Kudos to Toby Warrington; com-fort-a-ble shoes, and more CVB questions

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

Having walked the Hillsboro Indians’ sideline at Richards Memorial Field for many years – including each of the past six gridiron campaigns, it pleased me to see HCP Sports Editor Stephen Forsha’s recent report that Hillsboro senior Toby Warrington was an SCOL champion wrestler this year.

My son, Colin, and I have watched Toby through four football seasons (2011-14). He played quarterback and defensive back. And, as Coach Matt Hodge told me last fall, “No one works any harder than Toby.”

The fact that he plays varsity football and can still wrestle at 126 pounds shows a tremendous amount of self-discipline. Football players need weight. Wrestlers need to “make weight.” It’s tough. Probably one of the toughest things to do in high school sports.

During his four varsity football seasons for the Indians, Toby often was outsized on the field. However, he was never outhustled or outworked. He always came to play.

Best of luck, Mr. Warrington, for the remainder of this academic year, after graduation and beyond. Many of us will always appreciate your efforts.

* * *

Why do they fill these shoes?

While writing this week’s ramble, I am listening to an old George Jones album. To be more specific, I am listening to “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes.” (I wrote about that particular song in a totally different vein some time back. You can look it up in our archives – or not.)

But on this particular evening, when the Ol’ Possum starting crooning about filling the shoes of guys named Hank and Lefty and the Man in Black, it got me to thinking, not about who’s going to fill the shoes of country music legends like Williams, Frizzell or Cash, but why do some professional businesswomen “fill the shoes” that they do?

Why do they put their own good feet through such discomfort, if not downright torture?

For instance, there’s a businesswoman or two that I see from time to time, and during these winter months, well, their shoes just don’t always make sense to me. (Not that any one of them has ever asked my opinion, mind you.)

And when you factor in the reality that not a single snow plow has attempted to treat the snow and ice that’s been hanging around a few South High Street alleyways for the past month (although Ben Fenner did – voluntarily – plow some snow for the several businesses and residents in the 100 block), well, good shoes can be absolutely essential this time of year. No kidding.

Instead of wearing those spike-heeled, open-toed pinchers that make normal and natural walking all but impossible, why don’t these women wear what Forrest Gump would call “com-fort-a-ble shoes.”

Today, lo and behold, at least one woman I know did just that.

It was not intentional, though. It was an accident.

She said she meant to wear her “work boots” – the com-fort-a-ble shoes – but she also meant to bring a second pair to wear during office hours.

Why?

There was not a thing wrong with her “work boots.” Why would anyone need to change into a pair of those pointy-toed, spiky-heeled jobs – designed and invented by sadistic men, no doubt – when she was wearing a perfectly good pair of com-fort-a-ble shoes?

I even know someone who has a pair of red tennis shoes (wait for it) – with heels. Tennis shoes, red or otherwise, are not meant to have heels. I’m pretty sure of this.

Since last Christmas, I have worn the same pair of work boots every day. I wear them to work. I wear them to board meetings. I wear them to restaurants. If I were a frequent church-goer, I’d probably wear them to church. I like them. They are com-fort-a-ble shoes.

Before getting this pair of boots, I had another pair just like them, which I wore for eight or 10 years. I now reserve those for the dirtier jobs outside. They’re still com-fort-a-ble, though.

I don’t understand it with shoes. You can only wear one pair at a time. A good pair ought to last a while, too. Why invest in dozens of pairs of shoes at the same time?

I’m good with the following:

• One pair of daily work boots.

• One pair of muddy work boots (not to be confused with daily work boots).

• One pair of cowboy boots (also known as dress shoes on Saturday nights).

• Tennis shoes for basketball, walking, exercise, etc. (But rarely, if ever, for tennis.)

• Cheap sandals for Florida and North Carolina beaches, surf fishing or passing out under a palm tree. (If you pass out under a palm tree at Fort Myers Beach with cowboy boots on, you might get arrested.)

Granted, my personal list does not include golf shoes or decades-old baseball cleats that I refuse to part with. (Sorry, Joe Himes, for using a preposition to end that last sentence with.)

Still, I’m at about a half-dozen total pairs of shoes. All of which are com-fort-a-ble. All of which are relatively safe for walking across an unplowed, ice-covered alley in the Historic District of Uptown Hillsboro.

Funny, the same alley one block to the north has been cleaner than an elephant’s ear all month.

* * *

And then there’s this little late-winter hiccup.

Does anyone really know what the Highland County CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) does?

Given that this is one of those public entities (yes, the state auditor’s office has said on more than one occasion, you are public) that is known to operate within the realm of promotion and publicity – even some self-promotion once in a while – one is left wondering: What, exactly, does the CVB do?

To the best of the limited information that’s been forthcoming, the CVB operates on county lodgings’ tax dollars of roughly $27,000 a year, almost half of which goes to one person’s expenses for part-time work. That may be the highest ratio of total revenue for one person’s expense in all of county government. I certainly hope it is.

Last week, at the request of some readers, I made the following public records request, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 149.43, for a copy of all 2014 revenues and expenses related to the CVB in any form and for any purpose:

“In essence, I would like the CVB's 2014 financial statement, including all expenses paid, to whom they were paid, and for what purposes. Also, please advise as to the top five accomplishments of the CVB in 2014 and its top five goals for 2015.”

To date, I have not received so much as an acknowledgment of the request. Perhaps that’s my fault, and I will do my best to remedy the situation here.

Again, I ask the CVB board, please provide:

• The CVB's 2014 financial statement, including all expenses paid, to whom they were paid, and for what purposes.

• Please advise as to the top five accomplishments of the CVB in 2014 and its top five goals for 2015.

If the latter is too difficult, I’ll settle for the former. Or vice versa.

While we’re on the subject, can someone explain why the city even has a hotel lodging excise tax?

Two years ago this month, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said that’s a no-no.

As we reported, Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins referenced a March 29, 2013 opinion by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (see: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/OhioAttorneyGeneral/files/26/269875…).

In that opinion, DeWine writes:

"The language in R.C. 5739.09(B)(1) permits the legislative authority of a municipal corporation or township to levy by ordinance or resolution a hotel lodging excise tax. This tax, however, may not be levied by ordinance or resolution if the municipal corporation or township is 'wholly or partly located in a county that has in effect a resolution levying an excise tax pursuant to division (A)(1).' R.C. 5739.09(B)(1).

"This means that if any portion of the municipal corporation or township is located within a county that already has levied a hotel lodging excise tax under division (A)(1), then the municipal corporation or township is NOT PERMITTED to levy a hotel lodging excise tax pursuant to division (B)(1) anywhere in the municipal corporation or township, even in those portions of the municipal corporation or township that are located in other counties that have not levied hotel lodging excise taxes under R.C. 5739.09(A)(1)."

Moreover, in 2011, a CVB board member stated repeatedly – and incorrectly – at a CVB meeting that it is not a public agency. That statement was contradicted at that time by the Ohio Auditor of State's Office and again this week, when similar confusion arose among some in the CVB.

Here it is – again – from the Ohio auditor's office, courtesy of a March 3, 2015 correspondence from Brittany Halpin, press secretary for Ohio Auditor Dave Yost:

"The Highland County Convention and Visitors Bureau is a public office and the Public Records Act would apply to it."

Thank you very much. (Of course, why else would the state auditor be auditing the CVB if it were not a public entity. This is not rocket science, board members.)

Something appears to be amiss with the HC CVB records request, but I’m sure answers will be forthcoming.

For more information, see:

Audit:

http://www.highlandcountypress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=19161&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=73&S=1

Lodgings tax:

http://www.highlandcountypress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=19556&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=20&S=1

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.