Breeding crooked politicians

Breeding crooked politicians

I get the news from Youngs- town, and it doesn’t surprise me about what is and has been going on for many years.

I served for seven years as city prosecutor under a most honest Republican mayor, Jack Hunter. I have witnessed every political functionary in Mahoning County cross the line to illegality, led by a congressman.

I believe it was Bertram de Souza who questioned the honesty of the local politicians. If a study were conducted, you’d find that all the politicians (and lawyers) who were disgraced (disbarred) were born and raised in the Mahoning County environment. I know of only one or two exceptions.

Edward A. Sowinski Jr., Fort Myers, Fla.

Inside view of the Tressel years

Obviously, I am not a Valley VIP, but I was Dean of Engineering at Youngstown State University during the Tressel years.

I have attended or been employed at seven universities, but Jim Tressel was the only coach I got to know personally. Usually the football personnel considered us academics as the enemy. In his case, he wanted success for the students in the classroom, on the gridiron and in the community, and needed and wanted our help.

When he assembled his assistants, he asked for, and got, an appointment with me to talk about recruiting students who wanted engineering. Fortunately, my administrative assistant and I had conducted a survey of alumni and had prepared a list of position titles for the responders. That was the best evidence we could give a prospective student of the quality of our school.

He and his personnel gave us many opportunities to talk to potential recruits, obviously not all successful. We never doubted the sincerity of his wish for academic success for the athletes.

George E. Sutton, PhD, Poland

Change county government

Maybe it is time to change the way we run the county. As a life long resident of Struthers, Boardman, Youngstown and now Lowellville I have been watching as the three in charge just don’t have a clue how to do their jobs. It is the same old good old boys politics they take care of their own. And if you are not with them, they cut your budget.

I was thinking we need to change the county charter. Rid ourselves of the high-paid three commissioners and hire one county manager to run the county. Give that person a staff a third of the size the big three have. And let them decide what gets budgeted to who.

Put a businessman in charge. We can save enough money by getting rid of the three to help build a better county. The old ways don’t work we need to try something new.

Jim Williams, Lowellville

Watch out for the crime warnings

Crime is rampant in Board- man! We need more manpower to combat the influx of criminals from the North.

You’ll be hearing that claim over the next few months as the trustees and township unions attempt to fool the electorate into passing yet another unnecessary tax increase. The facts say otherwise. That is if you can find the facts. They no longer put the crime statistics on the township website. They can’t since it would paint a picture that they can’t sell a levy with.

But you can figure it out. Just read the periodic Vindicator listing of calls the township police department receives. Plenty of shoplifting and petty property crimes but not much else. You can’t sell a levy with just shoplifting at Walmart, so be prepared for more emphasis on those few more serious crimes that do occur. Chief Nichols, the trustees, and administrator Loree will be on the local news every time a more serious crime occurs telling us how our families are at risk with the current manpower shortage. Fright sells, or at least they are hoping it sells.

Also, they are providing us with only two false choices. Either pay more in taxes or we are going to lay off even more personnel and shrink services. There is no mention of employees taking concessions and using the saved money to increase manpower. A very reasonable 10 percent reduction in wages and benefits would save $1.4 million dollars based on the current $14 millions spent on employees. That would enable the hiring of at least 15 people which would bring staffing levels up to more normal levels. A 10 percent cut would still leave them 10 percent overpaid according to an audit that compared Boardman compensation levels to peer communities Austintown and Miami townships.

Boardman police make an average salary of approximately $90,000. Factor in 30-35 percent additional for their perks, health care, and pensions. The fire department makes an average of approximately $75,000. Add the same 30-35 percent for perks, health care, and pensions. All this in a community with an average wage of around $35,000 and a median household income of maybe $50,000.

Bill Johnson, Boardman

Looking for a way to help? Mentor

The front page story on the Youngstown city school’s Homeless Outreach Project for Education (HOPE) brought your readers into a quiet world that few may know. The story revealed that hundreds of our area children have no true home, but are still learning. I commend every person who is involved in HOPE.

Two years ago, I began to informally mentor two young men ages 17 and 15 on the North Side of Youngstown. I came to learn that these young men, along with their mother and six younger siblings, moved in and around Youngstown and in and out of Ohio for most of their lives. Spending time with my two new friends gave me a unique education. I began to understand problems common in such moves, and why many people in hard circumstances just do not succeed. Short of offering my prayers, I learned I was helpless to effect a significant change. Yet, I believe the combination of business involvement and the efforts of many good people could make the results amazingly different.

My point is this: If we want to seriously address the moral and educational problems of our time we must take up mentoring. We have learned simply raising our taxes does not work, so why not try a few minutes of our collective time? Many of us have been good parents, and all of us can be good friends. Steady and positive guidance may be all that some kids and their mothers need. My guess is that our local schools will gladly identify persons we can help and set up the introductions. I will be a resource for mentoring opportunities as well.

Atty. Leonard D. Hall, Youngstown

An example of a great chief

I never had the pleasure of knowing Canfield Fire Chief Robert Tieche until I had to call the fire department. I smelt smoke in our condo and the fire department came immediately and, surprising to me, the fire chief came not much later.

He was very compassionate and very thorough, checking everything out with the firemen. It happened to be a defective part with the furnace and he told the fireman to not leave until there was no more smell. I was so impressed with him being so caring and coming out when there wasn’t even a fire. I guess that’s just how he was, a very caring person.

Canfield you lost one great gentleman.

Patty Gordulic, Canfield