Trumbull Democrats need new leadership

Trumbull Democrats need new leadership
EDITOR:
What determines quality in leadership for the Democrat Party of Trumbull County? Could it be success of endorsed candidates in the primaries? No, that can't be it since both "flagship" candidates of the party, Tony Latell and Joe Melfi, failed miserably in their election bids.
Could it be effective fostering of new members in an attempt to sustain the party's strength? No, that can't be it either since the median age of precinct committee members is about 102 years old.
Oh, maybe it's the ability of party leadership to mentor candidates who show innovative approaches to solving corruption in office, failing infrastructure and declining substantive economic opportunities for our young. Yeah, right.
As best I can tell, the leadership qualities most desirable are as follows. First, the person must be male. Years of loyal and successful service in government and the private sector are not nearly as important as the fact that the candidate must stand up facing the wall while using the restroom.
The chosen leader must also be a good grill jockey. After all, the singularly most important responsibility of any good Democratic precinct committee member is to participate in the annual picnic and a good cook is better than a good thinker any day. A great leader must follow the "unwritten code" or whatever means of operation we have been forced to swallow since Fred Alberini sold us all his load of bovine waste product in his "revolution" of the '80's.
The fact is simple: the central committee members of the Democratic Party of Trumbull County just don't get it. Those individuals who were re-elected to the committee have opted to sell their children's and grandchildren's legacy for the benefit of a summer picnic and the comfort of a chosen few. Shame on all.
As for the general electorate, be responsible for your own political fate. Work to elect the most qualified and ethical candidates you can find. Don't wait for the feds to come charging in on a white horse. Take pride in the fact that Superman, Wonder Woman and the Lone Ranger live at your house.
I made a mistake in believing that the quickest way to create change was to modify the composition of the organization that selects candidates before the voters even hear the first campaign ad. It never dawned on me that such an organization had the capability to run towards stupidity at a full gallop with blinders on.
If nothing else came from this past primary election, I hope we learned a lesson in political dynamics. Power flows from the electorate upward. Given the incentive, "We, the people," will be wise in selecting our leaders.
JOHN W. VOGEL
Mineral Ridge
Howland trustees should lead on road widening
EDITOR:
Howland trustees must be Kevin Costner clones from "Field of Dreams." Their philosophy clearly is "Build it and they will come." And come we do: every holiday season on two-lane roads, with traffic backed up for miles to access their field of dreams.
It is lunacy and greed on their part to grant and continue to grant building permits for businesses on S.R. 46 without first widening S.R. 46 north of S.R. 82 and fix the gnarled traffic problem at 46 and 82.
Of course, Howland trustees can argue it's the state's problem to fix, but Howland created the problem, and it's their responsibility to remedy the chaos pronto.
Maybe Howland trustees are actually Howdy Doody clones.
IAN MC ALEER
Cortland