VIDEOS: CATAZARO-PERRY LOSES ANOTHER VOTE WITH MASSILLON CITY COUNCIL. WHAT IS HER PROBLEM?

VIDEOS

Councilwoman Andrea Scassa On Her Vote

Councilwoman Nancy Halter On Her Vote

Councilman Ed Lewis, IV On His Vote

Councilman Donnie Peters, Jr.

 On the Dire Consequences Massillon

Council Paul Manson On His Vote

The Entire Debate/Vote on Ordinance 35

While the final vote last night at a special session of Massillon City Council went 6 to 3 against the Catazaro-Perry administration negotiated deal with the Hampton Inn located in downtown Massillon whereby the city would cancel its second mortgage ($2.25 million) and liens in exchange for a payment of $1.2 million, the SCPR believes that the dynamics of getting to that final vote was a lot more fluid and "touch and go" than the final number indicates.

The Report had the 6th sense that if the mayor had the requisite persuasion skills one must have to be an effective government executive especially in relation to legislative body, she could have won the vote - perhaps even reversing the 6 to 3 vote to being in favor of the ordinance.

Democratic Councilwoman Andrea Scassa (Ward 3 - the mayor's old ward), said she did not make up her mind until the last moment.



Last week, before the regular city council meeting, Republican Ward 2 Councilwoman Nancy Halter was telling The Report that she did not know how she would vote on the measure.  But by last night, she definitely had decided.



It could be that in the end, her historical opposition to the deal in the first place (back in 1999) was a critical factor.  As show in the video above, she also articulated a council fear that were it to agree to the deal and the hotel was subsequently sold for a handsome profit that council would look - in hindsight - like it had been duped.

And Ed Lewis, IV (Republican - Ward 6) said at the special session that he had been leaning towards voting for Ordinance 35.  Here he explains why he decided to vote "no."



In the end, the mayor and her administration was not persuasive with him and a majority of the Massillon City Council.

One has to wonder whether or not the administration's failure to get the hotel to agree to $10,000 a year downtown Massillon beautification as opposed to $5,000 was a key to the Lewis vote?

Last night's vote against her seems to be a confirmation that the mayor has very little, if any, sway with council members.

It could be that she is having an effect on Councilwoman Quenessa Hampton (Democratic Party appointee - Ward 4) who was one of the three yes votes along with Councilman Donnie Peters, Jr. (Republican - Ward 5) and Democratic Councilman Paul Manson (at -large).

Peters was the most dire in his prediction of the long term consequences to Massillon.



Paul Manson, while he voted "yes" was obviously tentative about that vote.



He was more measured and reflective of the consequences of the "no" vote than Peters, and, interesting enough, he suggests that the mayor may bring negative reaction from some members of council upon herself.  

Most intriguing of all is his suggestion that the issue may still be alive. He did note that the hotel has been doing relatively well of late which could explain why he thinks that there could be ongoing discussions with the hotel's developer (John Helline) to coming to a solution more palatable to a majority of council.

Apparently, the mayor sees herself as a persuasive person.

She shared last night how she was able to convince five Ward 4 residents, brought to her attention by Councilwoman Hampton, of the wisdom of her hotel financing mitigation effort.

Implicit in the mayor's recital is that Councilwoman Hampton was soft on the hotel finance deal, if not adverse to it, prior to the administrations' successful turnaround of some of her constituents.

So why is Mayor Kathy apparently ineffective with many other, if not most, members of council?

There are several possible reasons to ruminate upon:

One being that a number of the councilpersons feel she has not been transparent with them as promised when she first took office.

A second could be a feeling that she is only a figurehead mayor and that folks calling the shots in the executive suites of Massillon City Hall are named Maier and Jackson from their clerk of courts perch.

Thirdly, how about a perceived obstinance?

Witness her go-around with council on her adamant insistence that Massillon raise sorely needed revenues via reducing the tax credit that Massillonians get on out-of-town income taxes they pay coupled with things like having residents pay street lighting fees.

The Report is told that she is meeting on a more or less a weekly basis with fellow Democratic Mayor William J. Healy, II.

There is no doubt about him.  He clearly is a "my way or the highway" type guy.

Question:  Is he rubbing off on Catazaro-Perry?

The mayor, Catazaro-Perry, appears to turn heads and get things going her way out in the Massillon and Stark County social circles.  However, such does not seem to be the case in Massillon's internal political milieu.

In short and in summation, for whatever reason it appears to the SCPR that Mayor Kathy does not have the trust and confidence of much of Masillion's legislative body.

And the prospects of that changing with 2014 - 2015 council to be elected in November are virtually non-existent.

Perhaps it would be helpful to the mayor were she to reconsider her ways (attitude) with council.

If she were to do so, could it be that she might win some of the controversial votes that come before council?

Here is the SCPR video on the entire Ordinance 35 debate.

MASSILLON COUNCIL PRESIDENT GAMBER "GAVELS DOWN" MAYOR CATZARO-PERRY. SLAGLE SAVES THE MAYOR FROM THIRD DEFEAT ON INCOME TAX CREDIT ISSUE FOR THE TIME BEING?

It was interesting to hear Mayor Kathy Catzazro-Perry accuse Massillon City Council (at least her opponents on the issue of reducing Massillon income tax credit for Massillonians who pay taxes to other communities) of playing politics with the issue.

Well, as the SCPR sees it, the administration and councilmatic ally Larry Slagle (on the tax credit reduction issue) played a little game of their own last night.

At first it did not fit in The Report's thinking that Slagle voted "no" on a motion to suspend the rules on three readings so that the mayor could have an up or down vote for the third time.

NOTE:  Third time?

In a technical sense of an "up or down vote," there has only been one up or down vote [March, 2012; 8 against, 1 for].

The first time (late last year with the outgoing council) was not an actual vote on the merits of the question, but rather a refusal to put it on the agenda.  And, of course, last night was not an actual vote on the merits of the question, but merely a vote on whether or not to allow a vote at last night's proceedings.

But on reflection, it appears to The Report that what Slagle (the only councilperson to vote for the reduction back in March), was really doing was "saving the mayor's bacon."  For if an up or down vote had taken place last night, it was obvious that the issue was going down to defeat at least by a 5 to 3 margin with Chovan, Halter, Lewis, Manson and Peters voting (Cunningham - thought to be another no vote - was absent because she had been in a traffic accident earlier in the day).

Catazaro-Perry was fortunate to have the opportunity to avoid yet another humiliation.  Had Cunningham be able to attend, Slagle's move would have been unavailing as she undoubtedly wold have voted to suspend the rules and her vote would have provided the necessary seventh vote  to carry the day on the matter.

Here's a video of the actual vote.



If the mayor has made any headway since the March vote, it will in be in possibly picking up the votes of Scassa and Townsend to add to the Slagle vote.

If there ever is going to be a chance that Catazaro-Perry could convince council to vote in favor of the reduced income tax credit, she may have blown it last night as she came out with guns blazing (figuratively speaking, of course) in a Johnnie A. Maier, Jr-esque power move which appeared to be an effort to intimidate council into doing the will of the mayor.

In an earlier blog this year, the SCPR wrote about the mayor's propensity to keep digging a deeper hole for herself in her endeavor to solve Massillon's financial problems.

Apparently, she wants to keep digging.

Here is a video of a sharp exchange between the mayor, Councilman Manson and council president Glenn Gamber on her being out of order during the discussion on the tax reduction issue.



Auditor Jayne Ferrero (perceived by some not to be a big fan of the mayor) lined up with Catazaro-Perry in pleading with council to pass the ordinance.

Here is a video of her plea.



If the administration's assessment of a failure on the tax issue (or, alternatively, other adequate revenue raising measures) is correct, then Massillonians (according to Finance Director Ken Koher) can expect Ohio's auditor to declare Massillon to be in a fiscal emergency and send in a team of auditors to go over Massillon's budget with a fine toothed comb and start making cuts.

The meeting was jam-packed with dramatic moments.

• Councilman Slagle's question of Finance Director about Massillon's failure to collect all that is due it (about $350,000 as drawn out in questioning by Councilman Chovan) in delinquent and collectible income taxes,
• Councilman Townsend asking whether not council's approving the reduced tax credit would result in the re-hiring of the laid off safety forces (answer:  no, but may prevent future layoffs),
• Catazaro-Perry's assertion that there is no more room to cut Massillon's expenses be it street lighting or further layoffs,
• The vote last night was the most important vote of the year for council,
• Councilman Manson pitching his longstanding position that council place an increase in the city income tax rate from 1.8% to 2.0%,
• Councilman Manson in a back and forth with Finance Director Koher and Safety Director George Maier on the credibility of the numbers on the sufficiency of revenues (estimated to be $751,000) to solve Massillon's immediate financial quagmire,
• Councilman Lewis drawing out of the mayor her administration's plan to convince the Stark County auditor to allow Massillon to borrow against the projected revenues that an income tax credit would bring in so as to make the money available this year,
• The gaveling down of Catazaro-Perry and Manson (during Lewis's questioning) as a consequence of an argument ensuing as the mayor accused Councilman Manson of "not being serious" about his income tax hike proposal,
• Catazaro-Perry outline activities of the administration to increase Massillon's income tax base,
• Councilman Slagle:  "Madame Mayor what is your position on an income tax increase?" and the mayor shifting the subject to the reduced income tax credit (ultimately refusing to answer the question) despite Slagle's objection,
• Councilman Manson referring to Catazaro-Perry's bad decisions of the past (presumably referring to when she served on council herself for 8 years),

The Report has compiled a video of the highlights of the drama.