• Valley View Mayor Randy Westfall is right to fight House Bill 154
When you unleash a bulldog like Valley View Mayor Randy Westfall, you're in for one doozy of a dogfight. Westfall has taken it upon himself (with the help of others) to be the face of House Bill 154's opposition. The bill would abolish mayor's courts in municipalities with less than 1,600 residents, and Westfall has been fighting its passage for more than a year.

• Local government must first guard its basic infrastructure
The city of Independence in the last 15-plus years has seen much growth in the commercial sector and its own infrastructure of sanitary and storm sewers, not to mention improved roads, sidewalks, a renovated public park, etc.

• Don't let tough fiscal times stop your adoption plans
Many of us are facing the toughest economic times we have ever experienced. Yet, in the midst of this difficult financial reality, there are children who are still in need of good homes.

• Consider how you donate goods this holiday season
This holiday season, Goodwill is reminding donors to carefully consider the manner in which they donate items they no longer want. All too often, people simply want to quickly clear out their closets, basements or garages, and drop their unwanted items at the nearest spot, assuming they are making a charitable donation.

• D.I.Y. Village Hall improvement makes sense
Don't be surprised if you stop by the Valley View Village hall in the next few months and see Mayor Randy Westfall with a hammer in hand.

• Kids pay price because their parents couldn't afford levy
Our country is going through a recession. Our challenges with the economy are historic. With a sinking national economy, we've had the most serious erosion in revenues in the last 50 years. Most Ohioans will bring home less in wage and salary income in 2009 than they did in previous years. Seventy percent of people live paycheck to paycheck, with nothing set aside for emergencies.