MOVE hires Oberlin council member

Mobility and Opportunity for a Vibrant Economy Lorain County, or MOVE Lorain County, has announced the hire of Oberlin City Council member Sharon Pearson as an independent contractor.

According to a release on the hiring, Pearson will be working with the non-profit to assist with “coordinating a shared vision to provide mobility solutions for Lorain County.”

In a phone interview with The Morning Journal, Pearson, who is being hired as an independently contracted consultant, said the issue of transportation is central to most social services.

“As a result of that there seems to be a need to do something,” she said.

According to the release, Pearson has received training from the Ohio Transportation Leadership Academy on the best practices for transportation options from around the country.

The release stated that MOVE believes a Lorain County resident must earn $15 an hour to “effectively own and operate a car and maintain a normal standard of living,” but many of the current jobs available in the county only pay $12.85; 15 percent below what is needed.

The Lorain County Transit, or LCT, used to provide more than 700,000 rides to residents a year, but since the economic downturn of 2008 that number has reduced to between 70,000 and 90,000, according to the release.

According to Pearson, the Lorain County commissioners’ efforts to improve LCT are only looking at one facet of the problem.

“Transportation is more than just that,” she said. “There’s a whole system that includes biking, walking, ridesharing and so this is about putting all those things together, including public transit, to create a system where people can get where they need to go.”

The release advises anyone interested in MOVE to contact Pearson by phone at 440-707-6477 or email at moveloraincounty@gmail.com. News and information can also be found on the group’s Facebook page and at www.MOVELorainCounty. org.

Pearson