This dog will hunt
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Yes, it's been said many times. There are watchdogs. And then there are lapdogs.
Some dogs will hunt. Some dogs are best left on the porch.
Never unleash a hunting dog – unless you want him to hunt.
More than a few friends and local business owners (four, to be precise) have called this week to inquire about your friendly HCP watchdog of all things government.
From the best I can tell, they were less than satisfied with my "Greatest Sports Movies" column and the "Employee Evaluations and Montezuma's Revenge" offering left them with empty stomachs.
(Hell, they can't all be gems.)
"Where's your acerbic wit?" the first caller demanded.
"What happened to your biting commentary on local, state and national government?" the second asked.
"What about our &@$#ing electric bills?" a third caller wanted to know.
"UNLEASH THE HOUNDS!" Caller 4 barked.
And so the week began…
All right, I thought. If readers want something with a little more meat on the bone this week, just give me time to finish off a 2-pound porterhouse – rare, of course – and a Muntz Street beverage and I'll get right to it.
(Thirty minutes later: Ahh, that was good.)
Where to begin?
Our first order of business concerns our good friend and Ohio senatorial candidate Paul Hall. Paul is a nice guy. Really. And according to one of his campaign fliers – which happens to be resting on my kitchen table at the moment – he is the "only candidate" former newspaperman and current Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus is endorsing. Fair enough.
However….on the flip side of the flier, Mr. Hall begins by addressing yours truly as "Dear Senior Citizen."
That's as far as I got.
Worse yet, Paul also addressed this little political literature to my wife, who is younger than I am. She growled worse than the aforementioned Callers 1, 2, 3 and 4.
"Senior Citizen!" Harrumph! "Who's running against him?"
Paul quickly apologized to Pam and explained the "senior citizen" reference was meant for me. (Probably got my name from the good old folks at AARP. God bless 'em.)
Good luck, Paul. You'll always be older than I am. But not by much.
***
Next up. This old senior-citizen-watchdog-red-meat-eating-deer-hunter is not – if you haven't figured it out – a liberal.
Therefore, I am not an expert on things I know nothing about. (Thank you, P.J. O'Rourke.)
There is, however, such an expert running for Congress in southern Ohio. I can't recall his name and I'm not inclined to try. But he insulted a lot of small business owners when he stopped by my office this week. My only regret is that I missed it. He and I would have had a lot of fun. Well, I would have, anyway.
On the bright side, I did enjoy meeting with Dr. Brad Wenstrup and Congresswoman Jean Schmidt recently.
For those of us who live here, let's keep in mind that it's got to be tough for Second District hopefuls to follow in Sen. Rob Portman's footsteps. It's a little like the Earle Bruce syndrome.
(By the way, to all the local small business owners who have complained to The Highland County Press about excessive payroll taxes, and to Sen. Portman, who campaigned on a platform of lowering those taxes, according to one candidate, "That's absurd." Just thought you'd all like to know.)
On a more positive note, since I have publicly predicted a series of "opinion-ettes" from the Philadelphia Times or whatever they call themselves these days, maybe they'll endorse the guy.
I know I won't.
***
To those Greenfield residents who have asked why The Highland County Press was a little slow to report on this week's boil advisory, all I can say is this: Until Pat Hays told me about it very early this morning, I was not aware of it. Neither was anyone on our staff. The moment I was informed, I posted the information.
To the local resident who told me: "I know it's difficult to get the word out, but there has got to be a better way to spread the word than what the method the city is currently using. I'm pretty sure my guts are contaminated. It will run its course but ... "
(Enough said.)
For the record and to every public official in Highland County and beyond, my personal email is: roryeryan@gmail.com.
Someone in my family checks this frequently – typically from 5 a.m.-midnight. If you want the people of Highland County to know what's going on, send a notice, and it will be published on Highland County's most-read website. (Philadelphia websites notwithstanding.) Unlike the government, when we say that "we're here to help," we do mean it.
***
With all due respect to HCP columnist Eric Deters, Jeffrey Sadosky receives Oracle Status from The Highland County Press this week. He made my day!
***
Yes, our electric bill went up. How's a 40-percent increase grab you? Not good.
Former HCP columnist Bill Horne told us there'd be days like this. We didn't listen. (Deregulation my rear end.)
Now, we either must pay the fiddler or dance in the dark. Ohhh, PUCO! (Pardon me.)
***
Yes, I attended most of the Taxed Enough Already candidates forum this week.
A big ol' hat tip to Mr. Ludwick, Mr. Wyckoff, Mr. Cook and everyone else involved with the informative session.
For those who have asked (you know who you are!), yes, I did think one 2012 candidate presented himself very well. Before I name the candidate, let me qualify this by saying I will not be voting for him.
I won't be voting for his opponent, either, unless one of them moves a mile or two south of Fairfax!
Incumbent Shane Wilkin was most impressive at the Jan. 30 event. He demonstrated a fairly good grasp of the current issues and explained his vision for Highland County's future. In fact, I told him afterward, that the other five candidates were vying for second place in the public forum category.
Of course, there are other categories to consider.
Frankly, I thought Steve Cowdrey had a very admirable public presentation as well, and then found myself lamenting the fact that these two gentlemen would face one another in a GOP primary.
Brenda Losey, in spite of almost losing her voice due to illness, was very impressive, as was Josh Patton.
The candidate I could most associate with in such a setting was Randy Mustard. Randy, like me, is not a huge fan of public speaking. He's very good, one on one, when talking about local issues. But I suspect he'd prefer to have some of these discussions while waiting for a bite when fishing Rocky Fork Lake.
Maybe I'm dead wrong (won't be the first time), but Randy reminded me of a non-politician in a politician's world.
And then there was the quote of the night from incumbent Tom Horst, who said, "My granddaughter calls me the 'Poop Czar,' in reference to the county-owned sewerage systems.
Tom was glib as he generally is. He's very good in the political forum environment. I found very little to criticize other than his plea for everyone to "shop local."
Shop local. Indeed.
One might think that such a plea ought to apply to the county offices as well.
After saving county taxpayers thousands of dollars on its legal advertisements (see: www.highlandcountypress.com/main.asp Search=1&ArticleID=2114&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=83&S=1), neither Commissioner Horst nor any other county official even suggested that this same legal expense – an expense which everyone complained about – be placed for bid the following year.
Of course, it wasn't.
The Highland County Press saved county taxpayers thousands of dollars by presenting this to the public. Many of you thanked us. But others, in public office, apparently are less concerned with how they spend your money.
Frankly, it is a widespread problem, but one we are not supposed to talk about. (We're all friends here, after all.)
As I said not long ago, please consider: For general election advertising in 2005 alone, a Wilmington newspaper billed the Clinton County Board of Elections some $59,169.33 for legal advertising costs.
This was among the most exorbitant expenses to taxpayers in the entire state that year. If you are interested in a copy of the Expenditure Report – Detail Activity from Jan. 1, 2006-June 12, 2006, Page 29 of 34, contact the Clinton County Board of Elections. It is public record, after all.
When that same Clinton County newspaper publisher had taken up shop in Highland County in 2010, (following her “nationwide” search), the Highland County auditor’s office had a taste of the High Life, too.
You should ask Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley about his invoice of almost $14,000 for publishing the annual delinquent land tax legal notices. The bill almost doubled the previous year’s invoice, according to the auditor.
For three full pages and seven partial pages, that newspaper charged taxpayers in a county with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, a whopping $13,828.40. Fawley told the HCP he may protest this expense. “It’s money the county doesn’t have,” he said at the time.
All sitting commissioners agreed with the auditor.
This was reported in the winter of 2010.
Fast forward to 2011 and it was the same old, same old. Business as usual.
Frankly, I don't care. It's obvious that you don't. Why should I?
Let the Philadelphia paper deal with it.
Oh, yes. Shop Local. And please remind me of that file of information I have that really needs to see the light of day soon.
On the bright side, it's good that a few local businesses are speaking up in private. On the other hand, they do have access to this forum if they ever want it!
Rory Ryan is publisher of Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.[[In-content Ad]]
Some dogs will hunt. Some dogs are best left on the porch.
Never unleash a hunting dog – unless you want him to hunt.
More than a few friends and local business owners (four, to be precise) have called this week to inquire about your friendly HCP watchdog of all things government.
From the best I can tell, they were less than satisfied with my "Greatest Sports Movies" column and the "Employee Evaluations and Montezuma's Revenge" offering left them with empty stomachs.
(Hell, they can't all be gems.)
"Where's your acerbic wit?" the first caller demanded.
"What happened to your biting commentary on local, state and national government?" the second asked.
"What about our &@$#ing electric bills?" a third caller wanted to know.
"UNLEASH THE HOUNDS!" Caller 4 barked.
And so the week began…
All right, I thought. If readers want something with a little more meat on the bone this week, just give me time to finish off a 2-pound porterhouse – rare, of course – and a Muntz Street beverage and I'll get right to it.
(Thirty minutes later: Ahh, that was good.)
Where to begin?
Our first order of business concerns our good friend and Ohio senatorial candidate Paul Hall. Paul is a nice guy. Really. And according to one of his campaign fliers – which happens to be resting on my kitchen table at the moment – he is the "only candidate" former newspaperman and current Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus is endorsing. Fair enough.
However….on the flip side of the flier, Mr. Hall begins by addressing yours truly as "Dear Senior Citizen."
That's as far as I got.
Worse yet, Paul also addressed this little political literature to my wife, who is younger than I am. She growled worse than the aforementioned Callers 1, 2, 3 and 4.
"Senior Citizen!" Harrumph! "Who's running against him?"
Paul quickly apologized to Pam and explained the "senior citizen" reference was meant for me. (Probably got my name from the good old folks at AARP. God bless 'em.)
Good luck, Paul. You'll always be older than I am. But not by much.
***
Next up. This old senior-citizen-watchdog-red-meat-eating-deer-hunter is not – if you haven't figured it out – a liberal.
Therefore, I am not an expert on things I know nothing about. (Thank you, P.J. O'Rourke.)
There is, however, such an expert running for Congress in southern Ohio. I can't recall his name and I'm not inclined to try. But he insulted a lot of small business owners when he stopped by my office this week. My only regret is that I missed it. He and I would have had a lot of fun. Well, I would have, anyway.
On the bright side, I did enjoy meeting with Dr. Brad Wenstrup and Congresswoman Jean Schmidt recently.
For those of us who live here, let's keep in mind that it's got to be tough for Second District hopefuls to follow in Sen. Rob Portman's footsteps. It's a little like the Earle Bruce syndrome.
(By the way, to all the local small business owners who have complained to The Highland County Press about excessive payroll taxes, and to Sen. Portman, who campaigned on a platform of lowering those taxes, according to one candidate, "That's absurd." Just thought you'd all like to know.)
On a more positive note, since I have publicly predicted a series of "opinion-ettes" from the Philadelphia Times or whatever they call themselves these days, maybe they'll endorse the guy.
I know I won't.
***
To those Greenfield residents who have asked why The Highland County Press was a little slow to report on this week's boil advisory, all I can say is this: Until Pat Hays told me about it very early this morning, I was not aware of it. Neither was anyone on our staff. The moment I was informed, I posted the information.
To the local resident who told me: "I know it's difficult to get the word out, but there has got to be a better way to spread the word than what the method the city is currently using. I'm pretty sure my guts are contaminated. It will run its course but ... "
(Enough said.)
For the record and to every public official in Highland County and beyond, my personal email is: roryeryan@gmail.com.
Someone in my family checks this frequently – typically from 5 a.m.-midnight. If you want the people of Highland County to know what's going on, send a notice, and it will be published on Highland County's most-read website. (Philadelphia websites notwithstanding.) Unlike the government, when we say that "we're here to help," we do mean it.
***
With all due respect to HCP columnist Eric Deters, Jeffrey Sadosky receives Oracle Status from The Highland County Press this week. He made my day!
***
Yes, our electric bill went up. How's a 40-percent increase grab you? Not good.
Former HCP columnist Bill Horne told us there'd be days like this. We didn't listen. (Deregulation my rear end.)
Now, we either must pay the fiddler or dance in the dark. Ohhh, PUCO! (Pardon me.)
***
Yes, I attended most of the Taxed Enough Already candidates forum this week.
A big ol' hat tip to Mr. Ludwick, Mr. Wyckoff, Mr. Cook and everyone else involved with the informative session.
For those who have asked (you know who you are!), yes, I did think one 2012 candidate presented himself very well. Before I name the candidate, let me qualify this by saying I will not be voting for him.
I won't be voting for his opponent, either, unless one of them moves a mile or two south of Fairfax!
Incumbent Shane Wilkin was most impressive at the Jan. 30 event. He demonstrated a fairly good grasp of the current issues and explained his vision for Highland County's future. In fact, I told him afterward, that the other five candidates were vying for second place in the public forum category.
Of course, there are other categories to consider.
Frankly, I thought Steve Cowdrey had a very admirable public presentation as well, and then found myself lamenting the fact that these two gentlemen would face one another in a GOP primary.
Brenda Losey, in spite of almost losing her voice due to illness, was very impressive, as was Josh Patton.
The candidate I could most associate with in such a setting was Randy Mustard. Randy, like me, is not a huge fan of public speaking. He's very good, one on one, when talking about local issues. But I suspect he'd prefer to have some of these discussions while waiting for a bite when fishing Rocky Fork Lake.
Maybe I'm dead wrong (won't be the first time), but Randy reminded me of a non-politician in a politician's world.
And then there was the quote of the night from incumbent Tom Horst, who said, "My granddaughter calls me the 'Poop Czar,' in reference to the county-owned sewerage systems.
Tom was glib as he generally is. He's very good in the political forum environment. I found very little to criticize other than his plea for everyone to "shop local."
Shop local. Indeed.
One might think that such a plea ought to apply to the county offices as well.
After saving county taxpayers thousands of dollars on its legal advertisements (see: www.highlandcountypress.com/main.asp Search=1&ArticleID=2114&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=83&S=1), neither Commissioner Horst nor any other county official even suggested that this same legal expense – an expense which everyone complained about – be placed for bid the following year.
Of course, it wasn't.
The Highland County Press saved county taxpayers thousands of dollars by presenting this to the public. Many of you thanked us. But others, in public office, apparently are less concerned with how they spend your money.
Frankly, it is a widespread problem, but one we are not supposed to talk about. (We're all friends here, after all.)
As I said not long ago, please consider: For general election advertising in 2005 alone, a Wilmington newspaper billed the Clinton County Board of Elections some $59,169.33 for legal advertising costs.
This was among the most exorbitant expenses to taxpayers in the entire state that year. If you are interested in a copy of the Expenditure Report – Detail Activity from Jan. 1, 2006-June 12, 2006, Page 29 of 34, contact the Clinton County Board of Elections. It is public record, after all.
When that same Clinton County newspaper publisher had taken up shop in Highland County in 2010, (following her “nationwide” search), the Highland County auditor’s office had a taste of the High Life, too.
You should ask Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley about his invoice of almost $14,000 for publishing the annual delinquent land tax legal notices. The bill almost doubled the previous year’s invoice, according to the auditor.
For three full pages and seven partial pages, that newspaper charged taxpayers in a county with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, a whopping $13,828.40. Fawley told the HCP he may protest this expense. “It’s money the county doesn’t have,” he said at the time.
All sitting commissioners agreed with the auditor.
This was reported in the winter of 2010.
Fast forward to 2011 and it was the same old, same old. Business as usual.
Frankly, I don't care. It's obvious that you don't. Why should I?
Let the Philadelphia paper deal with it.
Oh, yes. Shop Local. And please remind me of that file of information I have that really needs to see the light of day soon.
On the bright side, it's good that a few local businesses are speaking up in private. On the other hand, they do have access to this forum if they ever want it!
Rory Ryan is publisher of Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.[[In-content Ad]]