Amherst Ohio School Issue & Recreation Center Levy: Why Are They Combined?
February 22, 2011
I have gotten many questions recently from constituents about the upcoming Amherst Ohio school issue and recreation center issue that will appear on the primary ballot on May 3. The most common question I receive from Amherst residents is this: why are the school issue and rec center issue combined?
In order to get a direct answer for my constituents, I reached out to Amherst Schools Superintendent Steve Sayers and requested that he provide information on the topic that I could share here on my blog and on my Facebook Page. Below is the answer that I received from Mr. Sayers, and I am re-publishing his words with his permission.
Again, although I do have a personal opinion about the Amherst school issue and recreation center levy, I am neither publicly supporting or opposing the levy. I hope that this explanation from Superintendent Sayers can help some of my constituents who have questions about the mechanics of the levy. The following is from Steve Sayers:
The goal of the May ballot issue is to address multiple school and community needs. This plan is based on community input provided to the schools and Metro Parks. According to the Lorain County Metro Parks, 90 percent of those surveyed said they want the Lorain County Metro Parks and the Amherst Schools to work together, and 90 percent said they value the ability of Lorain County Metro Parks to form unique partnerships with other agencies and communities, to raise money, build, and effectively operate facilities.
In terms of the school portion of the project, we have an opportunity to bring back $16 million of OUR tax dollars to the Amherst Community. This would pay for half of the construction of a new PreK-4 elementary that would allow us to consolidate three elementaries into one. This would save $500,000 a year in operating costs and would actually ease the burden on our taxpayers over the long term. Over the years, it will clearly cost us more to operate and maintain the six buildings we currently have. Our attempt to be proactive and consolidate now is due to the fact that the State Money ($16 million) is only available to Amherst for a limited time.
The Lorain County Metro Parks has offered us $6 million to help with the construction of a Community Recreation Center, as well as assume all operating and maintenance costs. The Community Rec Center would be a facility that every resident of our community could benefit from if they so choose while saving 50% off membership rates. Furthermore, it provides benefits to the City of Amherst and the community-at-large from an economic development perspective.
Both of these facilities are important to the future stability and health of our community and that is why we are presenting them as “a package”.
The package is a way for the two entities to form a partnership to make something possible that the two could not do on their own.
We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to take advantage of $22 million that is on the table to build a school and rec center. It would be sad for us not to take advantage of this, have to pass additional levies to fix our aging buildings, and then to see this rec center built in another community in Lorain County.
Dan Martin and I are available to talk with you. Please feel free to call me at the office: 988-4406, Home 984-2999, or email me direct at steve_sayers@amherstk12.org. Dan Martin can be reached 440-458-5121.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Steve Sayers
Superintendent
Amherst Schools
Amherst Councilman: We Need Independent Candidates
February 13, 2011
From the Chronicle-Telegram, Saturday, February 12, 2011
Incumbent says races should have competition
AMHERST — The prospect of having no competition in the city’s race for three at-large council seats led one incumbent to put out a call for independents to join the race.
Councilman Phil Van Treuren
After the recent filing deadline passed for elected offices in the county and only three candidates filed for the city’s trio of at-large City Council seats, Councilman Phil Van Treuren, R – at large, send an e-mail message to media saying competition is needed.
“The three of us shouldn’t be able to just waltz into office without any kind of challenge,” Van Treuren said. “Even if it means that I get voted out, I think the people of Amherst deserve to have more candidates on the ballot in November so they can actually make a choice.”
Van Treuren and Democrat Frank Janik, who were elected in 2009, both filed for re-election to their seats. Terry Traster, a Democrat also elected in 2009, chose not to run again.
Van Treuren and Janik ill be joined on the November ballot by Democrat Steven Mihalcik, who filed to run for the seat being vacated by Traster.
Van Treuren, an Army veteran and website designer whose first bid for office included an extensive door-to-door campaign, contends the city will end up with better at-large representatives if the three seats are contested.
“I know politicians generally like having an unobstructed field, but I’m not one of them,” he said. “Politicians should have to to work to get elected; it makes them better public servants.”
Mihalcik disagreed.
“Mr. Van Treuren should not look a gift horse in the mouth,” he said. “He should concentrate on what he can do in the city of Amherst for the next two years rather than a contested Council at-large race.”
Mihalcik is a former three-term trustee in Sheffield Township who had to give up his seat midway through his four-year term when a growing family led to his buying a larger home in Amherst.
Janik, an attorney, declined to directly address Van Treuren’s plea for a larger field of candidates.
“I’m more interested in concentrating on the city’s business and financial issues than commenting on press releases,” Janik said. “Regardless of how many people run for Council at-large, I’m proud to have served the citizens of Amherst, and I’m looking forward to running for re-election.”
Van Treuren said he had heard that up to five people initially took out petitions for the at-large seats. He said he was disappointed that Traster chose not to run again.
“Terry Traster is a great councilman,” Van Treuren said. “He and I are in different parties, but Amherst has been lucky to have him on Council.”
Traster could not be reached for comment Friday.
Van Treuren said he wants to get the word out that any city resident who is registered to vote can file as an independent candidate up to May 2, the day before the May 3 primary. He also urged anyone interested in running to contact the Lorain County Board of Elections for information on how to obtain and file petitions.
If no independents file by the primary, the city’s only contested race will be in Ward 1 where Democratic incumbent Steve Bukovac faces Republican Albert Bereznay. The seven Council members–which includes four ward seats–all have two-year terms.
A lack of candidates means there will be no primaries in Amherst, North Ridgeville and Sheffield Lake.
Van Treuren Encourages Independent Candidates To Enter Amherst At-Large Council Race
February 4, 2011
Amherst Councilman Phil Van Treuren is encouraging Independent candidates to enter the 2011 council at-large race and challenge him and two others who have already filed to run.
Van Treuren said that he was “very disappointed” to see that Councilman At-Large Terry Traster, a Democrat, did not file for re-election this year. Both Van Treuren, a Republican, and Frank Janik, a Democrat, have filed to run again for their current council at-large seats. Another Democrat, Steven Mihalcik, has also filed to run for a council at-large seat.
That means that there are only three candidates on the ballot for three council at-large seats, which Van Treuren said isn’t fair to Amherst voters.
“The three of us shouldn’t be able to just waltz right into office without any kind of challenge,” Van Treuren said. “Even if it means that I get voted out, I think the people of Amherst deserve to have more candidates on the ballot in November so they can actually make a choice.”
Van Treuren said that he wants to draw attention to the fact that registered Amherst voters are still allowed to file for office as Independents, as long as they turn their petitions in before the May 3 primary deadline.
“The City of Amherst has plenty of dedicated, involved residents who would make great candidates for elected office,” Van Treuren said. “We should never have a situation where there are only three candidates on the ballot for three at-large seats.”
Van Treuren is encouraging any Amherst registered voter who is interested in filing to run as an Independent for council at-large to contact the Lorain County Board of Elections for information on how to obtain and file petitions.