Letters 10/15: Magistrate made correct decision

I have been silent throughout the tirades of my friend Mike Kilburn, Warren County Commissioner, in his various crusades expressing personal displeasure with various issues. Some of his criticisms have been “spot on” and, in my opinion, did a good job of expressing legitimate dissent, which raised the awareness level of the public. Some, unfortunately, have not been so good.

Essentially, Kilburn attacks Magistrate Hasselbach, claiming that magistrate found the circumstances of a deputy’s conduct not to be deserving of termination. The magistrate made no such finding. I respectfully suggest that Mr. Kilburn’s displeasure is misplaced. It was the arbitrator who determined the equities in the case in favor of the deputy. The function of the court, and hence, Hasselbach, were simply to determine whether one of the statutory reasons existed to overturn the decision of the arbitrator.

In the final analysis, while I agree with the displeasure of Sheriff Larry Sims and Kilburn with the end result, perhaps they should look elsewhere to point the finger of blame. The sheriff and/or county commissioners contractually agreed to settle these employment problems by means of binding arbitration, which essentially eliminates the judicial process but for the possibility of vacating an arbitrator’s award for the reasons set forth above. The commissioners and sheriff have contractually waived their right to appeal on the facts. Now that they have what they believe to be a “bad” decision, they don’t want to be bound by the decision of the arbitrator to which they are contractually obligated to accept. Maybe they should not have agreed to binding arbitration.

Lastly, the judicial branch of our governments is independent from the legislative and administrative branches because it occasionally has to decide issues in which the legislative and/or administrative branches have an interest. A commissioner or commissioners have no authority or right to have “ home court advantage” or to request the court to replace a magistrate because a magistrate did not give them “ home court advantage”. The duty of a judge or magistrate is to objectively apply the law to facts as submitted to it. This is exactly what Hasselbach did and he does not deserve to be criticized for doing his job properly.

William H. Kaufman

Lebanon

Support WCCC on election day

The Area Progress Council of Warren County unanimously voted to endorse the Warren County Career Center’s one-mill 10-year levy and urges voters to support this very important issue on Nov. 3. WCCC has not asked for additional funds from the public since 1990. We believe it has managed its money very well. There has been an increase in enrollment in both adult education and high school programs. They provide retraining for many, which is a necessity in today’s competitive job market.

This levy will be used to expand programming, upgrade the facilities (built in 1975), and purchase equipment in order to continue to meet the demands of employers. Not one penny of the levy can be used for personnel or salaries. The one-mill levy will only cost the home owner approximately $30 per year on $100,000 of assessed value as determined by the county auditor. This is a great investment in developing a strong, high quality workforce in our county.

Bill Duning, President

Area Progress Council of Warren County, Inc.

Career Center good stewards of education

I want to add my voice of support for the Warren County Career Center’s Board of Education 1-mil 10 year permanent improvement levy that will be on the Nov. 3 ballot. This will add $31 per $100K of property value which is not trivial but must be judged based on its merit.

WCCC is one of the most efficient agents of education in the state as each and every program is aimed specifically at a career opportunity for the student in the future. For some they are prepared to enter the work force immediately upon graduation from WCCC while for others they are positioned for a focused and successful 2- or 4-year degree in a tangible field of study with jobs possible at the other end.

The curriculum includes 26 areas of study. Some of the more popular are: Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Digital Design, Early Childhood Education, Electricity, HVAC, Fire Science/EMT, Graphic Arts, Heavy Equipment, Legal and Medical, Veterinary Science, Welding, and Greentree Health Science.

As you can see these are 21st Century career options with jobs available to those with the proper skills and education. However they need facilities as enrollment grows.

Help the children of Warren County with tangible job oriented education.

Mike Carroll

Lebanon

Keep recycles 
in box

I am writing to express concern over the recycling red boxes that are used in our residential areas. I can tell you that more often than not the items placed in the boxes and set on the curb do not stay in the boxes. I am usually placing them in my can (with a lid) as they are found scatter in my yard from the weather. My request is that the members of the community find a way to secure the items in the boxes or purchase the large recycling can that is offered from Rumpke through their community waste departments. Lets keep our community clean and beautiful.