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GOP chairman blasts Salem council members
By D.A. WILKINSON
SALEM
David Johnson, chairman of the Columbiana County Republican Party and a resident of Salem, has blasted his party’s members on city council over the party’s leadership regarding city finances.
Johnson’s complaints surfaced recently in a confidential memo bearing Johnson’s signature sent June 11 to Mayor Jerry Wolford, Republicans on council and city Auditor James Armeni.
Johnson on Thursday would not comment on the memo without seeing it. Johnson responded by phone from Kansas City, Kan., where he was visiting a Summitville Tile facility, which he owns.
“With the exception of Jim Armeni, I think you are taking us in the WRONG direction,” Johnson wrote. “And trust me, there is a not a day that goes by that Republican supporters [don’t] ask me ‘what the devil are the Republicans we elected in Salem doing kowtowing to the unions and proposing huge new tax increases?’”
He questioned how Republican council members can take a pension benefit for themselves as well as allow city employees to have the highest benefit package in the county. The city’s health-care package is $25,000 for a family plan, which he said is twice the cost of a private-sector health package.
“Do you honestly believe that folks in Salem who work for the private sector should dig deeper into their pockets and pay higher taxes so that city employees and politicians can enjoy a health care plan that is twice as good as theirs is?” he asked in the memo.
Johnson said that city records show that fire calls are only about 5 percent of the calls made to the fire department. But the fire department responds to other “first responder” calls that actually are handled by private ambulance companies that work in the city.
Johnson said there are ballot measures to bring back a plan to create a fire district that already has been drawn up, and to possibly privatize the police department. A plan to eliminate the city fire department and the Perry Township Fire Department and create a new district was defeated by voters several years ago.
But the chairman said he may seek sensible reductions in costs that would allow council to repave streets, improve parks and provide infrastructure to bring in jobs. He raised the idea of asking the Ohio Auditor’s Office to do a performance audit on the city.
He added he was considering whether to propose a charter form of government for the city in the future.
Wolford said that safety forces have had good pay over the years. But he said city police and firefighters have agreed to a wage freeze, but have not announced it.