November 2007 Trustee Election

John Kusar Jr. 
Stopped at our factory to have us sign his petition to run for Austinburg Trustee in November.  We had a very productive and enlightening conversation.
My wife and I were very impressed with his knowledge on county and township matters as well as the Ohio Revised Code. Mr. Kusar Jr. had a excellent command of 
common sense and budgetary skills.  I believe his entrepreneurial skills combined with his hands on personal skills make him a strong trustee candidate and a person that we 
can feel confident with.  

Mr. Kusar's Campaign Letter

Elect

John A. Kusar

Austinburg Township Trustee

 

 

Dear Fellow Austinburg Township Residents,

Over the past several months, I have tried to reach every resident of Austinburg Township by going door to door. If you weren’t home, I left information for you to read. During this time, I have talked with many residents. Several issues have been the main topic of discussion. Roads and ditches have been one. A big concern that needs to be addressed is the road berms. The berms are higher than the roads, thus making it impossible for the storm water to drain into the ditch. This problem could be easily corrected with a little direction from the trustees to our road department.

The downtown area residents are facing severe financial hardship with the implementation of a state mandated sewer system. Although the trustees cannot own or operate a sewer system, there are several things they could do to decrease the cost for these residents and for you. Since being involved with the sewer extension committee, several options have been explored. One is appropriation at the federal level, which seems promising. Austinburg Township Trustees could remove all the road repair from the sewer contract and apply for Public Works funds to replace the roads directly affected by this. I have been in contact with several government agencies in order to research all available options.

We the people elect trustees to handle our local government issues and decisions. We have a limited budget and we need to be frugal with our expenditures and make sure our trustees get the most for the residents with our tax dollars. Under the Ohio Revised Code, when elected to a trustee position you may opt to have the township pay for your hospitalization. This is a part-time position. Janie Spade and Jerry Burke have a combined salary and benefits of $23,874.84 per year. Salary and benefits for Lynn Frank are $25,247.98 per year. Lynn Frank costs our township more than our other two trustees combined. This is legal, but not cost effective for the residents of Austinburg Township. If elected to represent the residents of Austinburg, I will not take the hospitalization coverage. I feel that the $15,239.98 for the cost of hospitalization will be better spent on our roads and bridges.

As for our township meetings, if I am elected, I would move to have a true open meeting letting the residents speak any time during the meeting after being recognized by the chairman. Furthermore, our meetings are supposed to be the first and third Monday of each month. Lately, the board of trustees has been moving the meetings to accommodate their personal schedules. I would move to publish a meeting schedule in our newsletter and let the trustees work out their personal schedules for the good of the community.

I would appreciate your vote for Austinburg Township Trustee and look forward to serving you. Please don’t forget our polling place has changed to the Grand River Academy on College Street.

Respectfully,

John A. Kusar

Paid for by the candidate

 

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Mr. Farinacci,

The Austinburg Sewer Committee would like to thank all those who have helped the residents affected by the sewer project try to save their homes and businesses.

Basic background; the County Commissioners with Ashtabula Co Dept. of Environmental Services, Health Dept., and CT Consultants, held a meeting on July 31, 2007 and informed the citizens that the front footage assessment would be $140.00 per ft. This is in addition to a $4,000.00 tie in fee, costs for installation of the line from the home to the sewer main, permit fees, pump and back-filling of existing septic tanks. These costs are completely unfair.

The sewer committee held its first meeting on August 19, 2007. Since that time we have contacted state and federal officials, and various agencies trying to find grants to reduce these costs to our residents.

John Kusar has done a lot of research on different grants that will help offset the costs to the residents affected by the sewer project. He presented these grant possibilities to the trustees at the October 1, 2007 trustee meeting. John has also been looking at grant possibilities the county could apply for. We sincerely hope his work is successful.

We will continue to update you as events unfold.

Sincerely,

Austinburg Sewer Committee

LOL  Why was there a John Kusar  for Trustee sign on Janie Spades front lawn this morning?  
Could there be a duel over who wheels the most political weight between Frank & Spade?

What a great prank..........Spade made up for it and now has 2 Frank signs and 1 Welch sign.  LOL

This is weigh beyond the beltway!!!! LOL

Nick Deering 
Do not know to much about this young candidate except that he is under 21 and lives in Austinburg ( I think).  The good thing is that he is
 not old enough to participate in alcohol induced post Trustee meetings at  Buck's Bar & Grill.  LOL  Hey this is America and we wish him
the very best.  Experience comes from trying!  What have YOU done for Austinburg lately?

We need a positive change in Austinburg's government. 

Trustee Qualifications

Apples Anyone?$$$$  

The following is a suggestion that would help maintain the quality and integrity of the office of Township Trustee

1.) The Trustee must own and reside, not rent, within Austinburg Township.

People that do not have a vested interest in their community could have a tendency to vote on popularity i.e. getting re-elected and not what is best for the community. For instance:  Dan Whitmire does not live in Austinburg and does not, to my knowledge, own a house or property in Austinburg.  

2.) Trustees that rely on the money given to them for holding this office as a means of survival should not be considered for the office. 

Most people do not realize that trustees are given a salary, about $9,000 for Austinburg Township per year.  Plus they are entitled to full hospitalization!!  This can be very important for someone that is self employed.  Family hospitalization of this magnitude can cost approximately $12,000/per year!  Therefore, the approximate compensation of holding this position can be worth $20,000.00/year.  This is a huge savings to an average family/person. Quite an enticement for someone that has to rely on being a trustee in order to make ends meet. This important perk could possibly cause an individual to make decisions on the side of popularity in place of the best interest of the whole community.  Lynn Frank (Trustee)  cost the Township over $24,000/year

3)  Trustees shall refrain from casting a vote if they are on any other board or hold any position that would be in conflict to the impartial casting of that vote. 

True Example:  The zoning of my winery was up for a vote as to whether to allow a small segment of the property to be changed from residential to Neighborhood Commercial. Raveenwood Acres, who are adamantly against the zoning change, is directly across the street from our winery. The residents/association of Ravinewood Acres was represented by Ron Smoker and Richard Dana . Mr. Richard Dana is also on the board of Geneva Area Senior Center.  It just so happens that Mrs. Spade (Austinburg Trustee) is the secretary of that organization. This association with Mr. Dana is a conflict of interest and should exempt Mrs. Spade from casting her vote.

In addition Dan Whitmire (Austinburg Trustee) was formally a resident of Ravinewood Acres and could have friends or close ties with some of the residents.  This too would represent a conflict of interest.  

As a result it was turned down by the three trustees. I wonder why?!

More to come........feel free to comment....

 

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