I support Issue 40 because its passing will make sure that Summit County Children Services can continue its vital work of ensuring the children of Summit County are loved, nurtured and safe. With one out of 12 children in Summit County being served last year by SCCS, we can’t afford to let this levy fail. We can’t allow the children in our community who need help the most to be let down.
When a child is in need and is living in an environment of abuse or neglect, it is SCCS staff who are among the first responders to these children. In fact, among first responders, SCCS is the only community organization mandated by law to protect abused, neglected and dependent children.
The partnership between the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and SCCS keeps children safe in circumstances where there may be law enforcement intervention. I have seen situations of child abuse and neglect firsthand, which is why I know just how important it is that Issue 40 passes on Nov. 5. No child should grow up in an environment of abuse or neglect.
In the past decade, the number of children in SCCS’s custody increased by more than 50% – putting more and more pressure on their staff to provide important services in first-responder situations.
Voting yes on Issue 40 will allow the levy to provide approximately 60% of the agency’s budget while creating NO additional tax burden on you. Your vote can help SCCS cover the costs of child placements (over $22 million was spent in 2023) and help children in our community get out of these dangerous environments.
I support Issue 40 because I support the most vulnerable among us: the children of Summit County. Voting on or before Nov. 5 to pass Issue 40 is one of the most important things you can do to help ensure their safety and allow SCCS staff to continue being the first responders to child abuse and neglect in our community.
Vote for Issue 40 and help SCCS stay committed to the safety, permanency and well-being of all children served.
Kandy Fatheree, Summit County sheriff
A note to old-school Republicans
When I was a kid growing up in a predominantly Republican Medina, I had the impression that the Republican party was mainly composed of straight-laced, no-nonsense folks who understood the business of good government and the value of our democracy.
Fast-forwarding to today, I wonder where those folks went. I am sure that they would not support the current Republican candidate for president.
I do understand why white supremacists, homophobes, racists and fascists would vote for him. It does not surprise me that those gullible people who indulge in conspiracy theories love this candidate. I definitely understand why greedy, unscrupulous business people would vote for him. And I am saddened that religious folks are hypocritically willing to ignore his gross lack of morals and humanity because he will support their one issue.
So yes, birds of a feather will flock together, but if you are an old-school Republican, maybe it’s time to put your foot down, reclaim your party and protect our democracy by declining to support this candidate.
Tim Fry, Hudson
The case against Issue 1
Back in the 2010s, the city of Akron was split among three congressional districts. Living in University Park, I was represented by Tim Ryan, whose constituents were mostly in the Mahoning Valley. If I lived a mile further west, my representative would have been Marcia Fudge, whose constituents were mostly in the Cleveland area.
However one feels about the process by which redistricting was done after the 2020 Census, it had the unquestioned benefit of bringing all of Akron, indeed all of Summit County, into one congressional district, currently represented by Emilia Sykes.
Issue 1 threatens this achievement. True, the fine print of the rules for drawing districts built into Issue 1 supports the preservation of “communities of interest” within a single district. But under these rules, Akron, or any other political unit, must “clearly and convincingly demonstrate” to the redistricting commission that its citizens “have broadly shared interests and representational needs that are greater than those of other overlapping communities of interest.” No other group purporting to represent a community of interest bears this same burden of proof.
It should be glaringly obvious that for a city like Akron, its interests should be defended in Congress by a single person. Money from federal government programs often flows to cities, which are in competition with other cities for these same funds. In endorsing Emilia Sykes for re-election, the Beacon Journal (October 13) wrote “She helped champion the effort to name Akron a polymer tech hub, bookmarking $51 million in federal funds…”. Would Akron have received these funds if it were still represented in Congress by three different individuals, each of whom saw their Akron constituents as secondary?
Professor David Niven of the University of Cincinnati is quoted by Jessie Balmert (Beacon Journal, October 18) as saying, “There’s a real cost to be paid in places that got diced up.” For far too long, that description applied to Akron.
I broadly support the minimizing of gerrymandering (wholly “banning” the practice is unrealistic), and I would support Issue 1 if its rules for redistricting included a prohibition of splitting cities Akron’s size among congressional districts, as Article XIX of the current law does. But Issue 1 does not provide for this, and hence – not without regret – my vote on Election Day will be against it.
Bruce Taylor, Akron
Distorted, convoluted and manipulative
The dueling political yard signs adorning neighborhoods throughout Ohio say it all: Should one vote yes and “ban” gerrymandering or vote no and “stop” gerrymandering — a choice, it would seem, one might find in a nonsensical children’s book by Dr. Seuss.
After reading the sample ballot, accompanied by 12 pages of editorial and procedural jargon (available at your local library), it all makes complete sense. The Ohio ballot for Issue 1 not only gives you the opportunity to mark YES or NO — as all good ballots should — but also includes from Frank LaRose a convenient guide (right in the ballot language) to help you decide. The ballot, in effect, suggests that you would be crazy to vote yes. How such distorted, convoluted, manipulative wording on a ballot is even legal is beyond me.
The infamous “snake on the lake” district referenced in the “against” editorial section is the direct result of the political party in power at the time manipulating the maps. YES, they could have “stopped” gerrymandering, but NO, they didn’t. Politicians don’t voluntarily “stop” a practice that benefits them. It’s the fox guarding the hen house. If you agree that we need Citizens Not Politicians to END gerrymandering, vote YES on Issue 1.
Ric Schwabe, Kent
Kudos to the elections board
I am writing to commend the Summit County Board of Elections for its stellar organization during the early voting process. In spite of the line being fairly long on a rainy day, the volunteers and staff who I encountered were knowledgeable, polite and friendly. Everyone from those directing traffic in the parking lot to those pointing voters to the proper lines to the people inside handling our ballots were simply wonderful.
I was proud to participate in our democracy and to be able to do my civic duty in a safe and efficient environment. Kudos!
Kathy Giller, Akron
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Letters: Issue 40 in Summit County will protect our children
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