Biased Media
Your paper has once again misreported the facts.
I did not receive any “dark” money from Speaker Householder or anyone else.
Non-monetary in-kind contributions in support of my campaign from the Ohio Republican Party (which had endorsed me in the Republican primary) and the House Campaign Committee were fully disclosed on my campaign finance reports, which are a matter of public record and available to view on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. These in-kind contributions were legal and in compliance with all campaign finance laws.
To try to lump me in with a scandal in Columbus surrounding events which occurred before I was even there is just another attempt by biased media to impact the upcoming November election. I, one of the only public officials, never received any FirstEnergy money.
Diane Grendell, R-Chester Township
State Representative, 76th District
Editor’s Note: We encourage state Rep. Grendell to re-read last week’s story, “Following the Money: Householder’s Funds May Reach into Geauga County.” FACT: Nowhere in the article does it state Grendell received dark money from Householder or anyone else. FACT: The article states the Maple Leaf emailed Grendell to ask whether her campaign was reviewing the donations it received from various Ohio Republican Party campaign funds to determine IF it received any alleged dark money and she responded “we see no reason to respond to your questions since you will not report answers correctly.” FACT: Nowhere in the article does it state contributions in support of her campaign were not disclosed on her campaign finance reports. As for the events that occurred before Householder appointed Grendell to the Ohio House District 76 seat and those that occurred after she was appointed, the Maple Leaf refers readers to the timeline of events included in last week’s story.
Time for ‘No Confidence’ Vote
There has been much discussion about Chesterland firefighters high turnover and most attribute attrition to low salary, benefits, work schedules, etc., but for Chester Township there is another possible reason: one of low departmental morale.
If morale is low, why aren’t the firefighters vocal about this? I understand that firefighters are intensely loyal to each other and their departments, and it would take a lot for them to come forward and speak up. But, if they are brave enough to enter a burning building to save a life, they need to employ that same courage to stand up for each other in their work place.
I feel that Chief John Wargelin is a good man and he really cares about the firefighters and our community, no doubt, but something is wrong.
It’s time for the Chester Township Fire Association to call for “no confidence” vote for the leadership of this department.
I’m of the strong opinion that Chief John Wargelin will easily fare well, as for Assistant Chief Karen Moleterno, not so much.
Judy K. Zamlen-Spotts
Chester Township
Newbury – It’s Funny!
I thought it was a joke when I first heard it. I thought originally there was no way the Newbury school board members that told us “we have no money” and “we can’t support any levies for an independent school district in Newbury” would ever want to come back and “repurchase” the property and buildings they gave away, but I was wrong.
Believe it or not, there is a “Task Force,” with members assigned by one of the Newbury trustees, Bill Skomrock, to explore taking/buying back the land (we taxpayers paid for previously) we couldn’t afford just months ago. But wait, it gets better. Mr. Skomrock has assigned Dave Lair, Maggie Zock and Kimya Mathews (yes, three of the former Newbury school board members) to be on this committee.
You remember them, right? The same school board who worked so diligently to reduce the work force to ensure millions of dollars, along with the buildings and property were transferred to West Geauga, now want to explore buying it back. Three people who cried their crocodile tears during the last official school board meeting about closing the school because “we have no money in Newbury to support it” are actually on the committee to “help give guidance” on its final disposition. It really isn’t a joke although it sounds like one.
Thankfully, the meetings with the five-board panel (Dave Gifford and Carol Drabek are also on this committee) must be open to the public.
Although Ms. Mathews said they would “be open and transparent,” they tried to hold the first meeting privately in executive session, but fortunately, that is illegal. Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. will be fun for all. You thought the “3 Stooges” were funny on the big screen, but wait until you see them live on your computer screen (during a virtual meeting).
Then, there’s the ever-angry Trustee Bill Skomrock. When challenged about the “makeup of the task force as being hand-selected and only representing half of the community,” he immediately became as angry as a sack full of rattlesnakes.
Speaking of angry, check out the taxpayers in a few months if they find out that West Geauga is contemplating giving the township money to use at their discretion instead of using it for the benefit of education for the kids. Basically, that would mean that West Geauga took the cash and the kids in exchange for some property they never planned to use anyway. What a waste of a great school district.
When all is said and done, the citizens of Newbury get to have no local school district and pay for it twice.
It appears the three former Newbury school board members are changing their tune from reducing our taxes to asking for more to “undo what they have done.” Obviously they have realized the error of their ways in giving away not only our tax dollars, and property, but also our community’s identity, and are desperate to try and get it back.
No joke Newbury, prepare for the taxes to go back up, whether it’s Mr. Skomrock’s “task force“ recommending a bond or levy to buy our property back, or our territory transferred school district heading into the red in need of operational funding and/or new construction.
While I am a supporter of having something — anything — to represent the school in Newbury, I would have rather had the school itself and the kids attending it, but that is no longer possible. What is possible is our ability to voice our opinions, speak out about the mess this has become and place the blame specifically on those that created it.
Please, don’t be misled by the same people again.
Phil Paradise Jr.
Newbury Township
School Mandates
Now that we have an Ohio court ruling basically exposing DeWine’s mandates as “unenforceable advice,” why are we isolating and sanitizing our children and shuttering schools?
According to Daniel Horowitz, data from eight countries has shown that children play no role in transmitting Covid-19 to adults and, if they catch it from adults, it doesn’t affect them, statistically speaking.
European schools are now open. Sweden, which never closed, has only seen one child die of Covid.
It is time everyone stops cooperating with DeWine’s unconstitutional orders to limit peaceful assembly and his masking requirements. Masking and social distancing do not work. Masks, particularly cotton ones, do not screen out 0.1 micron virus particles, and the virus has spread too far for social distancing and contact tracing to have any effect.
On the contrary, places which mask religiously are seeing new waves of cases (Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, L.A., Miami-Dade County, Florida), while countries that did not make masks mandatory are done with the virus. (Sweden, the Nordic countries, France…)
Let’s open our schools so parents can get back to work.
Heidi Ferg
Chester Township
