "a political thorn in the side" of Dordea on his home turf.
• Note:  Okey is becoming quite accomplished at having a role in legal proceedings/inquiries vis-a-vis Stark's political subdivisions.
• He filed his own lawsuit against Alliance City County (dismissed by him, interestingly enough, when he became council's president) for alleged violations of Ohio's Sunshine Law on secretive voting procedures.
• Although The Report thinks that Alliance City Council was ill-advised in its "sometimes" practice (which Okey himself participated in when he was an Alliance councilman) of voting "unsigned" ballots; the SCPR does not buy Okey's claim that he filed the suit out of devotion to open government.  The Report thinks it was done to politically embarrass Dordea.
• Already as council president, Okey has generated a controversy in which he tried to leverage his position as president into working a de facto council rule change in requiring "roll call" votes on each and every council vote.
• As with the voting issue, the SCPR thinks that Alliance City Council should do roll call votes except on certain pedestrian, run-of-the mill matters; however, The Report does not buy that Okey's action was anything but politically motivated in order to embarrass Dordea.
• Okey is also threatening litigation with Massillon should it strip George T. Maier son Michael Maier of his sergeant's position as a consequence of a court decision that Michael was was improperly promoted over Massillon police officer Tom Rogers in scoring competitive civil service exams.

The Stark County Political Report's take on all the fuss about the parking officer funding tiff?

There is nothing racial about the fight, it is all about politics.

And The Stark County Political Report predicts that if Steve Okey and his client persist in trying to make this a racial thing, - once the courts see all the political dynamics in play - they will get bounced out of court in a nanosecond.

In the meantime the city of Massillon and its taxpaying citizens will suffer untold expense and a huge distraction from solving the many financial and economic problems that Tigerland now faces.

In the end, it will be everyday Massillonians who do not get their street repaired, jobs created and neighborhoods rehabbed because the politicians have phonied up a fight that in its core is all about politics and nothing about race.

That, folks, "is a bunch of political crap!"

And Maier, Jr and his stand-in Kathy Catazao-Perry owe - not those council members she offended by calling them racists and sexists on Monday night - but the hard working, taxpaying citizens of Massillon who are having to put up with "the political crap" are indeed owed an apology by the figurehead mayor and her chief political sponsor!

Don't count on an apology Massillonians.

Catazaro-Perry, Maier, Jr, et al appear to have no sensitivity whatsoever to the misery and hard times their playing politics with Massillon government visit on everyday Massillonians.

(VIDEOS) IS THERE A DETROIT LOOMING IN STARK COUNTY?

UPDATED:  To clarify that Alliance income tax increase is subject to voter approval come the November election.

VIDEOS

MASSILLON CITY COUNCIL

COUNCILMAN PAUL MANSON

ASKS

FOR A NEW LEVY BALLOT INITIATIVE

COUNCILMAN DONNIE PETERS, JR

QUIZZES

AUDITOR JAYNE FERRERO

ON

POLICE AND FIRE PENSION ARREARS

Today at 10:00 a.m. in Detroit, Michigan an event - beyond belief in 1950 as "the motor city:" the auto manufacturing behemoth of the world reached it high point in population growth - will go down.

That event:

Even though we have all known that Detroit was in trouble with General Motors and Chrysler needing federal bailouts in the financial crisis that hit the country in the fall of 2008, it still was nonetheless shocking to hear on July 18th that this once great American city had filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the federal bankruptcy code.

Yesterday, it was somewhat jarring for yours truly receive the following e-mail:

The Independent recently reported that the Massillon Auditor's office reported it would not be able to make a pension payment for its employees. Considering that Massillon is running a $2 million plus deficit, is Massillon on the verge of bankruptcy and is it Stark County's version of Detroit?

Actually, Massillon is projecting a deficit of anywhere from $2.5 to $2.7 million.

Of course, Massillon is not alone.

Stark's other two major cities are not in the greatest of shape either.

For Canton, it is hard to know exactly how tough things "really" are.  There you have a mayor who plays volleyball with the financial numbers with one side of the net being "woe is me" numbers and the other being "things are looking very promising" numbers.  Of course, we who are familiar with this Stern School of Business MBA graduate master manipulator are not surprised.  It seems that on a daily basis he concocts "a message of the day" to spread throughout the county depending on his political needs.

The mayor and his manipulations notwithstanding, the SCPR's sense of Canton's finances is that they are shaky at best.

For Alliance, on July 15th its city council voted unanimously to increase its income tax by a full 1/2 percent to 2.5% which by the SCPR calculation will make it the highest rate in all of Stark County if passed in November by the voters of Alliance.

The city is facing a $1 million deficit if the issue does not pass.

All three cities have long passed the high water marks of population growth.

It may appear that Massillon is rebounding somewhat but such is not really the case.  Former mayor Frank Cicchinelli was an aggressive annexer and therefore the seeming population recovery is just that in that its population gains of late are likely do from annexations of peripheral township neighborhoods.

Even before she took office, Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry was asking Ohio's auditor (December, 2011) to audit Massillon finances.  She was refused at the time, however she has renewed her request and it appears that any day now we will know the results of an agreed to audit as to whether or not Massillon is in a "fiscal watch" or "fiscal emergency" which will - if so determined - bring the state of Ohio into the management of Massillon's finances.

During a July 8 Massillon City Council work session there were two interesting discussions.

First, was one initiated by Democratic Councilman-at-Large Paul Manson asking that council consider putting on another income tax levy from 1.8% to 2.0% (Massillon hugely defeated a .3% issue in the May primary election) in light of Alliance (at the time) considering a ballot initiative going from 2% to 2.5% (see Alliance discussion above).



Second, was one between Republican Ward 5 Councilman Donnie Peters, Jr. (not seeking re-election) and Massillon auditor Jayne Ferrero regarding the decision by Ferrero to apply new revenues to arrears in police and fire pension fund payments.  She also brought up other arrearages that Massillon has.



The two of them are further substantiation of the e-mail cited by The Report and the fact of the precarious financial condition of Massillon city finances.

While neither Alliance, Canton or Massillon appear to be at the point of a Detroit-esque financial crisis, one gets the feeling that none of them may be that far away.

Dire finances are becoming more and more common across Ohio.

A Dayton area newspaper reported earlier this week that 24 Ohio cities are facing fiscal crises.

It might not be Alliance, Canton or Massillon but might it be that sooner than we may think that Ohioans will wake up to a headline:

Cleveland declares Chapter 9 bankruptcy!

(VIDEOS) FINALLY! MASSILLON MAYOR KATHY CATAZARO-PERRY SHOWS SOME LEADERSHIP.

VIDEOS

COUNCILMAN LARRY SLAGLE

PRESENTS

HIS

PLAN

FOR SOLVING THE

PARKS & RECREATION BOARD PROBLEM

MAYOR KATHY CATAZARO-PERRY

PRESENTS

HER

PLAN

FOR SOLVING THE

PARKS & RECREATION BOARD PROBLEM

POST-MEETING
HALTER
CHOVAN
DEL-RIO KELLER
&
SLAGLE
ON LAST NIGHT'S PROCEEDINGS

It appears to the Stark County Political Report that Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry had plenty to smile about at Monday's Massillon City County work session.

After Parks and Recreation Committee chairman Larry Slagle (D - at large) made his presentation as to what he thought should be the resolution of the long standing impasse between council and the mayor as to whom should be in charge of Massillon's Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB - Board), Councilman Donnie Peters, Jr. (R - Ward 5) offered that council ought to hear from the mayor on the issue.

Probably most of us present were expecting her to administer a tongue lashing to council as has been the case for most of her 18-1/2 months as mayor on most issues that have arisen the administration and the legislative body.

But lo and behold:  a surprise!

Instead of chastising council for seemingly embarking on a path to take charge of the MPRB (assuming that Slagle's proposal was well received by his fellow council members), she took a much more reasoned and conciliatory tact than yours truly ever remembers her taking in the past.

FIRST, THE SLAGLE PROPOSAL

Councilman Slagle proposes that council repeal Massillon Ordinance 163:03, to wit:

163.03 POWERS.
     The Recreation Board shall possess all the powers and be subject to all the responsibilities of the local authorities under Ohio R.C. 755.12 to 755.18.
(Ord. 201-1995.  Passed 10-16-95.)

And Ordinance 163:04, to wit:

163.04  PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
     A City of Massillon Park and Recreation Department is hereby created within the City. The Park and Recreation Board shall determine the positions needed for the operation of the Department.  The necessary staffing, wages and the budget to operate the department shall be submitted by the Recreation Board to the Mayor and then forwarded to Council for approval.
(Ord. 201-1995.  Passed 10-16-95.) 

Beyond the repeal of these original statutes, Slagle is out to reconstruct them along the following lines:

• Spell out the exact duties of the Board,
• Indicate the authority that the Board is to follow (answer: city council),
• Under Slagle's plan, the Board would appoint the parks and recreation director subject to approval by council,
• Institute guidelines as to:
• what the position of director will entail,
• the minimum requirements needed to be director,
• what the director's authority would be,
• Provide that the Board submit a budget but approved and administered by council,
• Set up a Golf Advisory Committee and an Recreation Center Advisory Committee with no power but to make recommendations.

Though he admits his proposal carries his bias, Slagle is not insisting that the loggerheads between council and the administration necessarily be resolved precisely according to his suggestion.

It appears to the SCPR that the main purpose of his proposal is to get the solution to the ongoing controversy concerning the management of Massillon's parks and recreation system out of the political realm as much as possible and into a form that is effective and efficient.

Here is a video of the main body of Slagle's presentation including some reaction from members of council.

NEXT, CATAZARO-PERRY'S REACTION

All-in-all the mayor made a very persuasive case that the executive branch of government (no matter who happens to be mayor) is the only entity suited to administering any Massillon department of government regardless of what that department's function may be.

In support of her basic argument she brought out:

• That the main players in the controversy seemed a few months ago to be content with the notion that Law Director Perry Stergios was the appropriate person to look at the law (state statutes and Massillon ordinances) and make a determination out of his analysis whom he thinks the language of the law indicates (between the mayor, council or Board) has the authority to appoint the parks and recreation director,
• That his reading of the law was that the administration had the authority to appoint,
• That his take was rebuffed, 
• That the Parks and Recreation Board has been running things (not the administration) and consequently it has had some major goof ups. 
• For example: 
• an employee who is not being properly compensated according to her legal right, and
• the appointment of a director (Straughn) by the Board who (the mayor says) "lied and cheated and did things he shouldn't have done" and then the Board turns around and prevailed upon the administration to get rid of him,
• That neither council nor the Board is suited to run Massillon's parks and recreation operations and facilities because one (council) works two hours a week and the other (the Board) works two hours a month,
• That only the administration with its "hands on" day-to-day administration operations is situated to oversee the day-to-day functioning of the city's parks and recreation facilities and operations,
• That her team of administrators can and are working with interim director Doug Nist to put him in a position to competently if not expertly perform as permanent director and that they believe they can have him ready by September.
• That as things would unfold under Slagle's plan, Nist would have five park and recreation board members and nine council members to answer to rather than merely the mayor and interim safety director Jim Johnson,  which is too cumbersome and susceptible of political pressures from many directions,
• That she has no problem with council approving her appointments on parks and recreation,
• That she and her administration be permitted a year to work with parks and recreation (with the Board being "advisory" only) to straighten out the department's operations and if the administration cannot make it work, then council can revisit matters in terms of the Slagle plan.

Here the mayor is in action making her case:



A COMPROMISE IN THE WORKS?

Both Councilman Slagle and Mayor Catazaro-Perry are to be commended for their presentations last night.  They did get a little testy with one another but they kept their differences civil.

Slagle is to be lauded for getting the ball rolling with his plan which has the potential (in the ebb and flow of discussion) as never before for getting the parks and recreation problems piece of Massillon city government getting resolved.

Catazaro-Perry for making a compelling case for her administration being the key component in any resolution plan.

The mayor is to be applauded also for what she did not do.

She could have threatened to veto Slagle's proposed legislation should it in its essence pass council.  If she were to do so, it would take a six to three vote to override it.  

Had she threatened a veto, she would have undone all the good that she did for herself vis-a-vis council at last night's meeting.

For the first time in her tenure as mayor, it is beginning to dawn on the SCPR that perhaps she is getting her act together on the leadership front.

All Massillonians should certainly hope so.

The parks and recreation component is a small part of the overwhelming problems facing Massillon.

It is likely that Massillon will soon be designated by the state of Ohio Auditor as being under fiscal watch or fiscal emergency.

If so, council and the mayor and her administration working together is the only pathway to recovery.

Perhaps last night was the beginning of Massillon officials' reaching out to one another and a beginning of the end of finger pointing at one another?

Here is a video featuring Nancy Halter (R - Ward 2), Milan Chovan (R - at large), Michelle Del-Rio Keller (Parks and Recreation Board chairperson) and Slagle with the post meeting assessments.

VIDEO (PARKS & REC BD BYLAW CHANGE APPROVAL) NOW WE KNOW THE REASON WHY KEITH MOSER IS NO LONGER POLICE CHIEF IN MASSILLON?

UPDATED:  09:30 AM TO INCLUDE VIDEO OF BOARD APPROVAL OF BYLAW CHANGES

The Stark County Political Report is being told that the reason that short term Massillon Chief of Police Keith Moser was let go suddenly on June 4, 2013 and replaced by Bill Peel was that the Catazaro-Perry administration did not agree with his internal discipline of two Massillon police officers.

Look at what Massillon's top officials were saying about Moser on June 7, 2012 (the date he was selected to be police chief):

“We’re very excited for him. We believe that he is going to do a super job.”   (Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry)

“This is a great opportunity for the Massillon Police Department to bring about some effective change.   I’ve worked with him over the last five months and he seems to be very anxious to address some issues ... I think he’s going to do a great job.” (The-then safety director George T. Maier)

But that was then.

On June 4, 2013:   “He’s still a valued member of our force, but did not successfully complete the one-year probationary period."  (Mayor Catazaro-Perry)

The Report is told that the administration accolades ceased and Moser was put on the block for firing when it became apparent to administration officials that Moser was going to be his own man and not take to administration micromanaging.

Since Catazaro-Perry took office on January 1, 2012 a number of terms have surfaced as descriptors of her management style.

The first was that she is not transparent as she promised she would be as mayor and that therefore she could not be trusted to keep her word made in the context of governing Massillon.

Now this.

It is said that a pattern is emerging that she is a micromanager who will not let her department heads make their own calls on matters that the mayor and her handlers (Clerk of Courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and his chief deputy Shane Jackson) deem important.

The Report is being told that promotions/demotions and the like are such that folks in the Massillon Police Department (MPD) do not know whether or not they are coming or going these days.  And, the parade of chiefs during the Catazaro-Perry administration (four in number, now) constitute evidence that life in the MPD is topsy-turvy these days.

"Unsettled" might be a good word to use in describing nearly all aspects of Massillon city government these days.

Councilman-at-Large Paul Manson complained at last Monday's work session about the number of "interim" department heads staffing Massillon administration these days.

It appears that the mayor herself is unsure of what step to take next and consequently the path from her office to the Clerk of Courts office is taking on a well-worn path these days.

Last night the SCPR went to the regular monthly meeting of the Massillon Parks and Recreation Board (Board).

What of note appeared to be going on?

The Catazaro-Perry administration ("interim" Safety Director Jim Johnson) trying to convince the five member board what criteria the Board should use in determining whether or not a person qualifies to be a Board member.

Here is the video of the exchange that went between Board members among themselves and between them and Johnson:



As seen on the video, the Board by a 3 (Del Rio-Keller, Rickett and Hicks) to 2 (Wolfe and Bryant) voted to disqualify from future Board composition anyone who has a  financial connection with either Massillon city government or the Massillon Board of Education.

However, any non-qualifying present Board member is "grandfathered in."

Apparently, according to a SCPR source, one of the members who would not be eligible under the new criteria for continued membership when her current term expires would be member Esther Bryant.

Bryant is director of the nonprofit agency Lighthouse Visions which is said to receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the city of Massillon.

A person familiar with the voting patterns of Board members says that Bryant is a dependable administration position supporter on votes that come up with the body.

Member Wolfe, who only recently was appointed to the Board, is said to be a close friend of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. and therefore can be depended upon to be an administration supporter for whatever position the administration takes on key issues.

An interesting change that seems to have taken place is the transition of Board member (the president) Michelle Del Rio-Keller (who likely will take an at-large Massillon City Council position on January 1, 2014) from being an administration support into being her own person.

Accordingly, she was, of course, the key last night for making the change in Parks and Recreation Board bylaws last evening.

Any one familiar with the goings on between the Catazaro-Perry administration and the Board know that there is a tussle underway as to who is going to have authority to appoint a new Parks and Recreation Department director.

It appears to the SCPR that Massillon City Council is likely to decide the question in favor of the Board.

Well, if that happens, then the administration's apparent pattern of micromanaging in the bowels of Massillon city government will suffer a telling blow.

And, if that happens and the new director can maintain the support of the Board, then the question becomes:

"Will the Parks and Recreation Department become the envy of all of Massillon government?"

"Free at last, thank God Almighty, free at last" from the Catazaro-Perry administration micro-managing?"

WILL CATAZARO-PERRY'S "QUIET" OPPOSITION SINK MASSILLON'S FIRST TAX INCREASE IN 35 YEARS?

"In the best of times" let alone "the worst of times" it is difficult for people to vote a tax increase on themselves.

While it might not exactly be the worst of times in Massillon when one goes back through the total history of the city, these days have to be on the top ten list in terms of the financial crisis the city faces if the Save Massillon Committee's bipartisan effort to raise Tigerland's income tax rate by 0.3% (to 2.1%).

For if the issue does not pass, the SCPR is told, Massillonians will face massive cuts in city services.

What makes this particular effort herculean is the "quiet" opposition of Mayor Catazaro-Perry.

Save Massillon Committee member Nancy Halter when asked by The Report as to whether or not Catazaro-Perry's "quiet" opposition will prove to be a fatal blow to the prospect of the issue passing, she said "that it doesn't help."

In an impressive show of unity, eight of Massillon's nine councilpersons are committee members and are aggressively campaigning for the issue.

Only council president Tony Townsend (up until Glenn Gamber's recent resignation, Ward 4 councilman) who is deemed to be the mayor's staunchest ally on council, is standing down on supporting the issue.

But it is very unlikely that he is going to be on council come January 1, 2014 when the benefits or negatives of the voters' May 7th decision Issue 3 takes hold.

Of all the council races, the SCPR is already calling Townsend's November match-up with former Massillon superintendent of schools Al Hennon for Hennon.

Though Townsend only votes in council in the case of a tie, we already know that with Townsend's almost certain exit from the scene, Catazaro-Perry will be even more isolated from council than she has been.

Looking over the entire field of council candidates both in this coming Tuesday's primary as well as the November face-off between Republicans and Democrats and their likely posture vis-a-vis the mayor, it is looking like her final two years is going to be rough sailing indeed.

The ironical thing about the mayor's "quiet" opposition is that if the tax issue passes, it will make life livable in the executive sweets of the mayor's office.  A failure of the tax, the SCPR believes, will make being mayor of Massillon "one Hell of an experience."

If a full-blown "worst of times" materializes, Mayor Catazaro-Perry only has herself to blame. Her obstinate holding onto raising revenue via a reduction in the credit that out-of-town-working Massillonians (as exemplified by tax credit reduction opponent Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero, Jr) get on their Massillon income taxes, and her insistence that Massillon generate through raising street lighting fees are the two big specifics of her willfulness.

The Report is told that council had high hopes for Mayor Kathy when she took office in that she was saying that she wanted to make her administration the most transparent that Massillon has ever had especially in terms of its relationship with council.

Well, the word is that the Catazaro-Perry administration is viewed as being even more closed-mouth than the Frank Cicchinelli administration was. 

As an example, The Report is told that council only knew about the flap over the Massillon Civil Service Commission Board and Massillon police officer Thomas Rogers and its denial to him of a promotion to sergeant (over Mike Maier, son of former service/safety director George Maier and nephew of Catazaro-Perry political patron Johnnie A. Maier, Jr) only became known to council through the blog on the topic done by yours truly (LINK).

It will interesting to watch council and the mayor after Tuesday's election no matter how the tax issue fares.  The SCPR thinks that the mayor's "quiet" opposition will prove very costly for her going forward no matter what the fate of the tax issue turns out to be.

Only council's devotion to the well-being of the citizenry of Massillon is likely to provide any cover whatsoever to what will certainly be a lingering ire on the part of council towards the mayor and her political handlers (Johnnie A. Maier, Jr. and Shane Jackson).

The SCPR cannot tell which way the vote on the tax is likely to go.

Obviously, the Save Massillon folks are hopeful and optimistic but they are likely interacting to receptive Massillonians.

In The Reports contacts with former administration figures, the feedback is decidedly more negative.

The big plus for the Save Massillon Committee effort is that voters most certainly understand that no tax increases over an approximate 35 year span (except for 0.3% increase earmarked for the Massillon parks) is not going to cut it no matter how frugal a city is.

However, there is the problem of explaining to voters such things as the over expansion of Legends golf course, council's ill advised decision to help finance the Hampton Inn and a number of other unwise votes by previous councils.

It could be that the near unanimous unity of council in coming to together (5 Republicans [Chovan, Cunningham-Hedderly, Halter, Peters and Lewis] and 3 Democrats [Manson, Scassa and Hampton] will "save the day" for Massillon.

The committee has raised as of April 19th nearly $4,000.

It is noteworthy that nearly all, if not all, of the Massillon officeholding contributors are from offices "independent" of the executive branch (offices controlled by the mayor's office) of Massillon city government.

One would think that the "quietly" opposing Catazaro-Perry would give a "wink and a nod" to her appointees to go ahead a support the levy.  After all, they in terms of having access to enough revenues to effectively run their departments with have a huge stake in the outcome of the levy effort.

But, as the SCPR has written many times over the past one and one-half years, inasmuch as the Catazaro-Perry administration clearly appears to in a de facto way to be run by Johnnie A. Maier, Jr and given what the SCPR believes to be Maier's model of brooking no dissent from his way of doing things; it is not surprising see the absence of executive department employees as contributors to the Save Massillon Committee campaign.

How "quiet" is the Catazaro-Perry opposition?

Here is a list of the contributors (reconstructed from original campaign finance reports):