Next Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day. This is the first chance residents of the ville had anything to vote on since last year's General Election. There was no need to hold a Primary in town this past spring. I hope each and everyone of you are registered and exercise your right to vote at the polls Tuesday.
Except for the three state issues I will not be making any recommendations on how you vote. It is solely your decision. I highly recommend voting yes on all three state issues.
Issue 1 is voting for giving Ohio veterans that fought in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan & Iraq a war bonus for those campaigns. The state will issue bonds to finance the bonuses. Veterans that served over there will be eligible for up to $1,000 each. Veterans that served elsewhere during those conflicts will be eligible for up to $500 each. Surviving family members of any deceased veterans will be eligible for a $5,000 death benefit. This is a personal one for me. I received a bonus for serving in Viet Nam along with other Ohio residents. Veterans that served in other wars in the past got state bonuses too. It's a traditional honorairia given veterans in Ohio and those that served in those three conflicts deserve no less.
Issue 2, if passed will create an Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. It will be chaired by the Director of the State Dept. of Agriculture with the governor appointing 10 members, and the State House & State Senate appointing one member each. The board will prescribe standards for animal care & well being that endeavor to maintain food safety, encourage locally grown & raised food, and protect Ohio farms & families.
Issue 3 is the gambling casino issue. If passed it will allow one casino each to open in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland & Toledo. If passed it will allow only four casinos to be built. It's not much different than what is permitted in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan. It will provide for new jobs and will contribute heavily to education funds throughout the state. State funding for education on all levels were heavily slashed in the new two year state budget. There are many school boards counting on this issue to be passed. Interesting to note is that the parent company for Mountaineer has donated huge sums of money campaigning against this issue. I can understand why but they say competition levels the playing field. However if this issue does not pass it's going to be very difficult for school funding. It will probably force school boards to put new and additional levies on future ballots. In this depressed area it will probably mean financial failure for some school districts.
Wellsville residents will be voting on three levy issues on the County level. The first is the 1% sales & usage tax. This will be a renewal of the tax we're already paying. It doesn't say that on the ballot. The word "additional" appears there and according to newspaper reports this has got the County Commissioners worried. The 1% is additional to what the state sales tax is and is only "additional" to that. We have been paying it for some time now and it appears on the ballot to just continue paying it. This is the sales tax that has kept county coffers barely able to get by. It is not a new tax for Columbiana County residents.
The second levy is the renewal of the Children Services 3/4 mill levy. According to the ballot it is to provide food, clothing, shelter, housing, medical care, counseling and other services for abused, neglected and dependent children. The newspaper called it the "Foster Care" levy. This levy will not raise our taxes.
The third levy is a replacement levy for the County Health Department's 2 mill cancer screening services. By calling it a replacement it will raise taxes a slight amount based on the updated real estate values on our properties. It your property taxes went up the amount you pay for this levy will go up.
For Village Council we got five people running for two seats. Veteran Councilman Don Brown did file for re-election. Councilwoman Rosie Goss filed for re-election and is one of the candidates. Goss is a long time employee of Ergon and Quaker State before that. If elected it will be her second term. Newcomer Susan Haugh is another candidate. Haugh & husband Jeff are co-owners of Wellsville's Haugh Designs a successful web designing business. Filling out the selections is Robert Marcin II, Cris McNicol & Jack Cataldo. All three have served previously on council. Marcin is a vetern Weirton Steel employee. McNicol use to run Acme Sales and is now working for Karo Brothers. Cataldo is retired.
There are three people running for what we use to call the County Board-of-Education. It is now called the Board of Educational Service Center. There are three seats open. It really doesn't matter what you do with this one. All three candidates are guaranteed winners.
For Wellsville schools there are three candidates running for two open seats. Leading the list is veteran School Board member Thomas Brophey. Brophey is currently serving as President of the Board, was awarded the Ohio School Board Achievement Award this year and also a Congressional Commendation for his years of dedicated service to our school system. The second candidate is William J. Miller. Miller is retired after 35 years of teaching with most of that time working in the Wellsville School system. The third candidate is Dale Palmer. I don't know the man or anything about him. He didn't even bother to answer reporter JoBob's questionnaire.
Other than that the only other item on the ballot we'll be seeing is the unexpired term for the school board. The term expires at the end of 2011 and Karen Dash was the only petitioner for that seat. Congratulations Mrs. Dash.
Because of other obligations it took me three days to complete this article. As I said above I hope you all are registered and make it to the polls on Tuesday. Unless you're in public office exercising your right to vote is the strongest voice we have deciding how things are runned.
If you have any question about whether you're registered to vote or where you vote you can go to http://www.columbianacounty.org/ and click on the Board of Elections link in the left hand column. From there it is fairly simple to check it out. Their link is loaded with all kinds of information.
ole nib
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8 comments:
Was the questionare that Mr. Palmer didn't fill out the same one that would have cost $197. to have published in the paper??
What are you talking about $197? That sounds like paid advertising.
What I was talking about was a questionnaire made up by the reported and sent to each candidate. From what I heard all they had to do was fill in the blanks and mail it back to her. She used it to write up her articles.
nib
Ole Nib, I read with interest your supporting comments regarding the Three (3) State Issues on the upcoming election ballot. Although you said you would be giving your recommendation on each, I only found your strong support for Issue One. I could not see your leaning on Issue Two one way or the other and I can only assume that your support for Issue Three was in light of your support for additional funding for all Ohio schools. Well, it probably won’t come as a surprise that I don’t agree with you on either issue. Just thought you might want to know!
The following web link: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/IssueProcBallotBd/BallotBoard.aspx explains why one should be for or against each Issue. I’ll leave each to their thoughts and opinion.
My positions:
Issue One: Being retired from the military everyone would probably say “you got to be kidding that you are not going to support our veterans”! It isn’t that I don’t support the concept, I just don’t support something that our state government is going to spend money that they just don’t have. If you and I want something we would be saving our money to buy it, but not our government, no just borrow, borrow and borrow and go deeper and deeper in debt. If I recall the last veteran bonus was paid in full without bonds or whatever other gimmick they elect to come up with. It all about our Representatives having a platform to blow their horn.
Issue Two: Please explain to me why we need 12 people (all appointees) to oversee something that by all account have run fine for years and now we need a Constitutional Amendment. WOW. Give me break!
I thought Constitutional Amendments were for something that would benefit all not just some.
Issue Three: I am guessing (and hoping) that based on past elections not supporting this issue, this will again fail. I see nothing in this issue that will benefit anyone in Wellsville or the Township. As we have always supported our schools when in need I am confident we will continue in the future. Does anyone remember the last time our schools asked for something on a tax. Well they listed everything they needed the money for and then when completed notified us of their actions and thanks. In my opinion, we don’t need something that is only going to benefit the Big Three (Cin, Clev and Colum) And as far as jobs are concerned that is where you will see them surely not here in Columbiana County.
Well Ole Nib, Just wanted you to know I’m still reading you………Watch Out!!!!!!
No, the $197 was for an ad that had nothing to do with the FREE pre-election story the MJ always does for candidates.
Candidates were asked if they wanted to take out an ad but it was not required in order to participate in the pre-election stories being written by the news department.
All candidates were sent a questionnaire and asked to respond; there was no charge for that.
Two completely different things.
Just FYI
Jobob - thanks for the verification. Didn't think there was any charge.
Wiz - Bring it on brother. Although you have been quiet as of late glad to see you're still kicking and thinking.
Like religion I believe politics is a personal thing and everyone is entitled to their opinion and beliefs. Your thoughts are just as valid as mine or anyone else.
My support for Issue 1 is more for the veterans than with the State borrowing money. I may be naive but I don't think selling bonds is quite the same as just borrowing money.
My support for Issue 2 is for the farmers and the products they bring to market. Each and every one of us are touched by what they produce by the time it reaches our tables. If it promotes safety in food products I'm in favor.
You're correct on my reason for supporting Issue 3. It is solely for the funding for education that will come out of this if passed. I do not agree that "we have always supported our schools when in need". Just look at Beaver Local over the past years with levy after levy being voted down. We have been fortunate in Wellsville with having good stewards of our tax dollars running our school system. I think the last time they had a levy on the ballot was when the new high school was being proposed. From what I read there are two school districts in CC that are on the financial brink. Right now Wellsville is blessed with a healthy carry-over on their budget. However, with the cuts in state funding and the failure of Issue 3 I predict that balance will quickly erode and the quality of education for our youth suffering. Issue 3 will benefit every school district in the state.
nib
"Just look at Beaver Local over the past years with levy after levy being voted down. We have been fortunate in Wellsville with having good stewards of our tax dollars running our school system."
Beaver Local has also been good stewards of tax money. Bob Barrett is an excellent treasurer and the district has always been solvent with what it has to operate with.
What's wrong with the voters coming forward now and supporting the school a bit more?
Our children deserve the beautiful buildings and new technology others in the county are getting, and they could get it for a fraction of the actual cost if voters would just ante up a small additional amount every year.
The Ohio School Facilities Commission would pay the rest.
Everyone is having a hard time making ends meet, but if our kids at BL don't have the same advantages as those in other districts, they will fall behind and then will never be able to get good jobs and either work here or return to this area, even as retirees, and support future generations.
And no I am NOT a teacher, board member, administrator or employee of the district. Just a tax payer and parent.
Maybe I worded that poorly. I was not saying the staff & board at BL were poor stewards. I was arguing that not everyone "supports our schools when in need" as the Wiz portends. For several years now in CC it has been tough going getting any levy passed.
nib
Ole Nib and JoBob; I asked Dale Palmer Saturday why he did'nt send the questionare.There must have been a mixup when he was talking to someone on the phone at the office and he thought he would be charged a fee.
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