Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Zegarac is third councilman to announce his candidacy for mayor.
A third Avon councilman has thrown his hat into the Avon mayor's race. Avon City Council President Dan Zegarac, 57, has announced his intentions to run for mayor in the 2013 November General Election. Zegarac is serving his second at-large council term. Zegarac’s announcement follows an April 23 one by Bryan Jensen and the April 25 announcement by Ward 3 Councilman Kevin Ward that they are also seeking to fill the seat currently held by Jim Smith, who said he will not seek re-election. "I've had the pleasure of living in an emerging community that has been a special to many,” Zegarac said. “I grew up here, raised my family here and have enjoyed the many amenities of our home town of Avon.” Zegarac, who has lived in Avon more than 50 years…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Two cities, two varying results in voter turnout.
Avon and Avon Lake provided polar opposite turnouts in last week’s Primary Election May 7. Avon Lake’s hotly contested Issue 10, a 10-year 8.28-mill levy resulted in the highest percentage of voters in Lorain County for the election. Avon, which had two smaller levies on the ballot, had the lowest voter turnout in the county, according the Board of Elections’ canvass report. Electors in both cities, as well as the county, also voted on three countywide issues. In Avon Lake, 6150 of the 17,507 registered voters cast ballots for a 35.13 voter turnout percentage. In Avon, 1,034 of the registered 14854 voters came out for a 6.96 percentage rate. (All figures are still uncertified by the Lorain County Board of Elections.) Countywide, 13.37 …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Glossy fliers and robocalls couldn't hold the levy down.
To Avon Lake Kids and others: To the Kids:The voters of Avon Lake have passed the school levy. Now it’s YOUR turn to step up to the plate. The citizens of your town have shown that they really do care about your future and have made a 10 year commitment, and a personal sacrifice, to prove it. What can you do? You can show your appreciation by studying hard and doing the little things in our community to show that you “get it” and that you too want to be good citizens. Volunteer at community events, help the senior citizens when you can, remember to thank those who worked hard to get the levy passed. You can find your own way to pay our citizens back for their commitment to your future. You can “do the right thing”. You can excel in all …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Narrow victory of levy results in comments, cheers and concerns.
The passage of Issue 10 by a 52 percent margin means a good portion of the community is breathing a sigh of relief, but almost half are frustrated. Passage of the 10-year levy will result in a tax increase of $253.58 for every $100,000 of home valuation. “Avon Lake City Schools has to say ‘thank you,’” Superintendent of Schools Bob Scott said on Tuesday night, immediately following the election. “I’ve been here 8 years and they’ve been so supportive the whole time. We’re in a really tough situation right now and have been for a couple of years. This vote is saying not just how important education is to the kids, but the community itself.” Scott said the district has known for awhile how difficult the cuts from the state would be and wanted…
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Voters in Avon Lake approve school levy, while Avon voters OK pair of city levies.
UPDATED 9:11 p.m. Voters approved the hotly debated 8.28-mill, emergency 10-year Avon Lake schools levy with 52 percent percent of the vote. Final, unofficial results show the measure passing, 3,192 to 2,928. In Avon, voters handily approved two city levies: a 1.90-mill, five year renewal levy for street maintenance and repair (736 votes to 276 votes); and a .45-mill, five year renewal levy for parks and recreation (728 votes to 294 votes). Lorain County voters approved two of three issues Tuesday: a levy to fund the county drug task force and a levy supporting Murray Ridge. Voters turned down a levy to fund expansion of RTA routes. Stay with Patch as we follow-up on this story post-election. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter too…
Monday, May 6, 2013
Final video highlights importance of the number "10."
An Avon Lake videography student has created a series of videos supporting Issue 10 that include a host of familiar faces. Take a look and you’ll see a bevy of Avon Lake “who’s whos” as well as some everyday folks with one thing in common: They all support passage of Issue 10, the 10-year levy that will provide more than $6 million a year for the Avon Lake School District. Junior Andrew Larson, a videography student at Avon Lake High School said the medium is both a hobby and a passion. “The videos were not my idea,” Larson said. “I was approached by (Avon Lake School Board member) Ron Jantz to help create them.” The end result is a series of pro-levy videos titled “10 for 10.” The quick moving videos feature a community member telling …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Information on the May 7 Election.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Board of Education member Dale Cracas supports passage of Issue 10
Editor’s note: This letter is part of a group of 5 letters from Avon Lake Board of Education members. The letters are in support of Issue 10, a 10-year emergency levy will generate $6.5 million per year at a cost of $253.58 per $100,000 home valuation. To the Editor: The school levy appearing on the May ballot is very important to me as a grandfather. Two of my grandchildren are in the elementary grades and two of them are high school students. The older grandchild is taking advantage of the AP and dual credit courses. The younger high school student is looking at taking those courses in the next few years. They are experiencing these more advanced courses to learn the expectations of college work. Research shows that students taking nine …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Councilman, who grew up in Lorain, personally experienced decline.
To the Editor: As an elected official in Avon Lake, I strongly endorse Issue 10. I grew up in Lorain and had the privilege of attending Lorain City Schools in the 80’s and early 90’s. The Lorain city school system that I was a part of was successful and a far cry from the issues that Lorain City School’s currently suffer. The decline of the Lorain school system can be traced to two events. The first was the defeat of the 1991 school levy, the failure to pass the school levy led to the cancellation of most sports (including football) and major cuts in academics. The second was the downsizing and eventual closure of the Lorain Assembly Plant. The City of Lorain did not pass another school levy for over 20 years. The closure of the Ford …
Passage of the Avon Lake School Levy will cost $253.58 per $100,000 valuation. Here's how the county arrived at that number.
A Lifetime Resident of Avon Lake
9:49 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Samantha, Perhaps this is why they took their message directly to their students. After all, music and band would have been two of the courses definitely targeted by the school board to save money. Cost of one Junior High music teacher = $108,049.88 per year. ( Salary $79,796.00 X 14% (STRS) + $17,082.86 Health Insurance) $108,049.88 year/185 days/year = $584.05 per day. $584.05 per day/ 8.5 … more ›