Readers blast Tressel illustration; Why such negativity from Bill of Rights proponents?, Support for West Branch school levy and Liberty roads levy

How low can Vindicator go in its fawning coverage of Jim Tressel?

Last Sunday’s Page One illus- tration of “Tressel Crossing the Mahoning” marks a new low in The Vindicator’s fawning coverage of Jim Tressel’s candidacy for president of YSU. Denise Dick’s article actually provided useful information about some necessary qualities of a university president, but the graphic again suggests that this is an anointment process rather than a search for the best candidate.

Bertram de Souza adds nothing to the issue in his typically cynical column on the matter. While he raises a single question about Tressel’s background, he finally confounds the real issue of who might be best suited to be YSU’s next president by casting the entire process as bandwagon-jumping. If Mr. de Souza wishes to raise authentic issues about the presidential search, he might take his own newspaper to task for its slanted and unthinking coverage.

At YSU, we teach our freshman English students to write essays and arguments using critical thinking based on an analysis of the facts. The Vindicator has done virtually nothing to advance that kind of thinking about this important university and community issue.

As it happens, there appear to be several excellent candidates to be YSU’s next president, and the Tressel love affair does no service either to the process or to the candidates, least of all to Jim Tressel, who is being impossibly cast as a George-Washington-patriot-savior. Are we that irrational and desperate that we must look at the process this way?

Let’s have a meaningful discussion of all the candidates. That will best serve YSU and the community. In the meantime, no more patriot-savior grandstanding, please. It’s demeaning and insulting.

Gary Salvner, Youngstown

Salvner, Ph.D., is the former chairman of the English Department at Youngstown State University and teaches there as an emeritus professor.

Vindy panders to profit, power in its illustration of Jim Tressel

What silliness is project- ed (or intended) when The Vindicator splashes its Sunday front page on April 27 with the tabloid-like picture of Jim Tressel at the helm crossing the Mahoning River?

Why, you would never get the likes of Tressel and all of those movers and shakers to get near that polluted body of water called the Mahoning River, which, by the way, is so toxic that no ice would ever form on it as depicted in the picture.

Instead of focusing on critical issues with potential harmful outcomes like locating a radioactive fracking waste processing facility in our community, The Vindicator continues to pander to profit and power.

No one seems to care about Youngstown’s future as a toxic waste dumping ground. Perhaps the reason is that the movers and shakers have the means to live wherever they like. Forget about the poor. Let them fish in the Mahoning.

Calling all Youngstown residents to vote for the Community Bill of Rights.

Kathleen Berry, Youngstown

Supporters of fracking ban in city offer too many negative messages

On Tuesday, the voters of Youngstown will once again be asked to approve the anti-shale- development charter amendment (aren’t you folks getting tired of this?).

I find it interesting that the people promoting the amendment have chosen a campaign of negativity. Whereas those opposed to the amendment have chosen a positive message. I distrust negative campaigns. To me, it means that those behind that campaign do not have anything good to say about the issue they support. Chalk me up as one of those who is opposed to the amendment, and here is my positive message:

I’m sure that most of us understand the term “offshoring” of manufacturing. How couldn’t we ? For the residents of this Valley it has meant not only economic devastation but the devastation of lives, not only for a generation but for several generations.

Well there is a new term in America “re-shoring”, bringing manufacturing and jobs back to the U.S. Why is this occurring? Please consider the following quotes from two people involved in the effort of re-shoring. Vice President Joe Biden had this to say:

“And now there’s an energy boom. There’s an energy boom that’s changed the paradigm of manufacturing. It’s cheaper to manufacture in the United States ...”

And President Obama made this remark: “Our manufacturing sector that used to be losing jobs, just hemorrhaging jobs, is now adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s.”

The plastics and chemical industries, which depend on natural gas liquids as feedstocks, expect about 100 expansions that could create over 500,000 well paying permanent jobs. These expansions also have the potential to bring back off-shored money and create investments of $71.7 billion or more. With the infrastructure and work force of our Valley, those investments could come here.

Fueled by affordable, abundant energy from shale development we should expect this manufacturing boom to continue for many years to come. Along with this resurgence of American manufacturing will come well-paying jobs for hard working Americans like we here in the Valley, and a lifestyle we all deserve.

That is my positive message, and I ask that you vote “No” on Tuesday.

Mark R. McGrail, Warren

West Branch schools need support

The West Branch Local Schools five-year income tax school levy of 0.75 percent is on all residents’ minds, as I read the news articles with activities and volunteers working hard to bring it to the forefront of everyone’s information. We are well aware of financial controversies.

As a teacher for 30 years, and now in my golden years with grandchildren, I have to retrace the many teachers and students who have successfully reached good years of employment, thanks to a background of sufficient funding that brought them to success. Now we are all facing tough financial decisions.

Ask ourselves: Can we support our levy to the amount it needs to maintain our previous level of sufficient funds or choose to do anything less?

Our children’s education is as important to them as was the quality of education we enjoyed. The West Branch School district has not asked the voters to pass a school operating levy in 20 years. It is time the taxpayers take care of their own community by passing this levy which is asking for 60 cents a day on a $35,000 federal adjusted gross income. The levy is needed, and teachers and students deserve the best the community can offer.

Regina Lazear, Salem

Liberty roads, schools need help

I have been a resident of Liberty Township for approximately 55 years and have voted for the levies to keep our township up to date. I cannot believe Liberty residents would not want to vote for the road tax levy and help keep our township roads in good condition. Residents complain about the condition of our roads but don’t seem to want to help solve the problem.

It is beyond my thinking that our residents refuse to vote for levies; they are stuck in the “old” days when we were a very “affluent” community; those days are gone. We have become the “step-child” of the tri county area, no one wants us to be anything other than a “sleepy” bedroom community and that is not going to get us any revenue other than property taxes. No businesses seem to be interested in locating in our township, our roads are deplorable, our schools are in a mess and our homes, if we can sell them, are almost worthless.

Please, I urge all to vote for this road levy and the renewal levy for the schools.

Janice Ferry, Liberty