Letters to the Editor
The Nerve of Trustees
I am so disappointed in our three township trustees. Yes, all three, plus the clerk of Newbury Township.
The clerk of Newbury Township, with her response to Mr. Hitchcock, Mr. Gliha and Mr. Flaiz when they asked her about the budget and road/levy money difference of almost $500,000, her response was . . . “That’s fine.”
This is very disrespectful and very unsure of herself to make a comment of “That’s fine.”
This is not a “that’s fine” here. This is a huge issue and problem.
Almost a $500,000 difference — $500,000 sitting not being used for what was intended.
Then our Newbury Township trustees put on this November ballot a 1.9-mill street, road and bridge renewal 5-year levy for us to vote on.
Is this levy for their stockpile for their future projects? The nerve of our township trustees.
I am voting NO on this road/bridge levy and I hope other Newbury residents do the same.
In closing, I want to say a big ‘Thank You’ to Mr. Hitchcock, Mr. Gliha and Mr. Flaiz for doing their jobs for our county and knowing that they are honest and accurate at their positions for all of us.
To Newbury Township Trustees: Remember . . . elected officials do not always get re-elected.
June DiMond
Newbury Township
No Shame in Crossing
It’s no secret that Geauga County usually votes Republican. Even Democrats and independent voters like myself often cross party lines to support local, state and national Republican candidates who reflect our traditional community values: honesty and integrity, the importance of family, a deep appreciation of the natural world and the beauty of our rural landscape, personal service to our country and our communities and the value of hard work that has built so many Geauga family farms and small businesses.
But this year the national Republican Party has nominated someone who is so unqualified, so temperamentally unfit to be president and so alien to our Geauga values, that it is time for the good Republicans and independents of our county to put aside partisan politics and vote for Hillary Clinton in November.
From her earliest years, Mrs. Clinton has practiced and encouraged service to the community. Long before she became a ‘politician’ she volunteered long hours to support children and families. She helped Arkansas small farmers gain access to loans to keep their businesses healthy. She’s supported veterans and their families and has concrete proposals on improving healthcare for our returning soldiers. She has been — for decades — open and accountable on her tax records.
She has fought to protect the environment and our national parks, and to build a clean energy program that will not only serve the environment, but also will make America a leader in clean energy and create hundreds of thousands of good jobs.
Her proposal to invest in America’s infrastructure — roads, highways, bridges, public transit, the Internet — is game changing for our country. The last president to tackle something like this was that good Republican Dwight Eisenhower, who built America’s interstate highway system.
Mr. Trump? He has dedicated his life to making money for himself and his own family, making huge profits at the expense of small business owners he hired then failed to pay.
He made billions of dollars and yet for years he paid no federal income taxes at all.
He’s welshed on his charitable commitments to veterans, insulted Gold Star parents and belittled the service of those like John McCain who were prisoners of war, because they are “losers.”
He doesn’t believe that climate change is real and would drill our national parks and preserves for oil. His so-called charitable foundation appears to have made campaign contributions to avoid prosecution and he refuses to release his tax returns.
He is insulting to women, minorities and the disabled.
He has made statements about foreign policy — backtracking on our commitments to NATO, suggesting Japan and South Korea acquire nuclear capability, cozying up to Vladimir Putin of Russia — that are truly frightening to the diplomatic community and to many world leaders and allies.
It is no wonder that hundreds of Republican leaders from past and present administrations and state governments have said they will not support Donald Trump this year, and many of them, including Pres. George H.W. Bush, will be voting for Hillary Clinton.
This year the choice is clear — there is no shame in crossing party lines to vote for Mrs. Clinton. In fact, the shame would be not to do so!
Caroline A. Kovac
Chardon Township
Jobs for Americans
Hillary Clinton promises to create millions of jobs in the United States. Well, Bill Clinton told us exactly what this means in an interview you can watch on YouTube entitled, “Bill Clinton: Let Syrian Refugees Rebuild Detroit.”
He suggested that Syrian refugees who come to this country can be settled in the thousands of abandoned homes in Detroit. They would then be given jobs rebuilding the city.
Who cares about the thousands of Americans already living in Detroit who need jobs? Not Bill!
He talked about what great workers Syrians are, implying that Americans are not. (Remember, Hillary says she wants Bill to be chief economic advisor.)
Bill and Hillary Clinton make it painfully clear that Americans do not come first in their leftist world. Americans must get in line behind immigrants from the Middle East, Mexico and Latin America.
On the other hand, Donald Trump says that the only question that should be asked about immigration is this: “Will it benefit American workers?”
Trump puts the future of Americans before that of anyone from any country. Vote for Trump if you want jobs for Americans.
Peg Hunt
Chester Township
A Workforce Gem
When we think of workforce development organizations, one of the first ones to come to mind is Auburn Career Center.
Auburn has been an excellent career development organization for Lake and Geauga County students for over 50 years.
I talk to employers on a regular basis and many use the career center as a pipeline for future employees. Students who graduate from Auburn have a 97 percent placement rate in either two or four year colleges, workplace or the military.
As many of you know, it is extremely hard to find skilled employees at this time. This is an issue that is not going to go away anytime soon especially with the baby-boomers retiring.
Auburn trains their students on state-of-the-art equipment, the same equipment that they will find in the workplace. In addition to the hard skills they also do extensive training in soft skills development that our companies strive for in their employees. It is this approach to Auburn’s training that makes the Auburn student in high demand.
Our companies can only be successful with a highly trained and skilled workforce that allows them to compete globally in the 21st century.
For all that Auburn does in the area of workforce development, to an organization like Geauga Growth Partnership, they are truly a gem!
After 52 years of serving our students and businesses, the time has come that Auburn needs our help. On this November’s ballot, in Geauga County, will be Issue 26, a 1/4-mill mill, 5-year permanent improvement levy to repair Auburn’s aging infrastructure.
The Auburn Board of Education does not plan on renewing this levy, once the repairs are made the levy will expire at the end of five years.
The cost per $100,000 of market valuation is $8.75 a year. I know that for many it is very hard to afford more taxes, I also know that we need Auburn to continue prepare our future workforce that 21st century ready so that our companies and communities can grow.
Please consider supporting our workforce development gem, Auburn Career Center, by voting for Issue 26.
Tracy Jemison, President
Geauga Growth Partnership
