While unofficial, election results clearly reflected residents’ distain for paying more taxes. The issue, which would have pushed the city’s income tax rate to 2.25 percent, failed with 7,777 or 59.1 percent of the vote against the income tax and 5,375 or 40.9 percent of the vote for the income tax.

For residents, the issue of fiscal responsibility was the deciding factor.

“They are not spending their money wisely now,” said 55-year-old Ricky Henthorn of Hamilton Avenue. “There was no way I was voting for it and I won’t vote for it if it goes back up in a year.”

Kim Henthorn, 51, said she voted against the tax because she couldn’t understand where the money would be spent.
“It’s kind of confusing how money is spent in this city,” she said.

Billed by city leaders — especially Mayor Bill Grace — as the most important tax issue Elyria voters have seen in recent history, its failure means more cuts to city services to ensure the 2010 budget is balanced.

And as promised, Grace said those cuts will hit the city’s safety forces.

“They have to,” Grace said Tuesday night. “We have $4 million to cut. We can shut down entire departments and come no where close to that.”

While Grace said Tuesday he could not give details on what will happen, during the campaign for the income tax he said failure of Issue 10 will mean 10 to 15 police officers will be laid off, more firefighters will be cut and the Parks and Recreation Department will only be able to provide the programs that can be self-funded through fees.

“After we catch our breath from (Tuesday) night, we will make plans to as quickly as possible make the necessary cuts,” he said.

Campaign chairman and Councilman Kevin Brubaker, D-at large, said he pushed for the tax because he knew the cuts that would have to be made would devastate the city. However, it was obvious after the last vote was tallied that not all residents agreed with him.

“I’m disappointed for the more than 5,000 that voted for this because they knew the need of the city, not just now but our future needs as well,” he said. “The mere fact that more than 40 percent of the people voted for it shows that there were plenty of people behind this although it also shows there were more people against it.”

In charge of a campaign that many people say started too late in the election season to sway enough voters for a passage, Brubaker said he doesn’t think there was anything he could have done differently.

“There was a multitude of people knocking on doors, passing out flyers, putting out mailers, and town hall meetings – the information was out there,” he said.

However, there was also a strong anti-Grace sentiment clouding the election.

Just one day before voters headed to the polls, a group determined to recall Grace brought a petition to City Hall signed by hundreds who shared the opinion. Stand Up Elyria founders have adamantly spoken out against the tax in recent months by saying it would only be more money for Grace to waste on frivolous amenities in the city while important city services are neglected.

Still, Grace said the issue’s defeat was not an indictment of him.

“Clearly, there is a fraction of the community that have said they voted against the issue because of me or other people and that’s a shame, but it’s their prerogative,” he said. “Now is just a difficult time to raise taxes and that played into it more than anything. Even if they felt it was needed, people just couldn’t afford it.”

The campaign did have success swaying some voters, albeit not enough.

“Normally, I don’t vote for taxes but I felt this was necessary,” said Lowell Cavin of East River Street. “In recent years, I have felt as if money has not been managed properly and in a lot of cases the city should learn to do more with less. But this economy is something that if we don’t collectively get a tax passed, things will get worse.”

In the coming weeks, Grace said residents will find out just how bad it will get as a slew of cuts and reductions will be solidified by council and the administration.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

Unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections had the renewal passing by a 2-to-1 margin with 6,067 votes cast in favor and 3,115 votes against it.

At the same time, voters defeated a new 1.9-mill, 10-year emergency operating levy with 4,782 voting against it and 4,443 voting for it, or 52 percent to 48 percent.

“We were closer on this than on any money issue in quite awhile and that’s a positive,” said school board President Maria Sycz, who herself re-elected to another term on Tuesday night.

Sycz and fellow board member Clyde ‘Bo’ Truett Jr., ran unopposed for re-election.

“We were definitely closer this time, we’re making headway,” Sycz said. “The (levy campaign) committee did an awesome job of getting information out there. We tried some new avenues like Twitter and Facebook. We tried to make technology work for us and we’ll keep trying something else. The need is not going away.”

The 3.7-mill renewal, which was due to expire next year, is expected to generate roughly $2.7 million a year for the general fund. The 1.9-mill levy would have raised about $1.3 million a year. Both issues were set to run for 10 years in keeping with recent changes in state regulations that allowed school districts to double the terms of emergency levies from five to 10 years.

School officials project the system could face dramatic spending cuts and curtailing of programs by the end of the 2011-12 school year without new money. The district was $1.17 million in the red at the end of the fiscal year concluding June 30, but since state law bars school districts from operating at a deficit, the sum was covered with money from operating reserves.

The last time voters approved new money for the school system was 1995.

North Ridgeville Schools have experienced dramatic growth in recent years, adding an average 100 new students a year to an enrollment that currently stands at nearly 4,000.

The district and school board tried to strike a balance and opted for what they thought was a palatable ballot request.

“We really could have used more, but knowing what times were, we tried to keep it small,” Sycz said. “We wanted it to be beneficial for the district but not take a chunk out of anyone’s pocket.”

The earliest any money issue is likely to appear on the ballot again is the May primary, as a February special election would not be too costly, Sycz said.

“There’s no way around it,” she said. “It’s going back on (the ballot), considering that we deficit spent this past year.”

The amount of additional money the district asks for may well be more, Sycz said.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

According to unofficial election results, Melanie Szabo, I-1st Ward, lost to Democrat Brian Gates. Szabo walked away with 566 votes compared to Gates’ 1,135 votes, or 66.7 percent to 33.3 percent.

Gates could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

“I will credit Brian,” Szabo said. “He worked very, very hard and I wish him the best of luck. I’m thankful to have served my two years.”

Szabo then lashed out at the city’s current leaders.

“I found out many, many months ago that the administration wanted me out of my seat,” she said. “We had heard about a list of Council members that they were going to make sure were campaigned against.”

Szabo said she doesn’t intend to run for Council again.

“There are a lot of things that go on in this city that are more illegal and dirty than people will ever, ever know,” she said, declining to elaborate.

Szabo said she found the “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” way of doing business hard to deal with.

“If I’d voted the way the administration wanted me to, a lot more things would have gotten done in the 1st Ward,” she said. “In the beginning, that was made very clear to me. People have no idea what goes on behind closed doors in City Hall.”

In the city’s 2nd Ward, Democrat Andy Drwal was unopposed and collected 858 votes on Tuesday night, according to the unofficial returns. He knocked fellow Democrat and incumbent Dennis Flores out of the race in the May primary.

Fifth Ward incumbent Eddie Edwards returns to Council running unopposed after winning the May primary. Eighth Ward incumbent Craig Snodgrass was also unopposed Tuesday night and will be back on Council.

The remaining incumbents all were re-elected, with Councilwoman Anne Molnar, D-at large, collecting the most votes with 7,512 ballots cast in her favor. Councilman Dan Given, D-at large, who collected 7,030 votes, said Council has tough times ahead, but he’s ready for the challenge.

“I appreciate the fact that the public has shown faith in me to give them another two years of service,” Given said. “We’ll be working as hard as possible with the difficult times we’re going to face over the next two years financially.”

Councilman Mitchell Fallis, D-at large, collected 7,046 votes and was returned to the Council, too. The two defeated challengers Sean Stipe and Keith Jones each collected approximately 9 percent of the votes cast Tuesday night.

Incumbent Timothy Howard, D-3rd Ward, defeated challengers Joyce Early and Timothy Haupt walking away with 72 percent of the vote.

“I’m glad to get a second opportunity to continue doing the work I enjoy,” Howard said. “I’m going to work harder now because I’ve learned a lot in my first two years so my expectations for myself are much higher.”

Incumbents Bret Schuster, D-4th ward, and Gregory Holcomb, D-6th ward, each took home around 62 percent of the vote. Schuster defeated Andrew Winemiller and Holcomb beat out Bob Kerecz. Democrat Myroslaw “Mickey” Silecky, 7th ward incumbent, defeated Kenneth Baughman with 60 percent of the vote.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

Issue 25 won by a vote of 3,993 to 2,177, or 64.7 percent to 35.3 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

The levy, which is not a tax increase, will raise $915,000 a year for 10 years for general school district expenses, including salaries, utilities and supplies. It will continue to cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $37.06 per year.

Even though Avon residents have been historically favorable toward school levies, especially those that don’t cost additional money, district officials weren’t tanking anything for granted.

Kent Zeman, treasurer for the Avon School District, spoke at PTA and booster club events in the district to drum up support for Issue 25, which renews an operating levy that was first approved by voters in the late 1980s and has been approved ever since.

Residents Larry and Mary Kay Rak said they have grandchildren in the district, but even if they didn’t they’d still vote yes on the school levies.

“It’s good for the community and it keeps our property values high,” Mary Kay said.

Contact Adam Wright at 329-7129 or awright@chroniclet.com.

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Grunda stopped at Bennett’s victory party at the Elyria Elks to offer his congratulations in person.

“He’ll be the judge and I’ll be the prosecutor,” Grunda said. “Just because we ran against each other doesn’t mean we’ve stopped being friends.”

Grunda, 48, said he plans to return to his job as Elyria city prosecutor today. Bennett, 57, said he’s forced to use an old cliché for his plans before he takes office in January to replace the retiring Judge John Musson.

“I’m going to Disney World,” he said, and he really is — to visit a son who works there.

Bennett, a former county prosecutor and former Elyria school board member who currently serves as an acting judge and magistrate in Elyria Municipal Court, took 55.2 percent of the vote, or 15,628 votes, according to unofficial returns from the Lorain County Board of Elections.

Grunda received 12,672 votes or 44.8 percent of the vote.

Bennett said the voters would have been well served if either he or Grunda had won the race.

“We laid our credentials out for the community and they picked,” he said.

But Bennett also said he will have his work cut out for him with impending budget cuts at both the county and city levels.
Voters on Tuesday shot down both the county’s 0.5 percent sales tax increase and a 0.5 percent income tax hike in Elyria.
That will force more creative solutions to dealing with criminals, Bennett said. Among the changes he wants to impose are creating a GED program for young offenders and repeat drunk drivers.

“I really believe the motto ‘Improve the community one defendant at a time,’ ” he said.

Elyria Municipal Court Judge Lisa Locke Graves, a Republican, was unopposed in her bid for a second term.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

Voters approved both Issue 26 and Issue 27, paving the way for needed additional classrooms, a new bus garage and renovated football stadium.

Issue 27, a 0.93-mill bond issue for additional classrooms, won by a vote of 4,652 to 3,182, or 59.4 percent to 40.6 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results. Meanwhile Issue 26, a .39-mill bond issue for a renovated stadium and new bus garage to handle the expected growth of students, won by a razor thin 3,988 to 3,848 margin, or 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

The two projects were offered to voters as separate issues because there was such a desperate need for additional classrooms, district officials didn’t want voters to reject that issue if they felt strongly against renovating the stadium.

“We knew it would be close, and we respect the fact that people have feelings about athletic facilities and we’re empathetic to families with fixed incomes,” said Superintendent Robert Scott, about Issue 26. “But we’re going to make sure we do the very best we can and do everything we can to stretch these tax dollars as far as they can go.”

District officials had been pushing both issues because they said it was the perfect time to build. The district had been offered between $3 million and $7 million in no-or low-interest loans backed by federal stimulus money for its building projects, based on the condition that voters approve the bond issues for those projects.

Due to the struggling economy, rates from construction companies also are expected to be 10 to 12 percent lower than normal, according to the Citizens for Avon Lake Schools campaign committee.

“I think people understand that this is for our future, and it’s a good deal,” Scott said.

The classrooms will be added to the four elementary schools and Learwood Middle School, replacing the modular units some classes have been held in for the past few years after the buildings ran out of space.

Opening day enrollment for the district was 3,836 this year, an increase of 113 students over last year’s opening day enrollment figures and 443 more than in 2004.

The number is expected to reach 4,591 students in eight years, according to the committee.

Matt Lash, 40, said he voted yes on both issues at the urging of his son, a student in the district, even though he knew the issues were coming at a bad time economically.

“I’m kind of for and kind of against it, but it’s probably best for the community,” he said.

The stadium hasn’t been touched in 50 years, Scott said, and the renovations will include additional seating as well as bathrooms to replace the portable toilets on the visitor’s side. The bus garage also is needed to accommodate future students as well as to create less-congested parking lots at the schools, he said.

Issue 26 will last for 28 years and raise about $5.5 million, while Issue 27 will raise $13 million for 28 years.

Contact Adam Wright at 329-7155 or awright@chroniclet.com.

With 91 percent of precincts reporting unofficial results, Issue 3 passed 53 percent to 47 percent.

It marked a significant victory for Penn National Gaming Inc. and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who spent nearly $35 million promoting four big-city casinos in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo. An economic impact study commissioned by the campaign predicted nearly 40,000 temporary and permanent jobs and $4 billion in economic impact, though social costs were not considered.

State Rep. Lou Blessing, a Republican who fought the plan, said he plans to push a ballot issue next May that amends elements of the plan, collects more taxes from the casinos and puts the licenses up for bid.

Issue 7, the levy, was rejected by a vote of 2,090 to 4,019, or 34.2 percent to 65.8 percent of the vote, while Issue 6, the bond issue, failed by a vote of 1,964 to 4,128, or 32.2 percent to 67.8 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

Although the new operating levy appeared tied to the proposed new library in campaign advertising for both issues, it had to be passed even if the bond issue failed because of the loss in state funding for the current library.

Joanne Eldridge, director of the Lorain Public Library System, which operates the Avon Branch Library, said she and her staff did everything they could to make it clear to voters that the two issues were separate, and didn’t want to speculate Tuesday night on why voters roundly rejected both issues.

“I was constantly trying to set the record straight and we had public meeting after public meeting. Opponents came and yelled and lambasted and tried to destroy the credibility of the library – I don’t know why – but they did what they felt they had to do,” she said.

An organized and vocal opposition formed against the library issues, and some people running for council this year used the issues to criticize current government practices.

Eldridge said staff would “absolutely” have to be cut and library officials also will look at reducing library hours and cutting back on materials.

“No doubt about it,” she said about the layoffs.

The entire Lorain Public Library System lost about $1 million in state funding this year, and although Eldridge did not have available Tuesday night how much of that affected the Avon Branch, she said the branch’s current operating levy, which brings in about $400,000 a year, is not enough to maintain current services.

The new operating levy would have raised about $1.75 million per year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $70.74 per year. Had just the levy passed, not all of it would have been used to fund the current library. Some of the monies would have been used to fund a proposed new library, which was to be much larger and more modern. Eldridge had said library and city officials would have worked together to figure out what to do with the leftover levy money, which may have meant giving it back in the form of reduced taxes.

Meanwhile, the $10.5 million bond issue for a new library would have been used for construction costs and to purchase land at the new municipal complex off of Detroit Road, next to the new fire and police stations and new post office. It would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $31.84 per year.

Voters leaving polling stations Tuesday said they didn’t feel a new library was necessary, especially not in these economic times.

“The library we have is fine,” said one woman, Kimberly, who did not want to provide her last name.

Eldridge had said a new, modern library was needed because the city has outgrown the current facility, which was built in 1994 when the population was only 7,000. The city is now home to nearly 17,000 residents, about the same as Rocky River, which has a 75,000-square-foot library and handles about 1.4 million circulations a year.

Avon currently handles about 250,000 circulations a year, and the library’s population is growing.

Plans for the new library included a children’s area with a train station, town hall and gazebo play areas, a section for teens, a drive-up return area, up to four meeting rooms, a quiet study room, an Internet cafe, more than 30 computers, a small kitchen to serve the cafe and meeting rooms, an after-hours drive-up locker area for patrons who ordered materials but couldn’t get to the library during regular hours, an outside reading garden and a larger collection overall of books, magazines and other library materials.

Contact Adam Wright at 329-7155 or awright@chroniclet.com.

When the elder Grunda was running for office he said he never worried, but his father always did.

“Times change,” he said. “I became my father.”