Highland County has been well-served by Shane Wilkin
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
For the record, I don’t recall ever endorsing Shane Wilkin for public office.
I could be wrong, of course. I’m good at being wrong. (Just don’t make a habit of betting that way.)
It’s certain that I did not endorse Shane when he first ran for Highland County commissioner in 2008 against one of my former co-workers. That would have been understandably awkward.
Maybe I endorsed Shane in 2012 or 2016, but I rather doubt it. By then, the last thing he needed – or wanted – was my endorsement.
It was during the 2008 campaign season that Shane walked into my office on South High Street (a few feet further south than 128 S. High) and introduced himself. As I recall, we had a pleasant conversation.
The next year, I bought The Highland County Press from the late, great newspaperman William Latham, who is named among the First Families of Ohio Newspapers.
Very soon after my purchase of The HCP in the summer of 2009, I called Shane and asked him to have breakfast with me. At that time, I really preferred Wanda’s Restaurant on North High Street, but for my purposes, we agreed to meet at Bob Evans on Sauner Road.
I had a few business-related questions, and Shane answered each in a straightforward manner.
A few years later, we had a laugh about that meeting. I guess neither one of us knew exactly what to expect.
For the past decade, I’ve seen Shane on more Wednesday mornings than I care to – or probably can – remember. From my perspective – with absolutely no entangling alliances – Shane has been a hard-working county commissioner. As president of the Board of Commissioners since 2009, he has been forged in fiscal fire on many occasions.
For example:
• In a recessionary September 2009, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss outlined his departmental cuts to the Highland County Board of Commissioners.
“On Sept. 17, you met with county department heads and requested that each department reduce expenditures for the remainder of 2009 by 20 percent of the total of each department’s encumbered and free balance totals as of that date,” Judge Coss said. “This includes salaries of the department head and employees. According to the auditor’s budget sheet for the court provided to me by Commissioner Shane Wilkin, this balance for the Common Pleas Court General and Domestic Relations Divisions is $60,276.29. The amount of spending reductions necessary to meet the 20 percent goal is $12,055.26.”
Judge Coss then presented his court’s 20-percent budget reductions.
• Later in 2009, in a letter dated Nov. 4, Shane advised all general fund department heads that new budget revisions will be needed in order to reflect the most recent estimated revenues for 2010.
“Bill Fawley (Highland County auditor) estimated general fund revenues of $7,946,685 for the 2010 budget year,” Wilkin said. “That figure is $2,680,477 lower than the original 2009 appropriation of $10,627,162.
“At the end of the first quarter of 2009, we reduced the total appropriation even further to $10,058,052, shrinking the difference to $2,111,367. Your (department heads’) initial 2010 budget requests total $9,850,208, which is lower yet, but exceeds Bill’s estimate by $1,903,523. Now, we must work to reduce the appropriations by this amount. I am asking that all general fund department heads revise their respective 2010 appropriations to better reflect the anticipated revenue of $7,946,685. I am aware of and appreciate the efforts that each of you has put forth throughout this difficult time and look forward to your continued cooperation.”
Welcome to the Highland County Commission, indeed.
To Shane’s credit – with the help of former commissioners Gary Heaton and Tom Horst – the county endured the $2 million hit to the budget.
Then, in May 2011, Shane testified before the State Senate of Ohio's finance committee, speaking about the drastic cuts local governments are facing, particularly in the area of social services.
As a member of the human services committee of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, Shane was asked to testify on behalf of the association regarding cuts that agencies such as county Job and Family Services are enduring, while serving a greater number of clients.
"There were a lot of people who testified, all day long, and we each got three minutes, and then questions (from the committee)," Shane told The Highland County Press. "We talked about funding streams and some things in the budget that were proposed, and 'let's not just shift it from the state's general fund and shove it over to the counties.' Some of the points we had were that the state can't dump everything onto (county) budgets and say their budget is balanced when they've killed ours.
“Even though all sections of government have been hit, unfortunately, when you have times like these, social services needs and applications are at a high point. Because the economy is at a low point – and those budgets are being cut – it's hard to satisfy those needs.
“Prior to testifying, I was given some information,” Shane said. “In 2006, the number of families who were on food stamps was 1,746. According to Highland County Job and Family Services this morning, the information was that 4,048 were on food stamp assistance."
Because the proposed state budget cuts funding to local government by more than 50 percent over two years, coupled with additional cuts to health and human services, Shane said, "It's like they're getting cut twofold. The only way to replace those funds would be from the county general fund if it was deemed necessary they needed the funds, and that just compounds our problem. It's kind of like going back to an already empty well.”
At that time, finance committee chairman Chris Widener told Shane that the numbers on the food stamp assistance need to be repeated. That was Shane’s first time testifying before an Ohio Senate committee. Again, he acquitted himself quite well.
Shane, and other commissioners, have had many very difficult decisions since 2009 when the southern Ohio economy went further south.
I’ve sat in on meetings that have dealt with local 4-H and Extension funding, Children Services funding, the closing of the economic development office, a rather contentious property tax issue with Hangar 6 attorney Brian Sullivan (Brian and George won), public records and open meeting debates, and in mid-2011, when former county coroner Dr. Bill Terrell told the board: "At this time, the allotted budget has funds remaining for one more autopsy for the balance of 2011. There are no funds available for transportation of a body; further, every line in the budget has been exhausted.”
Talk about a county budget being dead on arrival.
Given a decade of public-sector experience and more years in private business, Shane is – from all indications – up to the task of representing Ohio’s 91st House of Representatives District, which includes Clinton, Highland and Pike counties, and parts of Ross County.
Unless anything changes, Shane will attend the Wednesday, June 20 Highland County Board of Commissioners’ meeting, submit his resignation, and go to Columbus to be sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives for the state of Ohio.
Bill Fawley told me this week that he will be sad to lose Shane as a county commissioner, but happy that Shane will bring his work ethic and common sense to Columbus.
I think that says a lot. Bill has known – and wisely consulted – many county commissioners, not to mention a former congressman or two.
Shane leaves the county government on firmer – yet, still delicate – fiscal footing than that which he arrived almost 10 years ago.
There’s not much that Columbus – or Washington – can throw at him that he hasn’t already seen. As long as he maintains his solid grasp of reality and stays true to his convictions, he’ll serve the district well.
Good luck, Shane. As I told you this week, your service to Highland County will be missed.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.
I could be wrong, of course. I’m good at being wrong. (Just don’t make a habit of betting that way.)
It’s certain that I did not endorse Shane when he first ran for Highland County commissioner in 2008 against one of my former co-workers. That would have been understandably awkward.
Maybe I endorsed Shane in 2012 or 2016, but I rather doubt it. By then, the last thing he needed – or wanted – was my endorsement.
It was during the 2008 campaign season that Shane walked into my office on South High Street (a few feet further south than 128 S. High) and introduced himself. As I recall, we had a pleasant conversation.
The next year, I bought The Highland County Press from the late, great newspaperman William Latham, who is named among the First Families of Ohio Newspapers.
Very soon after my purchase of The HCP in the summer of 2009, I called Shane and asked him to have breakfast with me. At that time, I really preferred Wanda’s Restaurant on North High Street, but for my purposes, we agreed to meet at Bob Evans on Sauner Road.
I had a few business-related questions, and Shane answered each in a straightforward manner.
A few years later, we had a laugh about that meeting. I guess neither one of us knew exactly what to expect.
For the past decade, I’ve seen Shane on more Wednesday mornings than I care to – or probably can – remember. From my perspective – with absolutely no entangling alliances – Shane has been a hard-working county commissioner. As president of the Board of Commissioners since 2009, he has been forged in fiscal fire on many occasions.
For example:
• In a recessionary September 2009, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss outlined his departmental cuts to the Highland County Board of Commissioners.
“On Sept. 17, you met with county department heads and requested that each department reduce expenditures for the remainder of 2009 by 20 percent of the total of each department’s encumbered and free balance totals as of that date,” Judge Coss said. “This includes salaries of the department head and employees. According to the auditor’s budget sheet for the court provided to me by Commissioner Shane Wilkin, this balance for the Common Pleas Court General and Domestic Relations Divisions is $60,276.29. The amount of spending reductions necessary to meet the 20 percent goal is $12,055.26.”
Judge Coss then presented his court’s 20-percent budget reductions.
• Later in 2009, in a letter dated Nov. 4, Shane advised all general fund department heads that new budget revisions will be needed in order to reflect the most recent estimated revenues for 2010.
“Bill Fawley (Highland County auditor) estimated general fund revenues of $7,946,685 for the 2010 budget year,” Wilkin said. “That figure is $2,680,477 lower than the original 2009 appropriation of $10,627,162.
“At the end of the first quarter of 2009, we reduced the total appropriation even further to $10,058,052, shrinking the difference to $2,111,367. Your (department heads’) initial 2010 budget requests total $9,850,208, which is lower yet, but exceeds Bill’s estimate by $1,903,523. Now, we must work to reduce the appropriations by this amount. I am asking that all general fund department heads revise their respective 2010 appropriations to better reflect the anticipated revenue of $7,946,685. I am aware of and appreciate the efforts that each of you has put forth throughout this difficult time and look forward to your continued cooperation.”
Welcome to the Highland County Commission, indeed.
To Shane’s credit – with the help of former commissioners Gary Heaton and Tom Horst – the county endured the $2 million hit to the budget.
Then, in May 2011, Shane testified before the State Senate of Ohio's finance committee, speaking about the drastic cuts local governments are facing, particularly in the area of social services.
As a member of the human services committee of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, Shane was asked to testify on behalf of the association regarding cuts that agencies such as county Job and Family Services are enduring, while serving a greater number of clients.
"There were a lot of people who testified, all day long, and we each got three minutes, and then questions (from the committee)," Shane told The Highland County Press. "We talked about funding streams and some things in the budget that were proposed, and 'let's not just shift it from the state's general fund and shove it over to the counties.' Some of the points we had were that the state can't dump everything onto (county) budgets and say their budget is balanced when they've killed ours.
“Even though all sections of government have been hit, unfortunately, when you have times like these, social services needs and applications are at a high point. Because the economy is at a low point – and those budgets are being cut – it's hard to satisfy those needs.
“Prior to testifying, I was given some information,” Shane said. “In 2006, the number of families who were on food stamps was 1,746. According to Highland County Job and Family Services this morning, the information was that 4,048 were on food stamp assistance."
Because the proposed state budget cuts funding to local government by more than 50 percent over two years, coupled with additional cuts to health and human services, Shane said, "It's like they're getting cut twofold. The only way to replace those funds would be from the county general fund if it was deemed necessary they needed the funds, and that just compounds our problem. It's kind of like going back to an already empty well.”
At that time, finance committee chairman Chris Widener told Shane that the numbers on the food stamp assistance need to be repeated. That was Shane’s first time testifying before an Ohio Senate committee. Again, he acquitted himself quite well.
Shane, and other commissioners, have had many very difficult decisions since 2009 when the southern Ohio economy went further south.
I’ve sat in on meetings that have dealt with local 4-H and Extension funding, Children Services funding, the closing of the economic development office, a rather contentious property tax issue with Hangar 6 attorney Brian Sullivan (Brian and George won), public records and open meeting debates, and in mid-2011, when former county coroner Dr. Bill Terrell told the board: "At this time, the allotted budget has funds remaining for one more autopsy for the balance of 2011. There are no funds available for transportation of a body; further, every line in the budget has been exhausted.”
Talk about a county budget being dead on arrival.
Given a decade of public-sector experience and more years in private business, Shane is – from all indications – up to the task of representing Ohio’s 91st House of Representatives District, which includes Clinton, Highland and Pike counties, and parts of Ross County.
Unless anything changes, Shane will attend the Wednesday, June 20 Highland County Board of Commissioners’ meeting, submit his resignation, and go to Columbus to be sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives for the state of Ohio.
Bill Fawley told me this week that he will be sad to lose Shane as a county commissioner, but happy that Shane will bring his work ethic and common sense to Columbus.
I think that says a lot. Bill has known – and wisely consulted – many county commissioners, not to mention a former congressman or two.
Shane leaves the county government on firmer – yet, still delicate – fiscal footing than that which he arrived almost 10 years ago.
There’s not much that Columbus – or Washington – can throw at him that he hasn’t already seen. As long as he maintains his solid grasp of reality and stays true to his convictions, he’ll serve the district well.
Good luck, Shane. As I told you this week, your service to Highland County will be missed.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.