Sylvania Township Trustees Stymied by Law

Once again the Township Trustees are proving that they belie their title.  Sylvania Township trustee Carol Contrada wants to use the electoral system for a political poll, but sadly she isn't allowed to do this – that pesky State law gets her way.  Contrada's position requires that she know the law, and I believe she does.  I also believe she's fully capable of ignoring both the law and the will of the people she's supposed to represent in favor of conformity and advancing her own agenda.

The issue here is ostensibly refuse collection.  Actually the issue is re-election and advancement of someone's political career, but that's hardly news.  Right now if a person lives in Sylvania Township (and does not reside in the city of Sylvania under the shadow of His Majestic Corpulence, Sylvania Mayor Craig Stough) each household arranges for its own refuse pickup and handles its own recycling.  The systems seems to be working well, having been in place for over fifty years, so naturally the Township Trustees need to change it to something that's more socially acceptable.  After all, we can't have everyone just handling their own garbage collection, can we?  That might lead to individual preference and non-conformity!  Horrors!

So what's the up side to a having the Township handle refuse collection?

From The Toledo Blade: No vote set for gauging trash issue support in Sylvania Township:

“Township residents now must arrange for, and pay for, their own trash and recycling pick-ups. Local officials have advanced the idea of a townshipwide contract as a way to reduce collection costs and also cut down on garbage truck traffic.”

Ah, lower cost.  When was the last time government provided the mere civilians with lower costs on anything?  I can't remember, and I don't believe such a thing ever happened.  What this will really mean is higher costs.  Also, I don't remember ever hearing about anyone bothered by excess garbage truck traffic.

Quoting trustee Haddad from The Blade:

“It would be beneficial, township trustee Kevin Haddad said, to have fewer truck trips "and not having trash cans out every day" because different companies pick up on different days.”

Beneficial to whom?  Not to the residents, that's for sure.  Having different companies to choose from is beneficial to everyone – except maybe Haddad.  It certainly isn't going to help the people in the waste management industry.

“Also an issue, she [Contrada] said, is the possibility that small trash-collection operators who serve some township residents could be pushed out of business by a townshipwide contract.”

No, they will be pushed out business, Contrada.  They'll be unemployed, thanks to you and your cohorts ambition for township conformity.

People live in Sylvania Township because they do not want to conform to city rules, regulations, taxes and miscellaneous fees.  They like freedom.  I'm reminded that Carol Contrada supported the merger between the city and the township, so it doesn't surprise me that she wants to provide her constituents with new and improved services such as this one.  Kevin Haddad doesn't surprise me either.  His brother is Keith Haddad, president of the Sylvania city council.  Given the adversarial relations between the city and the township, I consider this a clear conflict of interest.  It doesn't seem to bother either Haddad though.

The truth is that our elected officials do not want to hear from us, and do not want what is best for us.  They want to push their own personal agenda.  This is a good example of the government the residents of Sylvania Township can expect in the future.  Right up until the next election, that is.