Could Citizen Apathy Kill Our Villages?
Who is going to step up to the plate to lead our smaller communities?
In a previous edition of this newsletter, we talked about the state of affairs in our smallest political subdivisions here in Miami County. our villages. If you haven’t read that part of the story, it’s probably helpful that you take a few minutes and read up on how these places are starting to shrink.
As was outlined in the above article, there are three ways in which a village can dissolve. One method is through the ballot box where residents themselves decide to dissolve the local government. A second method is where the population of the village falls below 150. A third method is where the State of Ohio declares the village to be in a fiscal emegency.
The Declining Civic Capacity of Our Villages
But, what happens within a village where there is no one that wants to be a civic leader? This may sound weird to say, but in many village in Miami County, this is a real possibility.
In 2019, village voters went to the polls to elect Mayors. Voters had two candidates to vote on in Covington and one candidate ran for Mayor in the communities of Bradford, Fletcher and Pleasant Hill. No candidates ran for Mayor in Casstown, Laura, Ludlow Falls and Potsdam. According to the Miami County Board of Elections, Casstown and Potsdam was able to fill their vacant Mayor’s position through an appointment. The Mayor of Casstown was elected to an unexpired term in 2021 and the Mayor of Potsdam was appointed. The Board of Elections shows that there are no mayors in Laura and Ludlow Falls.
The situation is almost as dire when you look at seats on Village Councils. In Ohio, Villages operate with a six-member council; the Mayor acts as President of Council and only votes when there is a tie on council. According to the Board of Elections, six of the county’s nine villages have at least one vacancy on their village council. Potsdam has one vacancy, Bradford two, Casstown three, Laura four, Fletcher five and Ludlow Falls has a vacancy in all six of their village council seats.
It’s not just here
The problem is not just a phenomenon we see in Miami County. Throughout Darke and Preble Counties, we see the same situation. A cursory reivew in those counties show that there are vacancies on village councils in places like College Corner, Elkton, Gordon and Verona. The Villages of Burkettsville, Castine, Hollandsburg, New Holland, North Star, Palestine and Yorksville have at least five appointed members to their village council and many have appointed Mayors.
An important question that the electorate has to ask is whether it is healthy for any community to be run largely by appointed (and unelected) individuals. And this isn’t to throw any shade at those that are appointed; at least those folks are stepping up to the plate. Villages all across Ohio are at an absolute crisis, they need someone…..anyone…..to step up to serve.
And let’s face it, serving as an elected official is work. Budgets need reviewed, phone calls need answered, decisions need to be made. And to sign up to go to meetings to work on a committee is not something people would happily sign up to do, especially in a world that is filled with other more important activities that can take up our time.
This is important because those communities that don’t have strong and capable leadership are those that are going to face dissolution. They are more than likely to face fiscal emergency, they are more than likely to face voters that are willing to dissolve the village.
If you want to save your village, it might be time to think about running for office.
I can think of many reasons why many don’t have any interest in filling this positions. I believe it starts in our education system. Our school systems teach very little on civics and it’s importance. Why is that in school growing up that Americans are taught very little of the works of our Republic. Is it by design?How many people even know the various positions and their responsibilities within a village, town, county or State? We have Central Committee members that have held positions not even nothing what the roles and responsibilities are. They done nothing for years. I have to wonder are some of these individuals looking for titles and tiaras.
I for one have stepped out of my regular norm and went for a position within the county. I knew going in the odds were totally against me. The structure is definitely not set up for a true outsider truly passionate about making a difference.
I am old enough to remember when people went into a profession because of their passion to help, lead and make a difference, whether it was a teacher, Doctor, or politician.
We are in the age of the love of money has filled many of these positions. We are definitely a nation in decline. I pray it’s not to late to turn it around.