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Volume 10, Issue 30
Former Ohio Governor rallies against Issue 1 CARISSA WOYTACH THE COMMUNITY GUIDE
SHEFFIELD TWP. — Heavy rain cut an antiIssue 1 rally short July 28, but not before former Gov. Richard Celeste addressed those gathered at the Lorain County Board of Elections. Stepping out from underneath a canopy and into the pouring rain, Celeste implored voters to vote against Issue 1. “In India when it rains that is an auspicious sign — so if you get married in the rain it’s going to be a good marriage,” Celeste said. “So if we come out to vote in the rain, it’s going to be a good vote. If we stand here and endure the rain, it’s going to be a good victory.” Celeste said leading up to the Aug. 8 election there’s been a concerted effort to “reduce your vote,” from eliminating multiple ballot drop boxes to enacting voter ID laws. “And now what they want to do is let 40 percent of the people decide what is right for the state of Ohio,” he said. “That is wrong.” He said a vote “no” next month, will allow for later votes for protections on reproductive healthcare, eliminating gerrymandered
BRUCE BISHOP | The Community Guide
Former Gov. Richard Celeste addresses a crowd against Issue 1 at a rally at the Lorain County Board of Elections on Friday, July 28. districts and raising the state’s minimum wage. “I want a strong ‘no’ vote on Aug. 8 so we can get the ‘yes’ votes down the line,” he said. Issue 1 is the only item on an Aug. 8 special election and would amend the Ohio Constitution to boost
“ If we stand here and endure the rain, it’s going to be a good victory”
Former Gov. Richard Celeste
the minimum requirement for subsequent constitutional amendments.
If Issue 1 passes, it would require 60 percent of voters to approve any new
constitutional amendments. Currently, a constitutional amendment needs a simple majority to pass. It would also eliminate a 10-day cure period for faulty signatures on ballot proposals. A cure period is the period of time candidates or initiative propo-
nents have to collect additional signatures if they fall short of the required number when they submit signatures by an initial deadline. Other speakers Friday afternoon shared Celeste’s sentiments. Sheffield Village Mayor John Hunter said the issue is not one based on political party, it’s about protecting individual rights. “If we pass Issue 1, we will be giving 40 percent of the people in the state of Ohio that we all love to have power over the majority — 60 percent or more. If we pass Issue 1 we’re going to be going backwards.” Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield and Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley were also on hand to encourage a no-vote on Issue 1. At the corner of North Ridge Road and Clinton Avenue, more than two dozen proponents of Issue 1 gathered before the rain also cut their rally short. Tomie Patton, President of the Avon/Avon Lake Republican Club, and others had stood out in the pouring rain waving to cars and holding signs. “Legislation should not go through the constitution,” she said, ducking under the edge of an umbrella. “So we’re trying to ISSUE 1 PAGE A3
Lorain County Amherst Dems choose candidates pitches 911 levy for city’s 4th Ward, auditor KEVIN MARTIN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE
Lorain County 911 Director Rob Berner presented updated financial numbers July 25 to the county commissioners and said projections indicate the system will be deficit spending if they cannot pass a proposed 0.5-mill levy. This year, Berner said wages and benefits are $3.5 million with operating expenses standing at $2.8 million. Over the next five years, wages are expected to rise by 3 percent and 2 percent in operating expenses. Under Lorain County 911’s current revenue structure, the operation would need to borrow from the county’s general fund in 2024 to avoid going into a deficit.
A 0.5-mill levy would raise a projected $4.1 million annually, which Berner says would give the 911 system a surplus balance and enable it to handle the projected growth without additional resources from the general fund. The commissioners did not vote on whether to place the levy on the ballot. They have until Aug. 9 to do so. Looking at the department’s expenses, Berner said Lorain County 911 provides emergency services that cannot be cut too much without impacting quality of services to the communities that depend on it. “We’re trying to cut overhead expenses in front of wages by actually using more and more technology. That has a fixed costs as opposed to growing costs,’’ LEVY PAGE A3
CARISSA WOYTACH THE COMMUNITY GUIDE
AMHERST — The Amherst Democratic Central Committee appointed candidates for City Council Ward 4 and city auditor July 26. Current Councilman Dave Janik, D-at Large, will throw his hat into the ring for the auditor’s unexpired term this November, after his unanimous approval by the city’s Democratic Central Committee. Janik has served on Council for the past decade. He said he understands the legislative side of the budget and would like a better understanding of how the money is spent on the administrative side. He said if elected he would continue to keep a close working relationship with City Council.
Janik is a college and career program specialist at Lorain County DAVE ComJANIK munity College. His nomination to the ballot was necessitated by former city Auditor Derek Pittak’s resignation effective June 5, as he and his family moved to Avon. With more than two years left of Pittak’s unexpired term, the Amherst Republican Central Committee selected a new interim auditor, Brenda Phillips, on June 13, and also selected her to appear on the November ballot to run for the rest of Pittak’s term. Janik will face Phillips this November for the
auditor’s seat. If elected, he will have to resign from his Council seat MELISSA and the BROWN Democratic Central Committee will have to appoint a replacement. If Janik loses his bid for auditor in November, he will retain his council seat for the rest of his regular term. Incumbent Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, D-4th Ward, withdrew from the ballot, prompting the city’s Democratic Central Committee to replace her in the running this November. Committee members chose Melissa Brown to replace her on the ballot. Brown, a single mother
of two young adults, has lived in Lorain County for 40 years, she said, much of that in Amherst after coming back in 2005 to the town she grew up in. She previously worked at Ziggy’s restaurant and currently works at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital. She said she is in the process of creating a nonprofit to help single mothers attending college with housing and other barriers. She also has a background in social work, working at the Faith House and Frontline Services, and has an executive MBA from Cleveland State University. She said she wanted to run for City Council because she understands the community and wants to see it, and its local businesses, thrive as a safe place for future generations to raise a family.
INSIDE THIS WEEK Amherst
Local kid in Mullet Champ top 25 ● A3
Oberlin
Class of 1990 dedicates bench ● A5
Sports
Oberlin coach remembered ● A6
OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A4 • CROSSWORD A7 • SUDOKU A7 • KID SCOOP A8