Valley projects win because of residents

While it is proper to recognize the public officials who developed the Mahoning Valley projects that secured two of the top three positions in the EfficientGovNow local government competition in Northeast Ohio, the people of this region are the ones who should take a bow for the victory.

Had they not voted in such large numbers, we would not now be talking about the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative’s web site “Rollin on the River,” which received the highest number of votes, and the Mahoning/Youngstown Regional Information System, which got the third highest.

Second place went to a project that aims at creating a regional fire district encompassing portions of Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.

The people spoke through their votes — and the Mahoning Valley was heard loud and clear. That’s not only good for the two winners — the web site project will receive a $57.451, while the regional information system will secure a $120,000 grant — but is an ego booster for this area. After all, there were 39 applications from the 16-county Northeast Ohio region, from which the nine finalists were selected.

It wasn’t just the $300,000 in grant money put up by the Fund for Our Economic Future that sparked such interest in the competition; it was the chance to show that your area is better than the rest on the issue of government collaboration.

By casting their votes for the projects, residents were sending a strong message to the decision-makers in the public sector: The status quo of the many layers of government agencies is no longer acceptable or sustainable.

Recognition due

That said, there are two individuals deserving of recognition for submitting the applications for the grants: Dan Mamula, manager of the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative and former mayor of Struthers; and, Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino, who is heading the Mahoning/Youngstown Regional Information System initiative.

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, in conjunction with the Raymond J. Wean Foundation, coordinated a grass-roots effort in Mahoning and Trumbull counties to get out the vote. The campaign hit the festivals, the Eastwood Mall and neighborhood meetings.

In the last two days of the competition — it ended July 31 — 750 paper ballots supporting the two projects were mailed in.

What this shows is that the people of the Valley care enough about their government and how their money is spent to participate in this unusual competition.

Thus the question: What’s next?

By their votes, residents of the tri-county area have said they want change; they want government entities to cooperate and coordinate with the goal of reducing costs.

The Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, which played a leading role in drumming up votes for the projects, should heed the call of residents and proceed with two initiatives that would demonstrate true collaboration.

The first, consolidation of the administration of the school districts in the region, will be a tough sell. However, the savings to be derived could sway the taxpayers.

The second, changing the structure of county governments in Mahoning and Trumbull counties may not be as much of a challenge given the public’s disillusionment with all things government.

Officeholders are being told to deliver a bigger bang for a shrinking buck, which means smaller government.

A new way of doing things would certainly grab the public’s attention.