It was hard to believe one's ears at Massillon City Council's work session this past Monday night.
Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry saying that there were no politics involved in the decisions being made by her administration in its quest to deal with the financial crisis under way in the city.
Here's a video of her saying just that:
The SCPR's take on Massillon's situation is that nearly every decision being made these days seems to have a political calculation attached to it.
If one digs deep enough into Massillon's civic life, it appears that the mayor's entire public career is one marked with political intrigue.
Early on the political question was: Will the newcomer be aligned with the forces of then-Mayor Frank Cicchinelli or with those of Clerk of Courts Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.
And the Cicchinelli/Maier feud likely has its origin in the days they were fellow students at Kent State - Stark.
Early on Catozaro-Perry lined up with Maier and a political war ensued which The Report believes continues to this very day and is the main reason she cannot achieve a consensus on the best way to tackle Massillon's financial problems.
With her statement on Monday night, it is obvious that the mayor is in denial about the political nature of her troubles. At least from her side of the equation.
Unless and until she squares up with the reality of she and her supporters' participation in the politicizing of the governance of Massillon and smokes a political peace pipe with her enemies (who clearly share in the politicization phenomenon), it is hard to see how she gets on with the task of effectively governing Massillon.
The SCPR does not see that anyone involved in the ongoing political fracas has the credibility to get the two warring sides to the peace table.
What it will take is for a Massillon personage who is respected by both the Cicchinelli and Maier forces to step in as a peace broker and get the two sides working together for the overall well-being of of the city.
Does such a person exist?
If so, the time is certainly ripe for this guy or gal to step up to the challenge.
For if someone does not intervene soon, Massillon is headed for more political turmoil and such is not good for its citizens!
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