Before the Next Roof Caves In
There is a theme running through several issues before Russell Township right now.
Policies. Procedures. Accountability. Votes.
Government does not work well when important issues sit in someone’s inbox, bounce between departments, or disappear because no one wants to make the decision.
When trustees disagree, put the issue on the agenda and vote.
Up or down.
That is what we were elected to do.
Nuisance properties: when exactly are we supposed to act?
I campaigned on addressing vacant, abandoned, and deteriorating properties before they become bigger problems for neighborhoods and taxpayers.
We have properties in Russell right now that deserve action.
One of the homes that Trustee Port does not want a letter sent to has a tree through the roof.
Another property has not appeared to have seen a lawnmower or snowblower in years. There are two inoperable vehicles on the property. Neighbors have reported seeing children playing inside the house. The property is also delinquent on its taxes. Another one at the corner of Holly Hill and Hook Hollow has two downed trees, hasn't seen a lawnmower in years, and is clearly in disrepair. I received multiple complaints personally, because I live in Hemlock Hills, but since my two colleagues don't, I guess they can choose to ignore the issue.
And we are debating whether sending a letter is too aggressive?
So I have a very simple question for Trustees Port and Hare:
When is the right time to act?
When the next roof collapses?
YouTube Video of the last home to collapse in Russell Township in March 2025
When someone gets hurt?
When a property deteriorates so badly that the only remaining option is demolition?
Sending a letter is not bulldozing somebody’s house. It is the beginning of a process. It tells a property owner there is a problem, gives them an opportunity to respond, and establishes a record that the Township is paying attention.
That is what proactive government looks like.
Waiting until a dangerous property becomes an emergency is not compassion. It is neglect by inertia.
And we have already seen what happens when these issues are allowed to sit for years.
Write the process down. Then follow it.
Part of the problem is that Russell needs a clear, written process for nuisance complaints and enforcement.
Who receives the complaint?
Who verifies it?
What criteria trigger a letter?
Who sends it?
What happens next?
Residents and property owners should not have to guess. Neither should Township staff.
Write the process down. Then follow it.
That protects residents. It protects property owners. It protects employees. And it prevents enforcement decisions from changing depending on who happens to be sitting in a trustee chair.
If we disagree, vote
The same principle applies elsewhere.
Individual trustees are allowed to disagree. In fact, we should expect disagreement on a three-member board.
But an individual trustee’s opinion is not the position of Russell Township.
A Board position comes from a Board vote.
If there is disagreement about nuisance enforcement, put it on the agenda and vote.
If there is disagreement about data centers, put it on the agenda and vote.
If there is disagreement about policy, procedure, spending, or priorities, put it on the agenda and vote.
I would rather lose a public vote than watch an important issue get kicked down the road for another five years.
Security cameras and livestreaming
We also need to finish the work surrounding our security camera system before expanding livestreaming.
I support livestreaming Township meetings. I also support making sure the underlying security system works properly first.
But that cannot become another indefinite project.
Who owns the next step?
What needs to be repaired or upgraded?
What does it cost?
When will it be completed?
Residents should be able to get those answers without conducting an archaeological dig through meeting minutes.
Financial transparency
The same applies to Township finances.
Whether the eventual solution is OpenGov or something else matters less to me than the result.
Residents should be able to understand where their tax dollars are going.
We already participate in the Ohio Checkbook. The question now is what additional tools would make our budget, spending, reserves, and financial decisions easier for ordinary residents to understand.
Transparency should not require an accounting degree.
And when the numbers change, say so
We budgeted for a 15 percent increase in health insurance costs for 2027.
The renewal came in at roughly 5 percent.
Great.
Now tell us what that means in dollars.
If that produces legitimate savings, I want to know how much. And I want the Board to discuss whether some of those savings can ultimately benefit taxpayers.
That is the entire point of conservative budgeting. You prepare for the downside, and when reality comes in better than expected, you reassess.
Being proactive means acting before the application arrives
That is also why I have pushed Russell to address data centers now.
I do not believe Russell has appropriate space for a large or medium-scale data center.
But the industry is changing. Smaller, specialized facilities are increasingly possible, including facilities serving sectors such as healthcare. A roughly 16,000-square-foot facility can potentially fit on only a few acres.
Russell has parcels where something of that scale could conceivably be proposed.
So we should address the questions now.
Water.
Septic.
Watershed protection.
Noise.
Lighting.
Power infrastructure.
Setbacks.
Land use.
Our semi-rural character.
Waiting until an application is sitting on somebody’s desk is precisely the wrong time to begin figuring out what we believe.
This is how I intend to govern
None of this is particularly complicated.
Identify the problem.
Gather the facts.
Establish a process.
Discuss it publicly.
And vote.
Sometimes I will win those votes. Sometimes I will lose them.
That is democracy.
What I am not interested in is allowing difficult issues to sit indefinitely because making a decision might make somebody uncomfortable.
Refusing to decide is still a decision.
And whether we are talking about a deteriorating house, a security system, Township finances, or future development, I would rather have Russell make thoughtful decisions early than desperate decisions later.
Because Russell deserves a government that acts before another roof caves in.
Clearly a satirical image
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