No on Issue 17

Dear Local Politicians,

I've thought about it and tomorrow is the vote. Nope, sorry, not forking over for nebulous promises. There are a couple of things on your list that I'd be willing to support, like programming at the new Community Centers and fixing/rebuilding the sewer overflow system. But most of the tax request is for vague promises to attract new businesses.

Tell me you need money for turning Akron into a greener and healthier place to live and I'll listen to specific plans. But as long as First Energy remains the only energy game in town, I have my doubts that anything positive will be done so that I don't have to live through summer ozone alert days.

I'm fed up with filthy coal and aging nuclear plants as the sources of energy in our city. How about luring in some businesses that will build and install solar panels on our rooftops? What about making use of all the wind energy available here at the "Summit?"

As I drive past various new housing developments in the city and surrounding burbs, I wonder to myself how many of these plastic homes have been built with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind? Would No Impact Man deign to live in such dwellings?

I'd vote instantly for a tax that promised us a real recycling program that deals with all the plastics, not just numbers one and two and that sets a meaningful limit as to what goes into landfills.

Mr Mayor and Council people -- come back to the voters with pragmatic programs and I'll give you a listen. But tomorrow, it's going to be No.

To tax myself or not to tax myself...

...that is the question in my mind leading up to the May 8th election. I'm still Undecided and not leaning in either direction.

In today's ABJ, an article about the proposed tax has racked up an impressive 64 comments by this evening, almost all of them opposed to the tax. Unfortunately, most of the arguments are not compelling. These folks are anti-tax on principle rather than speaking to the specifics of the proposition. There are the usual anti-union rabble who blame the need for a tax increase on union salaries and benefits. If only they'd just get over the jealousy and join the IWW.

From the Issue 17 web site, here is a look at how the tax will be used:

How Proceeds from Issue 17 will be used each year:
Additional Police Officers 2.5 million
Neighborhood Improvements 3.6 million
_ Streets, Parks, Housing
Additional After School Programs 1.0 million
Flood Control 1.0 million
Replacement of Equipment 1.0 million
(Safety forces & Service)
Job Retention and Creation 9.0 million
Land Banking
Infrastructure required for job development
Neighborhood Business Districts

The Job Retention and Creation category is the problem. That's 9 million dollars for something that is very non-specific. I'm not sure I feel like giving up $33 per 10,000 of my salary for an ambiguous goal.

What is really missing here is any indication that human kind is facing a future that will be markedly different due to climate change. If only any of the above needs were tied to greener ways of living in our community, I’d be rooting for it whole-heartedly. But I suspect that any building of new structures will be done in the same old ways without any concern for lessening the environmental impact upon the land, air and waterways.

Cap out, begging

The Mayor made his case for a tax increase to the city council. He has turned mayoring Akron into a career. City Council are all Democrats. Only one voted against putting the tax increase on the ballot. Akronites live in a Democratic stronghold, or perhaps stranglehold. Certainly we are feeling the squeeze. The new tax is for more cops and to attract business, with some money for infrastructure fixing and Community Learning Center funds as well. I wonder how much programming 1 million per year will bring our citizens at the CLCs?

I'm hearing that the Akron Civic Theatre (pictured here at Canal level) is bankrupt again. Who's bright idea was it have the same guy book both the Civic and EJ Thomas? All the best stuff went to EJ and the Civic got dance recitals, wedding receptions with the occasional Wurlitzer organ concert. There hasn't been anything at the Civic that I've wanted to see since I don't know when.

Meanwhile, I've heard nothing on the Highland Movie Theatre situation since attending that community meeting. Are we watching the death throes of art and culture here in Akron?

If you feel like wallowing in more Ohio gloom, read Pho's account of how the new Bush budget will make matters even worse. When you look at the list of cuts, you'll immediately notice that women and children are the big losers. Kids lose out in every way -- less money for education, Headstart, children's health care and having a warm house during the winter season.

Sure hope my union negotiates enough of a raise to cover the tax increases.

The Mayor's Proposed Akron Income Tax Increase

It's Friday night and I really want to rock out, but instead I've got taxes on my mind. The mayor of Akron is calling for an increase in income tax. It would be about $33/per 10k in income.

The mayor wants more cops -- that was the leading point of his tax plea as reported in today's ABJ. Then a list of other items, all very non-specific:

"The proposed 0.33 percentage point increase, expected to generate an additional $17 million annually, also would help replace aging vehicles, fund after-school uses of new school buildings, boost the capital budget and fuel more economic development."

My first thought was reflexive -- ouch! I can't afford it. My second reaction was "No, not more cops." Americans always want more cops and more jails, rather than finding what -- over time -- turns an innocent baby into a criminal who needs policing and jailing.

Then I began to read all the citizens postings on the ABJ article comments section. This topic garnered copious amounts of word-slinging today. There are the Love It or Leave It people vs the Hated It and Left people. The usual Won't Pay Any New Taxes Ever people are smashing heads with The What's In It For Me people. It got way too emotional in the Comments section, so I went back to the original article and read it more carefully.

Plusquellic certainly made good logical points in his arguments. He is also one gutsy politician --he and his entire Democratic city council are all running for re-election on the same ballot! The mayor makes it clear that federal tax breaks will compensate for some of the increase in local taxes. (Bush's tax cuts in essence mean that state and local governments will be paying more for services. It's the old shell game.) According to the Beacon, Plusquellic

"...argued that the city has cut costs and reduced the city's payroll in the last 10 years by 400 full-time jobs from 2,673 full time employees to 2,242.

``We have not raised taxes for the operation of city government in 26 years, a record that I think we can all be proud of,'' Plusquellic said.

``But today I stand before you and tell you we cannot be the city we want to be, we cannot be the city that we need to be, we cannot continue to compete without asking each of you to help reinvest in our future by giving back locally just a small portion of what you used to send to the IRS in Washington.''

Damn, I really wanted to go with my initial response -- No new taxes. But how can I say no to improving living conditions in the city that I freely choose to live in? I can feel myself being persuaded, but--

There's still the annoyance factor of the push for more cops and the nebulous list of new needs. What does it mean to "fuel more economic development" and what specific programming is going into our new after-hour community learning centers?

I'd like more specifics before I say OK to this new tax. In the same article, the ABJ points out that our sewer rates are going to increase by 7% just as soon as our City Council stops dithering about it.

"The city asked for the surcharge to fund a specific project: stopping the overflow of sewage during heavy rains into the Ohio & Erie Canal in downtown Akron."

Yes, I think we need to stop the overflow of sewage into our canal system that we have been spending lots of money to fix up into a recreational attraction (see photo above). Cleaning up the messes from the 19th and 20th centuries are going to increase our tax burdens over the coming years, whether we like it or not. It's either fix the sewers or wallow in the disease-bearing muck.

To conclude my meditation on the proposed new tax increase, I'd like to see some of it go to the higher things in life, something to take our minds away from the gutters and sewers. Mr Mayor, if you want my vote for sure, put some of the revenue into a fund for developing and maintaining the arts in Akron. Remember, the arts are what make life worth living!