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Letters to the Editor

Perry Township resident: The annexation fiasco

To the editor, I have never written to a newspaper before, but I guess there is always a first. I am writing in reference to the proposed annexation of Beechwood Road, Hampton Place, Colonial Drive, and Countryside Drive. I have followed the antics, intimidation, threats, and falsehoods provided by the mayor of Salem and her city council. It is a shame that our local government sometimes act like children in a very vindictive way. I feel very sorry for the Sean and Laurie Butcher family for their hardship in dealing with the city, especially during her daughter’s wedding. I will not ...

Credit Card Competition Act is needed

To the editor, It is in the DNA of small businesses to do everything possible to keep prices down while serving their communities. But there’s one cost businesses can’t control and it’s being passed down to people across Ohio and the country. The swipe fees that are charged every time a customer pays with plastic are a hidden cost that we need to address. The fees are set by a duopoly, and the lack of competition means small businesses and consumers are left with no choice. The nearly $3.5 billion (https://insights.cmspi.com/ccca-25) a year Ohio spends in swipe fees are dollars ...

Property owners can’t keep taking hits

To the editor, Someone in Columbus has made the decision that our properties are worth more money and therefore more taxes. Supposedly house bills 129 and 186 were passed that will give (some) property owners a temporary refund in the next half of 2025. St. Clair police have an additional levy on for May, and Beaver Local is already complaining about the money they will lose. Our police do a good job and it’s not that I don’t want them to have the equipment they need, but property owners just can’t keep taking these hits. St. Clair Township is number two, out of 18 in township ...

Credit Card Competition Act is needed

To the editor, It is in the DNA of small businesses to do everything possible to keep prices down while serving their communities. But there’s one cost businesses can’t control and it’s being passed down to people across Ohio and the country. The swipe fees that are charged every time a customer pays with plastic are a hidden cost that we need to address. The fees are set by a duopoly, and the lack of competition means small businesses and consumers are left with no choice. The nearly $3.5 billion (https://insights.cmspi.com/ccca-25) a year Ohio spends in swipe fees are dollars ...

Do what is best for the majority of residents

To the editor: The main basis in believing a Perry Township trustee is…TRUST, as it incorporates their logic, education, experience, empathy, skill, knowledge, and above all, their communication. Once that trust is broken it is rarely regained and rightfully so. This applies also to the Salem City Council and even moreso, because of its moratorium regarding the marijuana dispensary. When authorities initially establish an intent and purpose like the moratorium and leave it in stagnation, it needs to be investigated for reasons. This changes their intent and purpose to cause and ...

Setting the record straight — East Palestine Country Club is here to stay and investing in the future

EDITOR’S NOTE: The real estate transfers published in the Feb. 21 edition inadvertently listed the East Palestine Country Club selling a golf course to VBR Land LLC. The following response was published as clarification on the club’s website. Dear East Palestine Country Club Members and Friends, We want to address some questions and concerns that have circulated following recent local news coverage. Let us be absolutely clear: The East Palestine Country Club has NOT sold its golf course. We are open, thriving, and more committed than ever to serving our members and the surrounding ...