Meet Ron Wiech - Geauga County Dems

September/October 2009
Meet Ron Wiech
Candidate for Middlefield Village Council
Commissioners Miss
Chance To Provide Tax Relief
To County Residents
Like many Americans, Geauga County families are feeling
the strain of falling real estate values and job losses. While
Geauga County’s 8% unemployment rate is lower than that of
neighboring areas, a review of home sale prices in the first six
months of 2009 shows that the county has not escaped falling
property values. Single family homes sold between January
and June went for significantly less than the market value assessed by the Geauga County Auditor’s Office (http://www.
auditor.co.geauga.oh.us/stats/2009SingleFamilySales.pdf).
So, we have to wonder why, when Geauga residents are
struggling to pay their bills, the Geauga County Commissioners chose not to reduce taxes when they had the chance
to do so? According to County records, the Commissioners
decided to make extra payments on the loan that financed
the Safety Center rather than give residents a tax break. The
Safety Center loan was to be paid off in twelve years, but the
Commissioners used surplus cash to accelerate the repayment
schedule rather than use the money to help residents during a
tough economic downturn.
We suspect that in the midst of a financial emergency, most
tax payers would rather have the money in their pockets to
bolster falling incomes.
The Commissioners could have reduced the millage on
property taxes and allowed a portion of the county’s sales
tax to expire, but they didn’t. Which seems cold-hearted
in light of the economic hardships some Geauga residents
are experiencing. We couldn’t find a single reference in
Commissioners meeting minutes that any of the three
Republican Commissioners seriously considered reducing
the tax burden on residents.
According to County Auditor, Frank Gliha, also a Republican,
the county is in fine shape. Despite evidence to the contrary,
Gliha claims there was no housing bubble in Geauga so we
don’t have problems that other counties in Ohio have had.
Maybe he should ask Geauga’s struggling familes how they
feel about the Commissioners doubling up Safety Center
payments rather than offering them some relief.
Upcoming Events
Join us for educational, social and political events
hosted by the Geauga County Democratic Party.
For a full list of upcoming events and registration
information, visit www.geaugadems.org.
Geauga County Democratic Party member Ron Wiech brings a lifetime of outstanding
professional and personal experience to his candidacy for Middlefield Village Council.
A resident of Middlefield for the past 13 years, Ron is a Labor Relations Officer for the
Ohio Department of Transportation, where he mediates labor grievances, and helps
maintain positive relationships between ODOT workers and management. Ron’s
concern for others extends to his personal life as a volunteer drug and alcohol abuse
counselor at the Geauga County Safety Center.
When asked why he is running for Village Council, Ron says, “Middlefield needs fresh
ideas to revitalize and expand business opportunities. We need to bring in new jobs
and get back the jobs we’ve lost. I’m confident I can provide creative leadership, fiscal
responsibility and fair representation for all the citizens of the Village.”
Ron enjoys motorcycle riding and spending time with friends and family in his spare
time. He is married, and has two children, daughter Renee, 28, and son Ronny, 25. He
also has two stepsons 17 and 21, three grandchildren, two grandsons 10 and 7, and a
granddaughter 2.
We know Ron Wiech will be an outstanding addition to Middlefield Village Council!
Notable, Quotable Democrats
“I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my
Republican friends ... that if they will stop telling lies about the
Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.”
— Adlai Stevenson
Support your Geauga County Democratic
Candidates!
Volunteer to work on a campaign by contacting the Geauga Democratic
Party headquarters at 440-834-4941 or email [email protected].
Geauga County Democrats Show Their Support!
Hateful Rhetoric Divides Americans
By now, we’ve all seen coverage of the raucous behavior exhibited by some Americans
at town hall meetings on health care reform this summer. Rather than a venue for
respectful debate about a subject that affects literally every citizen, the Congressional
town halls have devolved into mob scenes with people shouting each other down, and
some attendees even bringing guns to intimidate those who don’t agree with them.
Fueled by malicious lies fabricated by conservative talk show hosts and right-wing
interest groups, many Americans seem to have lost the ability to sort fact from fearmongering fiction.
We shouldn’t be surprised. The disintegration of civil discourse in our country is
the result of a deliberate 20-year campaign by conservatives to divide Americans,
erode trust in our government and force their views on the whole nation. Having
lost power with the election of President Barack Obama and the Democratic takeover
of Congress, their stepped up attacks seem to confirm that in the absence of any
solutions to America’s problems, Republicans are left only with name-calling.
The good news is that most Democrats and Independents refuse to join Republicans
in demonizing their fellow citizens, and continue instead to express their views with
respect, insight, and a conviction that it is possible to disagree without demeaning
one’s opponent.
Bush-onomics Slows Recovery
Reports on the economic recovery are more optimistic lately as
economists acknowledge that President Obama and Fed Chair Ben
Bernanke pulled the country back from the brink of a potentially
devastating Depression. Thanks to Paul Krugman, winner of the
2008 Nobel Prize for Economics, we are reminded how much less
devastating this crisis would have been if not for George W. Bush’s
disastrous policies. Here is how Krugman sums up the impact of
Bush-onomics:
“. . .what would things look like if we hadn’t had 8 years of gross fiscal irresponsibility
from the Bush adminstration?
There were two big-ticket Bush policies. One was the tax cuts, which cost around $1.8
trillion in revenue; add in interest costs, and we’re presumably talking about more than $2
trillion in debt. The other was the Iraq War, which has cost at least $700 billion, and will
cost more before we finally extract ourselves.
The bottom line, then, is this: the irresponsibility of the Bush years has left us poorly
positioned to deal with the current crisis, turning what should have been an easily
financed economic rescue into a more difficult, anxiety-producing process.”
Krugman’s assessment makes us wonder how many Geauga County residents would
still have their homes, their jobs and their dreams if not for the damage wrought by
Bush and the Republicans.
We seem to be on a path toward recovery now, but we can’t afford to forget how
Republican policies, driven by personal greed and the unquenchable thirst for power,
drove the American Dream into a ditch. It’s our responsibility to make certain that
never happens again.
Geauga County Democratic Party
12428 Kinsman Road, Newbury, Ohio 44065 | 440-834-4941 | www.geaugadems.org
Paid for by the Geauga County Democratic Party, Jeff Fanger, Treasurer