WHO WILL LAKE VOTERS AGREE WITH? TRUSTEES OR OPPOSITION. LAKE 2.0 MILL MIDWAY PARK LEVY

UPDATED:  7:15 A.M. 05/05  

ISSUE 3 AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH ISSUE 3 OPPONENT EVE MORGAN

6:19 PM - AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH ISSUE 3 PROPONENT SETH MARANA

9:21 AM -  PRO ISSUE 3 PRE-PRIMARY CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS
(SEE IN APPENDIX)

LAKE ISSUE #3 - GOING DOWN TO DEFEAT?

SEE SCPR VIDEO INTERVIEW OF TRUSTEE JEREMY YODER SUPPORTIN LEVY

ALSO, VIDEO OF OPPONENTS AT COMMUNITY MEETING

Recently, this blogger was into a local barber shop and, of course, anyone who has ever been to a barbershop know that it "pulse of the community central."

A Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) visit to a local barber who the SCPR thinks knows the Lake community politics better than anyone else living in the township:

Question:  Is the proposed 2.0 mill Midway Park levy going to pass?

Answer:  "I don't think so."

If the barber is correct, then the folks  (about two dozen of them, likely near all of them against the levy) who showed up at the Uniontown Fire Department (FD) on April 18, 2019 for an informational meeting, will be cheered up.

Here is a SCPR video sampling of some of those folks who had specific objections to the levy.





The Report has not gotten the impression from Lake Township trustee Jeremy Yoder that the issue is obviously destined for failure.

He appears to the SCPR to be mildly optimistic that Lake voters will approve the ambitious Midway Park plan which will come at an average cost of $100 a year or so for an average-valued home owned by Lake Township residents.

The levy is for 10 years and likely, according to Stark County auditor Alan Harold, raise about $15/16 million.

Here is a LINK to a video that shows the design concept of the proposed Issue 3 project.

A few weeks ago, the SCPR did a videotaped interview with Trustee Yoder.

Here is that video.



As a matter of disclaimer, this blogger  (a Lake resident) favors the levy.

But, as Trustee Yoder said at the Uniontown FD informational meeting, Lake residents who vote on May 7th will decide the issue for all.  The vote on this issue is an example of Democracy at work.

Those gathered at the FD on April 18th made an interesting rejoinder to Trustee Yoder when he opined that Lake lags Jackson and North Canton in park development which draws many people to a community and therefore Lake suffers from a lesser commerce factor which in turn makes Lake one of Stark's most expensive real property tax communities.

The rejoinder?

"We do not want to be like Jackson and North Canton!"

Here is a letter which underscores the foregoing point:

As a follow up to the foregoing letter, the SCPR via telephone interviewed Ms. Morgan on Saturday, May 4, 2019:



However, there are those like this blogger want to see the Midway project pass for several reasons.

First and foremost is that it is likely a facility that will get heavy use by nearly all age groups.

Heavy promotion of using the facility should be made to the youth of Lake in hopes that involvement with the use of the park will be a healthy diversion from the youth engaging in unhealthy activities.

Next, it will be an economic plus and long term property tax relief for Lake which is primarily a "bedroom community" and therefore has to have high property tax rates.

Here is an audio interview with a proponent of Issue 3; namely, Seth Marana of Uniontown:



The Lake citizens who oppose the issue are making terrific points in that it appears that the Lake trustees and other "on board" community leaders have not thought out well enough.

For instance, one resident at the FD meeting guffawed at the notion that a couple of employees could maintain and manage the park.

The SCPR agrees and, if passed, the trustees need to get real and make sure that along the course of construction and develop that there is an adequate proportion of the $15/16 million set aside for the operational side of the facility.

There were other salient points made by the objectors.

Hopefully, Trustee Yoder heard them and will be a force for addressing their concerns.

APPENDIX

Pro Issue 3 Campaign contributors
(No report filed by anti-Issue 3 group; likely because less than $1,000 was raised)

For those readers who want to dig deeper into the makeup of Lake Township, see the YMCA commissioned report which follows: