Dear Fellow Bay Resident:

You may have heard some 'campaign untruths'. Let’s set the record straight.

• Will Mayor Sutherland run for higher office again? NO! I ran for County Commissioner last year because I was concerned about the lack of leadership in county government. That is important to Bay Village because our sales taxes and 20% of our property taxes go from our pockets to the county coffers. The ever widening corruption scandal we read about daily in the newspaper supports my position that reform is critical. I publicly stated I would only run once and I meant what I said. I have absolutely no intention of running for any other office. I want to continue to be the Mayor of Bay Village.

• Is the City of Bay Village on the verge of a financial meltdown? NO! We are in a very healthy financial position with $13 million in surplus funds, a recent bond rating upgrade from Aa3 to Aa2, low debt, reduced expenditures and good, clean audits. City Council, which controls the purse strings, and I work very closely together to successfully maintain our fiscal integrity and high level of service.

• Do we have long term plans for infrastructure improvements? YES! We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on sewers, roads and infrastructure projects. All of it is part of our ongoing capital improvement plan. We are currently completing the implementation of a 20-year plan for sewer improvements and awaiting EPA guidance before finalizing another long term plan. We have always worked off of a 5-year Capital Roads Plan and are currently partnering with the schools on a facilities evaluation.

• Has the Mayor violated the Sunshine Laws regarding executive session? NO! This is just plain nonsense. According to Ohio Revised Code, executive sessions can occur to allow discussion of very sensitive issues including contracts, personnel issues, litigation and property acquisition. Executive session is called by the Council President for discussion purposes only. No votes take place when Council meets in executive session and the decision to enter into the session is voted on by a roll call of City Council. The Mayor does NOT have a vote. City Council has unanimously approved the decision to go into every executive session – including approval by my opponent every single time.

Don’t be fooled by campaign rhetoric. I have a long record of successfully managing our City’s resources, working with other government entities and helping to make Bay Village a great place to live.

I am asking for your vote on Election Day. If you want to talk about an issue, please call me at home at 440-892-4626.

Sincerely,

Mayor Debbie Sutherland