March 20, 2011
Township to purchase, demolish ‘eyesore’ By CARLA SMITH ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
Westland High School teachers, from left, Jack Buckingham, retired, John Weddendorf and Shane Harris, wear blue shirts to show their support of the South-Western Education Association teachers’ union while attending the school board meeting March 14.
South-Western City Schools
Board hears views on union talks missible, he said. He declined to elaborate. “Our major focus is the state budget to be released this week,” he said. “The state budget may force districts to re-evaluate the assumptions we put in the five-year
By TOM SHEEHAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Several residents on March 14 urged South-Western City school board members to take a tough stance during ongoing contract talks with two unions, while a teacher told the board it must be fair to employees. Amy Rist, who said she is a teacher and has three children, called on the board members to be leaders in these challenging economic times. “What kind of leaders do we have in the South-Western City School District?” she asked. “We’re expecting fair and equitable treatment.” Both the South-Western Education Association and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees have been working without contracts since June 30. Federal mediators are handling the negotiations. Negotiators for teachers and the district have not met in a formal session since Dec. 20. OAPSE last met with district officials on Feb. 7. Superintendent Bill Wise before the meeting said the teachers’ union initiated an “informal” discussion with the district last week. Such discussions are per-
financial forecast.” Gov. John Kasich released his proposed two-year state budget on March 15. South-Western included an estimated 10-percent state funding cut in its fiveyear forecast. That would mean nearly $9-million less during fiscal year 2011. The district is projecting nearly $210-million in total revenues next fiscal year and $198-million in expenditures. A $43-million carryover from fiscal year 2010 is expected. That will change if cuts deeper than 10 percent occur, Wise said. Rob Starrett, who ran for the school board in 2009, Garrett Myers, husband of school board member Jo Ellen Myers, and long-time district critic Terry Jones all challenged the board to stick up for taxpayers in the current negotiations.
“I ask as a taxpayer not to fold under” to the unions, Myers said. “Please don’t consider a contract longer than one year.” He said he is sure the community is behind them. “Tough choices can be made.” Jones told the board that more than 80 percent of the district’s budget goes to employee wages and benefits. “The simple fact is the (federal) government is broke. The state and local governments are broke. ... South-Western has to deal with its own budget,” Jones said. He said now is not the time for the unions to look for more concessions and money from the district. Starrett said district residents approved an operating levy about a year ago that will bring in an estimated $18.5-million a year. That money should not be wasted, he said. He noted that what he called reforms such as the proposed Senate Bill 5, which is now in the Ohio House, could significantly affect South-Western’s finances. The proposed bill would severely limit collective bargaining in the state. “I hope the board and the unions use sound business practices,” Starrett said. “(You can’t) continue to go to the taxpayers.”
Prairie Township trustees this week executed a contract to purchase and demolish one of the worst eyesores in the township while also allowing the township to finish the much anticipated South Grener Road Project. The land the township plans to purchase is known as the Hometown Inn property, located at 4601 W. Broad St. The purchase price of the 4.8-acre property is set at $1.3-million. Township administrator Tracy Hatmaker said the township has received a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) to cover part of the cost and demolition of the building. The township will then pursue sale of the portion of the property not to be used in the South Grener Road Project, he said, hoping to recoup the rest of the sale price. “There are some contingen-
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First, the biggest eyesore in the township will be gone with the demolition of the Hometown Inn. Second, the Grener and West Broad Street intersection will be safer for everyone who travels it.
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STEVE KENNEDY — township trustee
cies that need to be met,” Hatmaker said. “However, with any luck at all it will be a late April closing. Demolition and construction will have to take place in June. We are on track to do that.” Finalization of the purchase is contingent upon settlement of isSee TOWNSHIP, page A2
End of an era Local government Cason retires as ThisWeek executive editor cuts ‘drastic,’ coalition says By JEFF DONAHUE
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By JENNIFER NESBITT and GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Gov. John Kasich’s proposed two-year budget calls for reducing funding to Ohio’s local governments by roughly 25 percent per year by 2013. And members of the Local Government Fund Coalition aren’t pleased. “Right now, we think that’s a pretty dramatic cut and we think it may be disproportionate to what the other cuts will be,” said Susan Cave, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League. “But we haven’t seen the total picture yet.” Members of the coalition will examine the budget over the next week to see where other funding sources stand, she said. Kasich’s budget proposal, released Tuesday, March 15, calls for giving the Local Government Fund $526-million in 2012 and $339-million in 2013. The fund, which is projected to get $665-milSee LOCAL GOVERNMENT, page A5
Friday, March 18, marks the end of an era at ThisWeek Community Newspapers. Late that afternoon, vice president and executive editor Ben Cason will Ben Cason shut down his computer, gather his cell phone and coat and quietly stroll out of the newsroom the way he has every week since 1993. However, come Monday morning, for the first time in 18 years, he won’t be leading a newsroom discussion on politics or the NCAA basketball tournament.
butions are immeasurable,” Zonars said. “On his watch, the readership of our papers has grown by more than 200,000 people, which may be the most honest reflection of how valuable the public finds our coverage, which is the product of Ben’s leadership in the newsroom.” Zonars said Cason’s legacy is the team of journalists he has assembled at ThisWeek. “We are indebted to Ben for attracting bright and passionate reporters and editors who share his love of community news and sports, and to Ben’s high personal standards for quality, objective and, above all, accurate reporting,” he said. See CASON, page A2
Grove City says $235,311 missing in IRS case By LISA AURAND ThisWeek Community Newspapers Grove City officials have determined that $235,311 in city funds is unaccounted for, and the missing money is the focus of the police investigation into the city’s tax debt, city finance director Mike Turner said. The debt to the Internal Revenue
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Cason announced his retirement to ThisWeek staffers March 11, concluding a career that spanned the height of the Watergate era as an editor at The Washington Post to building one of the nation’s most respected community newspaper organizations. Under Cason’s leadership, ThisWeek Community Newspapers have won hundreds of state, regional and national awards for journalistic excellence. More importantly, general manager Stephen Zonars said, Cason won the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of central Ohio readers. “Ben has been the heartbeat of ThisWeek Community Newspapers for 18 years, and his contri-
Service for unfiled and late federal taxes could end up costing Grove City more than $1.4-million if the missing money is included, Turner said. Insurance or other sources might cover some of the lost funds, he said. Turner’s preliminary estimate of the unpaid taxes and penalties includes $389,683 from 1999-2006 and $790,184 from 2007-2010.
Turner on March 11 said he’s been working on the estimate for several months. “I’ve been collecting information on and off since we got the notice,” from the Internal Revenue Service in December 2010, he said. In a March 7 memo to mayor Richard “Ike” Stage, Turner said, “Throughout the years, funds from
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tax withholdings have been used to pay ... penalties, interest and tax withholdings” for the preceding four-month periods. “The ensuing shortage in the payroll account has resulted in a continual process of creating additional penalties and interest,” the memo said. See GROVE CITY, page A5
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