Toledo Public Schools: May 4, 2010 Levy Request

The May 4 Ohio primary election is one week from today. This election applies to both state-wide and local elections.

Not only does this primary election provide the opportunity for people who identify with a political party to choose the political party candidates to run in the November 2, 2010 general election, but it also provides the opportunity for all registered voters, whether they identify with a political party or not, to vote on the issues.

The registered voters in the Toledo Public School District will have the opportunity to vote for or against a school levy which appears on the May 4 ballot. This proposed levy is Issue 3, a three-quarter percent earned income tax levy.

Below is the exact wording for Issue 3 as it appears this date on the web page entitled May 4, 2010 Primary Election of the web site for the Lucas County Board of Elections:

Issue 3 – Toledo City Schools Current Expenses

PROPOSED SCHOOL DISTRICT INCOME TAX

TOLEDO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

A Majority Affirmative Vote is Necessary for Passage.

Shall an annual income tax of seventy-five one hundredths percent (0.75%) on the earned income of individuals residing in the school district be imposed by the Toledo City School District, for a continuing period of time, beginning January 1, 2011, for the purpose of CURRENT EXPENSES?

Even though I am a registered voter in the City of Toledo, and even though I served 3 elected terms for a total of 12 years on the Governing Board of the Lucas County Educational Service Center, formerly known as the Lucas County Board of Education, I will not vote on Issue 3, the Toledo School levy.

Incidentally, I have read elsewhere on the internet that there are two organizations who are not in favor of Issue 3. Specifically, a page on that website (ref: wtol.com) stated "Two groups have come to rally against the levy." Those two organizations are the Greater Toledo Urban League and Toledoans for Public Trust. That specific web site page also states "TPS leaders also acknowledge the school system will face cuts regardless of whether the levy passes ..."

Perhaps, you might find the audio/visual clip with its associated written story TPS levy push: Both sides speak out about Issue 3 from 13abc.com to be of interest.

I encourage all registered voters in the Toledo Public School District to become informed on Issue 3 and to turn out and vote. Vote whatever way you want, but at least vote with an informed decision.

Oh, for those of you who wonder why I will not vote on the TPS levy Issue 3 is quite simple: While I live in the City of Toledo, I do not live within the boundaries of the Toledo School District; I live in the Washington Local School District. Consequently, not being a resident of the Toledo Public Schools district, I am not allowed by law to vote on Issue 3.

Cross Reference:
Public Education and Knowledge or the Lack Thereof

If you are interested in more about the May 4 election in Lucas County, I suggest you visit the Lucas County Board of Elections May 4, 2010 Primary Election web page.

Lucas County Government: Say What?

Here it is Sunday, April 25, 2010 and this morning as I was having my coffee and reading today's edition of The Blade I read two articles with great interest.

The two articles which you can also read by clicking on the embedded links are:

Frustrations trigger government overhaul; Executive, 11-member council to take reins by Joe Vardon, Blade Projects Editor

Could it happen in Lucas County? Charter setup worth examining, some say by Tom Troy
Blade Politics Writer

Oh, if you wonder why I think these two articles are interesting, I refer you to the following (again, just click on the embedded links for each to read them):

Change Lucas County, Ohio Government!, August 8, 2007

Ohio: Lucas County Commissioners and Political Posturing, April 9, 2008

Reinventing Ohio's Lucas County Government, July 30, 2008

Lucas County Government, April 22, 2009

Take Back Toledo Should Take Back Lucas County, August 11, 2009

Ben Krompak, Lucas County Commissioner candidate, and Police Proposal, March 22, 2010

So, tell me what you think. Don't hold back now. Let it all hang out. Yell it from the rooftops.

Government: Do we need it?

Preface: In order to obtain the full benefit of this Roland Hansen Commentary, you need to click on all the embedded links.

I have heard many people say and I have read many people write that government is too big, that the problem is the government, that the government is to blame, that government should not be involved in this or that, that the government has too much power, that government should be run like a business, that the government ..... BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

I wonder how many people understand that of which they criticize. Government or "The Government" as some like to call it is that which we, you and I, have devised and have allowed. What is government all about, anyways?

In checking out several places on the internet, I found the short answer to the question What is government and what is its purpose in a society? to be somewhat interesting.

I also found an extremely interesting essay by Blupete on the internet that states in its introduction, in part, "The central questions asked by this paper are: What is government? And, What is a government's purpose, its powers, and its perils." to be quite informative. You really should click on over to read "An Essay On Government" for some enlightenment. Come to think of it, I do believe our world needs a modern set of enlightenment thinkers.

So then, let's move on, shall we? Why is government necessary?
The Federalist No. 51 states, in part, "But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions."

What then is the purpose of government?
I direct you to two different sources for the answer to that question. One source, Fact Index, has a web page The purpose of government that not only is explanatory but also contains quite a few embedded links that take you to other informative web pages. The second source is Suite 101.com and the answer is its web page What is the Purpose of Government?, The United States as a Nation of Laws Not of Men.

There you have it. What more can I write? Oh, I know.
How about an inflammatory, opinionated comment from me directed at a certain group of people for whom I have nothing but disdain? You got it.

To all those "less-than-well-knowledgeable-about-government" people who constantly hammer away with their ill-informed, half-assed, negative criticisms about government, I say "You ignoramus. Why don't you gain a better understanding based on factual information and a bit more complete knowledge of the subject of government before you go spouting off on that of which you know little."

Judicial Activism, Judicial Restraint

Should local, state, and federal judges and the Justices of the United States Supreme Court be practitioners of judicial activism or of judicial restraint? The responses to that question have often demonstrated that it is a very polarizing issue?

Should our judges and the Supreme Court Justices intrepret the meaning of local and state statutes, of federal laws and regulations, and of the state and national constitutions? Or should they take the regulations, laws, and constitutions literally word for word without any intrepetyation at all?

There is an entry over at Writes Like She Talks that starts out with the following:
"I’ve written on defining “activism” before but this op-ed in today’s New York Times is superb, as an op-ed and as an argument for why U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is as activist as was the late U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger. From professor of law, Geoffrey R. Stone (University of Chicago – yeah yeah yeah where President Obama taught) who also is an editor of The Supreme Court Review, ..."

I highly recommend highly that you click on over to read Judges, Conservatives, Liberals: We Are All Activists as written by Jill Miller Zimon.

Caucasian Majority Disappearing in United States

For the past several decades, I have been hearing and reading sociology futurologists profess that the majority population in the United States will no longer be lily-white. First, I had heard futurologists say that the largest minority was no longer going to be Blacks but was going to be Hispanics by 2020 and then Hispanics as the largest minority were going to be replaced by those of Asian background.

The latest stories I have read seem to indicate the accuracy of the futurologists' predictions. I refer you to the following report as cited in several web pages:
Minority births in U.S. rising
More Minority Babies Will Be Born Than White Babies This Year
More Minority Babies Will Be Born In 2010 Than White Babies, Demographers Predict

When I was a young boy, it seemed to me that all the elected officials were older, white males. The civil rights and ERA movements were in full swing during the years that I was a teenager and a young adult. The political landscape has slowly changed over the past 50 years to be more inclusive with more racial and gender representation. While there has indeed been progress in the areas of female and racial minorities participation and representation in American electoral politics, we still have a ways to go. I wish I could live another fifty years to see the gender-blind rainbow of politicians and elected officials in the United States of America. And while I do believe, America has made progress in regards to gender and racial minorities when it comes to electoral politics, I do not believe the same is true when it comes to religion. In my opinion there is a prevailing intolerant attitude in regards to non-Christian religions. Not only have I personally been subjected to religious prejudice and discrimination, I have seen and heard so much religious prejudice and discrimination in all aspects of our American society that it sickens me. As has occured and continues to occur with gender and racial minorities, I can only hope that a much more tolerant attitude with corresponding electoral behavior will also see more inclusion of various ethnicities and religions in political participation and in our elected officials.

Ben Krompak, Lucas County Commissioner candidate, Glass City Jungle, and Metropolitan Government

Unigov, regional government, metropolitan government. Whatever terminology you may wish to use, I find the topic to be very interesting. That being said, I find the Glass City Jungle entry Krompak says metropolitan goverment offers solutions… to be very good reading, not to mention thought-provoking.

Unigov and Hooda Thunkit

There's a great entry about unigov over on the blog of Dave Zawodny that I believe people should read. I feel even moreso if you are a concerned citizen and you believe that government should be responsible, responsive, and accountable that you really ought to read Hooda Thunkit's (Dave Zawodny's) Blog, 2010/03/24, Unigov..., Is Now The Time?

I think that more people should become better informed about government and take an active role. I am sick and tired of the ignorant passivity of a vast number of people.

UPDATE: Dave Zawodny has since removed his blog from the internet. However, I was able to locate much of it on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. I replaced the original embedded link contained in the last line of the opening paragraph with the page to the wayback Machine that contains the original post of Dave Zawodny.

In addition to that, for your convenience, the following is a copy and paste of that blog entry of Dave Zawodny, aka Hooda Thunkit:

2010/03/24

Unigov..., Is Now the Time?

This recent post found on mi amigo Roland Hansen's “Roland Hansen Commentary” and titled, “Ben Krompak, Lucas County Commissioner candidate, and Police Proposal” caused me to flash back to my previous posts on the subject on my very own blog...

Here, 2005/10/05, “A low risk way to prove/disprove whether UniGov will work for Lucas County”

here, 2005/10/23, “More practical, yet non-political Lucas Co. Unigov projects…”

here, 2007/05/09, “Some thoughts and suggestions on Commissioner Ben Konop's “unigov” study group”

here, 2007/05/14, “A Unigov Question…"

and here, 2009/06/13, “Candidates urge turnover of parks to Metroparks"


I leave it up to the reader to go back to read the original posts, because I intend to update those old posts and repost the gist of what was written then in this post.

Clearly the changes in both time and the fiscal reality of many municipal governments financial problems seem to make yet another look at combining services an idea whose time has finally come.

Now I know that Roland's post only addresses Ben Krompac's addressing police protection throughout Lucas County, but if it looks like Unigov, walks like Unigov and “quacks” like Unigov, then let's call it what it is and discuss again the benefits and potential pitfalls of Unigov, which encompasses so much more that just police protection...

This could be quite a long post, so I'll break it up into a few posts and see how/where this goes ;-)

Unigov, the financial reality of the times:
Especially now, almost, if not all of N.W. Ohio's municipalities/governments are facing rising costs, decreasing tax revenues and plummeting property values.

Consequently, they need to find long-term solutions to strengthen and improve police protection within their own borders and throughout Lucas County.

But the problem is bigger than that, it extends to all services funded by the taxpayers, whether it be through property taxes, income taxes, or some other form of income producing means..., and times are tough, very tough.

How to solve this growing “universal” problem must be uppermost in the minds of every elected official.

That is why I'm going to rehash my old posts on an obvious possibility..., Unigov, combining departments/divisions, minimizing/eliminating the number of workers needed to provide the (hopefully essential) services and thinning the overhead (management) which modifies the ratio of employees on the street working vs. those flying desks.

Yes, Unigov shows much promise, and is especially attractive when money is tight and work needs to get done, as in right now.

So, let's explore the advantages, the pitfalls and the problems of implementing Unigov and see what can be done to make our taxpayer dollars work more efficiently for us to provide the essential, mandated services we expect our various governments to provide and see if combining services to save money is indeed doable...


Unigov, what services should be provided by our governments and what should they get out of...
Recently, a group of political newcomers proposed streamlining city government and paring expenses by turn Toledo's city parks over to the Toledo Area Metroparks, a county operation.

At the time, I thought it was a good idea, but have since changed my mind.

Why?

Because this (parks) is a nonessential and non-mandated service.

Others would say that is a quality of life issue, but quality of life on the taxpayer's dollars falls way, way far down on my list of essentials, and only after we have streamlined all of the necessary/mandated services and the taxpayer's burden has been lightened as much as practical/possible...

I must add though that, if parks were essential, this would be a perfect place to test the Unigov concept harmlessly, to ally the fears of the skeptics and naysayers.


To my thinking the following departments/divisions/services are non-essential and should not have the government involved with it/them in any way:
Parks (includes swimming pools and golf courses), Sister cities and other similar non-essential services.


Further, these departments/divisions/services most certainly are mandated and should be excellent candidates for consolidation under a single county-wide provider:
Police/Sheriff services, Fire/Rescue Services (including, to some degree, basic/advanced ambulance services, road repair and maintenance (including leaf pickup, street sweeping and snow & ice control/plowing), Jails/prisons and the courts systems, water and sewer services, rights of way leases and utility franchise fees, municipal buildings maintenance and grounds keeping, street and utility engineering and inspection services, zoning enforcement and building inspection, and other utility regulation (or, possibly even providing or group contracting for them).


Additionally, the following may or may not fall under governmental purview, depending on whether it can be done by the government in a cost efficient manner, which is somewhat to highly unlikely, IMNHO:

Police impound/tow lot, Garbage/recycling (including compostables) collection and disposal, Municipal vehicle repair, and Purchasing of everything municipalities need/use, from road salt to computer equipment and vehicles.


Unigov, optimally, which services should be tested/tried first...
The non-public safety services; these less critical services should (in a perfect world) prove to be the easiest to merge with the least difficulty and build the needed trust to encourage everyone to tackle the bigger tasks/projects.


Unigov, realistically, which services need to be put to the head of the line...
Unfortunately, the greatest need is to cut public safety's costs/expenses, so by necessity they would have to go to the head of the line. The greatest problem with public safety though is the merging of the Chiefs, not the Indians, as there are so many compared to the officers on the streets...


Unigov, given the current financial climate, how to go about merging operations smoothly...
The easiest way would be to initially merge the forces and then go about restructuring the management, eliminating the overlap either through attrition or a selective buyout of those employees who have enough years to retire.

Either method costs money, so the net savings would not be instantaneous but gradual, which doesn't solve the budget problem, so a way to encourage employees with enough years to retire must be found.

Not allowing retiring employees to be paid for accrued comp time, sick days and unused vacation comes immediately to mind, but is protected by those pesky union contracts. So maybe inviting the employees to offer suggestions would yield a less costly way of achieving the desired goal ;-)


Unigov, how to deal with the managerial “deadwood,” both in the targeted services AND amongst the “political royalty...”
I think that I have addressed the managerial issue above, but that still leaves the thinning of the ranks of “Political royalty” which must be done by the voters at the polls.

Perhaps a Blue Ribbon committee could convince the electorate that a single lean, mean team of business savvy managers can run the whole county better than the current collection of politicos that we have misteakenly saddled ourselves with.

But, even with minimal representation of all affected entities would make for an unwieldy governing body, much like Cleveland.

The task is then to get everyone to believe that a small body can govern dispassionately for the good of all; and that certainly means governing by businessmen and women and NOT by politicians. . .

Think of it as a board of business managers and NOT politicians, and you too just might begin to see the light. . .

Lucas County Educational Service Center: Transparent and Accountable OR NOT

Sometimes, I just have to wonder at just how responsible is the administration of the Lucas County Educational Service Center, aka LCESC.

My wife, Judy, recently ended 12 years of service on the LCESC Governing Board, having been elected three times to four-year terms. Prior to her service on the Board, I had three four-year elected terms on the Board. I made a conscious decision back in 1997 not to seek re-election to that body due to the lack of support from the other Governing Board members in attempting to have a progressive Board that made policy rather than having an administration that recommended policies which were rubber-stamped by the Board as a whole. For example, I remember a time when I questioned whether the administration documented telephone quotes that were obtained for purchases not requiring competitive bids; I won't mention that fellow Board Member Marcia Helman responded that it wasn't necessary because she trusted the administration. I also won't tell you that the Board was not told by the Superintendent that the Superintendent was an active player and key point person in developing the legislative proposal by State Representative Sally Perz to create chartered community schools in Ohio; I learned of the role of the Superintendent later when I read a book the Superintendent had written that was published. As far as my wife's reason(s) for leaving the Board, it is not my place to say.

All that aside, I am a strong proponent and supporter of the role of ESCs in Ohio; in fact, I have always advocated a larger role because of the financial efficiencies of services to local school districts and consequently the taxpayers.

Okay, so "now what is the gripe?" you may ask. Well, I also believe in responsibility, responsiveness, and accountability, Those are areas in which I believe there is room for improvement of the Lucas County Educational Service Center administration and its Governing Board.

I draw your attention to Judy's Jewels Website Updates. I also draw your attention to a previous Roland Hansen Commentary on the LCESC.

I ask you: Is the Lucas County Educational Service Center transparent and accountable, or not?

ref: all Roland Hansen Commentary entries concerning LCESC

Ben Krompak, Lucas County Commissioner candidate, and Police Proposal

Ben Krompak has an idea whose time has come! Below is a copy of a release he has issued on the subject of improving police protection tghroughout Lucas County, Ohio.

Commissioner candidate pursues long-term solutions to prevent future lay-offs, increase patrols, and improve response times

Toledo, OH – Seeking long-term solutions to strengthen and improve police protection throughout Lucas County, Commissioner candidate Ben Krompak is urging local officials to explore merging the Toledo Police Department with the Lucas County Sheriff’s office and establishing a metropolitan police department. Krompak will discuss the idea at a press conference today, in front of One Government Center, at 2:30 P.M.

Explore Creating A Metropolitan Police Department

Today I am calling on Lucas County and City of Toledo officials to begin exploring the creation of a new metropolitan police department as well as other options for cooperative law enforcement.

Now is the time. County government’s financial challenges are being felt by the Sheriff’s office and the city of Toledo is contemplating mass police lay-offs for the second year in a row. We must work together to save money and improve safety.

Mergers of city and county police departments have previously been undertaken in communities such as Indianapolis, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Charlotte, North Carolina. We can learn from their experience as we chart our course forward.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert White has said that their merger led to increased patrols and faster response times. In Hamilton County, Ohio, an analysis by the Cincinnati Enquirer finds that merging local police departments with the County Sheriff could cut costs to communities currently served by their own departments by $30 per resident per year.

Establishing a metropolitan police department is one strategy for ending duplicative efforts, improving efficiency, and increasing the number of police on the street. Other approaches might involve establishing contractual agreements for one entity to deliver law enforcement services to others or sharing services by combining certain functional units within departments.

In addition to the city of Toledo, I believe that suburban communities with their own police departments as well as institutions like the University of Toledo would benefit from a new countywide approach to law enforcement. But this can only be achieved through voluntary efforts between communities that see clearly the benefits of working together.

While threats to public safety posed by police lay-offs make law enforcement a good place to start cooperative efforts, let’s not stop there. Let’s merge the county and city of Toledo prosecutor’s offices, information services, economic development, building inspection, and any other departments that duplicate efforts.

Skeptics say these things can’t be accomplished any time soon. But time is not on our side. If regional cooperation remains a topic for white papers and blue ribbon commissions for another decade then public safety and other essential services will suffer. Now is the time to make regionalism real.

Come to think of it, in my opinion, this same concept can be applied in several areas of local governmental services. Bottom line: It's an idea that fits perfectly into the concept of regional government. While I am aware that some of my peers do not favor regional government, I believe it is long overdue.

Carnival of Ohio Politics: R.I.P.

After a long absence with no explanation by or from anyone (at least, not to the best of my knowledge), I feel it necessary (or at least a compelling need on my part) to announce the unseemly and sudden demise of the Carnival of Ohio Politics. It appears to be dead, dead, dead. No announcement. No explanation. Just suddenly gone since June 25, 2009. Cause of death is unknown, at least unknown to me. However, I cannot help but wonder what was the cause of death and why no explanation has ever been provided.

I say:
Rest In Peace to the Carnival of Ohio Politics.