Mayoral Recall Election

The date for the special recall election of Mayor Grace is scheduled for December 22. However, as in other elections, you do not need to wait to cast your vote. You can go early to the Board of Elections as early as this afternoon to cast your vote.

The ballot language asks if Mayor Grace shall be allowed to continue in office.

If you support the recall, your vote should be "NO."

If you support keeping him in office, your vote should be "YES."

Happy Veterans Day!

Join me today in honoring the men and women who have served our country, defending our freedoms and providing us with the ability to maintain our status as the greatest nation in the world!

Thank you to the 4th Ward!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to cast a vote in this election and for choosing me to represent you for another term. I appreciate the confidence you have shown in me and I intend to continue the good work I started during my first term.

Gulf Road Repair Work Complete!

Gulf Road is now open to through traffic. The hill between Hilltop Park and the WWTP looks fantastic! No more detours through the neighborhood.

Where do I vote? New polling places

Several people have contacted me about the new polling place, Spitzer Conference Center at LCCC. This question also came up during the recent Town Hall meeting at St. John's.

If your polling place changed, you should have received a postcard telling you where to go vote on Tuesday. If you are not sure where to go, you can check at the Ohio Secretary of State web site at this link: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/pollinglocation.aspx?page=361

Hope that helps! Don't forget to vote! You can make a difference!

Spring Valley Updates

Spring Valley has submitted three petitions to the Planning Commission:


1. To rezone its property to Residential Multi-Household High Density from Medium Density;

2. For a Conditional Use Permit for a nursing home (assisted living facility is not defined in Elyria, I made a referral to do do);

3. For a Conditional Use Permit for a Planned Unit Development.


Copies of the Planning Commission's recommendations and the Engineer's comments are included in the Available Documents section of the web page. The Engineer has requested these matters be tabled until Spring Valley comes into compliance with the outstanding EPA violations and other items, identified in his comments.

The requests were tabled at the Community Development Committee meeting by Mitchell and Bullocks because two of the other committee members were absent.

If you would like to be added to a Spring Valley notification list, please send me your email address and let me know.

Leaf Pickup Time!

Don't forget to keep your leaves out of the street. They clog the drains, making our stormwater system back up, causing extra work with the Vactor truck and, ultimately, costing the city more money.

New .5% Income Tax Town Hall Meetings

Kevin Brubaker asked me to post the next town hall meetings times and locations so that you may be informed, attend, ask questions, voice your concerns and express your opinions. I have added them to the "Upcoming Events" section of this web page and noted them below.

The next meetings will take place as follows:

Tuesday, October 27, 6:30 p.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church;
Wednesday, October 28, 7:00 p.m. at East Recreation Center.

New Permanent .5% Income Tax on November Ballot

Light Install on SR 57

Many of you have noticed the light installation on SR 57. Some have asked questions about the police cruisers that are present to maintain traffic control while the lights are being installed. All costs for traffic control are the responsibility of the contractor, including the costs of using police officers and cruisers for these light installations. The City is being reimbursed for the use of these police officers.

I hope that clears up any confusion. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Elyria Firefighters’ Tornado and Safety Day--Saturday, October 10

Tomorrow, October 10 at Station #1 (Cedar Street) from 1-5 p.m., the EFD will conduct its Tornado and Safety Day for the public in conjunction with Elyria Police Department, Lorain County Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, LifeCare and Lorain County 911.

The EFD invites you to come to the fire station for a tour. Meet the new fire chief, Richard Benton. See the new ladder truck and hear how it will be used by the EFD. Learn important safety tips concerning fire safety and fire prevention. Adults can have their blood pressure checked at no charge. A flyer is available in the Available Documents section or by clicking here:
EFD Tornado and Safety Day

Special guests Andy the Ambulance and Bobby the Boat will be there and there will be free hot dogs and refreshments.

EFD hopes to see you there!

Washington Avenue Speed Limit Reduction North of Ohio Street

This legislation has finally made it to the agenda for full Council. It will be voted on at the upcoming meeting scheduled for Monday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Questions and Answers from Town Hall Meeting now available

The questions and answers from the Town Hall meeting at St. John Lutheran Church held on September 24, 2009 are now available under the "Available Documents" link on the right-hand side of the page or by following this link: 4th Ward Town Hall Meeting, Sept. 24, 2009 Questions and Answers

4th Ward Town Hall Meeting a Success!

It was great seeing everyone out for the Town Hall Meeting last night! We had approximately 110 in attendance, plus the city officials. We are in the process of preparing a summary of questions and answers from the meeting and are working on posting a video of the meeting for those unable to attend. I would like feedback from those in attendance regarding the new format and any suggestions for improvement.

Thanks!

Mark

GULF ROAD CLOSING DELAYED

The closing of Gulf Road will be delayed one week and is now scheduled to begin on September 28 for 5 weeks (until approximately October 30).

The reason for the delay is that the contractor just informed the City that the structural steel for the retaining wall panels is a week behind.

Gulf Road Repair Work--Road Closed

Work on Gulf Road between Hilltop Park and Whitman Drive is scheduled to begin September 21, 2009 by Kokosing Construction. This includes the slope stabilization work on the hill by the wastewater treatment plant. This section of the road will be closed for approximately 5-6 weeks.

West River Road N. should be re-opened by this time, according to the Elyria Engineering Department.

Fire Audit Meeting

Last night, City Council met in a Strategic Planning Committee meeting (full Council) to review the Fire Audit and allow comment from the EFD and the public. The meeting was very productive. There are lots of areas of agreement within the Audit. The EFD takes issue with some of the information presented and the underlying data, but these areas were narrow and focused (although they do go to the heart of EFD's contention that its contract is not "overly lucrative" with room for cuts).

The administration stated that it has no areas of contention with the information presented by the Audit and that it will rely on the expertise of the Audit's preparers.

Chief Benton identified several items that are already being implemented by EFD, showing positive progress towards improvements and indicating his ability and leadership in his role as Fire Chief, in which capacity he has served for six months.

The next step will be for the administration and the EFD to develop an action plan of items that can be accomplished and should be accomplished. The plan should include costs associated with items, no-cost items and cost-neutral items. Council should provide a timeline for the development of such a plan and for its implementation, once approved. Although this was discussed and seemed to have consensus support, initial timelines have not yet been established. There was additional discussion at forming a subcommittee of Council to help facilitate this process.

EFD is currently in contract negotiations with the administration, which means that everything is open for discussion at this time.

I see this as a positive step in moving the City forward to help resolve the longstanding dispute between the administration and the EFD and to rebuild that department to make it more effective and, ultimately, to improve the safety of our residents.