IS MORE POLITICAL DIVISION COMING TO MASSILLON?

A telling quote?

If the Democratic party would have done it, that would have been one thing.  If I go in there and they (Democrats currently on Massillon City Council?) vote against it, that’s going to be embarrassing. We (Republicans) ran as a team, won as a team and will be sworn in as a team. I feel more comfortable being sworn-in Jan. 1. One meeting is not going to make a difference.  

 Sarita Cunningham, Ward 1 councilwoman-elect

Massillon in no hurry to fill Council seat, Matt Rink, The Massillon Independent, December 9, 2011.

First of all for Cunningham to have thought for one New York second that Stark County Democratic Party Chairman Randy Gonzalez was going to recommend to his Ward 1 central committee members to select another Republican to office was way out there somewhere.

No way!!!

If he agreed to that he might as well just move over to 2727 Fulton Drive, NW (the site of Stark GOP headquarters) and take up a co-chairmanship of the Stark County Republican Party alongside of Jeff Matthews.

Another Dem appointment a Republican was never in cards.

But that didn't keep Mayor Cicchinelli from tweaking the beak of his arch political opponent Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.  According to Rink's piece, Cicchinelli was all set to see to it that first warders did not go without representation for the one Massillon City Council (Council) meeting remaining before new terms kick in on January 1st.

Of course, it is nonsense that first ward residents would go unrepresented.  A little thing called "councilmen-at-large."  Think they don't have an obligation to take up the causes of first warders if they need to get the ear of Council.

Perhaps, though, the most interesting thing about the Cunningham quote is the implication that Republicans on Council are going to be a tight knit group that is going to stake out Republican positions a la the political caucus way of doing things as a unified body.

Now that the Councilperson-elect Republicans have wrestled political power from the Dems, there is going to continue to be split within Council?  No longer Clerk of Courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.  (who, the SCPR believes, has achieved de facto mayoral status in Massillon) versus Cicchinelli as a internal Democratic Party fight.  But rather a more traditional Republicans versus Democrats division?

There has been talk recently that Massillon would pull back part of the income tax credit in order to get much needed revenue for Massillon to pay its bills.  Massillon has been running months behind in getting its bills paid.

The SCPR notes that it appears that newly elected Coucilman-elect at Large Milan Chovan, Jr has taken a position against any monkeying with the income tax credit.  So, if such is the case, will his position become the position of "Team GOP - Massillon?"

A Cicchinelli administration source tells The Report that Republican Choven was supported by the Maier-led faction of the Massillon Democratic Party over incumbent Democratic Councilman at Large David Hersher.

If indeed Maier and his political cohort support of Chovan gave the Republicans the edge they needed to gain control of Council, it would sort of be a political kick-in-the-pants of Maier if a Massillion City Council Republican Caucus gave his protege and de jure Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perrry (mayor-elect; that is) fits on implementing her cures for what ails Masillion city government.

Hmm?