Carolyn Brakey, Esq.
Geauga County Commissioner-Elect

December 11, 2024

Request for Community Feedback on Transparency and Accessibility of Commissioners’ Office

Dear Community Leaders:

As I prepare to take office on January 2, 2025, one of my immediate priorities is enhancing transparency and fostering greater public participation in our county government.

To guide this effort, I am seeking your input on how the Commissioners’ Office can better serve Geauga County. Specifically, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the following:

1. Practices from the current Commissioners’ Office that you believe have worked well and should continue;

2. Accessibility of meetings to the public, including thoughts on recording and/or live streaming meetings;

3. The structure and process for public comment at meetings;

4. Approaches for sharing pertinent documents, such as meeting agendas, with the public;

5. Promotion and solicitation of board appointments and job openings;

6. Strategies to more effectively engage with the community and local media; and

7. Any other ideas to enhance transparency and accountability.

Your feedback is important to shaping these efforts. I encourage you to share your thoughts to me via email at carolyn@carolynbrakey.com by or before Tuesday, December 31, 2024, so I can begin proposing changes on my first day in office.

I also invite you to attend the first Commissioners’ meeting of the year on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 to share a brief summary of your ideas during public comment, should time be allotted. Please note that the President of the Board of Commissioners has historically determined the format and timing of public comment, so I encourage you to include your full thoughts in writing in advance.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Working together, we can make meaningful improvements to our county government. Thank you for your time, ideas, and engagement.

Yours truly,
Carolyn Brakey
Geauga County Commissioner-Elect
carolyn@carolynbrakey.com

P.S. Please feel free to forward this letter to others in the county who may want to provide input.

“LETTER TO THE EDITOR” ADDRESSED TO THE KENSTON BOARD OF EDUCATION

Wednesday, November 20, 2024
From: Linda Nokes

To: School board members: Jennifer Troutman, Dennis Bergansky, Beth Krause, Thomas Manning, Jim Henry, Geauga Auditor: Charles Walder, and House Representative: Steve Demetriou

Mon, Nov 18 at 1:49 PM

Now that the levy has passed, perhaps you would consider lowering the inside millage that you were asked to do last Fall when the new property valuations came forth. The County Budget Commission asked all political entities to do that to help compensate the taxpayers due to the extremely high and unrealistic valuations. Unfortunately, Kenston chose not to do so. The taxpayers overlooked the windfall that you received of $1.16 million from the reappraisal and passed the levy. You will receive that same amount or more for new construction in the coming year. The school will have at least $2.32 million to place in the improvement fund in addition to the $1+ million from the levy. As of July, your financial report showed an unencumbered cash balance of over $15 million and the Budget Commission noted that expenses had remained flat for the past few years. I question the Board's need for the recent levy when you received the windfall which was a similar amount as the levy. While waiting for the State to act on changing the manner of updating valuations, per Steve Demetriou's office, hopefully making them more realistic and equitable, the taxpayers are really taking a hit! It would be a real positive if the Board lowered the inside millage in order to offer the taxpayers a small token of appreciation for their support.

Linda C. Nokes

NOTE FROM CO-EDITORS:

We are pleased that long-time Auburn Township resident, Linda Nokes, has chosen to share her concerns with the elected members of the Kenston Board of Education. We laud Mrs. Nokes for her true awareness of the actual financial wellness of the Kenston School System, serving Bainbridge and Auburn Townships. We agree wholeheartedly that the 2023 Geauga County property re-evaluation project, along with serious economic challenges faced by area taxpayers, have created a burden. We, like Mrs. Nokes, hope that the Ohio Legislature, sooner rather than later, will rise to the occasion to assist overwhelmed taxpayers.

LETTER FROM HARRY HACKETT

THIS IS TOO TRUE TO BE FUNNY

The next time you hear a politician use the
Word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending
YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
But one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A.
A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were
living in the Stone Age.
D.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E.

A billion dollars ago was only
8 hours and 20 minutes,
at the rate our government
is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain...
let's take a look at New Orleans ...
It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator,
Mary Landrieu (D)
was asking Congress for
250 BILLION DOLLARS
To rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number...
What does it mean?

A.
Well .. If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans
(every man, woman and child)
You each get $516,528

B.
Or... If you have one of the 188,251 homes in
New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C.
Or... If you are a family of four...
Your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C.

HELLO!
Are all your calculators broken??

Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax (Fed)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FU TA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
(And to think, we left British Rule to avoid so many taxes)

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago...
And our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt.
We had the largest middle class in the world.
And Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened?
Can you spell

'politicians'!

And I still have to
Press '1'
For English.

I hope this goes around the
U S A
At least 100 times

What the heck has happened to our Country?

GRATITUDE NOT ATTITUDE

Friday, August 30, 2024

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who endured, helped with cleanup and aided others in the August 6 storm and resulting aftermath.

Chester’s Police, Road and Fire Departments did a commendable (and safe) job working many hours, including in the dark, to clear streets, perform wellness checks and return our community to a sense of normalcy.

I’d like to thank the many line crews from both in-state and as far away as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Georgia who came to our aid. I learned from the line workers I spoke with about the coordinated multi-team process (damage assessment, drop poles/equipment, install new electric poles, and line hookup) it takes to restore power.

Our Fire Chief, Bill Shaw, who retired from the City of Solon after 20 years commented on the positive attitude and generally cheerful disposition of our Chester residents in light of the challenges. He was impressed with how many friends and neighbors pulled together with the cleanup. That is how a community is supposed to respond.

Township Administrator Mark Purchase had the forethought to secure a tanker of potable water and stage it at town hall for two days. Nearly everyone I met there had a cheerful attitude, thankful and expressing gratitude, realizing things could be much worse. I met only two ‘grumpy’ people. I told them there is no use being upset about the situation because it doesn’t make the power come on any faster. A positive attitude and determination to overcome helps one deal with adversity.

There are things we learned that we can improve upon, and internal post-incident review discussions have already begun. We already learned that we can accomplish more by working together with a positive attitude and I am thankful for that from our residents and responders.

Ken Radtke, Jr., Trustee
Chester Township
kradtke@chestertwp.org

LETTER FROM DAROL DICKINSON, OF DICKINSON CATTLE CO

Saturday, August 24, 2024

ATTACKS FROM THE SHADOWS

Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Carolyn Brakey

“There are decades where nothing happens; and then there are weeks where decades happen.”
— Vladimir Lenin

I am not in the habit of quoting the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution — who instituted a murderous ideology that transformed Russia into a communist nightmare — but today his words feel eerily appropriate.

• Have you noticed that history seemed to hit the fast-forward button these last few weeks?

• President Donald Trump was nearly killed by an assassin’s bullet. America came a quarter-inch away from a dark reality.

• President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has been overthrown by a palace coup. We now face the prospect of a Democratic nominee, undemocratically selected by party insiders, who will claim she is “defending democracy.”

In both of these monumental events, our democratic institutions — premised on the promise that “We the People” choose our elected officials — are under attack from the shadows.

Fortunately for America, the Holy Spirit was at work on July 13 in Butler Township, Pennsylvania.

Without this miracle, President Donald Trump would not be with us today.

Do you suspect they would have preferred someone more favorable to Washington, D.C. agendas?

Two days later, a resolute Donald Trump was able to name Ohio’s junior U.S. Senator, J.D. Vance, as his pick for Vice President of the United States — ensuring the America First agenda will live on.

Ohio stands with J.D. Vance.

J.D. Vance’s story is one of resilience. He rose from poverty, pursued his education, became a best-selling author, and then our U.S. Senator.

Better than most, J.D. Vance understands that big government is rarely the solution to those struggling to get by — and often an active hindrance to those trying to get ahead.

I was especially grateful to hear Senator Vance speak about our men and women in uniform, and the caution the executive branch should exercise before sending them off into foreign wars.

While my husband and I were watching on X (with our twins in bed), the Brakey family was still represented in person at the Republican National Convention.

Thank you to my brother-in-law, Maine State Senator Eric Brakey, for grabbing the above photo of Senator Vance from the convention floor.

As we were watching, I couldn’t help but think back to my first meeting with Senator J.D. Vance.

In the summer of 2021, I was just beginning my involvement in Geauga GOP politics. I hadn't yet been appointed to the Board of Health, let alone considered running for elected office.

My husband and I attended a Primary 2022 Preview Brunch hosted by the Western Reserve Women's Republican Club. This was back when J.D. Vance was still in a very crowded primary field (and far from the favorite) for the U.S. Senate.

The topic of Donald Trump came up, specifically J.D.'s previous critical comments about him. I asked JD how he planned to navigate those critical comments.

J.D. sincerely shared that his opinion changed after seeing President Trump's performance in office. I, being of similar age, told J.D. that I initially had misgivings about President Trump too, but I always honestly tell people, "Donald Trump is the greatest President of my lifetime."

Nine months later, Donald Trump formally endorsed JD Vance for US Senate. In his statement, J.D. Vance described Trump as "the greatest President of my lifetime."

I have enjoyed meeting and speaking with Senator Vance on multiple occasions.

Our last meeting took place at the Vance campaign's invitation-only post-senate election event. I was honored to attend (even though it meant leaving Geauga County).

After some chitchat about family, my husband and I thanked J.D. for taking a brave stance on the Russia/Ukraine conflict, advocating for peace against a constant drumbeat of war.

As our next Vice President of the United States, my prayer for J.D. Vance is that he never loses his America First roots.

I am optimistic that four years from now, I will be able to call J.D. Vance the greatest Vice President of my lifetime.

With “decades happening” in a few short weeks, we cannot afford to forget that securing freedom for our families and communities depends on electing good people up and down the ballot.

As you know, I am running as the Republican nominee for Geauga County Commissioner to preserve the freedoms and values entrusted to us by our forefathers.

URGENT, OPPOSE OHIO CON-CON BILLS HJR 3 & HB 607

Monday, July 1, 2024
Dear Friends;

All of you may not be aware of the continual Danger that is constantly pushed to a vote in every State for the "Calling" of a "Constitutional Convention" (actually an Article V Convention). There are actually 2 types of these being pushed by the Elitists, 1.) Article V Convention and 2.) a Convention of the States, (which was originally referred to as a Con-Con).

The Latter is not a Constitutionally mandated form of action, but a made up "End run" around the former, as a "slicker plan of action". PLEASE read the descriptions below describing the current action that is being pushed.

While keeping in mind the Caliber of Men that came together and Drafted the Constitution for the United States of America, giving us a "Constitutional Republic" ....NOT A DEMOCRACY as we are always told by our leaders.

If either of these actions come together, The Constitution we have come to know and Love and ALL of our "GOD GIVEN RIGHTS" will be Eliminated. ... Which is the Goal of either proposal. The Federal Government was given only the 18 powers (Enumerated) in the Original Constitution. WILL re-writing the Constitution make the Federal Government adhere to it ? LOL....

It does NOT need to be Re-Written...IT NEEDS TO BE ENFORCED, BY THE STATES !!!

Read the descriptions below so when you call, you will understand the danger involved, and convey your thoughts.

Fred Deming

----- **** ----

Editors’ note: For more information read LAWMAKERS DISCUSS LONG-SHOT CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

----- **** ----

There are two Con-Con bills that have been assigned to the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee: HJR 3 and HB 607.

House Joint Resolution 3 calls for the convening of an Article Five Convention ( Con-Con ) for the “ … purpose of imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and Congressional term limits. “ However, HJR 3 is unnecessary, since the solutions proposed in this amendment are already provided for in the Constitution ( and the Tenth Amendment ), the supreme law of the land. The Constitution needs to be obeyed, not changed.

House Bill 607 gives the false assurance that an Article Five Convention ( Con-Con ) would be limited and would not get out of control, by regulating the appointment and conduct of the delegates. The states ( including Ohio ) do not have this authority – this power is possessed only by the Congress. The Congress will determine the process by which delegates to a convention would be elected. However, once the convention is convened, the delegates are an independent and sovereign body, and could possibly eliminate the entire Constitution. Some people say that such an action would be unprecedented: they are mistaken! The Philadelphia Convention of 1787 was called for “ … the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. “ “Instead, the delegates proceeded to scrap the Articles of Confederation!

WE ARE ASKING YOU TO “ KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. “ PLEASE PHONE CALL THE 13 MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE ( THE NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS OF THESE STATE REPS ARE INDICATED BELOW ), URGING THEM TO VOTE “ NO “ ON BOTH HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 3 AND HOUSE BILL 607. THANKS!

1. Bob Peterson, Chairman ( 614 ) 466-3506

2. Jim Thomas, Vice Chairman ( 614 ) 466-8030

3. Latyna Humphrey ( 614 ) 466-8010

4. Richard Brown ( 614 ) 644-6002 ( correct )

5. Dave Dobos ( 614 ) 466-9690

6. Michele Grim ( 614 ) 644-6017 ( correct )

7. James Hoops ( 614 ) 466-3760

8. Dani Isaacsohn ( 614 ) 466-5786

9. Scott Oelslager ( 614 ) 752-2438 ( correct )

10. Justin Pizzulli ( 614 )466-2124

11. Bill Seitz ( 614 ) 466-8258

12. Michael Skindell ( 614 ) 466-5921

13. D.J. Swearingen ( 614 ) 644-6011 ( correct )

OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED AT LOBBYIST FOR CITIZENS IN LAKE COUNTY

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

To: Attorney General Dave Yost (via fax)

To: Treasurer Robert Sprague

To: Secretary of State Frank La Rose

Cc: Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association, (postal mailing)

A group of concerned citizens in Lake County Ohio fear that a financial crime, of monumental proportions, will soon take place. We are requesting that you take a close look at section 8 of the Ohio Revised Code 1308-53, which is based on (identical to) the UCC code section 8-503 (all 50 states have adopted this same UCC code). We share concerns about this law that have been raised by both Governor Kristie Noem of South Dakota and the Heartland Institute in Illinois (see the link below). That letter is signed by Liberty Counsel Attorneys, several financial hedge fund managers, two Congressmen, Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West, and several other notable figures.

The UCC code authorizes the “too big to fail” banks to confiscate all securities, whether owned personally or within a state pension, company 401K, or IRA, as well as bank deposits, during a financial crisis. This will affect EVERYONE. In effect, this statue steals ownership of all securities by considering them property of the brokerages, etc during their bankruptcy; we just have use of these assets. This is outright theft. Those of us who track the financial markets fear that a serious financial crisis is imminent, and could well happen this Spring/Summer.

We ask that you please consider asking the legislature to change Ohio’s UCC code to line up with South Dakota’s HB1199, restoring full personal property rights of securities to their rightful owners. Please consult with the Heartland Institute—a public policy think tank—for further guidance. Please read their full signed letter.

EXPLANATION FROM THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE:

https://heartland.org/publications/protecting-private-property-through-the-uniform-commercial-code/

Respectfully,

LETTER FROM CAROLYN BRAKEY

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

I am running for Geauga County Commissioner to defeat dysfunction, but some may ask, “What dysfunction?”

As President of the Geauga Board of Health, I am proud of the work we have done to cut spending and keep taxes low, while ensuring full delivery of public health services for Geauga residents.

And in that role, I have also had a front row seat to some of the dysfunction in county government. For example, when the Commissioners’ Office recently spent time and taxpayer resources to issue unprecedented demands for rent payments from Geauga Public Health, I was a little frustrated… but thankfully, I had the law in hand.

Pointing to an Attorney General’s opinion that the Commissioners’ Office conveniently kept hidden from the Board of Health, I argued that the county is legally obligated to provide space at no charge to Geauga Public Health — and won the day.

But the Commissioners’ Office won’t leave well enough alone. Even the Chagrin Valley Times noted the dysfunction, satirizing it in their paper.

The Chagrin Valley Times recently satirized the dysfunction in county government.

I'm running for Geauga County Commissioner to solve problems — not make problems. That’s why, upon election, I will work to defend freedoms, protect paychecks, and defeat dysfunction.

I hope you are with me.

ELAYNE CROSS FOR CONGRESS, OHIO 14^TH DISTRICT

Sunday, January 21, 2024

“JUST DAVE” has occupied the district 14 seat for far too long. At the March 19, 2024, Republican primary, “Just Dave” is opposed by a qualified Portage County opponent. Please cast your vote for “NEW BLOOD.”  ElectCross.US