Funding requests spotlight out-ot-touch officeholders

Only in government -- no, let us be more specific, only in Mahoning County government -- is a projected revenue shortfall viewed as an invitation by elected officials to seek an increase, not a decrease, in their operating budgets.
County Administrator Gary Kubic was being kind last week when he said, "It's very frustrating. You almost feel as if some of the other elected officials live in another time zone or on another planet."
To taxpayers working in the private sector, such behavior on the part of some in government isn't just frustrating, it is arrogant. It reflects a public-be-damned attitude that has made government a pariah.
For Sheriff Randall Wellington to submit a $17.8 million budget for 2004, compared with the $13.5 million his department received this year, in part to cover a 4 percent wage increase for his deputies and staff begs the question, "Doesn't anyone in the Mahoning County Criminal Justice Center keep up with the news?" If Wellington or members of his inner circle do, they would recognize just how asinine it is to be talking about pay raises when the Valley's economy is lagging behind weak state and national economies.
Wellington also says he needs to buy new equipment for officers and wants to upgrade the security system at the county jail.
From where we sit, the only legitimate demand that may warrant special attention from the commissioners who control county government's purse strings is the security system upgrade.
Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick -- yes, the same Judge Dellick who got a huge increase in her budget this year after successfully suing the commissioners in the Ohio Supreme Court -- wants $1.2 million more than the $5.6 million she ultimately received this year.
Divine right of judges
In its ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the divine right of judges to ignore economic realities and demand whatever funding they believe is necessary for the proper administration of justice, as defined by them. Therefore, unless Judge Dellick comes to the realization that her court isn't a kingdom unto itself, the commissioners will be hard-pressed to reject her request. If she sues, she'll win.
It is revealing that another judge who sued the commissioners and won, Timothy Maloney of the Probate Court, has requested $34,000 less for 2004 than he received this year.
Clerk of Courts Anthony Vivo says he needs $405,000 more than he received this year. He wants to hire more people to take care of the workload, which, he contends, has increased by 50 percent.
Vivo also says the unionized employees in his office have been working without a contract since December 2002.
Two points. First, the clerk of courts and the rest of the elected officials must embrace what has become the private sector's standard operating procedure: Do more with less. Second, Vivo and the other officeholders should make it known to their employees that wage freezes and even concessions will be the order of the day. Any government worker who doesn't like it should seek employment elsewhere.
Mahoning County commissioners Edward Reese, Vicki Allen Sherlock and David Ludt should use the 13 percent reduction in anticipated general fund revenue to implement cost-saving measures across the board and to launch a serious effort to reorganize county government.