May 16, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

In Memoriam
This past week witnessed the annual Police Parade and Memorial Service, conducted in tribute for the seven Lima and Allen County officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Please take a moment to remember them and their families for the sacrifices that they made on behalf of our community. (You can access biographical information about these officers at the following: http://www.odmp.org/agency/76-allen-county-sheriffs-department-ohio & http://www.odmp.org/agency/2155-lima-police-department-ohio)





Lima Police Department Chief Greg Garlock, Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish, and Ohio State Highway Patrol representative place their wreath during the Memorial Service.









Allen County Commissioner Sam Bassitt and I presented proclamations, while Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray reminded us of the 125 officers killed in the United States this past year in the line of duty.




In addition to this annual event organized by the Fraternal Order of Police, a service is held each year at the Lima Firefighters Museum in Lincoln Park (http://www.limafiremuseum.org) honoring the Lima firefighters who have died while serving our community. This is held on Memorial Day in the early afternoon. The public is encouraged to attend. Please watch for media announcements in coming days.

Your attendance is a significant way of showing appreciation for the sacrifices of these public servants and their families.



Thank you for supporting Ohio’s Third Frontier Program
Voters in Lima and Allen County, along with the majority of voters across the state of Ohio, approved the renewal of the Third Frontier Program at the May 4 primary election. This approval assures that investments in cutting edge technology and job creation will continue in Ohio and in our community. THANK YOU.




Excerpts from the Ohio Business Development Coalition website:

FEATURED STORY:
Ohio Voters Overwhelmingly Approved Renewal of the Ohio Third Frontier Program Through 2016
On May 4, 2010, Ohio voters approved a $700 million renewal of Ohio Third Frontier , extending the program through 2016.
Established in 2002, the 10-year, $1.6 billion initiative fosters the creation of high-paying jobs through innovation, research and development and the commercialization of next-generation products designed to improve the lives of Ohioans and people around the world. Since its inception, Ohio Third Frontier has:
• Created 48,000 Ohio jobs
• Created, attracted or capitalized 571 start-up companies
• Produced more than $6.6 billion in total economic impact
• Attracted $3.2 billion in additional investments from other public and private sources
The Ohio Third Frontier Annual Report details the successes of the program and opportunities for growth in the coming six years.

FEATURED TOPIC:
Ohio Fares Well in Tech-Job Rankings
The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that Ohio’s high-tech industry was in the top 10 among all states in gaining jobs for the fourth year in a row, according to a recently released study by the TechAmerica Foundation.
Cyberstates 2010: The Definitive State-by-State Analysis of the High-Technology Industry comprises data from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, for the year 2008. The report details national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors.
Ohio was ranked eighth nationally in adding high-tech jobs between 2007 and 2008, and 14th in the total number of high-tech workers.

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The 2010 Mayor’s Golf Outing: Thursday, May 27
Spring time brings with it intensive planning for the Mayor’s Annual Golf Outing. This year’s event will take place at Hawthorne Hills Country Club (http://www.hawthornegolf.com/) and as always promises to be a terrifically fun event. The format is a scramble with 2 shot-gun starts, at 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a hot lunch at 12:30 p.m. for all participants. Lots of door prizes, food and drink!

I hope you will consider joining us.

For tickets, please contact one of the following persons:

 Carol Buettner, Chairperson, 419-879-4843, cbuettner@superiorfcu.com
 Mike Caprella, 419-236-1074, mike.caprella@cityhall.lima.oh.us



Take care.


Dave


David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

May 3, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

Tomorrow is Election Day
Though there has not been a deluge of advertising and the event may seem low key, tomorrow’s election is an important opportunity to decide on local issues and candidates, as well as several statewide elections. So I hope that you will take the time to vote.

I would like to call your attention to several issues, and I ask for your support for each of them.

First, the city of Lima will have a second set of changes to the city’s charter on the ballot. (The first set was adopted by voter approval in November, 2009.) This set is the result of study and recommendation by the Charter Review Commission and unanimous approval by Lima City Council. For a full explanation of these changes, please visit the Lima News website for a column by Dr. Zach Broshes, the Chairman of the Charter Review Commission. The link to Dr. Broshes’ column is as follows: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/charter-49705-city-council.html.

My continuing thanks to the members of the Charter Review Commission for their diligence and hard work for nearly 2 years. The Commission includes Nancy Berney (1st Ward), Dr. Zach Broshes (2nd Ward), Deb Tallman (3rd Ward), Ben Rose (4th Ward), John Doxie (5th Ward), John Leahy, Jr. (7th Ward), and Dick Meredith (8th Ward).

Second, voters throughout Allen County will have the opportunity to support the important work of the Children’s Services Board with the replacement levy that will appear on the ballot. We have witnessed some terrible situations for children in our region. It is important that we continue to provide the services necessary to protect and help children all over the county. Following are links to both a column by the Children’s Services director, Scott Ferris, and an editorial by the Lima News in support of voter approval: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/theologian-49496-dietrich-allen.html & http://www.limaohio.com/articles/children-49655-services-important.html

Third, Ohio’s Third Frontier Program is up for voter renewal in tomorrow’s election as Issue 1. Lima and the region have successfully competed for these significant economic development resources and they remain critical to creating jobs and growing the overall prosperity of our region and state for the long term. This is a program that was launched by Governor Bob Taft (R) and continued by Governor Ted Strickland (D). It had at the outset and continues today to have bi-partisan support. Through its several programs more than 500 new companies have been started and nearly 48,000 jobs created. Detailed information on the 3rd Frontier is available at www.unitedforjobsohio.com. Also, following are links to a column by JoAnn Davidson, co-chair of the statewide renewal campaign, and an editorial by the Lima News in support of the renewal: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/ohio-49250-spots-investment.html & http://www.limaohio.com/articles/program-49757-jobs-state.html

So, please take the time tomorrow to participate in our local and state elections. Important issues and the future of our community and state are in your hands. Thanks for your consideration.


Meet our 4 New Officers @ LPD
With the help of a substantial federal grant, the City of Lima has been able to hire 4 new police officers. They were introduced by Chief Greg Garlock at my recent weekly press conference.














Pictured from left to right are: Shane Huber, Nathaniel Garlock, Matthew Woodworth, and Aaron Rode. Welcome, Gentlemen!


During these tough economic times, we are grateful for the resources to add these officers. We are yet hopeful that similar funding will be available for us to hire some firefighters too.


Take care.
Dave



David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com