Amy's Note: This post is longer than usual. Given what is at stake for Russell Township residents, it needed to be. And yes, I just did an interview on a national podcast to talk about it! Please help me make sense of this, because I seem to have landed in some parallel universe where conservatism now means defunding our local police in Russell Township. If you have been following this blog or the news coverage of Russell Township in 2026, you may have noticed a new theme dev

What happened today at the Mahoning County Fair in Canfield involving Dr. Amy Acton is frightening and unacceptable. According to authorities and reporting this evening, an armed man was arrested following an incident involving Dr. Acton during her appearance at the fair. Dr. Acton was thankfully unharmed, although others were reportedly injured during the incident. I am grateful for the quick response by law enforcement and those who stepped in to protect her and those aroun

When you dig into your family history, you quickly realize that the story of how you got here is rarely a straight, single line. Instead, it is a tapestry woven across centuries, borders, and completely different chapters of the American experience. In a world and a political climate that often feels divided, transactional, and exhausting, I find myself wanting to share this personal history. It is my American story—and sharing it is an intentional effort to bring genuine hum

If you take a close look at Geauga County government, you will see a clear double standard. Some local budgets are picked apart line by line, while others get approved without a second glance. County officials have tried to convince the public that Russell Township is in the middle of a major financial crisis. But as reported in the Geauga Maple Leaf, the real story is very different. Behind the scenes, the Geauga County Budget Commission is actively discussing stripping betw

This post comes out of a long conversation with a good friend who challenged me to look past my own blind spots, and I am grateful for friends who push me to do better. Good governance is rarely about picking sides or digging in during public meetings; it is about looking honestly at the numbers, listening to constructive feedback, and protecting the community’s future. In our ongoing conversations with the Geauga County Budget Commission, there is significant room for common

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / INDIVIDUAL TRUSTEE STATEMENT NOVELTY, Ohio — August 26, 2026 — Russell Township Trustee Amy Heutmaker has released an official statement regarding the Township's 2027 tax budget submission and ongoing proceedings before the Geauga County Budget Commission. Trustee Heutmaker is issuing a firm warning that the forced austerity measures currently being discussed will severely damage the Township's financial stability. Navigating Administrative Challenges

By Guest Blogger: John Doe (also known as Fletch M. Fletch) Fletch M. Fletch A long time has passed since the mess on Ridgewood Lane happened, but we still feel the sting of what went wrong. In March 2025, the Vilmas house fell down. This didn’t happen because of bad weather; it happened because the town board didn’t do anything to stop it. For six years after the owner died in 2019, that house was left to rot right in front of us. Even though people warned the Board of Trust

I like to think I’m a pretty smart person. I have three college degrees, which taught me how to write clearly, look at money issues, and understand how people feel in a room. So imagine my surprise when President Trump recently called people like me "not smart" just because we aren't begging for huge AI data centers in Russell Township. The message from Washington seems to be: don't fight these giant computer warehouses, just let them happen. But if you take a closer look

Let me be very clear: I don’t oppose AI or emerging technologies. However, I firmly believe we need proper oversight and deliberate action to mitigate their impacts on the people who call this planet home. While the human impact of AI is multifaceted—ranging from job displacement to social changes—two issues concern me most: Labor Disruption: The potential to eliminate jobs and disrupt livelihoods. Data Center Footprints: The localized environmental impacts, the disruption to

Please help me make sense of this, because I seem to have landed in some parallel universe where conservatism now means defunding our local police and fire services in Russell. Russell Police Department There are elements in our community who want to close the department and contract with the Sheriff’s Department for policing services. Our former Fiscal Officer lobbied me on multiple occasions to begin proceedings to dismiss our Police Chief. In my conversations with resident

I am disappointed that the Geauga County Commissioners could not find a way to provide targeted property-tax relief to seniors and other vulnerable homeowners. That said, I also understand the complicated environment this operates in. Under HB 96, the local piggyback options are not reimbursed by the State of Ohio. Any relief would be absorbed locally through reduced property-tax distributions to affected entities, including townships, schools, libraries, mental-health servic

I am proud of the 2027 Russell Township budget because I believe it does what a township budget should do. It funds our essential services, protects public safety, addresses the real inflationary pressures our departments face, and still provides some tax relief to residents. That is not an easy balance. Every department is dealing with increased costs. Vehicles cost more. Equipment costs more. Materials cost more. Wages and staffing costs continue to rise. The cost of doing

I usually do not venture into issues beyond Russell Township on this blog, and that has been by design. My focus here is local government, fiscal transparency, public safety, and the work residents elected me to do. But there are moments when silence is not neutrality. Silence becomes permission. Today, I am addressing an issue I have been weighing carefully: the raid of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and the broader attack on voting rights in Ohio. During my short time in

Russell Township residents have been asking for better fiscal transparency. So have I. For too long, questions about township finances have been met with incomplete answers, limited explanations, and processes that leave residents trying to piece together how public money is being managed. These concerns are not new. They have been raised by residents, department heads, and even our chiefs. At a public meeting, our Fire Chief stated that he did not have a clear view of his de

Photo: Irondequoit, New York DPW fire. I was there as a firefighter. I was in the bucket. I do not ever want to see this happen in Russell Township. Some images stay with you. For me, this is one of them. The photo above is from the Irondequoit Department of Public Works fire. I responded to that fire as a firefighter, and I was in the bucket. It was a long night. It was dangerous, dirty, and filled with airborne contaminants. Public works buildings are not ordinary garages.

Fiscal Officer Walder, As you prepare to leave your role as Russell Township Fiscal Officer, I am asking for one final act of public service: please reconcile the financial events surrounding last year’s police levy and this year’s carryover, in public, at a Board of Trustees meeting. That is it. That is my ask. For months, I have asked questions by email and in open meetings about the township’s financial position, the police levy forecast, the 2025 year-end carryover, the 2

People have underestimated me my entire life, and for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me. Then one day, while watching my favorite television show, I heard a quote attributed to Walt Whitman. It was stated plainly, and it made me sit right up: “Be curious, not judgmental.” I like that. So the next day, I was in my car driving to work, and all of a sudden, it hit me: many of the people who had belittled me, and some who still do, were never really curio

Amy Heutmaker, Resident and Russell Township Trustee Yesterday, I wrote about my call for a limited-scope transition audit following Fiscal Officer Karen Walder’s announced resignation. Since then, several residents have asked for more context about why I believe this review is necessary. The short version is this: my concerns about financial reconciliation, transfers, and transparency did not begin with the resignation. They were raised in writing nearly six weeks earlier. O

Resident Amy Heutmaker, Russell Township Trustee Published: May 10, 2026 Following public comments raised by resident Tonda Poppe and Fire Chief John Frazier at the May 7, 2026, Board of Trustees meeting, and subsequent questions from additional residents last weekend, I am asking the Board to consider authorizing an independent limited-scope transition audit or financial review in connection with Fiscal Officer Karen Walder’s announced departure, effective June 5, 2026. Why

Amy Heutmaker, Russell Township Trustee Published: May 1, 2026 My blog traffic is up. Not election-night up, not inauguration-week up, but noticeably up. And if I am being honest about why, it is because someone on Facebook has been posting some fairly colorful things about me. I will not name them, link to them, or give them more oxygen than they have already found on their own. What I will do is say this: if their posts brought you here, I am genuinely glad you came. Whatev