Medina area has three governments, but only one leader

Posted 29 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Editor:

Like him or not Andrew Meier, the mayor of Medina, is leading. He has been called arrogant, pushy and smart.

Last night our towns and the village came together in front of us to discuss what they can do to help alleviate the tax burdens and complexity we have. The reason they came is because they were pushed to.

The discussion centered on sharing services and transferring some of what Medina does to the towns. The result of this would be a lower tax for the village and higher costs for the towns. It is good there is some movement toward sharing costs and services.

Personally I give credit to Shelby Supervisor Draper for bringing some things to the table. The silence from Ridgeway was disappointing. Andrew Meier pushed the discussion and I was glad he did.

There are several certainties that cannot be debated. Three governments will cost us more now than one. Three governments will cost more in the future than they do today. Three will be more complex than one. Three governments will not help us navigate the future better than one.

Another certainty is there will be a vote on dissolution in the village. This will come from either the Village Board or a petition to put it on ballot. If the village residents vote to reduce their tax rates, the towns will be left to decide what we need and what we want.

Change is hard. Change brings uncertainty, fear and hope. This is true in governments, business, non-profits and life. Those who create change are often called arrogant, pushy, smart, stubborn, but often in the end are correct.

Dean Bellack
Medina