Winds of Change Chill Establishment In Findlay In Issued Letter

BY JEFF SKINNER 

FINDLAY - With an election on the horizon, new blood is seeking to energize change in Findlay which has shocked the establishment system to the point of lashing out in an issued letter filled with ad hominem attacks, as members of Findlay’s elitist circles panic over the May election, which could upset investments and plans to radically alter the city, removing Findlay’s sovereignty. 

The public letter, signed by those who some have argued are local elitists, Mary Beth Hammond, Dan DeArment, David Glass and Thomas Lause, issues a cringe-inducing warning of a wave of ‘extremist, obstructionist, conspiracy and irrational views’ which they believe are ‘attempting to take over the city.’ Indicating that after nearly ten years of conservatives enduring name-calling from the left-leaning establishment on every ‘ism’ ‘phobe’ or even equating support of individual sovereignty with World War 2 villains, these political tactics have not at all changed.

“This note is to ask for your help,” the letter said. “I am representing several Findlay leaders who have been part of Findlay’s growth and success for many years. Over the last 12 months, we’ve recognized a growing threat to our community in which people with extremist, obstructionist, conspiracy and irrational views are attempting to take over the city and county leadership positions. In some cases, these extremist views have become threatening, which is causing dedicated, long-serving City Council members to decide not to run again, thus leaving our community ripe for takeover by this extremist faction.”

Many candidates running in the upcoming May election have indicated their intention of combating the massive government spending in Findlay, relating to the development of the $40,000,000 park and the continued influx of cheap, replacement labor through immigration due to the current council and government partnerships with First Diversity staffing, an agency tied to the designs of the Welcome Initiative, which helped turn Springfield to rubble. Many residents have hypothesized part of the goal in driving population numbers up through immigration is to tip Findlay over the 50,000, which would qualify the city for entering into a Metropolitan Planning Organization, which would remove local decision making powers from elected officials, consolidating it further into the hands of elitist circles of unelected bureaucrats. In short, the rise of grassroots opposition to these agendas may very well be the ‘obstructionist’ and ‘conspiracy’ sentiments driving the opposition to the current administration. 

According to an issued statement on the letter from council member Holly Frische, many members of the public have felt disenfranchised by community leaders, and as such have nearly abandoned participation in elections. The resurgence in grassroot community leaders could revitalize this engagement. 

“The public does not feel that they are heard and they feel that their vote does not matter and because of that we see low voter turnout in the city of Findlay,” Frische said. 

According to Frische, the voting public has not been in support expenditures such as an ‘$8 million bridge’ and a brand new amphitheater as part of the $ 40 million park construction project, nor of the cities increase in water rates but feels the city is so tightly controlled, that their vote holds little sway. Now that there is a potential for community members to step back into the driver seats of city government, these sorts of plans may be in jeopardy, leading to panic among the elitist circles of Findlay. 

Almost ironically, the letter goes on to list a number of alternative candidates which they have personally ‘nurtured and developed’ to help ensure these agendas continue without interruption. 

“As a result, we have nurtured and developed candidates for the open Findlay City Council positions that will be decided in the May 6th primary,” The letter said. “The candidates that we have nurtured are very solid conservatives but who also understand (or are willing to listen and understand) the more complex issues that need to be addressed to keep Findlay growing and successful. Most of these candidates will be running for office for the very first time. Our commitment to these candidates was to support their campaigns both structurally and financially. My colleagues and I will be putting our money where our mouths are and will be making financial contributions to our selected candidates. Our ask is that you too will help continue Findlay’s growth and success by making financial contributions to one or several of the City Council candidates that we support.” 

Some may argue the signing members of this inner circle are asking the voting public to cast ballots for a list of candidates that have been ‘nurtured’ to vote against the public’s desires and interest on issues they feel are ‘too complex’ for citizens to understand, so they can keep agendas continuing. Residents are saying that voting for any of the listed candidates in the letter would translate to supporting a controlled opposition which has been fostered by unelected, wealthy circles who will vote against conservative principles on issues.

Early voting will be held on April 8. It will be up to the public to decide if they will be supporting candidates which have been brought up and pushed through by unelected elitist circles currently in control of the city, as some have suggested is the case, or if residents will support citizen alternatives to the establishment seeking to take back Findlay for the people. Those seeking change in the city of Findlay, could very well utilize the list as a tally of who not to support if they want an alternative to the current administrations agendas.