Contentious officials must remember who elected them to office

Contentious officials must remember who elected them to office
EDITOR:
It seems as if every time I pick up the paper lately, someone, somewhere, is complaining about one political office or another. If it is not a complaint about the elected person, then it is the elected person's complaining or defending.
I guess I am so aware of this because I am from Girard, which has been a constant source of, shall we say, & quot;entertainment & quot; for this area. With the backslashing between intermediate school parents and the board of education, the lack of cooperation between the board and school officials and the childish public feuding between the mayor, city council and a judge, we are quite a joke.
How sad this all seems to me. I wonder how we expect our children to grow up to be tolerant, forgiving adults. Certainly not by the examples being displayed in Girard.
Through all of this, I've come to realize that some of us never outgrow our need to & quot;get back & quot; at one another. But unlike a child doing this, an adult does it so much more publicly. Thus, the humiliation is far reaching.
Of course, the members of the school board and city council will defend each other. They are teams that represent each other as well as us. When one member is attacked, they all feel attacked. This is a natural reaction. It doesn't necessarily mean that a member believes what he or she is saying or what another member may be saying.
The most important thing we must remember, and I feel has been lost somewhere along the road, is that these officials are in office because we voters put them there. Perhaps we must not always be so ready to believe what we read or hear regarding a person running for office. Perhaps we need to do more homework and not just vote by a statement that sounds good. Maybe we need to talk to each other to learn about the person we are trusting to represent and protect our interests.
Finally, those elected to office must remember that they are working for us, the voters. They owe us everything (not the other way around). We gave them the trust and the honor to represent us. We pay their salaries. No degree or title will ever give them the right to belittle our intelligence in any way. Nor does it give them the right to abuse their power thus embarrassing us in the process.
MARY JO BLOUNT
Girard
Judge Rayen's name shouldn't be demoted
EDITOR:
As the Youngstown City School District plans to build a new high school, it is important that the board members not lose sight of the inspiring legacy of Judge William Rayen. Judge Rayen had the foresight in 1866 to ensure that the public schools were open to children of all backgrounds. That legacy has continued, with the Rayen School celebrating recently its 135th year commencement.
One of the remaining high schools in the city should be adorned with the name of Judge Rayen. Politics and territorial disputes should be set aside and a great tradition, unmatched in this region, should be continued. To reduce the Rayen School to a middle school would do a great disservice to the legacy of Judge Rayen and show an insensitivity to an inspiring history in education.
MARK BELINKY
Youngstown
One more on the lottery
EDITOR:
A recent letter expressed the writer's view on the Ohio Lottery. I have a better one. How many Super Lotto winners have been from Youngstown? No idea? None.
How many winners have you heard of winning a large amount of money on instant tickets in Youngstown?
The Lottery Commission knows exactly where they want winners, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland. Not Youngstown.
WILLIAM E. REEDS
Youngstown