Dear Editor:

I would like to explain to Summit County voters why voting against Issue 4 in November is critical. This Charter Amendment would remove not only the voters’ right to choose an engineer to represent them but would also deprive them of a licensed Professional Engineer and Professional Surveyor making the final decisions concerning the safety of Summit County’s roads and bridges.

The public should be deeply concerned at the movement in Summit County to eliminate the office of County Engineer and consolidate the Engineer’s responsibilities into those of the County Executive. Currently all 88 counties in Ohio have elected County Engineers. The state of Ohio got it right the first time when they deemed the office of County Engineer so important that the General Assembly called for the office of County Engineer to be independent and elected, to ensure the best representation and accountability to the people. Approval of Issue 4 would result in the citizens of Summit County becoming the only citizens in the State of Ohio without a voice in choosing the engineer who plans and maintains their infrastructure.

By electing county engineers, Ohio has built one of the best infrastructure systems in the country. Elected County Engineers must stand for re-election every four years. Through this process, they have answered the demand for better quality roads, sound maintenance, and efficiently run offices. In Summit County, the Engineer’s office maintains sound fiscal practices within budget while consistently and efficiently answering the demands of its constituents. Approval of Issue 4 would transfer the Engineer’s budget to the County Executive, essentially making the Executive responsible for your county roads and bridges.

The citizens of Summit County have admirably turned down two similar proposals in the past, and should do so again. The voters should not be deceived by an unsubstantiated claim of cost savings by eliminating this important elective office. They will be doing themselves a considerable favor by voting NO on Issue 4 and retaining their qualified and elected County Engineer.

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