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League of Women Voters...
Candidates Night
Arcanum, and Issue 2 Debate Greenville
By Al Bliss
The Monday evening event (Candidates Night) was located in the brand
new beautiful and very impressive Arcanum – Bradford School building.
The space used as a cafeteria and auditorium was designated for
the candidate’s night and easily accommodated the approximately seventy
people in attendance.
The program agenda started with very brief statements by Judge Julie
Monin and her opponent deputy prosecutor Jesse Green candidates for the
Municipal Judge position, the five candidates for the school board and
two of the four candidates for Arcanum mayor. The pros and cons for
Issues 1, 2 and 3 read with no questions or comments presented by the
audience. The Library Levy was briefly mentioned to encourage support
as was the renewal levy for funding needed by the Board of
Developmental Disabilities.
It seemed that the candidates for the Board of Education considered 14
years experience in two cases and two years experience in one case to
be the most important qualification to be considered. However,
the responses to the twice yearly five year financial forecast
generated concern pertaining to their familiarity with this essential
fiscal planning document. The lack of expressed understanding the Ohio
Revised Code ethics rules regarding elected officials and family
members was also informative.
The fact that only two of the four candidates for the office of Arcanum
Mayor was never addressed. The two candidates responded to the nineteen
questions but left this interested party with the following
impressions...
One candidate can do it and will be available while the other candidate
has years of experience and will be available to the citizens. In other
words, I had not been stimulated to run out and vote for one of the
candidates.
Based on the 2010 census, 2076 people live in Arcanum. If the
approximately seventy people at the meeting represent those actively
involved in Arcanum politics/city-school management, it would seem to
me that Arcanum needs a leader.
The Wednesday evening Issue 2/Senate Bill 5 League of Women Voters town
hall type meeting at the American Legion post encompassed a very
interesting two hours of discussion and one attempt to disrupt the
orderly process of questions and answers.
The first fifteen minutes of the meeting were used to make general
introductions and present the rules of conduct for the question and
answer period. The half hour from 7:15 to 7:45 was used by the six
panel members to introduce themselves and provide their credentials.
The panel members were:
In Opposition to Issue 2 / Senate Bill 5
Stephen Lazarus, Cincinnati Labor Lawyer
Jim
Surber, Darke County Engineer – Chairman of the Darke Democratic Party
Robert Rhoades, Retired Fire Chief
In Support of Issue 2 / Senate Bill 5
Dr.
Kelly Kohls, School Board Member Springboro,
Representative Jim Buchy, Owner Buchy Food Products
Justin Barnhart, Legislative Aid
From 7:45 to 9:00, eighteen questions were presented and with only a
few exceptions, all six panel members briefly responded to each
question. Although the initial instructions directed no applause or
noisy responses to answers furnished, there were numerous cases when an
answer was met with a negative response.
In one instance, after about an hour of fairly orderly questions and
answers, a man rose to his feet and wanted to speak but was advised by
the meeting coordinator that he was out of order and must write his
question just like everyone else. His repeated response (I must stress
repeated) was that you are denying me freedom of speech. This continued
for three or four minutes until a large number of the audience loudly
told him to just “SHUT UP”. He then left.
In my opinion, Stephen Lazarus was very well versed in pro labor
issues, was slightly better prepared regarding the impact of the issue
on labor with special emphasis on police and fireman. The
consistent position of Jim Surber seemed to focus on the positive
aspects of the Law and the recommendation found in the Cleveland Plain
Dealer. His conclusion was that by incorporating the best parts of
Senate Bill 5 and eliminating the unsatisfactory sections, the best
results for Ohio would be achieved. The information furnished by Bob
Rhoades consistently dwelt on experiences many years ago versus facts
pertinent to the Issue/Senate Bill.
Again in my opinion, it was nice to have Justin Barnhart there but I am
not sure what vital/useful information that he furnished. Jim Buchy
furnished accurate and personal background information pertaining to
the law that has contributed to the current financial situation. From
the reaction of the audience during and after some of Representative
Buchy’s responses, it seemed that the audience as a minimum did not
accept Mr. Buchy’s position. Dr. Kohls many responses did
not receive much reaction.
One Greenville School Board Member was there as was one County
Commissioner. They are not named but I do wonder where all the other
Darke County School Board Members (thirty four -34- total) spent their
evening.
The American Legion Meeting Room had folks at fifteen tables designed
for eight people, chairs set up in the back of the room and a full row
of people standing against the west wall for a total of more than 175
in attendance. A number of men in the back had yellow tee shirts
claiming firemen oppose Issue 2.
I was compelled to wonder if the extended results of this same issue in
Wisconsin were kept a secret from many in the audience. As a result of
the multiple successes in Wisconsin, schools were able to hire more
teachers, fire and police departments increased their staffing levels
and obtained needed equipment. But the unions did reduce their
staffing by 40%. This seems to indicate that this – at least in
Wisconsin – is a union problem.
My final impression at the conclusion of the meeting was that the
almost two hundred people that were there arrived with an opinion
formed and left with the same opinion.
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