Murray, Harris make case

SANDUSKY — Erie County needs new leadership, according to the two Democrats who hope to unseat Republican incumbents in the county commissioner races. Leslie Murray, a Sandusky attorney, and Marcus Harris, a city employee, are up against commissioners Pat Shenigo and Matt Old. The challengers were guests Wednesday on "Between the Lines," the Register's public affairs talk program. Shenigo and Old, when they were guests on the program a week ago, both claimed to be good stewards of taxpayer money, an assertion Murray and Harris refuted in nearly every respect during the interview on Wednesday. Harris said the county is behind the growth curve in Ohio. Federal statistics show the gross domestic product — the market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period — is down by 22% for the period 2010-2022. "Other Ohio counties are growing. Ohio grew. We are 85th out of 88 counties," he said. Murray agreed. "Ten other counties that had negative growth — so, shrunk — are almost all in Appalachia. We have much stronger resources here. We should be utilizing them to benefit our people. Ottawa County grew. Huron County grew. Lorain County grew. We're being left behind," she said. "When you ask why I'm running, it's time for a change." Hold on a second Erie County treasurer Caleb Stidham contends the Democrats are cherrypicking data and misrepresenting the local economy. Stidham was a guest on "Between the Lines" on Thursday and reacted to statements made by Murray and Harris on the program the day before. The pandemic adversely impacted the economy everywhere in the world, he said, and Erie County, because it's a tourism location, was hit especially hard. But "since COVID, our GDP is skyrocketing to unprecedented levels," Stidham said, citing a 40% increase from 2020 to 2022. Shenigo and Old cited a reduction in the county debt from about $116 million in 2008 to about $40 million and also pointed to record levels of sales and hotel taxes being collected today versus just a few years ago. But, according to Murray and Harris, they have not done enough to bring residents out of poverty, to ensure there is affordable housing and to ensure that families have daycare options. They also have not done enough to secure federal grant money. "We have to have leadership that believes that public investment in our lives, in our working families in our seniors who can't afford housing on fixed incomes, we have to go ask for that money. Otherwise, we're going to be left further behind," Murray said. How much does it cost? Murray suggested commissioners are being stingy. "They have reduced the debt. We agree with that. That's a wonderful thing. Sixteen years ago, when (Shenigo) came on board (as a commissioner), he righted the ship. I give him absolute credit for making that a priority, and I would be dedicated to continuing that path," she said. "The issue is that when you have extra funds of our hard-earned taxpayer money, you should either give it back or you should invest it in the people." "We have $133 million sitting in cash in the operating account. That's what the balance sheet says," she said. But that claim is simply not accurate, according to Stidham. Murray also claimed taxpayer money held in accounts was not being invested properly and was earning less that 1%, another false assertion, according to Stidham. Harris said the leadership style of their opponents is "top-down," and he and Murray offer an "evolved philosophy that is, we are serving the community." It's a collaborative approach, he said. "It's not to say that it's failed leadership," Harris said. "I think that it is an antiquated view of public administration and public service that had its time in late 90s and early 2000s but we've evolved past that." Murray and Harris said in the first 100 days after they are elected that they would appoint a task force to address the lack of child care, housing issues and would meet with every trustee, suggesting some have been favored and others were bullied by commissioners. When contacted on Thursday, Shenigo said he did not watch the interview with Murray and Harris and declined comment. Matt Old said he had watched the interview. "I understand it's campaign season, which means our opponents will do their best to offer an alternative vision for the county. But the outright false things that Leslie Murray is repeating on the campaign trail is unbecoming of someone seeking public office. She ought to take the time to understand the issues before going on the attack," Old said. "I sincerely hope she's willing to retract the false information she spreading and will do her part to inform the public of the facts." Murray responded to Old's statement in an email she sent to the Register on Sunday, reiterating her claim that her opponent and Old are mismanaging county funds while acknowledging that she might have "misspoke" about which accounts make up the "balance sheet." "The question is what is the plan for these funds? I stand by my position that we should be utilizing these resources to help the working families of our county," she wrote. "There is nothing false or unbecoming about that position." Editor's note: The last two paragraphs in this article were added to it on Sunday. The article first published online at sanduskyregister.com on Friday. Watch for the Erie County commissioners debate next month at Margaretta High School