Letters to Editor
Naked Cronyism
In Tim Grendell’s continuing effort to remake the Geauga Park District in his own image, he has used unspecified amounts of public money to run full-page ads labeled as “public service announcements” in numerous local newspapers, claiming to reveal the “truth.”
What he is actually engaged in is naked cronyism. He seems hell bent on shaking out everyone connected with the old order to replace them with his doting minions. He hired a tea party crony to conduct an “employee review” that was nothing short of serial character assassinations.
His constable, also his former campaign manager, enjoys a $60,000 salary, far in excess of any average wage in the private sector, and a generous “expense” account with which to pay for his new car.
In happy “coincidence,” Grendell and his constable hunting buddy have won a slot in the annual hunting lottery three years running, as has the interim park director and his brother in this year’s lottery.
And all the while, he prattles on about “accountability.”
Well, let’s talk about accountability. To whom is the park board accountable? Only Tim Grendell, not the voters (unelected, appointed bureaucrats … sound familiar Ms. O’Brien?)
And to whom is Tim Grendell accountable? Well, this election, nobody, as he is running unopposed in a soviet-style poll.
Accountability? There is precious little of that in this scenario and Tim Grendell is making the most of it.
Tony Festa
Russell
Plinking with Mortors
Last night (Sept. 26), at about 8:45 p.m., I was reminded of the report titled, “Weapon Offense, Deer Foot” in your police blotter.
The many loud reports, from the fireworks to our north, and the resultant shuddering of our home stimulated that memory.
The following amusing, albeit pointed, thoughts flashed through my mind. Would the reported shooting of firearms be “not unreasonable” at 8:45 p.m.? How many small caliber cartridges, simultaneously discharged, would it take to sound and feel like the discharge of such a pyrotechnic mortar load?
At perhaps one per second, how long would it take to discharge all of those cartridges?
Assuming equally competent perpetrators, is there more inherent danger in each mortar or each small arms discharge? Would it be more rational to wonder if the resultant shuddering caused any damage or should one wonder how much damage was caused?
Please do not attribute the foresaid to a cranky retiree, but rather to the husband of a concerned wife and master of a dog that shook for hours while drooling all over the floor.
Gerald A. Dissauer
Russell
Flapped Like a Bird
It is with great embarrassment that I witnessed the wing-flapping Judge Timothy Grendell during his performance for the Geauga County Tea Party at The West Woods on Sept. 18.
He ridiculed the idea of protecting one of the few nesting sites of the Virginia Rail in Northeast Ohio and flapped like a bird.
This only illustrates the lack of a conservation ethic that the judge and his newly appointed park board have for preservation, conservation and protection in the Geauga Park District.
To stand before a group of citizens and actually misspeak on the issue was irresponsible. At no time did any citizen of Geauga at one of the Protect Geauga Parks meetings or GPD board meeting indicate we were concerned about sun reflection off of the soccer goals at Frohring Meadows.
And, for the record, my husband — who brought up the conservation issue of this specific bird at the Aug. 11 board meeting — and I drive a dusty compact vehicle not the shiny big car the judge indicated we were driving around the parking lot. (Although Mr. Ralph, the judge’s constable and liason to the park board, was reported to be driving around the Frohring Meadows parking lot during our meeting, but I am not sure if his car was shiny. He was apparently preparing a report for Judge Grendell on our attendance.)
The recently released State of the Birds by the National Audubon Society lists many of the birds which breed in or migrate through Ohio as threatened and endangered. To have such an educated and experienced judge show such ignorance of environmental issues is illustrative of the danger he and his board represents to the Geauga Park District. I would expect the judge and the board to put a little effort into learning about conservation.
If they need it, I would be glad to send them each a subscription to Ranger Rick, who I will be voting for as a write-in this fall in the election for probate judge.
Sandra Buckles
Troy
Stayed the Course
Recently, the Ohio Department of Education released the individual school district state report cards. This year, the West Geauga Local School District has much to celebrate! West Geauga earned their highest performance index rating to date. They have, once again, met every state test indicator.
As a member of this community, I am very proud of the West Geauga staff and everything they do for our children. In the face of all the chaos that was present last year, the West Geauga staff stayed the course, as the professionals they are.
Thank you for all that you do for our students every day.
Megan Petronsky
Chester
Lost Public Confidence, Trust
Judge Grendell is a gifted politician and attorney driven by politics with a knack of knowing just what to say and how to say it to the right audience, and I believe these are some of his greatest weaknesses as a judge.
Every action and statement Grendell makes is politically calculated to further his own narrow agenda. He forgets that his career as a state legislator is over and his current job as a judge requires him to be fair, impartial and above all stellar in his role as the final decision maker regarding matters of law and ethics in Geauga County.
His performance in the duties of judge must be beyond reproach, honorable and instill a feeling of unshakable trust in our court system, as judges Stupica, Burt and Fuhry have successfully accomplished.
Unfortunately, Judge Grendell continues to act like Boss Grendell. Since being appointed to fill the remaining term of the late Judge Henry, who was tragically killed, Grendell has been on a mission to gut the purpose of the Geauga Park District and reform it based on his own personal desires, despite the fact that his only powers pertaining to the park district involve appointing park commissioners and approving donations to the park.
We have three new park commissioners hand-picked by Grendell in his own narrow mindset. They fall lock step behind the judge, allowing him to call the shots and dictate new park policy.
To date, none of them have shown any independent thinking or have stepped out of the ideological boundaries set by Grendell.
Just last week, Grendell commissioned an ad which ran in the local papers featuring him and his three lap dogs and titled this political hit piece “The Truth It’s.” Actually, the truth is that this piece is full of Grendell’s politically formulated opinions on his views for the future of the park system, dubious and convoluted statistics, and attacks on those who do not share his opinions such as me.
I have no problem with Grendell espousing his viewpoints as a citizen of Geauga County on his own time with his own money. What is alarming and completely unacceptable is that Grendell printed this piece on page 3 in the park district’s Voices of Nature publication (maybe soon to be changed to the Voices of Grendell), which is taxpayer funded and mailed to every household in Geauga County.
How dare he distribute his personal agenda on our dime. He actually used a portion of real estate taxes I pay to the park district to attack me! This piece is also on the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas website — again — a taxpayer-funded resource.
But wait, there’s more. Grendell continues to spew his opinions on page 2. And did I mention that Grendell is also running for office this November?
And wait one more time. On page 5 there is a half page dedicated to the “introduction” of the newest park commissioner, Brian Johnston, with a gushing description of his life and a photo showing him hard at work volunteering in the park. Why would Grendell appoint Johnston to be a park commissioner when he is running for Geauga County Commissioner in November and why is Johnston shamelessly using park resources to boost his campaign?
I have not seen Blake Rear, who is our current county commissioner and Johnston’s opponent in the election, using taxpayer money for his campaign.
These are only some examples of questionable acts that have happened just this year alone. Judge Grendell and the park commissioners have lost the confidence and trust of the public they are expected to serve with integrity and honesty.
Chris Yaecker
Newbury
Respect for Constitutions
I am writing to express my strong support for Ron Tamburrino’s candidacy for judge of the Eleventh District Court of Appeals.
He has all of the professional and personal qualifications necessary. He has practiced in all areas of law — civil, criminal, corporate, and administrative — with tremendous success. That experience will serve the people well, because the 11th District deals with appeals in each of these areas of law.
His skill as an attorney is illustrated by the fact that he is associate general counsel-litigation, for one of northeast Ohio’s biggest companies, Sherwin Williams Company.
Ron Tamburrino has an abiding respect for constitutions of the United States and of Ohio; his practice of law is imbued with this respect and his decisions on the bench will be, too.
Further, he has the personal qualities of integrity and hard work necessary for the job. He has served the communities of northeast Ohio politically; he has served many local charity groups. He is an involved and loving husband and father.
We need Ron Tamburrino.
Gary Broska
Newbury
Experience, Dedication
I have often felt that the candidates we elect to the bench are excellent attorneys, but lack the real-world and government experience necessary to deal with the challenging legal issues of the day.
However, one candidate for the bench this year possesses an extensive public and private sector background.
Ron Tamburrino, candidate for the 11th District Court of Appeals, has an extensive public-private background that will serve the voters well. Tamburrino’s background includes managing a claims investigation business that conducted arson investigations, theft of proprietary information as well as property theft.
Tamburrino is also a former member of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators and the National Fire Protection Association.
In addition to his 30-year legal background, Tamburrino has been elected three times to the Board of Trumbull Township Trustees in Trumbull Township. As board chairman, Tamburrino helped to recover more than $1,000,000 in disaster funds from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after extreme flooding in 2007 damaged the township’s roads and bridges.
Tamburrino has also served as a member of the Board of Northwest Ambulance District that serves several cities and townships in Ashtabula County.
Tamburrino has also served on the boards of several private and nonprofit corporations. He also has a long history of providing pro bono legal services for the disadvantaged.
With his broad public-private background, his extensive legal experience and dedication to public service, Ron Tamburrino will make an excellent appellate court judge.
David Klemm
Chester
