Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Medina County's Republican Commissioners Talk Layoffs, Raise Sewer Rates, and Want to Build a New Courthouse

In the last few weeks, the Medina County Board of Commissioners, which has three Republicans and no Democrats, has announced that it is considering laying off county workers, raised sewer rates for Medina County residents using the county-run sewer system, and still wants to build a new courthouse. All four judges in the present county courthouse, who presumably would benefit by building this new courthouse, signed a letter urging the Commissioners to delay the construction because of the bad economy. Yet, the County Commissioners persist in going ahead with the construction.

Now, to be fair, one of the County Commissioners, Pat Geissman, has come out against building the new courthouse, at least at this time. She had a very good column in the Medina County Gazette spelling out her position. Interestingly, the other two Republican Commissioners, Steve Hambley and Sharon Ray, personally paid for an ad that told Gazette readers that they supported the new courthouse construction, but, unlike Geissman's column, didn't really give any reasons for their position other than to make statements with no analysis of why the statements were factually accurate.

Complicating the situation for the Commissioners is that a Republican Judge, John Lohn, has ordered the Board to fund his court at a certain level. If Lohn is successful in this effort, it could lead to other county officials seeking court orders to fund mandated services. All in all, it is a very interesting time in Medina County.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am not surprised the Republican Commissioners want to proceed with the new courthouse despite the better judgment of waiting until the economy is better. They have no doubt promised to friends in the architectural and construction sectors that they will be rewarded handsomely by this project. That is the ingrained Republican mentality: get into office for rewarding your friends with tax money. Best examples: Bush and Cheney and the billions in unbid contracts for their war. Taft and Republicans in 100's millions to their friends for unregulated, and in some cases non-existent, charter schools. Why shouldn't the local Republicans follow suit. It is the Republican way - govern for yourself and your friends. It is the Republican platform, ideology, and mentality, i.e., take the advantage - only weaklings (according to Rush Limbaugh) would think of the common good.
This case is no different than when they tried to shut down the County Home. Does anyone think they care about citizens and the community of Medina County? Not in the least do they care. They wanted to steer business to their friends in the nursing home sector who had some empty rooms. Don't forget their mantra that private industry can do everything better than government. It has been shown over and over again that that is nothing more than taking tax money and giving it (sometimes with no strings attached at all) to friends who put you in office.
We got rid of these people nationally. When well we do it locally?
Charlie Pfeiffer
Medina, Ohio

Anonymous said...

I used to work for the county. I have filed a discrimination based on retaliation claim against that department, and furthermore, gave the rotten, evil Commissioners and HR "Manager" almost 6 months (wrote to them over a dozen times) to look into it for me-and do you know what they did instead? They had the head prosecutor send a letter threatening legal actions, when they had absolutely no grounds to do so. Then, after that happened at the end of August, they ignored me left and right.
Tell everyone you know in Medina this is occuring, and that my case is with the E.E.O.C.
Make no mistake-we can and will prevail over evil.

heavenhelpus said...

we are fighting a case in lohns courtroom right now!!!he is the only juvinile court judge in our county???why is our county laying off workers but paying for a new courthouse and parking??/why is judge lohn asking for even more money for sherrifs dept? why is he angry that our family petitioned his family first board for funds to help our special needs daughter? seems like our county has their priorities mixed up, only home for at risk juviniles taken away, c-fit closed their doors, no wonder we need to pay the jail more...we will have more at risk youth, and hurting angry adults that have unrightously lost employment? our county prides itself on keeping a low budget, to bad it hurts those in need...