Time to give change a chance in Mahoning and Trumbull

November 4, 2007 at 2:00a.m.

Politics is like the weather in that everybody complains about it, but nobody ever does anything about it. But unlike the weather, politics is relatively easy for people to change. It is not subject to the forces of nature, only to vagaries of human nature.

Thanks to an initiative being spearheaded by the Regional Chamber, voters in Mahoning and Trumbull counties are likely to get the opportunity next year to change some aspects of Mahoning Valley politics. If all goes as planned, voters will get the chance to revamp a system of county government that is 150 years old — and looking older every day. They will be able to eliminate a number of county offices that can only be justified within the context of party power and patronage. They will get a chance to create a county council that will guarantee every section of each county at least some measure of elected representation. And no one will have to guess which of the three county commissioners really wears the pants; one executive will represent the county, just as a mayor speaks for the city.

That’s a thumbnail sketch of how things could change, but there will be months of work by committees put together in both counties to prepare separate ballot proposals. In Trumbull County, Fremont Camerino will chair the committee; in Mahoning County, John McNally IV.

It’s been tried before

Such reorganization initiatives are nothing new. A county charter movement was born and died in Mahoning County during the middle of the Depression, in 1935. In Trumbull County, a well-executed attempt to redefine county government failed in 1973, with elected officials, county employees and the political parties effectively joining forces to defeat it. And a charter movement in Mahoning County a decade ago never got up enough steam to make it onto the ballot.

But Summit County, home to Akron, adopted a charter in 1980, and remains the only Ohio County to operate with a countywide council and a single executive, rather than three commissioners. And Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, has been reorganized in recent years.

There are good reasons to make changes, but nothing is a sure thing. Would a charter county be cheaper to operate in Mahoning or Trumbull counties? No one can guarantee it, but consider this: Both Mahoning and Trumbull counties have sales tax rates of 6.5 percent. Summit County, at 6.25 percent, is among the seven Ohio counties with a lower rate.

Perhaps it is human nature to stick with a system that is obviously flawed rather than to risk change. Or, perhaps people are political sheep, easily led by those with the most to lose. The next year may tell us a lot about Mahoning Valley politics and Mahoning Valley voters.