AUSTINTOWN TRUSTEES Home rule OK'd, but foe pushes for vote

Home rule has failed at the ballot three times in the past.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- A Pinecrest Avenue man who opposes home rule says he'll circulate petitions to give township residents another chance to vote on it.
Gary Brant will need to collect signatures from one-tenth the number of township residents that voted in the last gubernatorial election to place home rule on the November ballot.
Township trustees voted 3-0 Monday to approve home rule, which is a form of limited self-government.
Voters have rejected home rule three times in the past.
"What do we not know about 'no'?" Brant said to the trustees Monday night.
"I feel that we have, in Austintown, a very good government," Brant said. "We don't need more government."
Quality of life: Trustees feel home rule will help them improve quality of life in the township. Trustee Bo Pritchard said that if home rule turns out to be a "monster," residents should vote him out of office.
"We're willing to put our political futures on the line," he said.
Home rule gives trustees the authority to pass health, safety and sanitation ordinances.
Trustee David Ditzler said he thinks the first two issues that will be addressed through home rule are exotic animals and property maintenance codes.
For and against: There was no consensus of opinion on home rule among the some 30 township residents who attended Monday's meeting.
Some applauded for those who spoke in favor of the issue, while others applauded for those opposed.
Opponents said they think the trustees shouldn't be able to approve an issue the residents had voted down.
Howard Avenue resident Ernest Thompson, however, said home rule is needed to address problems the township could face in the future.
"We're moving ahead into the 21st century and we need laws accordingly," he said. "I think home rule is something we should've had years ago."
hill@vindy.com