Preserve residency rule

Preserve residency rule

EDITOR:

Citizens of Youngstown and Warren must protect the residency law. I cannot believe that the 250 people who work in Youngstown and the 104 in Warren listed as city employees living outside the city cannot find decent, affordable and safe dwellings within these cities. I also understand that they lived outside of the city before the 1986 law was enacted. I have lived in Youngstown for over 30 years and am proud to say so. Under the Home Rule Charter cities must have the right to govern themselves in accordance with state and federal laws.

In order to preserve and save these two cities, they cannot afford to hire workers then have them all move out to suburbs, leaving the city high and dry. If you live in the city and the schools are the problem, then send your kids to private, charter or parochial schools.

Let the citizens of both of these cities decide by the voting process if this should be the required law or not. I think it sounds pretty simple, if you want to live in Boardman, Poland or Canfield, then then find a job there. We should allow these positions to be filled by competent, trustworthy, abiding citizens of that city who are proud to have a job. They are proud to live in the city that gives them a job and their support of that city is full-time rather than part-time.

I truly agree with Mayors Williams and O’Brien. Let’s get a constitutional amendment on the ballot, and let the voters cast the final point.

LANCE SMITH

Youngstown

Serve constituents first

EDITOR:

A government job is a good gig if you can get it. But the mayor of Salem seems to have forgotten that when you draw your pay from the taxpayers, you are accountable to them. An elected official has a responsibility to act in the best interest of his constituents. That does not mean acting in the best interest of your buddies, or in the best interest of only council members.

The mayor should look around his city. Times are tough in Salem. That makes it all the harder when taxpayers see their hard-earned money being misused.

Tough times call for tough measures. Salem residents know about belt-tightening, but knowing where cuts can be made and where funding needs to be increased is a vital part of being a leader. The police department is one of those areas that should never be on the list for budget cuts. When times are tough, other areas need to sacrifice to make sure the police department is running at full staff.

Just like every other time in history when the country was in recession, and just like every other place in the country, when the general public is facing financial hardship, crime goes up. Now is not the time to be saving money by reducing police protection in the city.

I’m not sure whose bright idea it was, but parking empty police cruisers around town does not deter crime. I was asked recently by someone who isn’t from Salem, but was passing through, “What’s up with the empty police cars parked around Salem?” If someone who is just passing through notices that there are no officers attached to those cars, why wouldn’t residents and criminals who live here notice? An empty cruiser provides no protection.

Maybe it’s time that the mayor got out of his office, took a walk around Salem and talked to his constituents, not the good ol’ boys. He should find out what the good people of the city need.

DOUGLAS L. BRANNON

Salem