Selective road patrols drive away business

Selective road patrols drive away business

I recently noticed stepped- up patrols all over Mahoning Avenue and Meridian Road. While I don’t disagree with them, I certainly disagree with where they’re at. If officials think they are going to help solve crime by putting state patrols and YPD units all over those roads, they’re way off base. The only reason the units are there is because more people in that area can afford to pay the tickets. I am a contractor who works throughout the area.

I invite the state patrols and YPD units to patrol and stop cars on Glenwood, Hillman, Oak Hill, Market streets. If gambling were legal, I would bet that 50 percent of the drivers on those streets have no license or insurance. Last week we worked in those areas and saw little or no police. But car after car were pulled over on the West Side. A local store owner told me that the police are driving business away.

If these stepped-up patrols are good, why do Austintown, Boardman, Liberty rarely have them? It’s because it hurts business. The only other reason I could see for state patrols and police units staying away from some areas is that they know there are more risks involved. Those risks would be high speed chases, possible shootouts, assaults, etc. I know the patrol, police and higher-up authorities don’t want that, but wait, isn’t that crime?

ED WILHELM Austintown

Don’t close the locks

The Asian-carp infest- ation of Lake Michigan has gained much attention in Ohio, as has the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ consideration to shut down the Chicago waterway. I have previously advocated that Asian carp would disrupt the ecosystem of the Great Lakes and that a permanent solution is needed. However, there is little evidence that the USACE needs to close the locks. The current barriers are effective and shutting down the locks could cause economic distress.

According to a recent study by DePaul University, closing the shipping locks would cause a loss of more than $582 million in the first year and $4.7 billion over the next 20 years to the Chicago-region. Closing the locks would have ripple effects in the Great Lakes region and hurt small business and manufacturing jobs in Ohio.

JOE SCHIAVONI

State senator, Canfield