We have been asked who we are, what motivates us, and why do we exist? We thought it might be appropriate to document, for those that do not know us, why we freely spend countless hours attending meetings, speaking to… Read More ›
FT
Port Authority Meeting….brief but informative
We met with a very affable Mr. Mark Rantala of the Lake County Port Authority today. We requested the meeting to try to understand the focus of the Port Authority. We explained our concern for seniors being priced out of… Read More ›
News Release……a summary of our issue with Troy
We take no joy in reporting this. We always try to be kind, tolerant and patient, but we will never be silent. We have been posting at various times about our misgivings with Commissioner Troy’s current conduct as Lake County… Read More ›
What Happened to $42,618.91?…….join us on our journey to pull back the curtain
For anyone interested in what it takes to “pull back the curtain” on the conduct of our elected officials, join us on our journey to find the answers on who got the $42,618.91 from the ‘Citizens for Troy’ campaign committee … Read More ›
Lakeland Community College Levy….VOTE A RESOUNDING NO!
We were asked for our opinion on the Lakeland Community College proposed levy. For an entity that is supposed operate in the best interests of the community, they have not impressed us with their decision making, nor are the trustees… Read More ›
Lake County Governance Education Fund…….a pesky little detail left
Upon reviewing the Commissioners’ finance reports, we noticed an “anomaly” in Commissioner Troy’s 2012 reporting so we just had to go down that “rabbit hole” to see where it leads us. We have been curious about a Non-Profit created by… Read More ›
When Should You “Hang Up the Spikes?….all too often we ignore the signs..
Today’s post is a bit of a departure…..it is our opinion, based on our latest research….it is a forewarning message I remember watching the great Willie Mays (ok, I admit that I am old) on television when he played one… Read More ›
County Budget Commission….our last line of defense on property taxes?
We discussed the County Budget Commission with the Commissioners at the 10/2/18 meeting. Here is the CCAO Handbook that outlines the duties of the County Budget Commission: CCAO Handbook Chapter 14 Local Property Taxes We sent the following email to… Read More ›
Another Commissioner’s Opinion on Troy….we will mark this one down as a “K”
We thank one of our Lobbyists for permission to publish the response received from Commissioner John Hamercheck on the question of Commissioner Troy’s appointment to the Board of Revisions. Here is his response: ********************* Thank you for reaching out to… Read More ›
Commissioner Troy and the Board of Revisions…..makes one say “Hmmmm”
Updated: 9/30/18 1:16 pm We were made aware of another issue dealing with Commissioner Dan Troy that interested us enough to spend our time doing some research so that we could inform Lake County taxpayers. Rather than being judgmental, we… Read More ›
Campaign Contributions……our research revealed a lot
Our latest foray into the Lake County politics started when we attended a Commissioners meeting and Commissioner Cirino introduced a resolution prohibiting Commissioners from accepting campaign contributions from employees that are under the direction of the Commissioners. Cirino resolution on… Read More ›
Commissioner Dan Troy’s Folly…..want to see how politics works in Lake County?
Updated 9/27/18 4:40 am…to include legal ruling from the United States Supreme Court case decided on 6/28/96. Thanks to Lobbyists Arzella and John for the heads up on this issue. This is the first of a three part expose on… Read More ›
Property Taxes and the Amish…..we are destroying a culture
We attended a Geauga County Tea Party meeting last week, and discovered some real patriots that were interested in helping the Amish community, although they are not part of the community. Following their Christian principles of being kind, tolerant, patient… Read More ›
What should we expect from our politicians….do the ends really justify the means?
We have a few questions for the citizens of Lake County: 1. Are there absolute truths, or is it acceptable to think that all truth is relative? That is, you have your truths, and your neighbors have their truths. 2. … Read More ›
Lakeland CC set once again to fleece taxpayers……
Thanks to Lobbyist Arzella for this News-Herald article on Lakeland Community College’s desire to once again dip into the pockets of Lake County taxpayers. One could say that this is a “bitter pill to swallow’, but we think of it… Read More ›
November 6 Ballot Issues…….what will they cost us?
Thanks to Lobbyist John M. for getting us the final ballot issues that will appear on the November 6th ballot. November 6th ballot issues final Once again, we wanted to provide a service to Lake County taxpayers by providing the… Read More ›
One Reason Our Local Taxes Have Increased….we can thank the State of Ohio
Thanks to Lobbyist Ryan for this article on how Governor Kasich’s created a $2.7 Billion cash surplus in the State’s budget by reducing funds distributed to local governments. https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/08/gov_kasich_should_share_ohios.html https://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2018/07/ohios_rainy_day_fund_grows_to.html (LFC Comment: It is now incumbent on taxpayers to ensure… Read More ›
Property Tax Questions Answered……ok, I know that I am getting “deep into the weeds”
At the risk of being considered a “bit of a nerd’ on the property tax issue, here are some facts that probably very few – check that- no one been wondering about…..many thanks to Mr. Zupanicic, and Mr. Ron Young… Read More ›
Ohio School Funding…..has the time arrived for change?
Thanks to Lobbyist Arzella for her research on the school funding issues….It seems that the unfairness of the use of property taxes has been discussed by citizens and politicians for quite some time. Here is a letter to the editor… Read More ›
Property Tax vs Income Tax for Public School Funding…
Did you know that a public school district could request an income tax be placed on the ballot versus a property tax? Here is a link to an April 8, 2018 article by Ashtabula’s Star Beacon detailing Geneva’s request for… Read More ›
A Paradigm Shift in Public Education is Needed….here is one idea
Thanks to Lobbyist Siobhan for letting us know about Gregg Lawson, of the Buckeye Institute, speaking out for universal school vouchers. Here is a link to a web-site that details their ideas about Education Savings Accounts. http://theohiostar.com/2018/09/16/ohio-think-tank-recommends-politicians-end-education-by-zip-code-and-go-for-real-reform/ The State legislators… Read More ›
Property Taxes for Public School Funding….can it ever go away?
If you have been reading our past posts, you know that we are very concerned that if we stay on the path of ever escalating property taxes, we will price seniors and those living on fixed incomes out of their… Read More ›
Morley Library…..shining a light on their actions
Another taxpayer sent a letter to Aurora Martinez, Executive Director of the Morley Library, asking for information. Here is the letter (name has been redacted): Lobbyist letter to Morley Library Ms. Martinez, with the help, no doubt, of the prominent local… Read More ›
State Issue #1….all is not as it seems
We have not heard much about State Issue #1 that will be on the November ballot, so when we received this letter written by the State of Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Conner, we thought it worthy to pass it along… Read More ›
State of Ohio Report Card Grades…..
Thanks to Lobbyist Jim W. for this article: (LFC Comments: Here are the overall grades earned by each school district. Unfortunately, our research into the whole idea of State report cards leaves us disillusioned about their accuracy. In any case,… Read More ›