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Weigle, Barnett vie for commissioner post

LISBON — Columbiana County Commissioner Tim Weigle, in his bid to win a second term, is opposed by Beaver Local Board of Education President Jerry Barnett.

Weigle said he would like another term to continue building on projects undertaken during his first three-plus years in office. “I think I’ve made a difference in the things I’ve been given to tackle,” he said.

Barnett said he wants to bring a fresh perspective and restore political “checks and balances” to the board of commissioners, where Republicans hold a 3-0 edge.

“I just think it’s wiser and healthier if you have at least one person on there who has a spine … who is going to think independently on the situation and not be influenced by outside forces,” he said. Barnett did not say what these outside forces might be or how they influenced any decisions made by Weigle.

During Barnett’s time on the school board the district built and opened a new $50 million-plus school complex, and he also drafted the district’s first-ever drug testing policy for students participating in extracurricular activities. Along the way, Barnett discovered he enjoyed the challenges of serving the public, which is why he said yes when the county Democratic Party approached him about running against Weigle.

“I seriously want to get in there and make a difference. That’s why I’m doing it,” Barnett said, adding he believes the same skills he brought to the school board would enable him to be a successful commissioner.

Following are what the candidates had to say on some of the issues:

911/County Emergency Management Agency

Weigle was pleased with his role in overseeing 911 and EMA operations for the board. As president of the county 911 advisory committee, he was instrumental in the decision to upgrade to next generation 911 or NG911, which will allow the county system to accept text messages, videos and photographs.

The 911 system is one of the issues raised by Barnett, who said a number of dispatchers have complained to him the calls often go to the wrong cellphone tower or police department. “It’s awful,” Barnett said, adding he would address the problem if elected.

Weigle conceded there have been some problems but they seem mostly to occur in the Knox Township area, which borders Mahoning and Stark counties. Cellphone calls go the closest tower and that tower may be in another county, depending on where the call is made. He said there is nothing they can do about this, although NG911 is expected to significantly reduce the problem.

“We do have some evidence that it’s going to be better,” Weigle said, adding that even if it does occur the 911 calls be transferred to the appropriate destination within seconds.

Weigle was pleased with his decision to create a 911 director job and combine it with the EMA. Before then, the consulting firm that set up the system was hired by the committee to also oversee its daily operation.

“We’re probably saving $70,000 on average conservatively a year by not contracting out, and it has given us a better understanding of how the system works,” he said of the decision. “Before, we depended on an outside source to come in when something happened. Now one of the three of us (Weigle, the EMA director and deputy director) knows if something fails, we can step in and get it fixed.”

Weigle believes he has helped bring stability to the EMA with the hiring of Peggy Clark as director and Brian Rutledge as deputy director. Although Weigle was not in office when commissioners hired Clark’s predecessor, he told himself when the opportunity presented itself they would interview candidates before making a decision, which is what they did this time.

Drugs and Finances

Barnett said one of his goals as commissioners would be to do a better job of addressing the drug problem, starting with drawing more attention to the issue and letting the public know the extent of the problem.

“I don’t think we’ve heard enough about it. You’ve got citizens, the sheriff’s office, and you have the local police departments crying out, that this is such a huge epidemic, but is there any plan or is enough being done?” he said, noting communities are on the front lines of this fight but do not appear to be receiving much help.

Barnett would work with state legislators to encourage stronger sentencing laws and favors spending more on the county Drug Task Force (DTF).

“Stop sitting on your butt in the office and go to Columbus … Start speaking up,” he said. “We have to put away the drug dealers but we have to help these addicts. It’s a very tough situation. You have to get these people help, but I also feel they should be punished for their crimes.”

Weigle said he has supported providing the DTF with $100,000 annually to help pay the costs of police departments that assign officers to the DTF, and he will continue to make that a priority, even as commissioners face the possible loss of $2.1 million in sales tax revenue. The county sheriff’s office also has two members on the DTF — the director and an officer.

He also supports efforts in county municipal court to create special court for dealing with drug offenders. “I brought up the idea and it was not well-received, but I believe it is going to happen,” Weigle said.

Weigle was approached several months ago by the county Mental Health and Recovery Services board on a plan to turn an underused part of the county jail complex into a long-term drug addiction treatment facility. He has also been talking to state Rep. Tim Ginter, R-Salem, about starting a drug education program aimed at elementary school students, similar to the DARE program, which is geared for the higher grades.

Barnett said commissioners should use some of their $3 million-plus carry-over balance to address the drug problem in some fashion, and he would meet with police, judges, prosecutors and drug rehabilitation experts to craft a plan.

How would he do this in the face of possible budget cuts?

“You’re sitting here asking me what I’m going to do, but what have they done? (They’ve) had a chance. I’m going to get in there and have a spine,” he said. “We’re going to have to make some tough decisions.”

Weigle prefers using the balance to pay down debt and set aside money for building improvements and assist with economic projects because they will not have the money to do those things if the expected loss of sales tax revenue occurs.

Miscellaneous Issues

Weigle cited creation of the county land bank as another of his accomplishments, with the county being awarded $1.6 million in grants to acquire and demolish up to 100 abandoned and dilapidated homes. He brought up the idea after seeing what Mahoning County was able to be accomplish with its land bank program. Nothing came of his initial suggestion, but commissioners later decided to create a land bank after hiring Tad Herold to the long-vacant county development director position.

“Tad was able to help get the land bank up and running, consequently we have been able to get thousands of dollars for the county and clean up a lot of blighted homes, particularly in Wellsville, East Liverpool and Salem,” he said. “I won’t take credit for it but I will take credit for throwing the idea out there.”

Weigle said hiring Herold has been key to reviving the county’s development department and the role it plays in economic development. He said Herold’s hiring, along with changes at the county port authority, have resulted in improved communication between both agencies, and the two now work hand-in-hand on many projects.

One of things Barnett would work on to promote economic development is revive efforts to bring high-speed internet to every corner of the county. He said access to this is needed if the county is going to seriously compete for businesses.

Barnett said he would also lobby the state legislature to revive efforts to enact an increase in the severance tax on oil and gas development, with a portion of the money going to help affected counties address the infrastructure problems that result. He realizes now is not the the time to do this because drilling activity has ground nearly to a halt in the county.

Weigle supports this approach, too, saying, “I would agree when oil and gas returns and we start seeing drilling in the county again, an increase in the severance tax should be back on the table and (a portion) needs to be returned to counties most affected.”

Weigle also addressed what they have been doing with the county’s share of state casino taxes. He said commissioners have deliberately avoided using that pot of money on personnel or any other continuing expenditure because “we don’t look at casino money as a stable source of income because it jumps up down pretty good and we never know what it’s going to be.”

Instead, he said they have chosen to use casino money for capital improvements or to help townships with projects when possible, which is what they have done on three occasions over the past three years.

Weigle was asked about the commissioners’ failure to contact the prosecutor’s office after being told Stephen Strabala had ceased making restitution payments to the county. He was under the impression one of the other commissioners was going to contact the prosecutor’s office, “and I shouldn’t have done that. It was a mistake on my part, and I’ll take it.”

Barnett, when asked, was unable to name any specific instances where he would have voted differently than Weigle, but will familiarize himself more with the issues and county operations once elected, just like he did after he was elected to the school board.

“I didn’t know everything about the school board until I got on it, and you’re not going to … It will probably be a difficult road but I will embrace the challenge, and I will get it done. I will do what has to be done,” he said.

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Commissioner Candidate Biographies

Name: Tim Weigle.

Residence: England Drive, Unity Township

Age: 64

Party Affiliation: Republican

Political Experience: Columbiana County commissioner since 2013; served as Unity Township trustee for 23 years before that.

Private Sector Experience: Worked in the heavy construction, mining and solid waste industries for 43 years before being elected commissioner; Last 11 years were for Ohio Caterpillar, where he served as branch manager of the Youngstown office.

Personal: He and his wife Barbara have an adult daughter, Laurie.

Memberships: Farm Bureau, National Rifle Association, East Palestine Chamber of Commerce and East Palestine Community Foundation.

Name: Jerry Barnett

Residence: Hickman Road, St. Clair Township

Age: 43

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Political Experience: Member of the Beaver Local school board since 2013, currently serving as president.

Private Sector Experience: Physical therapist at East Liverpool City Hospital for the past 15 years.

College: Associate’s degree in physical therapy from Kent State University and bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and development from Wheeling Jesuit University.

Personal: married to the former Vicki Myers; stepchildren, Jacob and Alyssa Forsythe.

Memberships: National Rifle Association, West Point Rod and Gun Club, the Masonic Lodge in East Liverpool, the Elks 258 and Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.

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