Vote and be done with it

Vote and be done with it
EDITOR:
When will the rules regarding the school tax levies be corrected? When will no mean no and yes mean yes? Presently, a tax levy can be defeated and it can be placed on the ballot again in a few months. And if defeated again, it can continuously be placed on the ballot, even several times a year, until it is passed. Isn't this making a mockery of our voting process?
Of course, even if a levy is defeated, that should not mean that it is forever defeated. However, there definitely should be a waiting period before it can be placed on the ballot again, at least one or two years. What if there is a change in the levy? If the change in the levy is at least 50 percent, then the waiting period can be reduced accordingly.
LOUIS J. PIZZUTO
Youngstown
Having second thoughts
EDITOR:
I hate eating crow, especially when it is served cold. In December 2006, I wrote a letter to this paper regarding the behavior of my township trustees, in particular Lisa Oles.
Since that time she has impressed me with the work she has done for Austintown in particular for a group very dear to me, Friends of Wedgewood Park. For two years she was our only trustee to come to our fund-raisers.
And what's more, she volunteered her time (and paint) to the children when she spent the day painting their faces at the last two block parities. She was our cheerleader and our voice.
I saw her at the Relay for Life in June and also at band night at Fitch Stadium. This is a woman who says she cares about her community, but more shows she cares by being present. If she chooses to run again, she will have my vote.
SHANNON MURPHY
Austintown
Tribute to museum founder
EDITOR:
A quiet giant has fallen, Henry Venetta. Henry was not old enough to have served his country in World War II, but he has honored those persons and their heroics forever in the World War II Vehicle Museum and Learning Center he built in Hubbard.
Henry lost two uncles in the war, and that is chronicled in the museum with the other hundreds he didn't know. Their lives and sacrifices will never be forgotten.
Henry was a quiet man and chose to take a place in the background.
The museum is not just a unique treasure for this Valley but for an entire nation. There is no other such memorial anywhere -- some of the restored vehicles are catalogued in prestigious places such as the Smithsonian. Every vehicle is restored and in working condition. Many have been viewed at military functions and parades.
We must do all we can to preserve this museum as Henry's legacy and as a tribute to those who gave their lives. Also we must continue to thank those volunteers who continue to give of their time.
If you have never taken the time to tour this museum please do. Or revisit and take a friend.
CAROL GORDON
Warren
The writer is former executive director of the Trumbull County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Enough is enough
EDITOR:
Voters rejected the 3.5-mill bond issue concerning the Boardman schools Nov. 7. The voters have spoken. How many times is this issue going to be voted on? And at what expense to the taxpayers? This special election will cost at least 20,000 or more.
The school board has had many meetings concerning this special election. Don't you think the board could make better use of the taxpayers money and also use its time to discuss how to use the resources that they have now?
Boardman residents need to realize that in order to increase the property value of their homes, they need the money to maintain their homes. Most people are on fixed incomes and need to make discussions on how their money is going to spent. The school board says the schools were built in the '50s. So were our homes built in the '50s. We would all like new homes, but we must maintain them as best we can. This is what the board should hold meetings about.
The voters have spoken and the Boardman Board of Education needs to look at its budget and see where it can be cut. What makes the board think that the Boardman residents have any more money to spare? Just look at the cost of gasoline, groceries and fuel to heat our homes.
Voters should go to the polls Feb. 6 and vote "no" on this bond issue and hopefully send a final message to the school board that enough is enough and we can no longer absorb any new taxes.
GUIDO L. VENDITTI
Boardman
Do what's right for the kids
EDITOR:
Hopefully this letter finds its way to all those parents who have young children attending or soon to attend Boardman schools. I have been wondering what the sentiment was like around this community in the mid '60s. Human nature would prescribe that there were some folks who did not understand why perfectly good farmland was going to be turned into a school.
Come to find out that a beautiful state of the art building was going to be a showpiece of the county and help students fulfill their dreams and embark on their careers. It was the right thing to do for the kids then, and I believe that message stands to be resurrected.
The current levy is not about politics, it's not about wins and losses, or conference play. It's not about administrators or faculty members. It is about the kids. When are we going to put what's right for the kids at the top of the list?
Nearly 50 years ago, Boardman was on the cutting edge. As they say, history tends to repeat itself; now is the time to do what is right for the kids of the community. Pass the levy and entrust the future of the school district to the young people that 40 or 50 years from now will step up and do what's right for the kids when it's their turn.
Let me close by saying that my child is in 11th grade, so for me there is absolutely no personal gain. I think it bears repeating: Let's do what's right for the kids.
JOHN F. VICAREL
Boardman
Redemption is real
EDITOR:
In response to Bertram de Souza's column last week, "Valley's shameful have no shame," is it possible Mr. de Souza had some ulterior motive for using Mr. Hill's youthful mistake and calling it "political fair game?" Could this have been an attempt to sully the goal of the Progressive Leadership Coalition or to see it fail?
Evidently Mr. de Souza doesn't believe in redemption. Paul the Persecutor became Paul the Apostle and one of the greatest leaders in Christian history, and he too made mistakes. Therefore, redemption is real.
ALBERT A. ROBINSON
Youngstown