Trending
Anne Frank account of Jewish experience
DEAR EDITOR:
Anne Frank hid in an attic from the Nazi soldiers. The setting was an apartment in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She eventually was captured and hauled off to a concentration camp in Poland. Her father, the only family member to survive the camps, traveled back to Amsterdam after the war. The diary Anne left behind, "Diary of a Young Girl," is one of the most vivid accounts of the atrocities against a helpless Jewish population.
There is another young child that hid in an attic. She was not Jewish. Her complexion was high yellow. The setting was Edenton, North Carolina. She hid to evade her master's sexual advances. Her name was Harriet Jacobs. Later in her book, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," Harriet describes how she kept watch over her two mulatto children below. From her loft, she would regularly see slave hunters and hound dogs passing under.
According to Harriet, she spent 6.5 years in the attic before escaping north on a riverboat. Harriet lived to the ripe old age of 84. Anne died in the camp, still a teenager.
The story is infectious. If you are interested in the time period, pick up the books at the Warren Trumbull County Library.
ALFRED SPENCER
Warren
Full speed ahead, President Trump
DEAR EDITOR:
Democrat or Republican, how can anyone be against finding out about mismanagement of taxpayer dollars?
Here are just two examples. FEMA said it has run out of money, that it is too broke to even help Americans, the victims of the Hurricane Helene disaster. Yet, it sent $59 million to New York City to house illegals in luxury hotels, care of FEMA. This is an example of disaster relief funds dedicated to Americans.
USAID doled out millions to groups tied to terrorism -- so much of our money, wasted. Why are the Democrats especially furious? Because they can't get their hands on our money. We are $36 trillion in debt.
Keep going, President Trump.
RUTH LILLEY
Niles
Trumbull's financial woes self-inflicted
DEAR EDITOR:
As a Trumbull County commissioner, I was the lone advocate for fiscal responsibility, budgetary discipline and strategic financial oversight. I consistently warned against unchecked spending, the rubber-stamping of funding requests and the failure to require financial forecasting to analyze impacts. Among my many recommendations, I urged the board to implement zero-based budgeting with quarterly evaluations and variance analysis, and to begin formulating the budget in the summer.
Unlike traditional budgeting, which arbitrarily increases past expenditures, zero-based budgeting forces departments to justify every dollar spent. It eliminates redundancies, identifies spending alternatives and ensures resources are allocated efficiently. This approach demands great effort and analytical skills -- something the commissioners and auditor fail to demonstrate. The Board of Commissioners fails to grasp that THEY are the county's budget directors. It is laughable to watch Rick Hernandez belatedly demand budget accountability, and Denny Malloy lament the consequences of his own shortsighted decisions.
In December, I cautioned against adopting a temporary budget based on last year's overspending. The consequences are now unavoidable. Malloy, Frank Fuda and Mauro Cantalamessa ignored every warning, and today, the board flounders amid the very crisis they created. The same level of thinking that caused this disaster cannot be trusted to resolve it.
Malloy repeatedly insisted that appeasing department heads -- approving every request without scrutiny, exceeding budgets, paying massive late-approved change orders, ignoring preventative maintenance, allowing remote work, and perks for favored employees -- was no big deal.
The budget is now an unmanageable quagmire, a direct result of years of reckless spending, unsustainable commitments, and fiscal negligence. Martha Yoder's property tax increases barely begin to cover the shortfall, and yet, the spending spree continues: proposals for a new dog pound, a new 911 center, a new coroner's office, and other exorbitant expenditures persist, while new positions are created instead of consolidating existing roles.
Meanwhile, sick leave and vacation conversions, rubber-stamped without transparency, are placed on the agenda without the disclosure of the actual number of hours involved -- because the figures are indefensibly high. Let the public see the amounts and true annual cost of these unchecked benefits.
Also egregious is the unchecked salary inflation for management. Every year, these officials award themselves the same increases granted to union employees, a practice that compounds the financial strain. This isn't just mismanagement -- it is a deliberate, systemic failure of fiscal governance.
Trumbull County is on the precipice of financial collapse, driven by reckless commissioners and an acquiescent auditor who refuse to exercise even the most basic financial restraint.
Fiscal mismanagement is not an accident -- it is a choice. The time for blind trust is over. It is time for accountability, reform and leadership that prioritizes long-term financial health over political expediency. I was the lone dissenting vote, the only voice of caution, and the one who proposed solutions -- only to be ignored. While I miss serving as your fiscally responsible commissioner, I do not miss working alongside the incompetent.
NIKI FRENCHKO
Warren
Greg Greathouse is a hypocrite
DEAR EDITOR:
Warren Councilman Greg Greathouse's hypocrisy is deeply concerning. When we fought to restore a traffic light at a dangerous intersection on the Southwest side, he used his influence to block those efforts, refusing to support Councilwoman Tiffany Stanford's push for safety -- even after it was proven there was no legal barrier and the decision was entirely up to a council vote.
Instead, he sided with the city engineer's opinion that removing the lights made the intersections safer, completely ignoring the voices of west side residents who disagreed.
Now, with election season upon us, he's suddenly reversing course, advocating for a traffic light to be reinstated in his own ward -- a blatant attempt to pander for votes.
A council member's duty extends beyond their own ward. Their decisions impact the entire city. As a west-side resident, I find it unacceptable that he had no issue jeopardizing our safety while conveniently prioritizing his own constituents when it suited him politically. This is a clear failure of leadership and integrity.
LEA DOTSON
Warren
Congress must support foreign aid, USAID
DEAR EDITOR:
The U.S. saves millions of lives a year through foreign aid and USAID. I've seen this through my time in the Peace Corps: food being supplied to malnourished children and HIV education being rolled out to communities. The Trump administration wants to put a stop to that: A stop work order was placed on USAID activities including a freeze on all foreign aid.
This is already causing devastation, with some estimates showing that in just the first few months of halting foreign aid, thousands of children will die and millions won't get required nutrition. Ohio farmers will be affected, too, as USAID is a major buyer of American agricultural products.
For years, there has been bipartisan congressional support of USAID. The power to continue to support USAID, and make any decisions about the program, should remain with Congress. I call upon Rep. Dave Joyce, Sen. Bernie Moreno and Sen. Jon Husted to work with their colleagues to reverse the stop work order and make sure waivers to cuts are as inclusive as possible and are being put into practice, so that America can continue to lead the world in providing lifesaving assistance to our allies across the world.
KEITH TASK
Southington
Bus driver shortage is a big problem
DEAR EDITOR:
When a school board member makes the comment that it is the responsibility of the head of the school transportation department to get the athletic teams to away games on time or get somebody who can, she needs to walk away from the board. The major shortage of bus drivers is not one school's fault and is not the transportation department's fault. The No. 1 responsibility is getting the students to and from school.
The continual addition of more sports at different schools is adding to the problem. The driver shortage has been building for several years and no end is in sight. You just do not grab people and put them behind the wheel. I have read where secretaries, principals and other school employees have been made to license up. I do not agree with that at all. You DO NOT MAKE people take on that responsibility.
This board member maybe needs to go door-to-door and talk with people to try and get help. This particular school district is hurting for drivers very badly. Keep the politics out of it.
RAYMOND WEBKER
Niles
Support universal free school meals
DEAR EDITOR:
As a health care professional, father of two and volunteer with the American Heart Association, I am writing to urge Gov. Mike DeWine to prioritize the well-being of Ohio's children by supporting universal free school meals.
Our school-aged children represent one of our greatest resources. It is our collective responsibility to ensure they have the foundation they need to grow physically, develop socially and emotionally and excel academically.
Proper nutrition is a cornerstone of this foundation. Research shows that every dollar invested in school meals yields over two dollars in benefits, including improved educational outcomes, better health and long-term savings on healthcare costs.
Free school meals would also alleviate financial strain on many Ohio families. With the cost of living rising, families just above the poverty line -- who often do not qualify for meal assistance -- are struggling to make ends meet. Providing universal free school meals could save families up to $1,200 annually per child, freeing up funds for other essential expenses like housing and healthcare.
Moreover, integrating universal school meals into Ohio's budget would reduce the burden on community food banks, which are increasingly stretched thin.
By including this initiative in the 2025 budget, Gov. DeWine has the opportunity to strengthen support for working families and ensure that no child in Ohio goes hungry.
Investing in universal free school meals is an investment in our children's future and the economic prosperity of our state. I respectfully urge Gov.
DeWine to make this critical commitment.
BRIAN ADAMS, MBA, MOT, OTR/L
Ravenna
President of the Board of Directors
American Heart Association – Northeast Ohio