Based on his record, Clark gets Howland endorsement
Based on his record, Clark gets Howland endorsement
Things are good in Howland Township; not perfect, but good.
There are traffic problems, this summer there was flooding, and there is a constant battle to balance the need for growth against the need to maintain traffic flow and provide necessary services.
Howland's veteran trustees and experienced administrators have risen to the challenges facing an urbanized township in Ohio for years now. And so, in the Nov. 4 election, The Vindicator feels comfortable in endorsing incumbent Rick Clark for re-election as a township trustee.
Virtually every urbanized township in the Mahoning Valley was caught this summer in two massive downpours that flooded streets and basements, especially in low-lying areas. Howland Township was not an exception.
These were rainfalls that could be expected every 50 to 100 years, and it is not practical to overbuild facilities to handle such statistically rare occurrences.
Action oriented
Still Howland trustees have moved quickly to see if more can or should be done to minimize flooding damage in the township. An engineering firm has been hired to report on how drainage can be improved. Clark notes correctly that bringing in experts is the best way to address such a complicated problem. Trustees, administrators and township employees have proven themselves capable of providing day-to-day services, but they are not water flow experts.
Trustees are also limited in what they can do to control development -- especially on land that is adjacent to but not in the township. But Howland's trustees are being aggressive in attempting to provide for planned development in the township and in opposing what they view as overdevelopment in neighboring jurisdictions.
Clark gets credit for his share of the responsibility in overseeing the township's, $9.5 million budget, providing well-manned and equipped police and fire departments, but still maintaining a year-end budget balance so that emergencies can be met and the township can plan for its future needs.
Only one of Clark's opponents attended the editorial board's endorsement meeting. John F. McCloskey complained that trustees do not see to it that the law is equally enforced throughout the township and do not give the same level of service to the township's less affluent areas.
Clark disagreed, and noted that the township has received a $330,000 grant to address problems in distressed neighborhoods.
Candidate William Jobe did not attend the interview, but submitted a candidate questionnaire in which he said he would be more proactive than the incumbent in dealing with increased traffic and flooding. Two other candidates on the ballot, Harold Snyder and Larry Sudano, did not respond.
Clark, who has been a trustee since 1994, has a track record on which township residents can rely ,and this newspaper's endorsement of his re-election is based on that record.