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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 > 2010 > February > 27 > Entry
Editorial: Suburb councils not looking great
Many communities confront problems these days that defy the efforts of local officials to solve them. Sometimes, though, the local officials themselves are the problem. Or among them.
This observation is not made with an eye on the policy views of those officials. Typically, at the local level, reasonable people confront real issues pragmatically.
No, the issue here is the personal behavior of the officials.
• In Trotwood, the mayor has resigned under state criticism for doing his city job on state time with state resources, and for the “appearance of impropriety” in his assistance to a friend who ended up getting money from a city contractor.
• In Huber Heights, one member of the council thinks it’s perfectly fine to run for the city council despite working for a contractor in Iraq and being unable to do city business.
• In Riverside, council members are at each others’ throats, with such charges as “you’re acting like a high school punk.” A couple of years ago, one council member pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct stemming from an argument with another.
• In Carlisle, headlines are about sexually explicit images on a city-owned computer — whoever may have put them there — and about road rage. Some want to recall the mayor. The police chief has been put on administrative leave.
• In Moraine, a series of pointless recall elections had the government in turmoil for years, until recently.
From this list, one might gather that local government, at least at the suburban level, is in some sort of systemic trouble, that the right people just aren’t seeking elective office. Not really true. Every election brings good people who are willing to volunteer their time to do thankless jobs in many places around the Dayton region.
But in communities where most people are struggling just to hold their own economic lives together, often there’s no oversupply of such people.
So problems are destined to arise. (And, it must be said, every time a problem arises, that doesn’t mean the elected official in the news has necessarily done something wrong. Sometimes, the full story looks different from what the early headlines suggest.)
If people are upset enough about these kinds of embarrassments, one possible approach is a move toward regional government. That wouldn’t assure competence, integrity and good judgment, of course. But it could reduce the number of low-profile, low-turnout elections in which overburdened voters are expected to pass judgment.
In truth, the Dayton area has shown no taste for a hard-core version of regional government. But opportunities exist to, at least, consolidate some operations under offices that are well equipped to handle them.
Meanwhile, people who are not satisfied with the kinds of people who are offering their services might consider offering themselves. If you’ve sometimes thought about doing that, but you’ve wondered how your qualifications might compare with other candidates, the best approach is not to assume anything. One can get in the fray and see how things turn out.
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Martin Gottlieb, Suburban Communities
Comments
By R U Kidding Me
February 27, 2010 5:46 AM | Link to this
Regional local government is the next step toward communism so its no wonder Marton Gottlieb is in favor of it. For those small communities that would participate regional government translates to more and larger bureaucracy for those smaller communities, increased costs (cost sharing in political speak)and less effective impersonal representation. I realize personal responsibility is not a liberal principle - but insist on it with your local elected leaders. Hold their feet to the fire, make them accountable for their conduct. The Mayor of Trotwood should be civilly liable to Trotwood’s citizens for the costs of any investigations and the cost to replace him since his bad conduct is repsonsible for his ouster. Vote the bastards out, be an informed educated voter. Stand up against the wannabe power clowns and humiliate them. Put on display their ignorance, stupidity and bad behavior. Run them out of town on Karon’s train. If regional government is the answer for badly behaving, ignorant, self serving politians - then what are we to do about Hussein Obama, Sherrod “A$$ CLOWN” Brown, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Mike Dewine - answer, you vote them out of office just like we did to Mayor McHat. RISE UP AGAINST YOUR GOVERNMENT AT ALL LEVELS - BRING BACK SANITY TO THE FEDERAL GOVT AND DON’T LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR LOCAL GOVT. A REVOLUTION IS COMING INSURRECTION NOW!!!!!!!
By Rich Irony
February 27, 2010 8:14 AM | Link to this
The irony here is just too rich, ain’t it? The DDN leads the pack in sanctimoniously analyzing and evaluating any candidate who runs for office and then sits high and mighty from afar as it picks them apart for failing to solve mostly impossible problems in our world today. And then they wonder why no qualified candidates come forth any more to run for office. You’re kidding me, right? You’re supposed to be bright journalists but you don’t see your outright culpability in the dearth of bright elected leaders anymore? I mean, Gary Litzell?!?! He sits secluded in his basement and paints dolls for a living! Esrati? Oh child, please. But these and other misfit underachievers are the only ones willing to run the gauntlet and subject themselves to almost certain ridicule and abuse for ultimately not having the smarts to solve the community’s problems. We are all ending up with what the media wrought in its pious disection of elected leaders! Only the delusional or sorely unqualified end up coming forward to run for office these days, so voters are left with little choice in who gets elected. And our cities are the ones who suffer year in and year out.
By tommyv
February 27, 2010 9:15 AM | Link to this
Martin: You will never be happy about things in life. Let the suburbs deal with their own problems. If the local electorate is satisfied, they can kick their hind ends out. That’s the way it works Martin. It’s just like the DDN has don recently…they have laid off a lot of people and nary a word about it from the DDN.
By Dayton Bailout
February 27, 2010 9:33 AM | Link to this
Why is it that DDNews NEVER has anything good to say about the MAJORITY of suburbs who have wonderful, smart and dedicated councils and staff persons - choosing to trash the few who have been problematic for DECADES. For once can you say something good about Miamisburg, Oakwood, Centerville, Tipp City, Kettering, Beavercreek, Springboro - and I can go on and on. For some reason DDNews wants all the area’s finest to bail out the city of Dayton. DDNews pushed the regional dispatch center - look what a disaster that was! Hopefully the suburbs will continue doing what that have for decades - offering great services at an even better price!! Stay out of it DDNews!
By null
February 27, 2010 9:41 AM | Link to this
Why didn’t you mention Dayton’s Nan Whaley stealing personal information and using it for scool, or Joey william’s restaurant and money troubles, or Lovelace’s obvious hate for certain people, or…and it could go on and on. That’s why I left the entire county.
By what??
February 27, 2010 10:51 AM | Link to this
Rich Irony, Thank you for your response. That spanking didn’t hurt, or did it Martin?
By It's Great in dayton!!
February 27, 2010 12:10 PM | Link to this
Compared to Dayton, the ‘burbs are a pristine utopia. The Skank-Butts running Dayton have graft, waste, fraud, and greed down to a science. Certainly suburban city councils have their problems, but they don’t amount to anything compared to Dayton’s ongoing Skank-a-Thon. ——Dayton’s Dying——
By null
February 27, 2010 3:28 PM | Link to this
You left out Fairborn’s Council investigation last year over the Mayor’s handling of the City Manager’s performance appraisal, it was reported in the DDN.
By DDN is Out There
February 27, 2010 4:49 PM | Link to this
RE: Huber Heights. “A Council Member Thinks It’s OK to run for Office Even though he’s not here.” Apparrently so did the vast majority of his ward who voted him in. Isn’t it really up to the people to decide? And that they did. Obviously, DDN is in tune with facism/dictatorship type of government where the people obviously do not know what they want and their leaders must be decided for them. This author needs to read the US Constitution before they write anything else!
By DDN is Out There
February 27, 2010 4:54 PM | Link to this
RE: Huber Heights. “A Council Member Thinks It’s OK to run for Office Even though he’s not here.” Apparrently so did the vast majority of his ward who voted him in. Isn’t it really up to the people to decide? And that they did. Obviously, DDN is in tune with facism/dictatorship type of government where the people obviously do not know what they want and their leaders must be decided for them. This author needs to read the US Constitution before they write anything else!
By Henry
February 27, 2010 8:09 PM | Link to this
To say that regional local government leads to communism is ridiculous. Look at some nearby cities with regional governmen — Indy and Louisville. What’s happening there? Business — that’s private enterprise — is booming.
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
February 27, 2010 8:25 PM | Link to this
The ‘burbs would be a lot more interested in forming a regional government if it did not include Dayton. ———-DAYTON’S DYING——
By David Esrati
February 27, 2010 10:54 PM | Link to this
Have to agree with Rich Irony- you need a really thick skin to run, if not supported by the party hacks who meet in secret to “pick” our candidates for us. The DDN has never seen an endorsed candidate they didn’t like- unless the incumbent has totally failed. Martin is a misanthrope. We’ll be lucky when the hatred inside him finally does him in- if he doesn’t get downsized first. The process is stacked against people outside the system- we’ll have to change it first- if we hope to see better candidates step forward. Just the other day- the BOE gave Joe Ellis a hall pass for his petition errors- less than 3 days later- bar fight. Yep- the system is working great.
By David Esrati
February 27, 2010 10:56 PM | Link to this
Have to agree with Rich Irony- you need a really thick skin to run, if not supported by the party hacks who meet in secret to “pick” our candidates for us. The DDN has never seen an endorsed candidate they didn’t like- unless the incumbent has totally failed. Martin is a misanthrope. We’ll be lucky when the hatred inside him finally does him in- if he doesn’t get downsized first. The process is stacked against people outside the system- we’ll have to change it first- if we hope to see better candidates step forward. Just the other day- the BOE gave Joe Ellis a hall pass for his petition errors- less than 3 days later- bar fight. Yep- the system is working great.
By Jim from Dayton
February 28, 2010 5:18 AM | Link to this
If not regional government, perhaps suburban consolidation. There really is no excuse for a municipality like Riverside; it should consolidate with Huber Heights, Beavercreek or Dayton. Likewise, Kettering and Centerville and Beavercreek and Fairborn ought to give it a try. Likewise with school systems. With all the anti-tax sentiment out there, you’d think that school consolidation would be the No. 1 issue for those opposed to higher taxes and the proliferation of taxes. The real problem is that not only do the suburbs hate Dayton, but hate each other, too. Very sad for the Miami Valley—and taxpayers everywhere! And I won’t even get into the issue of whether county government is called for in the 21st century!!
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
February 28, 2010 8:28 AM | Link to this
I live in a beautiful semi-rural setting after living in Dayton for 7 years. I moved out here to get away from Dayton, as did many people.——————- I have a lovely home on 2 acres. Deer are in my front yard as I write this, and I can see the tracks of other wildlife in the snow. My neighbors (like me) pay a premium to live out here, and it’s worth it. There is very, very little crime (I often don’t even lock my doors, haven’t for 17 years, not a single problem).———I would have to have rocks in my head to get involved with Dayton again.
By Wow Communism
February 28, 2010 10:44 AM | Link to this
R U Kidding me….communism, really? Louisville, KY took Humana from Dayton with its communist/regional gov’t, Atlanta Metro got NCR and apparently many smaller companies from our metro area because of a metro gov’t. Even Columbus consolidated some 30+ townships and they have Nationwide and the Chase Bank Polaris center. If I were the larger government entities like the county and Dayton I’d tell all these “islands onto themselves to get their own water. Just a thought. Go regional government!
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
February 28, 2010 11:07 AM | Link to this
The community I live in just outside Dayton has it’s own water supply, and plenty of it. I have my own well, that is capable of producing enough water for an entire neighborhood if necessary.——No need here to affiliate with Dayton….certainly not for water. ——-DAYTON’S DYING——-
By David Esrati
February 28, 2010 8:38 PM | Link to this
There is a lot more to running for office than just putting your name on the ballot. Before anyone thinks about it- take time to read what Martin’s favorite fodder says about the subject: http://esrati.com/on-running-for-office-in-dayton/4431/ Be prepared before you put your name on the ballot- or at least well informed.
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
March 1, 2010 8:22 AM | Link to this
Here’s an example of why nobody in the burbs wants to affiliate with Dayton : ——DAYTON, Ohio — Dayton police are looking for two men accused of ambushing a couple in an armed robbery in Dayton on Sunday. The couple traveled to an address along Mulford Avenue to sell the car that had been listed on Craigslist. Police said the person who posed as a potential buyer agreed to meet the couple there. “These people called and said they were interested in buying the car. Of course, they weren’t,” Sgt. Joe Wiesman with the Dayton Police Department said. “They were interested in stealing the car.” Witnesses said the two “buyers” came out shooting and a bullet hit one of the seller’s in his leg. That seller was also armed and returned fire. Police said the two robbers got away with the car.
By Martin Gottlieb
March 1, 2010 12:19 PM | Link to this
For anybody who is interested in this question of whether the DDN editorial page is too hard on local candidates — or never says anything nice about public officials in the suburbs — there’s a listing on the right side of this page called “categories.” Under it is a link to our “2009 endorsements.”
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
March 2, 2010 9:54 AM | Link to this
I’m sure you’re a nice guy and mean well, but very few people under 60 care what the DDN thinks about much of anything.
By It's OK in Dayton
March 2, 2010 1:49 PM | Link to this
Apparently you care about what DDN thinks because you are on here posting your opinion. If you don’t care then you should ignore what the editorial says. Anyone who has taken Microecon 101 knows that the metro goes as the central place (Dayton) goes. If you don’t believe me ask someone not from around here if they know where any of these suburbs are and you will hear crickets. Bedroom communities like like the surrounding areas don’t have much to offer outside of schools and housing hence the name bedroom communities. For instance why didn’t they have plays like Wicked in a suburb, I’ll tell you why because people want to come to a city not some no-where township or village that is a drain on my state and county tax dollars. Just my 2 cents. Oh yeah Washigton township needs to get its own police dept.
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
March 2, 2010 10:11 PM | Link to this
Nobody knows or cares where Dayton is, either. Furthermore, bulldozing Dayton would not affect the quality of life in the burbs much, if at all. The notion of a center city driving the economy of a region is no longer valid. ——DAYTON’S DYING——-
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
March 3, 2010 9:38 AM | Link to this
Here is an example of the type of serious, real-world problem that Dayton is not very good at addressing…From today’s DDN : “Officers hit the streets this week as home burglaries in Southeast Dayton continue to hover at 45 percent above last year’s pace that resulted in a five-year high of 732 annually, police said. Car break-ins have soared 140 percent as thieves continue to target GPS units, other mobile electronics and money left in vehicles, police said.” ….A bunch of self-proclaimed creative class weenies in a funky old building will not accomplish jack squat. A silly-@ss poster, making films, websites, blogs, or mediocre slogans and logos will not do a d@mn thing. Unless the city center moves into crisis mode, and gets extremely aggressive about fixing itself, then————-DAYTON’S DYING———————-
By It's Great in Dayton!!!
March 6, 2010 4:47 PM | Link to this
“Suburb councils not looking great”———YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING, RIGHT? On their worst day, the burbs and their councils still do far better than SKANK-BUTT Dayton———————————EXAMPLE: I’d like to personally thank the entire population of the City of Dayton for giving the world Raleigh Trammell. Just when we all thought Dayton’s reputation couldn’t get any worse, this guy bursts onto the national scene by stealing from the organization formed by Dr. Martin Luther King. ———What’s next? Maybe a son or daughter of Dayton will beat up the Dalai Lama, or steal the Pope’s red shoes and big hat….? What a fu(king embarassment. Thanks, Dayton!!!