Informational meeting held ahead of the May 6 election

Letter to the Editor,

On Thursday, April 24, the Tuscarawas League of Women Voters hosted an informational meeting for voters of Tuscarawas County.

The meeting was well attended with the audience asking insightful questions and engaging with the speakers at the end of their talks.

April King, director of the Gnadenhutten Library, spoke on Issue 12, a current expense levy for the Gnadenhutten Library; Jenn Schrock, a member of New Philadelphia School Board, spoke about Issue 10, a combined bond and permanent improvement levy to cover the cost of a new pre-K to sixth grade school for the district; and Doug Bachman, county engineer, spoke of Issue 2, the Local Public Infrastructure Bond Amendment, which will assist local governments in funding public infrastructure projects.

Other speakers included Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D, who spoke about HB 170 and SB 136 before the Ohio House and Senate, which would allow CO2 to be injected into property owners’ land. Dr. John Patterson, co-author of the Fair School Funding Plan, explained how the plan was created and how it has been dropped by the current Ohio Legislature. A handout about the SAVE Act and how it could negatively impact women voters was distributed.

Several representatives were invited but did not attend: Michael Rulli, 6th District, who sent his regrets, and Troy Balderson, 12th District, both of whom voted for the SAVE Act. Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, who will vote on the SAVE Act next, also did not appear. State Sen. Al Landis did not answer the invitation to speak about the Ohio budget.

The Tuscarawas League of Women Voters will continue to bring information to the public so they can make informed decisions when voting.

The May 6 election is coming up, and early voting has started.

Janet Ladrach
Sugarcreek