Fairborn commencement
Badin graduation
Division I regional track finals
Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2008 > January
January 2008
Is Big Brother hiding under pepperoni?
Check out this ad from the American Civil Liberties Union about profound risks to privacy in the digital age.
I think it is only a little over the top and correctly sounds an urgent warning.
Agree? Disagree?
What about Sprinboro’s school levies?
I recently interviewed Superintendent David Baker in Springboro about the upcoming levies. I got the sense that he thinks the community understands the schools’ needs and that, though people don’t like tax increases, there’s substantial support for the levies.
What do you think? Do you have questions about the requests?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: 2008 endorsements
What are folks saying about Miamisburg’s bond issue?
Editorial Writer Eddie Roth is meeting January 31 with supporters of the Miamisburg schools’ bond issue. What would you have him ask? Are you voting for the request? Why or why not?
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: 2008 endorsements
More endorsements coming, you can weigh in
We have more endorsement meetings scheduled.
This is your chance to feed us your questions for the candidates who are coming in. Post them here.
On Monday, we’re meeting with the Republican candidates running for Warren County sheriff. There are three, and no Democrat has filed. That means that the primary election decides this race.
On Wed. Jan. 30, we interview the Democrats who hope to replace state Rep. Fred Strahorn in Columbus.
They are Roland Winburn and Victor A. Harris. Whoever wins, will face a Republican in November.
On Thursday, Jan. 31., we’ll interview proponents of the Miamisburg school bond issue. The critics are vocal in the community, so we’re hoping to see some of their questions here.
And, proponents, what would you ask those who are voting no?
Also on Thursday, we’ll be talking to the Democrats who would like to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt in the 2nd Congressional District (which takes in Lebanon).
On Monday, Feb. 11, we’ll be talking with the incumbent Miami County sheriff (a Republican) and his challenger. Like in Warren County, the winner won’t have opposition in November.
Meanwhile, we’re still working on scheduling more discussions. Watch here for more info about whow we’ll be writing about.
Permalink | | Categories: 2008 endorsements
Bottling and selling ‘creative class’
If you haven’t heard about the “creative class,” you must not be in it — or reading much.
In March, a local group is bringing Richard Florida, popularizer of the idea, to Dayton for a second time.
When Mike Robinette was running the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, he brought Florida to town to talk to the mostly older class of people who are in charge of all things local.
Now Florida’s consulting group has been hired to run a year-long effort aimed at tapping creators who are already here and who might have ideas about how to attract others like themselves.
Here’s our editorial on the subject.
You can go to the Southwestern Council on Higher Education web site for more information.
Any nominations of people who you think definitely should apply to be a so-called “catalyst” for this effort? Tell us about them.
Get Midwest — or not?
The Dayton Development Coalition has unveiled a new branding campaign for the 12-county Dayton region.
The slogan is “Get Midwest … We Think of Everything … Dayton region.”
So, whadya think? Will it stick? Does it resonate? The coalition spent $1.5 million over two years developing the campaign. Surveys, focus groups, interviews and more were part of the process.
Next up is a $2 million marketing campaign. That money is coming from the Mathile Family Foundation, while the development bills were paid with state funds and private contributions.
Will it sell us? Do you love or hate it? Have any better ideas?
Here’s our endorsement meeting schedule…so far
Regular readers of the editorial page know that we routinely endorse in primary elections, not just the fall general elections.
This year, we’re trying something new: Publicizing when interviews for those endorsments are.
That way, if you have questions that you want us to ask of the candidates and levy supporters (or opponents, whom we interview when there’s organized opposition), you can post them here. We’ll try to get answers.
To see what we’re talking about, check out the exchange regarding Sinclair’s levy in previous blog entries.
We’re looking at 15 contests and 4 levies in the primary. We’re still arranging interviews, but below is the schedule so far.
If we get a lot of posts on one race or levy, we’ll start a different thread — just to keep things easy to read. We’ll also add the dates of the other interviews as they’re arranged.
Wed. Jan. 23: 3rd District Democratic candidates: David Esrati, Jane Mitakides, Charles Sanders
Thurs. Jan. 24: 38th Ohio House District Republican candidates: Terrence Blair and Tom Young
Wed. Jan. 30: 40th Ohio House District Democratic candidates: Victor Harris and Roland Winburn
Thurs. Jan. 31: Miamisburg School Bond Issue
We’ve already conducted interviews with backers of Springboro’s school levies and Sinclair’s levy, and with Montgomery County Democratic judicial candidates Jame Piergies and Mary Wiseman. (Incidenally, I didn’t participate in this interview; I’m married to Common Pleas Judge Dennis Langer.)
Feel free to start discussions on those contests as well.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Elections
Getting back to you on Sinclair
Thanks for your good questions regarding Sinclair’s levy.
We asked them — and more. And we’ll we doing some more reporting.
For now, here are some answers to things on your minds.
One person wanted to know how much tuition would go up if the levy failed.
President Steven Johnson wouldn’t answer. He said he and the board haven’t crossed that bridge.
He said the levy proceeds would represent 20 percent of the college’s operating budget of about $110 million next year. Obviously, his math isn’t quite right.
When pressed, he said that the plan is not to spend all the $31.7 million that would be raised especially in the early years of the levy. The proceeds from it, by law, wouldn’t be allowed to grow over the 10-year life. Because $31 million won’t be worth tomorrow what it is today — inflation, you know — the college has to hold off on spending all it would take in.
The cost per credit hour for Montgomery County residents is $45.
Johnson said that, after four months, the Mason satellite in Warren County is “self-sufficient.” He noted that students there pay higher tuition and that the capital investment has been minimal. The college is leasing space for 10 classrooms.
Johnson said enrollment in Mason is 25-30 percent above projections, that about 500 students are enrolled (200 of whom are full-time). Private —as in non-governmental — sources have put up a “few hundred thousand” dollars for the campus. He said Warren County is not entertaining the idea of a levy to support the school there.
Johnson said the location of the Mason satellite is far enough south that it “doesn’t impact our enrollment” (in Montgomery County).
He said that Sinclair has not eliminated any certificate programs.
He said the satellite campuses in Montgomery County — in Huber Heights and Englewood — are “meeting our expectations,” but “we want to be flexible.” Enrollment there, he said, was “double” last year’s.
Six of Ohio’s community colleges are supported, in part, by a local property tax levy.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Elections
Ask away about Sinclair’s levy
On Monday, the Dayton Daily News is meeting with backers of Sinclair Community College’s levy request that will be voted on March 4. The request is for a 3.2-mill property tax levy, which would replace the college’s 2.5-mill levy. It would bring in $31.7 million per year compared with the $20 million the current levy raises.
What do you think about the levy? What do you want to know?
Post your questions here, and we’ll try to get the answers.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Categories: Elections
This is where to post your book-club suggestion or question
The Dayton Daily News Editorial Page has a book club going. We haven’t selected a book yet. When we have one, will notify everybody who’s interested, and then we’ll have a gathering to talk about it.
If you have a book to propose, please post it here in the form of a comment. If you can offer your reasons for suggesting it, that would be good.
Also — or otherwise — check the other suggestions below, and weigh in on them with your own comment.
(When you post a comment, don’t expect it to show up immediately. Somebody on this end has to process it.)
If you are interested in participating, but don’t have a book to suggest, either leave a note here or e-mail me at mgottlieb@daytondailynews.com
Here is a column of mine that ran in the Dayton Daily News of Friday, Jan. 11 about the club:
Turns out 2008 will be a good year, after all:
The Dayton Daily News Editorial Page Book Club is back.
This is the deal whereby we solicit your suggestions about a book that would be worthy of discussion, and then get together and discuss it.
We did this once, in 2005. So you might ask why we are back already. Because we figured that if we wait until 2025, some people might forget the thrill.
This project is not to be confused with The Big Read, another community book thing. This is the little read.
We’re probably talking about nonfiction here. I mean, it’s the editorial page, right?
We want a book that is about the kinds of public dilemmas and problems that are considered on this page daily and on the one next to it: the opinion pages.
That doesn’t mean we have to be hyperpolitical. The 2005 book was Thomas Friedman’s “The World Is Flat.”
And, yes, there might actually be some novel that is relevant. But the first thought has to be nonfiction.
One thing we do not want to do is set up some sort of left-right debate. Maybe that’s something we should do. But it’s another project. And I find that people who want to do that are often just parroting what’s out there on talk radio and the like.
In 2005, we didn’t attract parrots; that was good.
We’re looking for a book that is current and easily available. It also should probably be one that has been fairly widely reviewed, so that participants can find a lot of help in deciding whether it’s up their alley.
If it has a local or Ohio “angle,” as we say in newspapers, all the better.
We are not promising to select the book that gets the most “votes.” This is not an election. The book has to fit in with our notion of a newspaper’s and editorial page’s mission. And its support has to be spontaneous, rather than the result of some campaign.
But last time we did pick the book that was most frequently recommended.
So, if you have an idea, post here.
In 2005, we didn’t have the blog. It gives us the potential for some give-and-take before the book is selected.
When we have a book selected, we’ll move on to setting a date for a discussion (or more than one) at this newspaper’s new offices on South Main Street, south of the fairgrounds.
People seemed to enjoy this project last time around. Some asked when we were going to do again. (I probably didn’t say 2008.) Some suggested that the discussions be regular and frequent.
So if you’ve read something that you’re excited about, let us know. Or else check into a book you’ve been meaning to check into. You have time. We’re not going to move at lightning speed, if the past is any indication.
Permalink | Comments (31) | Categories: Book Club
