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Photos from Friday evening at the Delta Chicken Festival, before the rains came. Click on the link above to access the photos. They are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
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At their meeting on July 11th, the Swanton Lions Club officially chose October 28, 2023 as the date for their enormously popular Halloween Hoopla held in Downtown Swanton. The Club has begun to organize the wonderfully exciting activities including games and bouncy houses that will fill a large portion of Main Street as local businesses pass out all kinds of delicious candy. The precise time will be published at a later date. Click on the link above to see some of the photos from last year’s celebration.
There are several reasons to hold a special election, one not conducted in the month of November, in the State of Ohio such as the need to fill a sudden or unexpected vacancy of an important position or to vote to recall an elected official. Elections that do not meet that criteria often fall under the suspicion of being held at a period of historically low voter turnout to improve the passing of a controversial measure. The motivation behind placing Ohio 2023 Issue 1 on the ballot on August 8, 2023, could not be more obvious. “Just move along. Nothing to see here, folks.”
Pulled from the internet is a brief explanation of what the measure entails:
What is Ohio’s Issue 1?
If voters approve Issue 1, future amendments to the Ohio Constitution will need a 60% affirmative vote to pass, rather than the simple majority vote of 50% plus one vote that’s been in place since 1912, according to The Associated Press.
Also, petitioners seeking to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Ohio would need to gather signatures from at least 5% of electors in the most recent gubernatorial election in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, rather than just 44 counties.
Issue 1 also eliminates the state’s “curing period” for constitutional amendment petitions, which gives petitioners an extra 10 days to gather additional signatures, if needed.
Supporters of Issue 1 say the measure would protect the Ohio Constitution from special interest groups.
“By raising the threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%, the people will ensure amendments have widespread support and tell special interests that our constitution is not up for grabs,” reads an argument for the proposal signed by state GOP lawmakers. “By requiring signatures from voters in every county, special interest groups will no longer be able to cherry pick where they gather signatures.”
Meanwhile, opponents of Issue 1 say it would end majority rule in the state.
“It means just 40% of voters can block any issue, putting 40% of voters in charge of decision-making for the majority,” reads an argument against the proposal signed by state Democrats. “It would destroy citizen-driven ballot initiatives as we know them, guaranteeing that only wealthy special interests could advance changes to our constitution.”
Though the changes to the signature threshold and curing period would only apply to constitutional amendments proposed after Jan. 1, 2024, the new vote threshold requirement would take effect immediately upon passage — possibly impacting the next general election.
Issue 1 would raise the threshold needed for voters to approve an abortion rights amendment that could appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, which would enshrine access to abortion in Ohio in the state constitution following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer. Petitioners for that amendment last week submitted more than 700,000 signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, which now must be verified by county election boards.
My question is, why not wait until the general election on November 7, 2023? That is just three months away when voter turnout tends to be the highest. The State of Missouri has a very similar measure to be decided this year, in November, where it should be. Having the vote at the peak of vacation season only confirms the mistrust many of us have in politicians and our political system overall.
Currently, two states, Florida and Illinois, require a 60% super majority to amend their constitution. Ohio and 37 other states require a 50% plus one vote simple majority with the rest lying somewhere in between. The impact of Issue 1’s approval will have a major impact on the lives of all Ohioans for a long time and we do not deserve to have it “slipped” past us while our attention may be diverted. Let us all decide. Or at least most of us.
Photo: Fulton County Sample Ballot
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Last Saturday evening, on Swanton’s youth soccer fields, a crowd began to form around 6:00 PM and grew in numbers for the next four hours with people of all ages, dressed mainly in some combination of patriotic red, white and blue. They had gathered to witness one of the best pyrotechnic displays in Northwest Ohio, the Village of Swanton’s Independence Day Fireworks. There was some apprehension in the air as people kept checking the weather forecast on their cell phones, not knowing if the anticipated “bombs bursting in air” would be delivered by the American Fireworks Company as scheduled or by Mother Nature, at an earlier and inconvenient time. As we all know now, Mother Nature was gracious enough to hold off the storm long enough for everyone to enjoy another spectacular show.
As breathtaking the fireworks were, what I enjoyed even more as I walked around the grounds before the big boomers began, was watching all the people that had come together to celebrate America’s 247th birthday. So many families, so many young people, so many adults, playing games, eating food, talking and laughing and just having a great time as they waited hours for that first rocket to take flight. I could not distinguish anyone by political party affiliation and I am confident that many of the larger groups that night were a mix of political parties that had checked their beliefs at the gate.
It was only for a few hours but it was great to witness. With the exception of 1861-1865, I do not believe we, as a nation, have ever been more divided. I can only hope and pray our democracy will survive this tumultuous period of our history and we come together as a country for our own benefit. And not just once a year to watch fireworks.
Click on the link above to access photos from the event. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
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The Swanton Lions Club held their annual Installation and Awards Dinner last Friday evening at the Swanton Community Center. The event is held to install Club Officers who were elected for the 2023/2024 fiscal year and thank those who served in those positions the year prior.
The Club’s new officers, who assumed their duties on July 1st are as follows: President – Dr. Mark Jones, First Vice-President – Scot Lawson, Second Vice-President – Jeff Patch, Secretary – Holly Lawson, Treasurer – Dr. Penny Jones, Membership Director – Jennifer Salyers, Lion Tamer – Lloyd Cass, Tail Twister – Dr. Mark Jones.
The Swanton Lions Club meets every second and fourth Tuesday at 6:15 PM each month in the Swanton Community Center on Chestnut Street. Meetings are generally one hour or less. Major projects for the Club include the Easter Egg Hunt, the American Flag Program, Swanton High School Scholarship Golf Outing, Swanton Corn Festival involvement, Halloween Hoopla Sponsorship and Coordination, Christmas Giving Tree Program and many other smaller benevolent projects.
Click on the link above to access photos from the dinner. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Lions Club District Governor Dave Stockum, Secretary Holly Lawson, President Dr. Mark Jones
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The Swanton Athletic Boosters welcomed 35 teams of golfers to Valleywood Golf Club for their annual fund-raising outing last Friday. Word on the course was that several of the participants were using this outing as a tune-up for British Open later this month. Good luck to them in the UK. Here are a few photos from the day.
Click on the link above to access photos from the event. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
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On Friday night, the Village of Swanton’s recently established Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) hosted its first block party featuring live music, games and a food truck. The DORA, which encompasses a small section of Zeiter Way off Main Street and includes Benfield Wines and Hub’s Swantucky Pub, was filled from end to end with local residents and out-of-town visitors taking advantage of a warm summer evening to celebrate the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend in a friendly and carefree atmosphere.
The idea behind a DORA is to create an economic stimulus in a downtown area by allowing the consumption of alcohol in a very controlled fashion within the confines of that area. Judging by the attendance on Friday night and the way everyone conducted themselves, the event was a big success. “It was super fun. We had a really good time and had a lot of people ask us to do it again,” said Julian Benfield of Benfield Wines. “We were busy all night. So was Hub’s. And we saw a lot of new faces,” she added, echoing comments made by some of the Swanton residents.
A great addition to this inaugural event was the music of the widely popular Chris Shutters who entertained the crowd from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. Tocayo’s Authentic Street Tacos food truck was on hand to feed the hungry and cornhole games took place in the grassy area next to the Swanton Chamber of Commerce building. The next DORA block party is schedule to happen on July 21, 2023 starting at 6:00 PM. JP and the Big Deal will be the musical guest and organizers are in the process of lining up a food truck.
Currently, the size of the DORA will remain the same until the first full year of existence. The program will then be reevaluated to determine what changes may be warranted. “We’d really like to get it expanded northward, especially so we can include EJ Ritter Hall and all the wonderful things that happen in that venue,” Julian explained.
Click on the link above to access photos from the event. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Chris Shutters
Swanton resident Lloyd Cass, was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellowship at the Swanton Lions Club’s Annual Installation and Awards Dinner last evening at the Swanton Community Center. The prestigious honor, officially presented to Lloyd by Lions President Travis Weigel and Past-President Dick Notestine, is named after Melvin Jones, the Founder of Lions Club International in 1917.
Lloyd, a founding member of the Swanton Lions Club in 2009, was nominated by his fellow Swanton Lions for his unwavering dedication and support of the Swanton Community through the Club during the past 14 years. Rare is the Swanton Lions Club event where he does not maintain a presence and a major contribution. His tireless efforts on all of the Club’s community projects have had a significant impact in determining their success in helping others and making the Swanton community a great place to live.
To further recognize this very exclusive honor, Lloyd was given a plaque and a lapel pin accompanied by a letter from Douglas X. Alexander, Chairperson of the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). The letter read, in part: On behalf of Lions Clubs International Foundation, congratulations on becoming a Melvin Jones Fellow. LCIF is able to continue and expand programs through the generous support of Fellow such as yourself. You should take great pride in knowing you will impact so many lives, both in your immediate community as well as across the globe. Wear your Melvin Jones lapel pin with pride. It represents your dedication to humanitarian service to the highest degree. Thank you for your continued dedication and support to LCIF.
With this honor, Lloyd’s name will be added to the list of all Melvin Jones Fellows and displayed at the Lions Clubs International Headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois.
Photo: Swanton Lion Lloyd Cass
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At the beginning of the baseball season in his sophomore year, Ryan O’Shea talked his fiend and classmate, Drew Smigelski, into coming back out for the Bulldog team even though he had not played the game for a while. Fast forward three years plus as Ryan and Drew finished their high baseball careers as three-year starters and have both decided to continue their education and athletic careers by signing National Letters of Intent with Owens Community College in Toledo.
“It’s awesome. It’s great to see us developing kids to make it to the next level,” commented Swanton Head Coach Josh Siewert. “Ryan did well on the mound and Drew was Second-Team All-League again this year and was really strong at the plate.”
Bulldog Assistant Coach Matt O’Shea, Ryan’s father, had two reasons to celebrate. “I’m really excited for both of them because I had them both at the youth level. Drew took some time off and Ryan was able to drag him back on the diamond so, that was neat,” said O’Shea. “For them to get an opportunity to compete at the college level together is pretty special.
Both Drew and Ryan will major in Business while playing for the Express Baseball program and plan to continue their education at a four-year institution after graduation from Owens.
Click on the link above to access photos from the singing.
Photo: Swanton Head Coach Josh Siewert, Drew Smigelski, Ryan O’Shea, Assistant Coach Matt O’Shea
As many of you know, I’m a York Township Trustee. Part of the duties I and my fellow trustees perform is to fund oversee the Delta Community Fire Department. The Delta Community Fire Department has developed a long history of outstanding service to our community and the surrounding areas we do not hesitate to help. We employ a full-time Fire Chief with over 20 years experience in this field. We also employ two full-time firemen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week, along with over 30 volunteer firemen who are fully-trained to fight fires and handle other emergencies. We are the largest volunteer fire department in the area.
The Wauseon Fire Department has recently created an issue with a portion of our Township I used to cover for us until 2020. We took back over this area in 2020, when Wauseon dramatically raised their fees for covering this approximately 14 square mile area. We also took the area back because we are very confident, we can provide the best fire service possible for this area. We routinely have 8-12 firemen respond to our fire calls, a tremendous achievement. The City of Wauseon recently placed a press release in several area newspapers, detailing their side of this issue. York Township was able to provide a response to some of the newspapers but not others. Therefore, I wanted to place our response on my FB page to give those who only saw Wauseon’s response, our side of the story. Please share if you wish. Thank you.
Press Release Below:
The City of Wauseon recently offered a fire contract to provide fire coverage to York Township to cover an approximately 14 square mile area that covers the west side of Co. Rd. 11 to the east side of Co. Rd. 13, ranging from Fulton County Road H to Fulton County Road A (the Fulton/Henry County Line). Wauseon had covered this area until York Township did not accept a new coverage contract in 2019. Therefore, Wauseon’s coverage of this area ended on December 31, 2019.
York Township terminated this contract for two main reasons. First, the Wauseon fire department raised their contract cost from approximately $3,500.00 per year to over $40,000 annually. Second, York Township oversees the Delta Community Fire Department, and the Trustees determined this department was fully capable of handling this area of York Township.
There was no discussion between the Wauseon and Delta fire departments regarding this issue for over three years until a group of concerned citizens came to a York Township Trustee meeting on April 26, 2023. When the trustees gave this group their blessing to speak at the meeting, the citizens expressed their concern about the current fire coverage situation. There was discussion back and forth between the two parties. Many things were discussed, and the York Trustees agreed to meet with the City of Wauseon and its fire officials at a later date to discuss this issue.
Prior to scheduling this next meeting, Wauseon sent a letter containing a fire coverage contract offer to York Township on May 16, 2023. Wauseon offered to cover this area for $44,463.35 per year. This area averages eight accident/fire calls per year. This contract would pay the City of Wauseon $5,558.17 per call based on an average year. We feel this is an excessive amount to pay to a neighboring fire department when we are completely capable of servicing this area.
The City of Wauseon’s attorney, offered to have himself, The Wauseon Mayor, and the Wauseon Fire Chief to attend the May 24th York Township meeting to discuss the contract they proposed. We, in turn, emailed all the parties relevant to this issue, stating that anyone was welcome to come to our meeting, but that we wouldn’t be discussing this contract in depth. The trustees and I felt that the contract offered was not a good starting point for us. We felt and still feel we provide great coverage to this area. We also feel that any contract offer should come from us, since the area is in our township.
We have a few more points for discussion as well:
The Wauseon Fire Department feels the need to bill us for any mutual aid calls they help with in the Delta Fire District. Mutual aid calls are loosely defined as: When a neighboring fire department helps out another with a fire call when needed. According to the Fulton County Prosecutor’s office, no fire department is allowed to bill another fire department for fire services.
York Township was sent another Letter on May 24, 2023 from the City of Wauseon stating that if the entities could not come to an agreement by August 1, 2023, then the Wauseon Fire Department would terminate their fire coverage in this area. The York Trustees were emailed a press release on June 13, offering a town hall meeting on June 21, to discuss the City of Wauseon’s Fire Department’s decision to terminate coverage to the citizens of this area, effective August 1, 2023. Citizens in this area should be very nervous about backing a Fire Department who would choose not to help, in the case of an emergency. Despite the strained relationship, the Delta Community Fire Department would not hesitate to help anyone in need of service in this area. We don’t apply conditions to our services.
Please share.
Fulton County Ohio Media 