Issue 1 will protect our rights

If you’re confused about what Issue 1 is about, you have a lot of company. There is a lot of money being spent on advertising to confuse voters about Issue 1, with the idea if people don’t understand it, they won’t vote for it.

Simply put, Issue 1 is a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution that will make it more difficult to pass future amendments that are frivolous or unpopular. A YES vote will require 60% of the vote to pass an amendment, instead of the current 50% + one vote. This puts us in line with most of the states that have ballot initiatives. Only a handful of states in the country have a bar this low to pass a Constitutional amendment. The Constitution is the document that all of our laws springs from; it should not be easily changed. It certainly should not be changed by special interests with the most money to spend on advertising.

The second change is to require signatures from all 88 counties in the state as opposed to the current

Dorothy L. Pittis, 96, died July 14, 2023. Born Dec. 5, 1926, in Neffs, Ohio, she graduated from Bellaire H.S. and entered nurses’ training to become a WWII Navy Nurse. She did not have to serve active duty as the War ended. Dorothy passed away at her daughter’s house in DeLand, Florida.

Dorothy (Gilham) was married to Richard A. Pittis for 43 years. She was preceded in death by Richard, who worked for R&F Coal. As a Registered Nurse, Dorothy enjoyed caring for newborns and new moms at Dennison Twin City and Ohio Valley General hospitals. She is survived by her three daughters: Cathy (Pittis) Recob-Cullen, Elkhorn, Wisconsin; Barbara (Pittis) Wulchak, DeLand, Florida, and Margaret Susan Pittis Sr. Miriam Elias, Carmelite Monastery, Traverse City, Michigan.

Dorothy loved to hear about her grandchildren and families: Richard and Tamara Recob’s children Jasmine, Logan, Kaitlyn, and Macyn; great- great grandchild Harper Mae. Jonathan and Charlotte Recob’s children

Jonathan, Kayla, Cody Recob, America, Joshua, Isaac, and Michael Lavdas ; Sarah Wulchak and daughters Ember and Shimmer Kelly; and James Nicholas Wulchak.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father Zelda (Daily) and Ernest Gilham, a WWI veteran, her sister Mae (Nemetz) and Constanty Tyska, and her brother Donald Gilham.

Dorothy leaves behind her niece, Brenda

(Vold-Eliot) Tarno and husband Will of Arkansas; Barbara’s family of caregivers: Timothy W. Smith and son Timothy M., and her long-time neighbor and friend, Alice Ornouski-Waller of Unionport, Ohio.

Dorothy survived the Great Depression and WWII. She successfully navigated the early days of working women being professionals, and raising a family in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, while still growing vegetable gardens. Both Dorothy and Richard’s ancestries go back to the Isle of Wight in England in the 1480’s based on the Margaret Birney Pittis Genealogy of 1945.

The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at the Clark-Kirkland-Barr Funeral Home in Cadiz, Ohio with Rev. Leslie Mahaney officiating. Burial will follow at the Cadiz Union Cemetery on Charleston Street. Friends may call one hour prior to the funeral service.

The memorial guestbook may be signed at www. clark-kirkland-barr.com.

Navigating family and aging

Dear Ann, My adult children feel that I should not be as independent as I am. I still live at home, drive, and lead a normal life. I don’t feel this is their decision to make, and I would like for them to respect my opinion of my own life and capabilities. We are a close family, but their opinions are getting in the way.

Sincerely, Independent

Dear Independent, Family is such a wonderful thing! Aging is humbling. The roles that we are used to begin to reverse, and we no longer have all the control we once had. It is lovely that you are able and independent at a later age! As long as your mind and your body allow you to care for your home and yourself, and you can see well enough to drive, you need not consider anything else. Your children sound like they love you would understand where you are coming from. requirement of only 44 counties. Again, this is perfectly reasonable. Ohio’s Constitution governs all the citizens of the state; therefore, all citizens should have a voice in the process. No more cherrypicking counties to get a particular outcome.

However, if there is something that may pose a risk to your living alone, then maybe your children are doing the right thing to alert you of their concerns. It sounds like it is time for a family get-together so you all can be in agreement.

Maybe you could have them over for a dinner that you’ve prepared just for them and let them know how special each one is to you and how much you appreciate their love and concern. Show them you are capable of taking care of things. Encourage them to keep open communication and let them know it is important to discuss things with you. Listen to their concerns with an open heart, too, as they love you all the same.

Our failings can be very hard to accept. The love between family should be a strong bond, which it sounds like you have. Unfortunately, it is not that way in so many families these days. You are blessed—hold on to that and make the best of it.

In short, Issue 1 strengthens the amendment process to Ohio’s Constitution by requiring a clear majority support from all 88 counties, thereby protecting our rights and providing a sturdy, stable environment for our citizens and businesses. I respectfully ask that you vote YES on Issue 1.

John Lovejoy Jewett, Ohio