Holding politicians to promises

Holding politicians to promises

EDITOR:

By now most voters in Boardman are aware that the 2.2 mill operating levy that was approved last November by 62 percent of the votes will most likely not be enough to hire additional police officers. At this juncture, the public needs to pay real close attention and know the difference between recruiting and hiring 10 officers and hiring 10 additional officers.

And, due to a court decision made in 2008, anyone considering filing suit against the township asking that it be forced to return the additional revenue to its taxpayers if it fails to live up to its promise to hire more police officers would most likely be wasting their time. This is because of the language of the ballot measure itself, not what was said by those pushing for passage or in election materials distributed to voters.

In the future, Boardman voters should demand a 2/3 affirmative vote requirement for passage and make sure the language on the ballot reflects what is being said to get the measure passed. This would allow a minority of sensible people to overrule a potentially mislead majority and ensure that the politicos follow through with their pledges.

KIM R. KOTHEIMER

Boardman