Newsletter 7/9/24
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Fortify Geauga Newsletter
July 9, 2024
Hello, Friends,
Welcome to a brand new week. This is the Fortify Geauga Newsletter for July 9, 2024.
The fight to protect our townships continues: Read our latest update, Zoning Fight Continues After Initial Citizen Victory. We have a short-term victory in our long-term fight to protect Township zoning authority. The outcry of citizens and the pivotal efforts of the Ohio Township Association and the Geauga County Township Association have been successful in quelling one of the State’s attempts to override township authority. Many thanks to all of our Trustees and Fiscal Officers county-wide for signing the letter crafted by Jonathan Tiber of the Geauga County Township Association.
Have you been approached to sign a petition about “Gerrymandering”? Beware! The nice-sounding phrases like “fair districts” and “citizens over politicians” are not what they seem. Democrats and left-leaning organizations like the League of Women Voters are collecting signatures on a petition to put an outlandishly complicated and corruptible system for redistricting into our Constitution. Matt Urbas of Ohio Political Action spelled out the details on the Buckeye Patriot Podcast last week. Watch here. You can also listen to this short podcast with investigative reporter Jack Windsor and Senate President Matt Huffman on the issue of gerrymandering. Look past the marketing and see what this amendment would actually do and why it’s a very bad deal for Ohio.
Budget Commission Petition: Ohio law allows for each county to add two citizen members to their County Budget Commission. We would like to do that for Geauga County. The first step is to circulate a petition to put the issue on the November ballot. Read our post on the petition effort for more information.
Fortify Geauga in the news: The Geauga County Maple Leaf published a story this week about our citizen training meeting on Monday, June 24th. Many thanks to contributor Kimberlee Jackson for attending and reporting on the meeting. To learn more about this issue and how you can help protect our townships from state overreach, visit our Zoning page.
As always, thank you for spending a few moments with us. Have a wonderful week.
Weekly Spotlight: You can help protect our townships with 5 Emails and 10 Friends
One victory does not win the war. Our county is still mobilizing to fight state takeover of Township zoning authority. Can you send one email to 5 addresses and then spread the word to 10 friends? All of our citizen training resources and information are now in one easy spot: www.FortifyGeauga/zoning. Please help us keep our Township zoning autonomous.
Recent Posts
Zoning Fight Continues After Initial Citizen Victory
Great news and a fresh call to action in our fight to protect Ohio Townships from state takeover of zoning authority. We have a short-term victory in our long-term fight to protect Township zoning authority. The “toe in the water” bill that threatens Township zoning rights may be dropped by the committee
Read more
Swamp! Uniparty! Cabal!
Why are the wives of so many County Republican Party members – who also happen to hold paying government jobs – hosting a fundraiser for a Liberal Democrat? Jonathan Broadbent is the elected GOP Central Committee representative for the Newbury A precinct in Geauga County, Ohio. The following is shared with permission from his substack, My2Cents.
Read more
Planning to Fail: More Geauga County GOP Shenanigans
The elections coming up in November for President and Senate will have monumental consequences for Ohioans. Closer to home, we are facing state takeover of township zoning rights, constant pressure of large-scale, anti-rural development, a crisis of property taxes …
Read More
Trustees Asked to Join Effort to Preserve Township Zoning Authority
The Ohio Senate has introduced a bill, Senate Bill 245, “Declare intent to address local zoning that impedes housing,” which local and state officials fear will put an end to local Township zoning authority. The President of the Geauga County Township Association, Mr. Jonathan Tiber, has prepared…
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Revisiting “America the Beautiful”
“This popular and eminently singable song was written by Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929), an English professor at Wellesley College. The poem, originally called “Pikes Peak,” was inspired by the sights Bates had seen on a train ride to and from Colorado…
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Local Senator: Act NOW to Preserve Township Zoning Rights
There was an important and lively meeting of the Geauga County Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 14th. The main topic of the meeting, which drew an audience of a few dozen residents, was to discuss recent threats to township zoning authority coming from the Ohio Senate. Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-32) was in attendance…
Read More
Republicans in Geauga County Need Real Representation
Did you know there is an elected representative in our County GOP who is supposed to be representing you in the Republican party? There are 78 voting precincts in our county and every one of them has a GOP Central Committee representative who is elected by the people…
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WATCH: Will the Ohio Senate Move to Usurp Township Zoning Authority? (Interview with Chris Alusheff)
Fortify Geauga President Tiffanie Broadbent interviewed local Zoning Inspector Chris Alusheff about recent developments in the Ohio Senate that may lead to the state usurping local zoning authority. What is behind this move, how will this affect Geauga County, and what can citizens…
Read More
Petition to Add Two Citizens to Geauga County Budget Commission
Local residents are circulating a petition to add a referendum to the ballot in the next general election (November 2024). It would read “Shall the county budget commission consist of two additional members to be elected from the county?” This petition does not name who …
Read More
Calendar/Upcoming Dates
- 07/10/24 – Cardinal Local School Board Meeting
- 07/11/24 – Chardon City Council Meeting
- 07/11/24 – Chester Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/11/24 – Middlefield Village Council Meeting
- 07/15/24 – Claridon Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/15/24 – Chardon Local School Board Meeting
- 07/15/24 – Kenston Local School Board Meeting
- 07/15/24 – Auburn Township Board of Trustees Meeting
- 07/15/24 – Burton Township Board of Trustees Meeting
- 07/16/24 – Huntsburg Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/16/24 – Montville Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/16/24 – Troy Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/17/24 – Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services Meeting
- 07/17/24 – Hambden Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/17/24 – Chardon Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/17/24 – Thompson Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/17/24 – West Geauga Local School Board Meeting
- 07/18/24 – Geauga County Board of Elections Meeting
- 07/18/24 – Russell Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/22/24 – Berkshire Local School Board Meeting
- 07/22/24 – South Russell Village Council Meeting
- 07/23/24 – Munson Township Trustees Meeting
- 07/24/24 – Geauga Public Health Board Meeting
- 07/24/24 – Cardinal Local School Board Meeting
- 07/25/24 – Chester Township Trustees Meeting
See our full Calendar for details
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