Urban County CDBG designation

Criticized the mayor's unilateral May 15 letter committing to the urban designation without a council vote, said her ward was never surveyed, and thanked Swenk and Zingale for opposing it.

Said he supports the designation but thought the process was rushed; urged the city to plan ahead rather than govern by emergency clause and deadline.

Questioned whether Rogerson could lose a city contract for opposing the mayor, noted the two-month gap between the mayor's May letter and the July council vote, and said representatives serve constituents, not friends.

Thanked the five council members who voted yes, said everyone has known about the issue since February, and criticized the small group of vocal opponents.

Said the decision affects the whole county, questioned the claimed $3-4 million (citing a HUD contact's $780,000 figure), and said the real issue is whether commissioners can be trusted to allocate money fairly.

Urged council to reject the arrangement unless a funding formula or regional authority guarantees North Ridgeville its fair share, saying the commissioners can't be relied upon to deal fairly.

Criticized lack of communication from the mayor's office, cited the federal RICO lawsuit and corruption investigation against county commissioners, and questioned city financial leadership — urging rejection of the resolution.

An Elyria councilman and Grafton village administrator, said Grafton voted no because joining would wipe out its pending state CDBG Flex grant applications, and urged the county remain rural-urban.

A 28-year county employee, said she's seen county officials lie and withhold information, and is totally against the urban designation.

Said villages and townships were blindsided, and warned the urban designation would weaken local control, open the door to data centers and megasites, and strip protections from farmland and homes.

Warned commissioners would steer money to pet projects like megasites and sewers, hurting home values; noted the fact sheet's own priorities put infrastructure above senior services; asked whether anyone could commit to a specific dollar amount for North Ridgeville.