Time to update county government

Is it time update our county government?

In 1840, by act of the Ohio legislature, Lake County was formed in accordance with the Connecticut Land Companies County and Township Plan of 1787. This established a three-person county commissioner form of government.

At the county’s birth it had a well-established stage coach line connecting Buffalo and Detroit which passed through daily. The Arcole Furnace Company was the new county’s largest employer at almost 90 people. There were 13,717 residents then. Very rural.

Today Lake County consists of nine cities, nine villages and five townships. Two hundred thirty thousand people live in an economically and geographically diverse county.

But still, after 181 years we still have three county commissioners.

Under our present form of government both the legislative and administrative branches are concentrated in those three people.

One hundred eighty-one years later, this county is complex.

We have an agricultural east end, commercial, industrial and residential middle and a residential concentration in our west end.

As a longtime observer of this present form of government, I believe that these separate interests can not be understood as easily as in the 1840s. This lack of understanding hurts us in economic development in some areas of the county.

Local representation is also over due.

With a shift in our county government new priorities can be set in place with an emphasis on economic development with a regional, national and international focus.

This new government structure could consist of seven elected representatives from within the county. These would constitute the legislative branch.

A county administrator (similar to a mayor) could be elected to administer day-to-day operations.

Representation from all corners of the county allows citizens to have influence on how the county operates.

Why change? According to a letter that I received from a candidate seeking election to the empty commissioners seat, the previous commissioner (who resigned a week after being sworn in) spent a whopping $300,000 on his campaign! It’s interesting to note that this resigned commissioner was from Kirkland, same as his predecessor before him. This job pays $98,000/year.

So, right now, we have a new commissioner, elected to office by 79 votes from the Republican Central Committee. He will be there for at least 22 months.

These facts beg for a change to local representation.

Change is hard. It would take careful planning.

This update would be voted on by the residents of Lake County.

To place this before the voters signatures would need to be collected.

Section 302 of the Ohio Revised Code gives terrific guidance on this. A 3% total of the voters’ signatures in the previous gubernatorial race would be needed. That amounts to 2,905 signatures.

Following voter approval, a period of transition would begin.

Elections would need to be held.

And a new system of government prepares to serve the county.

I believe many cost saving measures can be realized at that juncture.

This council position should be a part-time community service position earning no more than $20,000 per year.

Give this some thought. It’s a blank slate. Listen carefully to those who will argue that we do not need or deserve local representation. After all, we are 228 square miles. That is by no means small.