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Politics have changed, former trustee says
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - September 22, 2011)
Politics have changed, former trustee says
By JOSEPH K0ZIOL JR.
Have those who serve in political office today changed from those of the past?
One former official who served his local community and Geauga County at large believes so.
Robert Clark, who served as Chardon Township trustee for 18 years and in the Ohio House of Representatives for 10 years, said some officials today seem more interested in getting re-elected than serving for the betterment of constituents.
"When I served, government was small and we were part-time politicians. Today, officials seem more interested in getting elected. If all you're interested in is getting re-elected, you're not going to make the hard decisions," Mr. Clark said.
The divisive politics of today are a far cry from the days when Mr. Clark served in the Ohio House 20 years ago, he said.
Mr. Clark said, in those days the successful politicians were those who courted friendships with fellow representatives, regardless of political party.
A Republican, Mr. Clark said one of his closest allies in the statehouse was Vern Riffe, who served as speaker of the House and was one of the longest running and most powerful Democrats.
"I would show up at his office and see he was with someone, but he would always say, 'Come on in and get a chair,'" Mr. Clark said.
Mr. Clark said the two had developed such a strong bond that when Mr. Riffe was considering a run for lieutenant governor, he consulted Mr. Clark on his feelings on the matter.
Politics aside, he said, both parties could work together.
He eventually became a ranking member of the local government committee at the Statehouse, which afforded him the opportunity to introduce legislation.
One piece of legislation Mr. Clark said he is proud of is a overhaul of the oil and gas regulations in the state.
It was a time, he said, when Democrats controlled the House. Although the bill he introduced was not adopted, a subsequent bill brought successfully to a vote by Democrats was based on that original legislation proposed by him.
Gov. Celeste, he said, asked him to be on hand for the signing of the legislation. When Mr. Clark said he was unsure he would be able to get to the signing from Chardon, Mr. Celeste sent a plane to pick him up.
He said he was also successful in getting other legislation passed dealing with the use of salt brine for dust control on roads and giving township trustees more control when developers build in their communities.
Mr. Clark said there were times when he was not enthralled with legislation being proposed but accepted that compromise was needed to move the state along.
He said it was a matter of standing up for your principles but realizing all parts had to work together to make progress.
Principles were something that may have come from his grandfather.
He said his grandfather declined to seek re-election for the position of county judge or prosecutor during the Great Depression. "He wouldn't run for re-election because he didn't like putting people in jail for stealing chickens to feed his family," Mr. Clark said.
Mr. Clark got his start serving on the Chardon Township board of zoning appeals. From there, members of community urged him to run for township trustee. He served through the 1960s and 1970s.
In those days, he said, serving as trustee was a much simpler job than it is today.
Much of the township was spread out with large farms and responsibilities were few compared to today.
The township had just started to feel the impact that zoning would bring and one of the biggest problems trustees dealt with was dogs killing a farmer's sheep.
Trustees were also responsible for dealing with indigents, children of families who lacked the financial means to support them. Contracts would be made with the family to have the child essentially serve as indentured servants and learn a trade. When the child reached adulthood, they would receive a stipend and a new set of clothes.
In those days, he said, the township had no levies and relied only on inside millage for operations.
One of the reasons the village of Chardon seceded was to get a cut of the inside millage for themselves. "The village thought it could do as well with indigents as the township."
Trustees, themselves, he said, were paid in the neighborhood of $4 to $6 a meeting.
One person served as the entire crew for the township road department. The township, he said, had little traffic at that time and subdivisions had yet to start making their way into the area.
Inheritance money, he said, was used for paving roads.
He said few people know that the township had its own police department. It was township resident Carl Henderson, who served in that position and would later serve as Geauga County sheriff. Community policing as it is known today was practiced with Mr. Henderson getting to know residents and businesses well and working together with them for law and order in the township.
Mr. Clark said while politicians seemed to have changed, so has the public it serves.
While many will say that they want less government in their lives, they have become more dependent on it to solve their problems, he said.
As many more residents arrived from the urban settings, he said, they began to demand more of the amenities they were used to in their former surroundings, such as paved roads and sidewalks. "It's definitely different," Mr. Clark said. "I wouldn't want to be a trustee today.
But, he said, he has no regrets on his public service.
"I'm glad I did it," Mr. Clark said. "I don't apologize for being a politician, if that's what you want to call me."
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