Letters to Editor
Vote for Irene McMullen
A vote for Irene McMullen is a vote for Munson’s future.
Earlier this year, when a Munson Fire Truck was in a tragic accident, Irene rushed to the scene to help. When she arrived, a local mother ran down the street toward Irene, explaining that her child needed emergency medication, but the pharmacy couldn’t deliver it because of the roadblocks put up after the fire truck crash.
Irene worked with the sheriff to quickly and safely deliver the medicine to the child in need, while prioritizing the safety of the injured firefighters. Then, she drove to the hospital to support the wounded firefighters.
She conducted work from the waiting room, calling community members in-between consulting with firefighters from other communities who stood vigil for their brother in service.
At the end of the summer, as the school year approached, she spent several weekends helping underserved college-bound kids put together the supplies they needed for their first year away at school. She even bought sheets, pencils and notebooks for those who couldn’t afford them, and helped some students map out how to find their dorms at their new schools, from several states away.
In the fall, she worked with the West Geauga High School football coach to help integrate citizenship and hard work into the lessons that they learned on and off the field. She brought together students and several local organizations, including Bremec’s and Farmer at the Deli, and mentored a student who led the football team to clean up the gardens around their school — a different kind of pre-season conditioning practice that taught the larger lesson of contributing to the community.
Irene isn’t likely to talk too much about any of these instances. In fact, she doesn’t consider them to be especially noteworthy at all. She thinks of them as just part of her role serving the community, which she does each day with great compassion, responsibility and enthusiasm.
There are countless other stories of her contributions to our hometown, and I’m sure readers have plenty of their own to share as well. I couldn’t be more proud to call her my mother and our township trustee.
I strongly encourage everyone in our community to vote to re-elect Irene McMullen for Munson Township trustee on Nov. 3.
Evin McMullen
Chester Township
Keep McMullen
I offer this letter, respectfully, to the voters of Munson Township. I encourage you to vote to keep Irene McMullen as our trustee.
Irene has served the township for seven years now. As a former trustee serving with Irene, I appreciated her responsible, conservative approach and modest, thoughtful style.
She is smart, easy to get along with and she gets things done. She is exactly what we want in our local government officials.
Irene McMullen has done a fine job for our township and deserves our continued support.
Todd Ray
Munson Township
Better Ways to Handle Roads
Death of a road department worker and big road/bridge property tax increase — is there a connection?
You bet there is.
It’s very inefficient for each of our townships to have their own road departments and that inefficiency is reflected in often lax supervision and disregard for safety issues and higher costs.
If a Parkman Road Department worker who was recently killed in a ditch cave-in had been supervised as well as workers for the county road department, his death would likely never have occurred. In addition, other safety issues continue to be ignored. For example, for years, Parkman’s insurance carrier has recommended moving fuel tanks away from the service building as required by the Ohio Fire Code, yet no action has been taken.
For years, citizens have complained about an unsafe situation on Owen Road in Parkman, yet no corrective action has been taken. Yet the township seems to be able to find funds for other less “safety imperative” expenditures such as kitchen additions, expensive draperies, extravagantly expensive trucks, tractors, etc.
I can stand in one spot in Parkman during the winter and see snow plows from three different agencies plowing snow on three different roads — state roads, county roads and township roads. What insanity! Would it not be far more efficient to have one agency do all the snow plowing? Perhaps the county engineer’s office should take care of all the roads in the county. It would cost us less and we would get better service.
Ask those who live on county roads how good the maintenance is on those roads. You will be hard put to find any complainers. Such is not the case for residents of township roads.
Parkman will be asking voters to approve a new levy (It’ssue #21 for 7 mills) for the road department this November. It will personally cost me $631 in additional yearly taxes if the levy passes.
My home is not some “trophy house,” but a modest old farmhouse on farmland I’m trying to keep as rural open space. In a recent newspaper article, a Parkman trustee was quoted as saying the funds would be used for paving roads (chip and seal) and as such, Parkman would save about $150,000 per year in dust control. However, such is not the case. Parkman has never spent more than about $30,000 per year for dust control.
We need facts and honest information from our public officials, not a snow job to get a levy passed.
The fairest way to pay for roads is through the gas tax. That way, those who drive the most and do the most damage to the roads will be paying the most
Let’s have trustees work to get a fairer share of gas taxes for our township and if an increase is needed, the fairest increase would be a gas tax increase.
It’s easy for township trustees to sit back at a trustees meeting and put a levy on the ballot. Little effort for them. We need trustees who will do the hard work of working toward a better way of doing things, such getting our Ohio legislators to make changes for fairness and efficiency and criticizing them when they don’t do their job.
If they don’t work for sensible change, let/s get people in power who will.
John G. Augustine
Parkman Township
Quigley a Tireless Worker
I am writing this letter in support of Glen Quigley, who is a candidate for re-election as Newbury Township trustee.
I agree with two recent letters to the editor in support of Glen Quigley. As a fellow township trustee, I am familiar with Glen and the work he is doing in Newbury. Glen’s reputation is that of a tireless worker.
Glen is an advocate for environmental issues to preserve the environment. I admire the work he has done for the veterans in preparation for the veterans memorial in Newbury.
Glen has worked for the Newbury Volunteer Fire Department over the years. Newbury should be proud of their fire department.
As a fellow township trustee, I understand the difficulty in the position, dealing with financial issues with limited budgets and fiscal responsibilities.
Glen has excellent co-workers, such as Janet Blair, which help make his job and tasks as township trustee more successful. As incumbents, they know and recognize all the critical issues and can deal with them.
A vote for Glen Quigley in November would be a vote for Newbury Township.
Robert Evans
Middlefield Township Trustee
YES for Issue 29
This letter is to encourage voters to vote for It’ssue 29 for the Metzenbaum Center.
We have been involved with Metzenbaum for over 29 years and cannot say enough positive things about what the organization does.
Our daughter was born with Down Syndrome and has spent her life attending the school and activities there. She would not be where she is today if we didn’t have this wonderful service that they provide. Because of Metzenbaum she is out in the world working, socializing and having fun. She works fulltime at their workshop, which makes her very proud and excited for Mondays.
When they first approached me about this, I was worried how we would transport her every day because both my husband and I work. They provide busing, which picks Christy up and returns her home every day. This has removed a huge burden from us and also has helped her to be more confident and proud of what she does.
The staff at Metzenbaum who works with our daughter along with the other children are wonderful as well. They have made these individuals proud of their work and make them feel important.
Without any of this Christy would not be where she is today — a very proud, confident and outgoing person.
So please consider the special needs of these kids as they do grow up to be adults, whom rely on Metzenbaum Center to help and support to make them feel a part of today’s society. I urge you to vote for this issue as it not only helps them, but it helps us, too.
Very proud parents of a special needs child!
Mark, Ellen & Christy Roubic
Auburn Township
McMullen, Experienced Public Servant
A vote to re-elect Irene McMullen for Munson Trustee is a vote for an experienced public servant who knows what she’s doing.
She has been a volunteer in our community for over 20 years, worked for the U.S. Navy and Department of Justice, and has been a chosen leader of Munson Township since 2009.
Through all of her service she has shown that she is dedicated to this country and to our community. She is the candidate with the background and experience Munson Township needs.
Through the past six years, Irene’s leadership has helped maintain Munson as the wonderful place it is to live. Part of the reason she has been such a dependable leader is that she is committed to the well-being of our community, and not to the demands of a political party. She has never been a member of the central committee of any political party.
Because she is independent, she can focus on serving Munson for the greater good of the community, instead of answering to outside interests trying to shape our community for their own gain.
Irene McMullen will help keep Munson headed in the right direction.
Gary Platek
Munson Township
Richter Right for Chester
I have known Fiscal Officer Craig Richter of Chester Township for several years. I believe that Chester Township is very fortunate to have Craig as its fiscal officer. He is an excellent steward of Chester’s finances, demonstrates a great work ethic, represents the township professionally and stands by his convictions.
Most importantly, Craig is an advocate of government transparency through his recent joining of the Ohio Treasurer’s OhioCheckbook.com initiative.
I have worked with Craig through the Geauga County Township Association and have attended many continuing education seminars with him through the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office and the Ohio Association of Public Treasurers.
I encourage residents of Chester Township to support retaining Craig Richter as their fiscal officer.
Charles E. Walder
Russell Township Fiscal Officer
