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Grace, Pallardy face off at EHS
10-07-03
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Christina Jolliffe
The Chronicle-Telegram
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ELYRIA — When teens ask questions, they tend to be direct.
Mayor Bill Grace and his opponent in the November election, Tom
Pallardy, learned that during a debate Monday at Elyria High
School.
Twelve EHS juniors and seniors posed probing questions during
the 45-minute forum in front of the school’s government
classes.
Students questioned the candidates about campaign spending and
whether they had made promises to any of their contributors.
They wanted Grace to explain a political cartoon that appeared
in The Chronicle-Telegram and what he was trying to hide in the
cartoon. And they wanted to know if the candidates support building
a new high school.
Junior Sara Ford, 16, said the debate opened her eyes to issues
in the election.
“
I didn’t think Mayor Grace was for a new high school,” Ford
said following the debate. “Today, he said it was the first
thing we need in
the city.”
Junior April French, 17, also said she learned from the debate.
French, who will be eligible to vote in the November election,
said she was undecided about the mayoral race. But after Monday’s
debate she was sure Grace was the better candidate because of “what
he has done already.”
“
Mr. Pallardy, I don’t think, really reached the audience,” she
said.
And French was not alone in her opinion.
Senior David Yost, 17, said Pallardy gave “very vague” answers
and “paused a lot.”
“
He seemed to want to space everything out,” Yost said. “He
wasn’t an effective speaker. Mayor Grace was an effective
speaker. He keeps talking. Mayor Grace answered every question
with words, not dead space.”
Yost also thought Pallardy’s comments were insulting. One
student questioned what the candidates would do for welfare,
if elected.
“
Pallardy kind of insults people when he talks,” Yost said. “When
he was asked about welfare, he put them down. Mayor Grace was
positive about everything.”
And senior Daicey Crane, 17, said Pallardy did not really answer
the questions.
“
He didn’t so much give answers, but put down Mayor Grace,” she
said.
Senior Patrick Augustine, 17, was hoping for a more informative
debate, he said.
“
The tone of this campaign has been that each candidate hasn’t
addressed any concerns,” he said. Augustine said the debate
was “informative,” but he wanted more answers.
Senior Mary Miranda, 17, said she was a Grace supporter even
before the debate, and the exchange reinforced her position.
“
He has more solid ideas,” Miranda said. “I support
the boardwalk and the flowers. It looks better. There is pride
there that hasn’t been there in a long time.”
Senior Joe Billingsley, 17, said he thought Pallardy was on the “cutting
edge,” when he first read Pallardy’s campaign platform “21
Points for the 21st Century.” But after the debate, he
was more impressed with Grace.
“
Mr. Pallardy was very vague,” he said. “He didn’t
have any raw ideas. He insulted people more than he encouraged
them.”
Teacher Ken Barnes, who organized the debate, said it was a success.
“
The questions were well-rounded and both of the candidates got
along well, considering how close we had to put them,” Barnes
joked.
Debate baiting ruffles feathers
July 7, 2003
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Christina Jolliffe
The Chronicle-Telegram
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ELYRIA — Mayoral candidate Tom Pallardy’s clucking
has ruffled some feathers at City Hall.
STEVE MANHEIM/CHRONICLE
RUFFLING FEATHERS: A man in a chicken suit holds a campaign sign
in front of City Hall on Wednesday.
Pallardy’s campaign manager, Phil Van Treuren, paraded through
town Wednesday with a man in a chicken suit carrying a sign reading, “Grace
is chicken to debate Pallardy.”
Pallardy wants Mayor Bill Grace to agree to four debates before
the November election. He wants three of the debates to take place
on the mayor’s Roundtable, which is taped at Lorain County
Community College and broadcast on the college’s cable access
channel as well as the city’s government channel. Pallardy
wants the fourth debate held at Elyria High School, with residents
asking the questions.
Grace said he is willing to debate Pallardy any time and anywhere,
but not on the Roundtable.
As the chicken flapped its wings and waved its sign down Middle
Avenue, Broad Street and in Ely Square, Van Treuren said the purpose
of the chicken is to get Grace to debate about the issues.
“The mayor would rather the issues didn’t come up,” Van
Treuren said. “He wants to rest on his laurels and not have
to speak.”
Pallardy, who was having lunch at Donna’s Diner as the chicken
made its lunchtime walk, said he is holding out for the Roundtable
debates.
“I know that he said it was not the appropriate venue, but
he has suggested my name several times and so has Andy Young (editor
of The Chronicle-Telegram),” Pallardy said. “It is
his show and he has mentioned my name, so it is automatically there,
plus he has discussed other issues on the show.”
Grace agrees it is unfair that Pallardy’s name is mentioned
on the show, and he has no way to respond, but maintains the Roundtable
is not an appropriate debate venue.
“I cannot keep the media from asking whatever questions
they are going to ask,” Grace said. “It is not for
me to say to the members of the media what is an appropriate question
or not. I haven’t done so in the past, and I don’t
see doing so in the future. It is crossing the line to have a political
debate with city resources, and I don’t think it is appropriate.”
The city typically does not pay LCCC for taping the show. During
the summer months, when students are not in class, the city does
pay for freelance camera operators, which is about $100 per camera.
The city’s government channel, Channel 12, isn’t paid
for with taxpayer money, but is a “city resource,” Grace
said.
Comcast Cable negotiated a franchise agreement with the city,
where the company pays a percentage of its revenues to the city
and also provides a certain amount of transmission equipment, such
as VCRs, associated with the government channel, Grace said.
The channel is mainly used to broadcast bulletins from the city,
but since Grace took office, it has been used for the Roundtable
as well.
“To use it for partisan activity, this would be a first,
and I would be very cautious as such,” Grace said. “Without
compromising the integrity of this office, I will debate Pallardy
in any number of forums, in any number of frequency that I would
agree to be acceptable.”
But Pallardy’s campaign team isn’t giving up that
easily.
“Everyone knows what Bill wants to talk about,” said
Pallardy’s wife, Cheryl Pallardy. “Not everyone knows
what Tom wants to talk about. If (Grace) is afraid to debate Tom
on the Roundtable, he shouldn’t mention him on the Roundtable.”
Grace said the chicken suit is a “childish” approach
to the debate issue.
“It shows the contrast between the respect we hold for this
office,” Grace said. “I hold the City of Elyria and
this office in the highest of esteem. For him to pull what most
would deem a childish stunt shows the contrast for our respect
for this office. We’re not running for student council president.”
Grace lambastes Republican tax cut suggestion
January 28, 2003
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Christina Jolliffe
The Chronicle-Telegram
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ELYRIA — Mayor Bill Grace called suggestions by two Republican
Council members to eventually eliminate the city’s half-percent
income tax irresponsible and reckless last week.
Councilman Paul Blevins, R-4th Ward, and Councilman Garry Gibbs,
R-3rd Ward, recently said they hoped the tax could one day be eliminated.
The tax, which generates about $5 million in annual revenue for
the city’s general fund, was first approved by voters 20
years ago and has been renewed as a temporary tax each time it’s
been placed on the ballot. On Tuesday, Council voted to place the
renewal income tax levy on the May ballot.
Blevins said there were several options the city should consider
to make up for lost revenues if the tax were to be eliminated.
One way would be to hold off hiring when city employees retire
or otherwise leave their jobs. Employment costs also could be reduced
if the Utilities Department were automated to allow people to pay
bills online, he said.
“I don’t advocate chopping things,” Blevins
said. “But over a four-, five- or six-year period, if we
adopt the attitude of lopping off a little bit here and a little
bit there, we could see a significant difference.”
Gibbs said the city should negotiate lower employment costs and
purchase fewer vehicles as ways to ultimately eliminate or reduce
the tax.
But Grace said none of the suggestions was viable.
“It doesn’t sound like a plan at all,” Grace
said. “We could cite numerous examples where employees have
retired and we have not replaced them.”
And employment cost increases come primarily from vital services,
Grace said.
“Most of the increases … are in the police and fire
departments,” he said. “Reducing those numbers will
have a dramatic negative impact on safety service. We pride ourselves
on the efficiency in which we run operations with as few employees
as possible.”
Grace said prudent management has allowed the city to remain on
a sound financial footing.
“That’s why you see the substantial carryovers that
you don’t see in other cities,” he said.
The Utilities Department is entirely funded by utility rates,
Grace said, and is self-sufficient. Blevins’ suggestion that
automation would reduce costs is not accurate, he said, and the
department already accepts automatic payments from savings and
checking accounts and credit cards.
And there is little the city can do about employee raises, he
said.
“Negotiations are handled by an arbitrator,” he said.
Blevins, however, said cutting costs should be a priority to eventually
cut the tax and he cited the nearly completed riverwalk project
as an example where expenses could have been reduced.
Gibbs also cited painting guard rails along Gulf Road and city
bridges — as well as the ongoing maintenance that requires — as
examples of areas where cuts could be implemented.
But money to build the riverwalk came from grant money, Grace
said, and had no impact on the city’s general fund.
“Mr. Blevins needs to educate himself on city finances,” he
said.
But Blevins and Gibbs both said the administration needs to do
more to keep businesses in town and attract new businesses.
“It sure seems like things are going out to Avon, Sheffield,” Gibbs
said. “Are we negotiating with the businesses? I think some
of it has to do with Design Review, too. We need to actively cold
call on businesses in other areas.”
Grace called those suggestions are another example where both
Council members needed to become better informed about the city’s
ongoing efforts.
“We work daily to try to attract new business as well as
encouraging existing business to expand,” Grace said.
The city does that through abatement offers, communicating with
businesses and working aggressively with the Lorain County Chamber
of Commerce, he said.
“City government is a service business,” Grace said. “A
reduction in employees means a reduction in services.”
The half-percent income tax is an integral part of the city’s
finances and has continually been supported by voters, Grace said.
Without the tax city “departments would be reduced by about
one-third,” he said.
Grace said it was unrealistic and irresponsible for Blevins and
Gibbs to suggest that the tax be eliminated.
“It’s pure rhetoric for the sake of appealing to those
that want to hear that someone wants to cut their taxes,” he
said.
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