To the Editors:
Many of us do our civic duty by voting our conscience every 2 or 4 years. Do you ever wonder what the consequences are of that vote?
First, I want to explain that the purpose of the Planning Commission (PC) in our government is to provide balance and residential input to the Council. At the end of 2008, Natalie Mitchell’s term on the Commission expired. Mayor Fisher has the power and responsibility of reappointing or appointing a new member to the vacancy. Mayor Fisher chose to appoint Grover Miller to the Planning Commission. The vote of the people did not re-elect Grover Miller to Council in the Nov. 2007 election. Miller has been quoted in public that he thinks the Planning Commission should be eliminated. Mayor Fisher appointed Miller to the Board of Zoning Appeals in January 2008. It is interesting that while the people removed Miller from public office, the Mayor has appointed him to two government bodies. The Mayor will most likely control the Planning Commission because Moyer, Miller and Fisher have demonstrated in the past to show a consistency in agreeing on issues. The Mayor dismissed the current Chairperson without any explanation except “it is time for a change” and replaced her with Charlie Moyer. I would like to know how the Mayor would know “it is time for a change” since even after repeated requests by the PC he did not attend one Planning Commission meeting for a full year. The mayor willfully neglected to perform his official duty for a full year. He stated that he refused to attend because his vote did not count. Now that he has taken the balance provided by the Ohio Revised Code through the purposes of the Commission away from the people, the Fisher Machine is thundering full steam ahead. The Mayor is counting on the inattention of the voting public and that the voters trust their elected officials to act in the best interest of the community. Is this what you intended with your vote?
| Brenda Nichols |