By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Communication is a major focus of Ed Kolanko and Craig LaHote, two candidates running for the same open seat in the Wood County Commissioners Office.
Both men know what it’s like to be on the other end of county government – with Kolanko currently serving as mayor of Walbridge, and LaHote serving as Perrysburg Township Trustee prior to being selected to fill the county commissioner seat when Jim Carter retired.
Kolanko, a Democrat who works in the financial advising business, served on Walbridge Council for six years prior to becoming mayor. “I’ve always felt, and still do feel, there’s a huge disconnect between county officials and local communities,” he said.
The areas south of U.S. 6 and north of Perrysburg have little contact with county officials, Kolanko said. He would like to bridge that gap.
LaHote, a Republican who served three terms as Perrysburg Township Trustee and now serves as county commissioner, said the commissioners travel throughout the county to talk with and listen to local residents.
The commissioners hold regular town meetings in far-reaching villages and townships, attend county-wide township and mayoral meetings, meet with chambers of commerce groups throughout the county, attend economic development breakfasts and luncheons will local leaders, and visit senior centers.
“We get feedback,” said LaHote, a former information technology consultant. “There’s a lot of outreach. There is always more that can be done, I’m sure.”
But Kolanko said the only time small towns see county commissioners is for a ribbon cutting, parade, or town hall meeting. “The only outreach I’ve witnessed is a town hall meeting, which is more of a feel-good thing,” he said. “I think a commissioner needs to be engaged more. You should go to a council meeting when you don’t have to, go talk to a mayor.”
As president of the Wood County Mayors Association, Kolanko said “my peers respect my leadership.”
“I listen to what the people want to find a solution,” he said. “I like being involved, not just sitting in an office waiting for the phone to ring.”
The smaller communities are struggling with funding cuts, and could use some help from the county, Kolanko said.
“They need help. Go to those communities and understand their issues, and work directly with them,” he said. “They need to be getting in front of constituents to address their concerns.”
LaHote said the commissioners do that, in fact this year the county approved Community Development Block Grant funding for multiple communities including Walbridge for street repairs.
“The commissioners’ office does the best to spread the money around,” he said.
LaHote also mentioned the casino tax revenue, which is regularly put into the county engineer’s funds to help repair deteriorating bridges throughout the county.
“Staying up with the bridges is always a challenge,” he said.
But Kolanko sees greater needs. He mentioned the deteriorated roads surrounding the big dairy farms in the county. He doesn’t blame the CAFOs, “but it is leading to infrastructure problems.”
And he was critical of county money being spent on round-abouts, when he sees more important issues. Kolanko thinks more emphasis should be placed on economic development in small towns. The county has resources that should be shared with local communities, he said.
“A lot of these small villages are dying a slow death,” he said. “We need those people. We need to see all of our communities doing well.”
LaHote said the county commissioners make frequent “retention” visits to local companies with the Wood County Economic Development Commission. He cited the fact that 80 percent of the county’s job growth is traditionally in retention.
“We’ve gotten very good feedback from companies,” LaHote said. “We hear the struggles they have” such as opiate issues and the lack of transportation for workers.
Both candidates are also concerned with water quality issues – though they have differing perspectives.
“The important role for us it so keep the communication going and look at the options – whether it’s still through Toledo or Bowling Green,” LaHote said, mentioning the multiple water studies for the region.
LaHote is not sold on the effort to have the Western Basin of Lake Erie declared “impaired.”
“I don’t see that as the next step,” he said. LaHote favors expanding voluntary steps and identifying the problem before adopting new regulations.
“We want clean water, but we don’t want to negatively impact agriculture,” he said.
Kolanko sees it differently.
“It seems like we’re behind making this decision,” Kolanko said. The effort needs someone to lead the charge, he added. “We need to do that yesterday, not tomorrow.”
Kolanko also believes Wood County needs to stick with Toledo and work with regional partners on the water issue. “If that breaks apart, I don’t think that’s good for anybody in Northwest Ohio.”
But he is open to considering the impaired designation.
“Farmers have done a great job to improve the technology they use,” he said, but that may not be enough.
Kolanko was also critical of the county commissioners for entering a tax abatement agreement for the solar field north of Bowling Green. He suggested the county should be more cautious about approving tax breaks.
“I don’t believe in providing 30-year tax abatements without high paying jobs,” he said.
For his part, LaHote did stand up for the local solar panel company, First Solar, to try to get local businesses in on the energy project.
LaHote talked about the opiate crisis, and noted the difficulty it’s causing families and businesses.
“We hear from businesses about how hard it is to find people to pass drug tests,” he said. Industry has long been attracted to this area because of the work ethic, but the opiates epidemic is having an impact on business decisions.
The county commissioners, including LaHote, have supported the Vivitrol program to help inmates kick the habit before they re-enter the community.
“There are funding gaps where we can help people,” LaHote said.
Kolanko said one of his other concerns involves drainage issues, with creeks full of debris and not being cleaned out by the county. The clogged waterways have caused flooding in his area.
And LaHote listed pipelines planned in the county as a concern. The commissioners have asked that the pipeline companies considering lines in Wood County work together to designate a pipeline corridor.
“It’s probably not enforceable. It would be more of a recommendation,” he said.
