SHENANGO VALLEY Opponents, supporters of consolidation signed to get issue before voters

Those behind the petition drive say the public should have the right to decide.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- Lorraine Jones agreed to circulate petitions calling for a public referendum on the consolidation of five Shenango Valley municipalities, but not because she thinks it's a good idea.
She doesn't, but she thinks that should be a decision for the people to make.
The president of Wheatland Borough Council said most citizens of her municipality don't appear to want consolidation with Sharon, Farrell, Hermitage and Sharpsville. Still, people signed the petition to get the issue put on the ballot, she said.
"I don't support merging, but I do support sharing of services," Jones said.
Wheatland is so small that it would be on the low end of services when compared with larger areas such as Hermitage, she said.
Bigger isn't always better, she said, explaining that one person complaining in Wheatland gets heard immediately. In a city of 44,000, that wouldn't be the case, she said.
"Let's put this issue to bed," Jones said, explaining why she supports putting it on the ballot.
Got 905 signatures
Seventeen people in the five municipalities circulated the petitions in July, securing the signatures of 905 voters, well above the number needed to force the issue onto the Nov. 2 election ballot.
Some, like Jones, did it only to get the issue before the public.
Others, such as Gina Ehrhart of Hermitage, did it because they think consolidation is the right move for the Valley's future.
A consolidation won't be a "panacea" but it's a step in the right direction, Ehrhart said.
The economy of the Valley continues to suffer and its tax base continues to erode, she said
If the local municipalities don't band together now, the area is headed in the same direction as Pittsburgh, recently designated a distressed municipality by the state, Ehrhart said.
Most of those who signed her petition indicated they favor consolidation as well, she said.
Mayor likes proposal
Mayor William Morocco Sr. of Farrell, which is also a state-rated distressed municipality, circulated a petition too. He's one of only two elected officials in all five of the municipalities to come out strongly in favor of consolidation.
"Better now than later," Morocco said, explaining that there are other areas in the state looking at the same type of arrangement and that it would be in the Valley's best interest to get into the process now while the state is still strongly supportive of such joint efforts.
The five Shenango Valley municipalities are "door-to-door," he said. There is really no geographic division between them and they are basically one community now, he said.
He wasn't the only Farrell official to circulate a petition.
Council members Olive Brown, Mark Petrillo and Robert Burich carried them as well.
This gives people a chance to vote and be educated, and, "I'm one of the people who has to be educated," Brown said, adding that she always felt consolidation should be a decision made by the populace, not elected officials.
Sees tax advantage
Petrillo, the other politician to come out strongly in favor of consolidation, said he sees it as a way to hold the line on taxes, especially for senior citizens on fixed incomes.
"I think the time has come for it," Petrillo said, adding that he wants the issue in voters' hands, not those of the politicians.
"At this point, I'm kind of leaning toward it," Burich said. "It's time to let the people decide."
It looks like it would be beneficial to the whole Valley, he said.
Gene Derr of Sharpsville, a retired businessman and millworker, circulated a petition but said he hasn't made up his mind on the issue yet.
He got involved because he believes people should have the right to vote.
Many people seem to fear a consolidation will affect their schools but that's not the case, Derr said. The school districts won't be a part of the change but will stay as they are, he said.
"Let's let the people know what [consolidation] will entail and let the people vote," he said.
Led the way
Gregg Buchanan, 44, of Hermitage, a computer system administrator by trade, was the driving force in forming Citizens for the Valley and getting the issue on the ballot.
He watched a four-year municipal study of the issue end with no recommendations for any change and joined with others who felt the issue was too important to let it drop.
Initially he was opposed to the idea of consolidation but said he changed his mind after reviewing the study committee's report, which indicated a single, larger municipality would likely be more attractive to businesses.
Creating a better business climate that provides more jobs is a driving factor behind his involvement.
Keeping the young in area
Jobs for young people are scarce here, he said, noting that he and all of his seven siblings had to leave the area to find jobs in their fields of interest.
One item in the study report said the area needs young people to stay and others to move in if the Shenango Valley is to have a positive future, he said.
"I'm looking for a better community for me to grow old in," Buchanan said.
The area has never rebounded from the recession of the 1980s, he said.
He's lived in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Tampa and Atlanta, areas that have all recovered.
"Why can't we?" he asked.
"I feel I have a stake in the future," he said, not only for himself but for his brothers and sisters and others who would like to move back into this area as well as those who are here now and want to stay.
Voters will decide the issue Nov. 2 when they will be asked for a yes or no vote to whether the five municipalities should consolidate to form a single city to be called Shenango Valley and to be governed by a home rule charter with a nine-member governing council.
If it's approved, existing governments have two years to take the necessary steps to make the consolidation happen, and the new government would take effect Jan. 1, 2008.
gwin@vindy.com