Was the late US Cogressman Gilmore Dis-honored?

[rctwe...@gmail.com]

Did Paul Marion Dis-Honor the Late Congressman Gilmore?

If you heard or read the accounts of the public hearing, where record-
setting numbers of Tiffin Citizens opposed the Miami Street Project
Ordinance 07-70, you gotta ask at least one question. "Is the
President of Tiffin University, Paul Marion, trying to dis-honor
himself and those who supported him in the past?"

In his closing comment at City Council's public hearing, Dr. Marion
declared the many participant's concerns "irrelevant". This was an
obvious cable-televised attempt to intimidate the citizens and remind
our City Officials of his politically powerful benefactors. He
continued his closing remarks by invoking the memory of the late Paul
Gilmore, who represented Tiffin, Ohio as a US Congressman. The Gilmore
Family Name is on several important buildings in Tiffin. The respected
Gilmore Family is indeed one of the most generous, influential public
benefactors in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, and beyond.

I believe Paul Marion should apologize to the Gilmore family. Why? He
has caused the Gilmores unwitting participation in a project that now
harms those families who live in the Tiffin University Neighborhood .

We had no idea until March of this year (2008) that TU Officials were
trying to use the power of Tiffin City Council to abuse us. Certainly
the Gilmores didn't intend their legacy to include a growing number of
Tiffin Citizens who scoff at the misuse of power their name might now
represent. The Gilmore's do not deserve to have their name soiled in
public by any Tiffin Civic Leaders.

The project may well benefit some Citizens. But, the Tiffin
University's project and our City government's approval of it is
misguided as it disregards the wishes and welfare of neighborhood
property owners. (I have written of this earlier, and presented
detailed facts at the Public Hearing, that was televised on local
cable).

Remember, Congressman Gilmore took Tiffin University's application to
Washington D.C where he successfully secured an appropriation of
$800,000 for the Miami Street Project. The application (see copy on
file at City Council) has misrepresentations embedded in beautifully
crafted "word smithing". So, Congressman Gilmore could have no way of
knowing for himself that even he was being used to advance the
financial interests of Tiffin University Officials while abusing
Tiffin Citizens of their right to use Jackson Street. I assume that
the late Congressman Gilmore counted as honorable the President of
Tiffin University and his Director of Development, Mike Grandillo. Did
the betrayal of Tiffin Citizens start with the betrayal of Congressman
Gilmore's trust? Why don't I just let it go? Well, I'm trying to make
the situation "right", for myself, my family, and my many neighbors in
Tiffin. Many, many respond with contemptuous disapproval when I simply
mention Tiffin University's Miami Street Improvement Plan.

So, what was so deceitful and misrepresented on the Application that
US Congressman Gilmore took to Washington, DC? [So that you don't
think that I'm making this stuff up, read a copy I got from our Mayor
at this location: http://groups.google.com/group/rctohio/files]

Note 1: In the Congressional Application, Tiffin University's Mike
Grandillo clearly documented that the purpose of the Miami Street
Improvement Project was "Pedestrian Safety". He made eleven (11)
references to "Safety" throughout the formal application. In that 2004
application, the manipulation of public opinion, of our City Council,
and that of Congressman Gilmore, started with each "Safety" reference.
Why was this manipulative and deceitful? Mr. Grandillo knew fully that
there was NO SAFETY ISSUE that would justify spending upwards of the
requested one(1) million tax dollars to close neighborhood streets. If
there WAS a safety issue that justified such an expensive re-
engineering of the neighborhood around TU, the Tiffin City Engineer,
the Tiffin Police Department, and the Ohio Department of
Transportation would have files describing crash incidents, personal
injury, and other costs that would make this a real and serious issue.
If it was real, I would concede, and stop thinking up ways to irritate
those who I would then have to honor with my sincerest best wishes.

But, NO SUCH FILES EXIST! Tiffin City Engineer Curt Eagle has said to
me in a telephone interview that during a walk-by, with ODOT (Ohio
Department of Transportation), and Tiffin University, he observed NO
safety issues on Miami or Jackson Streets. Police Chief LaGrange was
unable to recall any reports of injuries or crashes when asked during
a Public Tiffin City Council Meeting.

Further, if our Tiffin City Government was to spend $800,000 of
taxpayer funds to improve the safety of neighborhood streets in any
other part of Tiffin, they would justify the tax-spending based on
something other than a "wink-and-a-nod". To be responsible with our
tax dollars, and to avoid unnecessary abuse of any individual
citizen's rights, A PE (Professional Engineer) such as our own Curt
Eagle would be told by the Mayor to commission a formal Traffic SAFETY
Study, including the fully-loaded cost of pedestrian injury, auto
crash costs, and property damage. But, why isn't our City Government
interested in such a traffic SAFETY study? In towns other than Tiffin,
such obvious pandering and un-justified, economic decisions on the
part of local government, would get a whole bunch of City officials
sued by the more assertive and righteous Citizens among them.

Finally, if you talk to ANY of the honorable members of Tiffin City
Government, or those who know Tiffin University Officials best, they
will recount to you that at least one Tiffin University Official has,
in private, gleefully admitted that "...of course there is NO safety
issue. How else were we to get the public and City Council to approve
of our plan?" ...wink...wink...wink.

Note 2: If you read the 2004 Application to Congress, at a certain
question it asks whether TU Officials expect "...any opposition..." to
the proposed plan. They marked this "NO". If they marked it "Yes",
they would have had to explain in the space provided. So, they marked
it "NO". Convenient.

Well, who could have known they might want to oppose anything? How
could I know my family home, and the neighborhood streets were about
to be "captured" in a grab for real estate? That Jackson Street would
be closed to through traffic? Except for only a few of the privileged,
or resourceful, the 2005 Miami Street Project Plan, that was quietly
funded through confidential efforts of TU Officials, wasn't seen by
anyone until March 2008. I went to the City Engineer's Office and
asked to see "the designs and specifications" that Dr. Marion referred
to in the Advertiser-Tribune as "Approved...by the City Engineer...".
It took a half hour to find the documents that the Assistant Engineer
said were only preliminary plans and would NOT yet be in the
"approval" stage. Should someone be held accountable for hiding and
misleading everyone from the US Congress to the Tiffin Citizens the
project is to benefit?

Did Tiffin University soil the good name of the late Congressman
Gilmore, who certainly would NOT have approved of the abusive parts of
TU Official's Miami Street Project Plan?

What happened to the concept of "Honor"? Who among us, with local
political power, and a belief in decency, will step forth to do the
right thing, only because it is the right thing to do?

You can help by joining us on November 4th to vote 'NO' on the Miami
Street Project Referendum.

Joe Monaco
Tiffin, Ohio Voter