A group of citizens will meet next week to finalize plans to circulate petitions to amend the Youngstown City Charter. The amendment to reduce the number of wards in the city would appear on the November 2014 ballot.
i will circulate a petition that states four wards and one at large. anything else is a no wash for me. :)
I like the idea of having a council person at large - it falls under checks and balances concept.
The at large councilperson would, hopefully, have an unbiased outlook - and no particular reason
to favor any ward over another or only try to serve themselves.
Also like the idea of giving the at-large councilperson some the of responsibilities for being
an advocate for the downtown business district.
If the population-to-wards laws say there should be 4 wards, council needs to comply.
What's the latest news on this group?
Quoteanything else is a no wash for me.
Am I to understand that NO Forum members will help with the petition drive to reduce the number of councilmen?
I cannot help - packing and moving.
TT - the meeting is Monday night, I believe.
The charter amendment reads to reduce it to 5 based on population. There are no at large on this charter amendment.
Forum members refusing to help = 2 :P
Forum members willing to help = 0. ???
Mr. Jay, In what bracket are you placing those of us who for health and age reasons are not able to be as active in community affairs as you would wish? Now if a certain neighbor should ask me to sign a petition, I will do so gladdly. Oh and by the way, iwasthere said that he would circulate petitions, so let me ask you, just how fervent will you be in getting signitures? I'll bet that you will only cover your immediate neighborhood.
Saying that I'm moving and am not able to help is not in any way a 'refusal' to help.
And I will gladly sign the petition as well, if they can catch me between the house we're moving from and the house we're moving to. ;)
Nicely said. Some folks are ready and willing to sit in judgement of others without having full knowledge of their circumstance. A lot of our members have full time jobs in the real world; others like myself are home bound; others like yourself have other important issues, and let me add, you have done more real world community work over the years than some of those who would sit in judgement of you, and I'll bet that they haven't done a tenth of what you have done.
Signing a petition is easy.
Taking a petition door-to-door, hour-after-hour, day-after-day is the hard part. Too few in our city are willing to do this.
About 2,200 signatures will be needed.
So what you're saying is that Peggy should drop everything she has to in moving into her new home, and homebound folks who barely get around should risk their health to get petitions signed, yet YOU have NEVER OFFERED TO HELP THOSE WHO LACK TRANSPORTATION to get out and help you get petitions signed. YOU CHALLANGE OUR CIVIC DUTY...YOU HAVE THE GAUL TO QUESTION OUR COMMITMENT... HOW DARE YOU!
EXCUSE ME FOR BEING ANGRY, BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE TO CITIZENSHIP THAN TO RAM TO A HANDFULL OF MEETING IN WHICH YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INPUT, AND THE WORK THAT PEOPLE LIKE PEGGY, MYSELF, RON, RICK, KENNYJOE, iwasthere, do every single day without asking for credit more than makes up for not running to every meeting under the sun.
Do you seriously think that City Council gives a hoot that you are in the audience ... they could care less and you know it, and the same goes for the County Commissioners, or any other meeting you attend. They'll do what they do and there's nothing you can do to stop them. Back in my younger days I was just as active as anyone else, I was on first name basis with a number of folks in City Hall, and that led to my newsletters and web site, and one of the city's most powerful talk show hosts (Dan Ryan) gave me a daily forum to vent my spleen fifteen years. Now I'm 75 years old, homebound, and with my fair share of health problems, not that you or anyone else cares.
The process of getting petitions signed will take about a month. Peggy, are you packing and moving the entire month of July and August?
There are those that are dedicated to change and will do what is necessary to make it happen. There are also those that complain about change needed and simply sit on the sidelines and wait for others to do it. Which person are those on this thread?
>:( PD, WHO SAYS THAT WE JUST SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND DO NOTHING. WHAT DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE DO OR DON'T DO JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T STRUT AROUND LIKE STUFFED GEESE WITH OUR CHESTS PUFFED OUT BRAGGING ABOUT WHAT WONDERFUL PEOPLE WE ARE! SHOOTING OFF YOUR MOUTH WITHOUT KNOWING US PERSONALLY, DOESN'T IMPRESS ANYONE!
Town talk. I have no idea what that paragraph was about? I know I will be getting petitions signed. Do you know people that act like birds pumping their chest out bragging?
All i ever see from you is that you can't do things because of one excuse or the other. What is it this week? Your hip or your knee?
Has anyone thought about asking for volunteers from the political Science students at YSU? Perhaps
One or more who are pursuing their B.A. degree would be interested in an exercise of the political
process involved in the petition - and how it works for Youngstown's citizenry(sp?)
No lack of bodies on campus and students are always volunteering for stuff in the community.......
Just a thought....
QuoteNo lack of bodies on campus and students are always volunteering for stuff in the community
In my opinion, students are the most apathetic segment of our community. They equate texting and facebooking with activism and that's just not how a petition drive works.
As a matter of fact I do PD, but I will not name them to a newbe here like yourself, for the longer you are on this site the more you'll get to know them. As to your saucastic remark about my health, I will defer from commenting because profanity is not allowed here if you're intelligent enough to get the drift.
Thanks for the clarification Jay and I fully agree with you on that score.
PD, first of all, I'll forgive your arrogant tone since you are apparently new here.
Secondly, it's none of your business what the hell I do, nor when, nor how long it takes me to do it.
I work, and I take care of an autistic child, and I am VERY busy in my neighborhood and community - not that any of that is any of your business, but there it is.
Now I suggest you back off pal from attacking people on this thread. you are very quickly alienating yourself - or is that your intention. ;)
Quote from: jay on June 28, 2014, 05:46:45 AM
In my opinion, students are the most apathetic segment of our community. They equate texting and facebooking with activism and that's just not how a petition drive works.
Probably most, I agree. But there are some YSU students who have volunteered for the petition drive up here on the north side.
Circulating a petition is almost like walking to/in a parade. You cover the same ground but at a slower pace.
Quote from: Peggy Gurney on June 28, 2014, 11:18:24 AM
Probably most, I agree. But there are some YSU students who have volunteered for the petition drive up here on the north side.
Exactly - we can't make blanket assumptions about students as though every single one could be described as "apathetic".
When I read local papers and blogs with articles showing projects the students gave volunteered for, this
becomes quite clear.
I will find people to pass around your petition if your group will also get signatures for the Youngstown Community Bill of Rights petition.
I've heard that the charter petitions will be ready to go on Wednesday, July 9.
Get your petitions and fill them with signatures.
Has anyone reached out to all of the neighborhood associations around the city, to see
if any of them are getting involved?
If 50 people each collected 40 signatures, the petition drive could be over in two weeks.
Has anyone tried calling the local talk radio shows, to push this agenda and get the word out
that volunteers are needed - and signatures?
What about the Vindicator? Has anyone thought of contacting them about the petition
drive?
Never underestimate the power and reach of the media.....
Just an Idea.
Towntalk, what do you think?
:)
Ohhhhhh, Allan, that is a very loaded question, and I'm afraid that most of the folks here couldn't handle my HONEST response. The truth is like a white hot branding iron fresh off the fire, and unfortunately many can't stand hearing the truth, or at least the unvarnished truth that does not necessarily coinside with their idea of truth.
For over ten years, I published a daily newsletter that was the basis for material on Talk Radio, and I know the power that it has in the hands of people that are not afraid of shaking up the powers that be. Men like Dan Rivers and Ron Verb, but they can't do it alone. It takes listeners to chime in and stir the pot, turning up the heat till that pot boils over, and few if any of the people that hang out here seem to realize that the powers that be could care less about what we have to say here. But when WKBN's Talkers start aiming their barbs and arrows at the powers that be, or when the editorial team at the Vindicator goes on the attack, then and only then the powers that be start wetting their collective pants.
It can't be resolved over night, nor can it be resolved using a hit and miss approach. The white hot branding irons have to be applied day after day after day, never letting up, but making life a miserable hell on earth for the powers that be.
Most of the vocal people here are little more than tiny gnats or fruit flies that at best are irritating but little else.
And to the issue at hand ... how many of the folks that have been pestering me to go out and have a fist full of petitions signed have taken the time to voice their views on the WKBN talk shows, write letters to the Editor of the Vindicator.
My God, there have been how many different issues placed on the ballot for how many elections that have gotten absolutely nowhere over the past five years. What makes Jay, or PD or anyone else think that this time it will be different?
What they are doing is slamming a two by four down squarely on their heads hoping to cure their migraine, but totally ignoring the one sure cure freely and painlessly available on talk radio and the newspaper.
That metafor go over your head PD? Go get your petitions signed ... have large posters made and march around city hall all day ... whine on this web site till you're blue in the face but in the end, it will go nowhere, just as BG's many posts do.
Shoot, how many times have the anti fracking folks gone to the ballot and failed?
My sermon is finished, my point has been made, and while some may not like it, it's said and done. Amen.
Today I will meet with a petition circulator and sign that charter amendment petition.
Quote from: AllanY2525 on July 10, 2014, 02:10:51 AM
Has anyone tried calling the local talk radio shows, to push this agenda and get the word out
that volunteers are needed - and signatures?
What about the Vindicator? Has anyone thought of contacting them about the petition
drive?
Never underestimate the power and reach of the media.....
Just an Idea.
Towntalk, what do you think?
:)
I do believe that the media has been contacted.
I signed the charter amendment petition today. :) :)
If you are in favor of this amendment, sign the petition ASAP.
A friend was circulating the petition yesterday.
Many people told him that they wanted council to remain at 7 wards. ???
Volunteers were collecting petition signatures at the North Side Farmers' Market and at the Summer Festival of the Arts today.
Yep, I signed.
Only one person from last year's Charter Review Commission is involved with this charter amendment petition drive.
I find this very disappointing. :P
I met another volunteer canvasser last night. The person just started circulating the charter petition.
Jay, I have a petition too. I just need to get off my a**. I know a few others also, who will be door knocking in rocky ridge. Phil Kidd supplied a bunch to appropriate people. What date should we have these in by?
if you are serious of stopping the gilliams and the tarpleys of the world from ruining good government. GET OFF YOUR DUFF AND GET SIGNATURES. ;D