Letters to the Editor
Cult-Like Agenda
On Tuesday, April 26, the Geauga County tea party held a meeting at The West Woods Nature Center. The primary speakers were county Commissioner Skip Claypool and Probate Judge Tim Grendell. I attended to satisfy my own curiosity as to why a supposedly ‘neutral’ probate court judge would be attending so many of these special agenda tea party meetings.
I found myself surrounded by an angry, hostile attitude coming from most of the crowd and the speakers. Even the minister who gave his thoughts as he chaired the event spoke of the ‘evil government’ and ‘evil non-U.S. citizens’.
Shouting that “we (the tea party members) need to act now to stop the tyranny” and that “God wants us to do so.”
Wow. Whatever happened to “love thy neighbor”? Skip Claypool began his talk by calling NOACA a “bunch of liars”! NOACA is a regional agency that works to keep our roads, bridges, water systems and much more in safe conditions for the greater public good.
Claypool implied they are all Karl Marx-reading Communists. He then said the NOACA Rural Council are a bunch of money-wasting cockroaches.
These words will not encourage civil communications. Grendell seemed to support Claypool’s methods. Grendell used his time as speaker to defend his own aggressions toward our Geauga park system. Loud, hate-filled, fear-based aggression dominated this meeting. Isn’t this the same ideology that was used by Fidel Castro, Adolph Hitler, Jeffrey Lundgren and even ISIS to sway its members into horrible acts?
Please stop the insanity. Wouldn’t we all be better served by practicing love, compassion and empathy? Thank you.
Rick Webb
Munson Township
Buy Modroo Farm
We tried to attend the Russell Township Parks Commission meeting on Monday (May 9), but it was so crowded we were unable to get in the door. We left, as did many others, but it was great to see our neighbors banding together to voice their opinion about the purchase of Modroo Farm.
We, the voters, passed the parks levy exclusively for land acquisition. We have over $1 million dollars available. This money cannot legally be used for anything other than land acquisition.
The former parks board has been working on this deal for a long time; however, the two new appointees are blocking the purchase. Its unlikely Russell will have an opportunity to buy a property of this size again. And keep in mind, 85 percent of residents surveyed in 2014 favored land preservation and keeping Russell’s rural character.
So ask yourself, would you rather see a rolling meadow, a historic farm, walking paths, a bird sanctuary or mini-mansions?
As our great President Theodore Roosevelt said, “We are prone to speak of the resources of this country as inexhaustible; this is not so”.
Time is of the essence, if we don’t buy it now a developer will.
Tricia Heraghty
Russell Township
Grendell ‘Hijacked’ Parks
Geauga Parks Director John Oros hit a bullseye in his recent letter when he used the word “hijacked.”
But he was aiming at the wrong target. We all know that the hijacker of Geauga Parks is Probate Judge Grendell.
He’s the guy who dismissed all three park commissioners and fired the previous director all at once, apparently to clear the way for his own agenda. Political appointments, cronyism and mysterious motives have replaced the long-standing conservation values that had governed our parks from their beginning. Like a hijacker guarding his loot, the judge fires off volleys of attacks aimed at the citizens who question his actions, using taxpayers’ dollars for expensive newspaper ads, postcard mailings and the parks own newsletter.
If you have had enough of this behavior or if you need to find out more about the grassroots citizens’ opposition to the hijacking of our parks, visit the website of Protect Geauga Parks at www.protectgeaugaparks.us.
You will find suggestions for many actions that you can take, including a link to the petition to remove this judge from office. It’s a shame that a trusted public official would try to turn our beloved Geauga parks into a personal political playground.
Kathleen Webb
Munson Township
Cardinal Schools Misrepresented
My wife is a subscriber to the Geauga County Maple Leaf, and her and I have had many discussions about how we have the impression that the Geauga Maple Leaf does not appear to be much of a fan of Cardinal Schools.
There have been many different articles that have left this impression on us over the years. Normally, I just let things like this go, but right now, we could be at a critical time for the future of our school system and I wouldn’t feel right remaining silent…
Ann Wishart recently had an article in your publication where she certainly gave voice to people seeking to paint our school system in a negative light (Cardinal Schools Levy Committee Taps Employees for Campaign Funds). It is not surprising that disgruntled ex-board members or current employees can spin the truth about a situation in order to achieve some type of goal. The goal being to create the picture of the leadership acting in a way that is unethical, or suspect. I feel the goal of good journalism is to scratch a bit deeper to find the truth, and to report those facts to the general public.
To me, this should be the goal of good journalism in general and should be of the utmost importance to any news outlet. Perhaps Ann should have made an effort to give voice to the opposing view equally? But I suppose if she would have done that, there really wouldn’t have been much of a story, right?
I challenge you. I challenge you to participate in the positive growth of our communities in Geauga County. Cardinal SD is a good district. I know because my wife is heavily involved there as a volunteer with many different programs. I have three children that attend these schools, and they love them. I myself went to a different high school altogether, but because of this I am proud to call myself a Huskie. I have a strong sense of pride when it comes to my school system, as well as my community. So I challenge you to reach out to the Cardinal BOE, specifically Dr. hunt, to find the true story and publish those facts. Find out why we need a levy. Allow our current board members to have a voice, and an opportunity to reach your subscribers so that the truth about what is happening in our school system can be told. Isn’t that news worthy?
What I hear and read from various places is a perpetuation of ignorance and lies. These words reach voters and influence their opinion, and in fact can be further perpetuated onto others. I challenge your publication to break this cycle, and allow an opportunity for those who know the truth to have the podium for a moment so we can be heard.
We could very well be speaking of the future of Cardinal Schools, and our Geauga community.
James Everett
Middlefield Village
Editor’s Note: News Reporter Ann Wishart attends Cardinal Schools Board of Eduction meetings regularly and reports on its actions. She spoke with Superintendent Scott Hunt at length for the most recent article about the elimination of positions. There was no discussion among board members on the issue during the meeting and the telephone message Wishart left asking to speak to board member and levy committee leader Katie Thomas was never returned. Any teacher, staff or board member willing to discuss any issues or provide feedback about Cardinal Schools can contact Wishart at any time as her contact information is listed under her byline every week and is available on our website.
