Pig Farms Stink
If corruption had an odor to it, our government officials would be noxious to us. But it doesn’t and we cannot smell the greedy and corrupt, we can only listen to their lies.
Why do we even have zoning regulations that were created to protect us and our values, known as our individual rights or lawful rights, if they do not work for all of us? Why is it that people break man’s laws when they know it is not right and we are all supposed to be playing by the same rules? It is because they think they can by not getting caught?
If nobody knows, they get away with it, otherwise they have to cheat.
If you play a game with rules, one way to cheat is by changing or making an exception to the rules. Like they say, everyone has a price, and when the price is met the rules bend. I question where the money comes from to meet who’s price to bend the rules.
We may not be able to smell their greed, or believe what they want us to hear, we can at least put a face to their name, so that when we see them they will know that we know who they really are.
Specifically, the developer that wants the Chesterland trustees and other county officials to bend the rules for his alone profit, along with an international development corporation to oppose our local zoning code to operate a nursing home, not to be confused with senior living housing.
What is the reason for violating our local regulations in order to build a nursing home ruining our rural atmosphere? The only reason I can think of is for personnel greed.
Edward Shannon
Chester Township
Thank You, Newbury
Thank you to the Newbury American Legion Post 663 for conducting all three of the Memorial Day services and parade in Newbury Township, May 30.
Thank you to the local Boy Scout Troop that assisted the American Legion at each of the services.
Thank you to the Newbury Township Trustees for sponsoring the community picnic in Veterans Park, and for the new flags installed along the north and east perimeters.
Thank you to Newbury Community Church for providing and serving ice cream to the patriotic crowd that came to honor the local veterans who gave all.
Finally, thanks to all who participated in the town parade. It was a proud day in Newbury!
Terry Schneider
Newbury Township
Part 1: Open Burning Violates the Law
Any of you folks remember the movie “Fahrenheit 451” in which fire departments no longer put out fires, but instead take on the occupation of burning books? Seems they had lost their way.
Well, it seems some fire departments today have lost their way, forgotten what they were created to do.
If asked, most citizens would tell you that a fire department’s purpose is to save lives and property. However, some fire departments seem to have forgotten this, in that their actions indicate the main goal is getting levies passed so they can buy fancy expensive toys that they really don’t need and won’t result in a better job of saving lives and property.
Let me give you an example. The Ohio Fire Code, which fire department personnel are obliged to enforce, references the open burning regulations of the Ohio EPA. In essence these open burning regulations are part of the Ohio Fire Code per the State Fire Marshall of Ohio.
Is open burning dangerous to citizens? You bet it is! Dioxin is one of the most potent cancer causing agents known and the major source of it in the environment is from folks open burning various trash they want to get rid of.
In addition to causing disease, open burning is hazardous to people with various existing lung conditions such as asthma or emphysema. An Amish man just to the west of me died not long ago from an asthma attack. Another neighbor with a serious lung condition had to move out of the area because of severe aggravation from smoke, other air pollutants, trash burning, etc. in Parkman Township.
Fire personnel in Parkman and many other townships seem reluctant to enforce these open burning regulations. Virtually all open burning is prohibited in Parkman.
I’ve notified the fire department on numerous occasions of these violations. Typically, they tell “open burners” their illegal fire is legal and, even if it obviously violates the law, they tell them to let it burn down so it continues to pollute the air until it self-extinguishes.
I’ve offered EPA pamphlets to the fire department explaining the regulations that they can pass out to folks, but they have refused. One fire department member stated, “they will only just throw it in the fire.”
Recently, the Parkman fire department posted a message on their large sign in front of the fire station, highly visible from U.S. 422. The sign stated, “Burn ban in effect between 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. until June 1.” If you were a citizen reading the message would you not think open burning was OK as long as you did not burn between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. until June 1?
As is stated per EPA regulations, open burning is almost universally prohibited at any time of day and at any time of the year. Even two of the township trustees — the people who oversee the fire department — refuse to admit the sign is an invitation to violate the law. So sad!
So why is the law typically not enforced? In my view, many F.D. personnel are ignorant of the law and unwilling to educate themselves on the EPA regulations. I suspect they feel if they tell someone their open burning is in violation and put out their fire, they will be angry at the fire department and then the violator will not vote for their next fire levy.
In part 2, I’ll write about how some fire departments violate the law when putting out bids to purchase new fire apparatus , purchase extravagant equipment they do not need and other matters. Stay tuned!
John G. Augustine
Parkman Township
‘Don’t Cuyahoga Our Geauga!’
I am disappointed the Geauga Maple Leaf seems to be avoiding apparent but difficult countywide issues.
There are big problems brewing in the county and they are beginning to cause major friction. The people we might normally expect to address such issues — or at least clarify them for the people of Geauga — are actually part of the problem, and I suggest that some degree of investigative reporting is in order. Historically, this is where the all-important free press comes in; uncovering and reporting on such issues sells papers and raises public awareness.
The following article (teased below) begins to address multiple very strong appearances of alleged impropriety in Geauga County and seeks to begin connecting the dots between several key actors in the county.
While it is not possible to adequately address such a complex issue in 500 words or less, I hope that the following will pique interest.
Dear Geauga County:
Have you ever heard an air-raid siren? If you’ve heard it, you’ll never forget it. It’s haunting. The sound hits you to your core and makes you feel that danger is imminent.
Your first instinct is probably to think it’s a false alarm or test, after all, the day looks so calm, how could bombers arrive or a tornado touch down?
If you’re enjoying a peaceful day, you might even be annoyed by the siren. But if you read stories of people who’ve lived through such things, they all say the same thing; they thought it would never happen to them; the destruction caught them completely off guard.
There are people in Geauga County who are sounding the alarm. I am one of them. We are being intentionally loud and I realize that can seem disturbing. Believe me, if I felt I had a choice, I would be in my garden or growing my businesses; I’d shut down all social media accounts, and you’d never hear from me . . . except, there is danger!
“Don’t Cuyahoga Our Geauga!”
Hold onto the expression and take it to heart. For now, it’s simply something I say because I grew up very close to Cleveland politics and straddle that line between Cuyahoga and Geauga. I believe that Cuyahoga politics and money are already here, in Geauga, and the characters involved are doing the same things — repeating the same oft-used tactics — in order to make money off the destruction of everything that makes Geauga unique.
Geauga is, in other words, being presented with a path to ruin . . . a path that leads to a few people getting vastly rich and powerful, and to our communities suffering.
Jonathan Broadbent
Newbury Township
