Tag: guest column

Council Continues to Choose the Most Expensive and Damaging Option for Parking, Ignoring Other Options – with No Explanation Why

Make your voice heard about this issue using petition link below

by Lauren Enda,

For the last several months, I have been speaking at council about the need for more conversation, study, and transparency about the parking garage proposal. Loveland needs to do something about the parking issue, that much we can all agree upon. The proposed garage is one of many, many options available to Loveland. Every other option is less expensive, less permanent, less damaging to the environment and less jarring to the landscape. And every other option would enhance, rather than detract from, Loveland’s brand as a quaint and historic area.

Here is a high-level overview of just one option that would be free to Loveland taxpayers, drastically cut down summer traffic levels in Loveland, provide Loveland businesses even more customers and clients, and maintain our natural, peaceful downtown landscape. The Miami Riverview Park is approximately one mile away from Loveland and it sits on the bike trail. There are hundreds of spaces available – all free of charge. Loveland could mount a marketing and communication plan, teaming with Miami Township, to divert cyclists and walkers coming from 275 to park there and then ride or walk into Loveland – which on a bike takes about a minute. Cyclists or walkers from the east or Route 48 could park there as well without entering Loveland’s downtown area at all.

To get the word out about the parking alternative, we could post temporary signs on the trail directing people to Miami Riverview next time they are in Loveland – we could even include a QR code with a map directing them. We could make up information cards to put on windshields and for businesses to give to their customers. Loveland has a Marketing and Communications Coordinator on staff who could design more ways to get the word out about this idea. If cyclists parked at Miami Riverview, it would free up dozens, if not hundreds, of parking spaces downtown for Loveland residents, and reduce traffic. Miami Riverview is just one option of many. And it is free, easy, available now, with no construction, no environmental damage, and no controversy. Let’s pursue this option first.

A parking committee could outline further options, weighing cost, return on investment, environmental damage, number of spaces, etc… Residents would be happy to talk through more options with members of council at any time. We do not have to choose the most expensive option. In fact, why would we choose the most expensive option? Choosing to spend millions of dollars unnecessarily shows a lack of respect for taxpayers and their money. Council needs to explain their course of action when other options are available. Let’s spend our precious dollars on other higher priority issues – our aging water system, traffic issues, or sorting out the Chestnut property. There are plenty of priorities to choose from that would benefit everyone.

“I chose Loveland as my retirement home. A large part of my decision to move here was the bike trail and the downtown area and I am determined to protect that. I will fight to protect it.”
Lauren Enda

To make speeches and write articles takes a lot of work – and a lot of courage. Partnering with and learning from a wide variety of individuals and organizations helps to learn about the garage and its detrimental impacts. Two of those organizations spoke at City Council on February 8^th – the Sierra Club and the Citizens for Rights of the Ohio River Watershed. Both organizations acknowledge that parking must be addressed but saying the issue must be fully studied and the Council must give residents the ability to vote on a parking garage. Contacting Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, multiple elected officials, and The Economic Development Administration has also widened my knowledge of the issue.

I chose Loveland as my retirement home. A large part of my decision to move here was the bike trail and the downtown area and I am determined to protect that. I will fight to protect it. I want Loveland to succeed. I want Loveland businesses to succeed. I want visitors to enjoy my town as much as I do. And I want everyone to have a place to park. Together, let’s find ways to provide that parking using a rational, systematic approach.

If you want to show your support for a more reasoned approach to the parking issues in Loveland, sign this petition. Council needs to hear from us that we want more data on the parking issue. Thank you.

Petition · Stop the Loveland Garage · Change.org

Lauren Enda lives in Loveland at Hidden Creek.

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Feb 10, 2022
What’s at stake for Ohio families as the monthly child tax credit payment ends?

Commentary by Will Petrik – Ohio Capital Journal

As we start the new year, parents are planning for the future and working hard to provide their kids a great quality of life. They’re facing challenges head on, including a surging pandemic, school closures and at-home schooling, and fewer affordable child care options.

No child should go to bed hungry, and no parent should worry about keeping a roof over their head. But many of the same politicians who refuse to make the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share have failed to prioritize the stability, economic security, and dignity of children and families.

The latest census data show an estimated 811,000 adults in Ohio didn’t have enough food to eat in the last week. An estimated 2.4 million adults had difficulty paying for usual household expenses in the last seven days. On top of that, Jan. 15 was the first time over 1.2 million families in Ohio didn’t get the monthly child tax credit payment since July 2021, because the Senate didn’t pass the Build Back Better legislation before the end of last year.

The monthly payments provided many Ohio families relief from stress by helping them pay for the basics such as food, rent, clothing, phone, internet, and educational expenses. It helped more families get enough to eat and fewer adults with children reported having trouble paying for basic household expenses.

The child tax credit helped Sophia Whitehouse, from central Ohio, start her own business providing mental health services to children. Before the child tax credit, it was nearly impossible to balance her work and care for her children.

“The child tax credit has been a tremendous help paying for preschool and child care for my two kids under 5,” Ms. Whitehouse said. She said that losing the credit means she will have to sacrifice time dedicated to serving the community’s mental health needs, which will hurt her family’s income. “I will not be able to work as much, because I won’t have child care,” she said.

Jason Carter and his wife live in Cincinnati. They had a baby girl at the end of July 2020. The monthly child tax credit payments provided a sense of peace for Mr. Carter and his wife because it was a chunk of money they didn’t have to stress about every month. “It helps us to survive, to plan and have hope for an improved quality of life in the future,” he said.

Along with thousands of other Ohioans, Carter was laid off during the pandemic. He found a new job, but said it pays half as much. The child tax credit helped the Carters make up the difference. Now that payments have stopped, Mr. Carter said they could be forced to put some of their plans on hold, such as buying a new home.

“This is a dream my wife and I have talked about for years, he said. “Now that we have our baby girl, we want to provide a home for her to grow up in, have a yard for her to run around in, to be happy, and to invest in ourselves. Without the child tax credit, the future we have dreamed about doesn’t seem as solid. It’s something that worries us. We’ve been working so hard to improve our quality of life. Now they throw another roadblock at us. How am I supposed to achieve the American dream?”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pNwZf7K4WrE%3Ffeature%3Doembed

By letting 2021 end without passing the Build Back Better Act, certain Senators have pulled the rug out from under the Whitehouse family, the Carters, and millions of families across the country. Just as parents are facing increasing heating and food costs, they are losing the monthly child tax credit, which has provided Ohio families with an average of $442 a month since July of last year.

Source: U.S. Department of Treasury, “Advance Child Tax Credit Payments Disbursed each Month, by State,” accessed on January 10, July, August, September, October, November, and December https://bit.ly/2XGh9Gv

The Senate must deliver for families. They must pass Build Back Better and make sure the expanded child tax credit is included in the legislation. Until they do, families will miss out on monthly tax credit payments that made a real difference in their lives.

For Mr. Carter, Ms. Whitehouse, and millions of other parents and families across Ohio and the nation, there’s so much at stake. This is about security, opportunity, and parents’ dreams for the future. Our nation has the resources to provide stability and security for all families, but we now need the political will.

Feb 2, 2022
Let Loveland Heal – Create a Referendum for the Garage

by Lauren Enda

Loveland is a vibrant, bustling, and prosperous city. Which is why the question of increased parking space is an issue. People come to Loveland to live and visit because it is quaint and unique. Another asset that Loveland enjoys is an educated, engaged, and energized resident population. This is an asset that many towns would covet and that could be used to great advantage. Sadly, however, the mayor’s council continues to deny residents a vote on the parking garage, keeping them from actively participating in their own city. Instead of seeking a clear mandate through referendum to go forward with the plan, the council claims that all decisions, regardless of impact and cost, belong squarely with them. This lack of respect for residents’ role in Loveland’s future causes controversy and encourages mistrust of authority. A referendum would take away the controversy completely – the voters would have their say and all questions about the soundness of a garage and discord between residents on either side of the issue would simply dissolve.

The council could easily calm this discord and start to heal the damage caused by the garage proposal. By creating a referendum for the garage, the council sends a clear, strong, unequivocal message that they care what voters think; that they listen to the will of the people; that they trust the residents to make wise, thoughtful decisions. There is a bonus to the referendum for newly elected council members. By voting in favor of the referendum, the new members would prove beyond doubt that they are living up to their campaign promises to listen to residents.

Whether in favor of the garage or opposed to the garage, every resident in Loveland should have a voice in this momentous decision. And Loveland residents should not have to force the council into the referendum by collecting signatures. The path of pitting residents against council by collecting signatures to force a referendum is beneath Loveland city council and its constituency. This would only cause further distrust and anger among residents, which is not in Loveland’s best interest.

According to Councilmember Bateman’s statement on 23 November 2021, democratic principles are alive and well in Loveland. This comment was seconded by Mayor Bailey. A referendum is your chance to prove it. Create a referendum and let democracy take its course. There is literally nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Almost everyone agrees that the parking situation in Loveland needs attention. Let’s create a parking committee. Loveland has almost 20 committees and not one of them is tasked with parking. Let’s invite residents to investigate options and alternatives that will be cheaper, more flexible, and less intrusive. Let’s work together to gather data, define the problem, and come up with a range of solutions that can be openly discussed and debated. Working on this project could bring people together instead of causing strife.

Myriad solutions are possible: institute valet parking; purchase an old-fashioned retro shuttle to get visitors to locations in downtown; increase use of Nature Preserve parking; use Loveland’s beautiful parks for events and gatherings instead of having every event in the downtown area. All of these could be accomplished for a fraction of what the garage would cost and keep our town quaint and unique. Each of these solutions would also greatly reduce traffic into the downtown area. Let’s take a breath, think outside the “parking garage” box, and have a conversation. Let’s work together to get it right.

The decision on whether to build the proposed garage is too important to get wrong. And it isn’t important enough to tear the city apart.

Do the right thing. Heal the conflict. Put the garage on a referendum.

Lauren Enda lives in Loveland at Hidden Creek

Jan 14, 2022
I respectfully suggest that in 2022, we commit ourselves to making this the priority

by Lisa Freeman

Last Saturday, a friend and I walked the Simpson Farm. We entered from Wall Street across from Kiwanis Park. About 100 feet in, we noticed that two trees were recently felled and left lying. The bridge on the Conservation District had new and very graphic graffiti, as well as new hatchet marks, cut into it.

Further along, we saw that another tree had hatchet marks cut into it and someone had attempted to set it on fire.

Looking ahead we saw the remains of a bonfire. A campsite was littered with candy wrappers, the remainder of the yellow pages, beach towels, a graphic novel, an overturned trash can, and the remains of a sofa.

The bonfire must have been quite large. It burned the bark and branches of the tree at least 20 feet up.

I called the non-emergency number. I thought it would be best to have the fire department make sure the fire was completely out. The dispatcher did not know where the Simpson Farm was, so I told her and I met the firefighters by the Wall Street bridge. They were happy to take a water cannon out and stated that it was much easier to do that than fight a forest fire.

Canine Officer Cruz was on the scene and eager to investigate. We are beyond fortunate to have this beautiful old-growth forest here in Loveland and it is time to stop ignoring it. We also have the East Loveland Nature Preserve, Hidden Creek Park, the Little Miami River, and the bike trail. It is everyone’s responsibility to care for these resources.

I’m asking the Council and all the City’s committees to make promoting and protecting our green spaces the top priority in 2022.

What does that look like? When the Planning and Zoning Committee considers new developments, how can they assure that greenspaces are incorporated? When the finance committee considers transactions, how can they promote natural resources? Is the Beautification Committee using only native plants in the beautiful planters they create? Has the Community Master Plan committee considered how important green spaces are in their plans?

I know that traditionally the care and keeping of our natural resources have not been the primary purpose of all our committees, but I respectfully suggest that in 2022, we commit ourselves to make this the priority.

Lisa Freeman lives in the Glen Lake subdivision in Loveland

Nov 15, 2021
A response to candidate Kevin Daugherty’s “Qualifications For Becoming A Board Member”

by Lesley Hodge

Kevin Dougherty, Loveland Board of Education Vice-President, posted a short video on his campaign website entitled “Thinking Through How To Choose – A Different Approach”. In it, he identifies the qualities that matter for Board membership as leadership, preparedness, motivation, commitment, and the ability to listen and learn. I agree with all of that – although I question how prepared anyone can be, or ever has been, for stepping into a Board role for the first time.

He goes on to say that “what a candidate supports or doesn’t support doesn’t matter unless he or she can get results.” I half agree with that. It doesn’t much matter what a person is for or against if he doesn’t get results. On the other hand, if a person gets results, what he is for or against is of central importance because that will determine what results he will attempt to achieve. However well the Board members in recent years might have scored with respect to Mr. Dougherty’s list of qualities, they certainly got results. To take only the most salient recent example, in 2019 they succeeded in getting onto the ballot a levy of historic proportions – which was voted down by the community 78% to 22%. Whatever the Board was for or against in 2019, it was clearly misaligned with what the community was for or against. It is hard to argue, then, as Mr. Dougherty suggests, that it doesn’t matter what “it” is as long as “it” gets accomplished. Of course, we want to elect Board members who can get results. For that very reason, it matters very much what those members support or don’t support.

I would actually expand Mr. Dougherty’s list. He mentioned being humble but it didn’t make his top five. Humility is an essential characteristic for being a successful Board member. Independent thinker is also imperative. I would rather see a Board grapple with issues in front of the public rather than come out and uniformly vote on things without much discussion.

Finally, it is essential to me, a voter and taxpayer, that Board members respect parental rights, support strong academics and a challenging curriculum, and respect taxpayers. It’s a tall order, but I think some of the candidates possess these qualities in abundance. Moreover, we have candidates who genuinely care about putting students first without alienating the residential district that foots the bill.

I have seen several candidates dismissed as being “inexperienced”. Obviously, anyone who hasn’t sat on a Board does not have the experience related to being on a Board, and every Board member in history was once in that position. If inexperience were a bar, there would be no Boards.

At the end of the day, an inexperienced Board seeking the right results is incomparably to be preferred to an experienced Board seeking the wrong results. Inexperience tends to correct itself; a bad result does not.

Lesley Hodge is a resident of Symmes Township and the Loveland City School District

Oct 29, 2021
Simply put, I know Colette Boyko as a kind, loving, and good person

by Jeff Wagner

Hello Loveland! I love you and always have. I don’t usually get involved in politics because I don’t enjoy it. I’m fine reactively engaging in political discussions when I don’t have a choice though. I’m truly moderate. I’ve voted for Democrats and Republicans in recent years. I have an extremely loving family that politically, in my opinion, is a great reflection of this still great country’s freedom. We disagree on politics, but still respect and love each other. I make suggestions to my now-adult children, who had the luxury of attending Loveland Schools in their recurring Glory Days. I suggest that they engage in politics only if it brings them joy, or if they are running candidates. Why? Because nothing matters but your vote. And because I’m not changing anyone else’s vote – and they’re not changing mine.

Regarding Loveland Schools, they have seen better days. But in my opinion, there are also better days ahead! Almost always are. The ebb and the flow. Big mistakes have been made though and residents are upset. Loveland needs to re-earn their trust. Hence, the bounce back will need to be gradual.

Meanwhile, people are more emotional than ever in their lives. Not just in Loveland, but everywhere. Passion can be productive or counterproductive. And when it reveals itself in the form of ire, it’s almost always counterproductive. It’s usually most detrimental and hurtful when things get personal, and/or, far worse in this day of social media, public. Sadly today, that’s usually why we employ social media though. To hurt someone badly.

So, what’s my point? Believe it or not, it’s to remind my fellow students what we all learned in one of the places we are “discussing.” Kindergarten. The Golden Rule is a philosophy for leading one’s life that suggests that other people should be treated fairly and with respect. Essentially, people act for the good of others, because they would like to be treated the same way. Too sappy these days? Not if you enjoyed reading it again for the first time in a long time like I did. I needed the reminder, too.

I recently learned my awesome next-door neighbor, Colette Boyko, who is courageously running for Loveland School Board, was publicly accused of some pretty nasty things. Simply put, this was an absolute calling for me to defend Colette publicly.

Colette Boyko may be the most inclusive person I know, especially when it comes to kids. She does not judge people by their skin color or any identity they may have. Here’s why I know this to be true: Her “adopted” son, Anthony, who grew up next-door to us, is African American. And he’s a spectacular kid! Anthony is spectacular because of Colette and her loving family.

Colette met Anthony in 1994 when she lived in an apartment in Walnut Hills. Anthony and many other children regularly visited Colette’s door asking to take out her garbage for $1. Over a three-year period, Colette befriended the kids, playing games with them, baking them cookies, and becoming friends with their families. They came to know Colette as “Coco,” and Anthony’s nickname was “Scooter.”

Anthony’s mom had personal issues she was never able to overcome. So, Anthony would seek solace from the only parental presence who could provide it: Coco. And Colette has done so ever since.

When he was young, Colette picked Anthony up from work several times a week. She even took him to Disney. She helped him get recommended for a Boys Hope program. Anthony’s mom also assisted in getting Anthony into the program and he was accepted.

Boys Hope gave Anthony a place to live during the week with great structure, healthy meals, and a catholic school education from middle school through high school. Colette took Anthony under her wing on weekends, holidays, and summer breaks. He also spent time with his mom and siblings.

When Colette met her husband, Matt, he also accepted Anthony into his life. When they were married, Anthony was in their wedding. When they moved next-door to my family and Anthony started high school, I became friends with Anthony, and we often played basketball together on my court. Anthony remained active in Boys Hope and continued to stay with the Boyko’s on weekends and holidays.

The week Colette and Matt had their first child, Sky, they threw Anthony a 16^th birthday party and made a room for him at their home. They helped him get a job and transported him to and from it. They helped get Anthony through college and made sure he had a good start including a car and supporting family. Colette’s children consider Anthony a brother. Anthony now works in Ohio. And he loves his “adopted” mom, Coco, and family, the Boyko’s. I love the Boyko’s too, just like I love Loveland.

Simply put, I know Colette Boyko as a kind, loving and good person who at her very core treats people fairly and with respect. Colette wants the very best for Loveland Schools and our community. She knows the bounce back in Loveland needs to be restrained but that it also requires a lot of work and a solid plan we can all support to get the pendulum heading back in the right direction: Our recurring Glory Days!

And although I don’t know the other candidates, I fervently support treating them, and ALL people, per the principles of The Golden Rule. After all, … we learned that in Kindergarten.

GO TIGERS!

Respectfully, Jeff Wagner

Oct 16, 2021
A Good Sign for Loveland Schools: A Robust Election Season
By Elliot Grossman, Candidate for Loveland City School Board

The races for the Loveland School Board have strengthened my faith in democracy. For at least two decades, most candidates for the school board had run without challengers. That means the community didn’t have much of a choice of candidates. It also meant there was minimal discussion about the issues facing the school district.

This year, there are nine candidates for four seats. The exchanges of ideas among the candidates and voters have been robust. That shows people care deeply about the school district.

Once the winners have been announced, the community’s focus will shift to helping the school district move forward. Better times are ahead for the Loveland Schools, our community and our children.

My campaign is about hope, optimism and restoring trust. This is a great school district. It’s a big reason my wife and I moved to the Loveland area.

But it’s gotten off track with some poor decisions by leaders. The problem is that those poor decisions have led to damaged relationships with the community

Now, the district’s number one goal needs to be restoring trust. Without trust, the community won’t provide enough resources to the district. Without enough resources, the students will not get the education they deserve.

How do we restore trust? I have a plan:
- First, the district needs to embark on a thorough and formal listening process — seeking out voices from throughout the community — to learn what type of school district the community wants. What are the community’s priorities for the district? For a decade, a Butler County school district has held what they call Community Conversations. They’re led by a neutral facilitator. We need to do that here. Communication needs to be a two-way process. Systems need to be set up to listen to parents, students, staff and the community on an ongoing basis. These conversations are about building a partnership with the community.
- Second, after we’re sure we’ve sought out voices from throughout the community, we need to do a scientific survey to gauge voter sentiment before putting another levy on the ballot. We shouldn’t guess about whether a levy would pass. That could do even more damage if it fails.
I’m a strong supporter of public schools. I attended public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. I believe public schools are a great equalizer. They give children from all walks of life opportunities. I’ve given a big part of my career and civic life to supporting public schools. I have a daughter in the Loveland Schools. So I want the schools to thrive. But I’m not going to make decisions with just the students in mind. I will always make decisions with the best interests of the students and the taxpayers in mind.

How can I be so sure that we can turn things around? I’ve seen this situation before. Professionally, I’ve provided communication and community engagement services to school districts. In fact, I’m the only candidate who has provided professional communication and community engagement services to school districts.

I’ve attended hundreds of meetings of school boards and local governments in various communities as a news reporter and consultant to school districts for several decades. Additionally, I’ve attended meetings of the Loveland School Board as a parent, taxpayer and now candidate. I’ve learned what works and doesn’t work in school districts. I will bring those insights and ideas to the Loveland School Board.

A school district in western Hamilton county had failed two consecutive levies. I spent a year helping that district with communication and community engagement. With great leadership by a new superintendent, they passed a levy and just a few months ago they opened new schools. But again, I’m not saying we need new schools here. That’s up to the community.

Here’s another example about why we should have hope and optimism. This example shows the importance of setting priorities with our school district budget at a time when the district’s funds are stretched so thin.

For the first time this fall, the Loveland Schools are offering full-day kindergarten to all families who want it for their children. Significantly, the district expanded its kindergarten spots without additional salary costs. After a retirement, district leaders moved a teaching position to the Loveland Early Childhood Center as enrollment numbers changed in the upper grades. It’s all a matter of setting priorities with limited funds.

I know what needs to be done to move the district forward. I have the experience, the determination and the ability to listen to unite the community.

I hope you’ll vote for me.
Oct 10, 2021
Tim Butler: “I humbly ask for your support for the next four years on City Council.”
by Tim Butler

Four years ago, you trusted me with your vote to City Council. Now I humbly ask for your support for the next four years on City Council. With over 32 years of living in and raising our family in Loveland, I have a strong commitment to speak for our citizens. Our family is invested in the success of Loveland. We started a successful track and cross-country program which launched the running careers of hundreds of Loveland’s boys and girls. Our family has invested its time, financial resources, and energy in the creation and operation of Mile 42 Coffee in downtown Loveland. Our roots are firmly planted in Loveland.

We have a great city. Our downtown is vibrant and unique with its access to the bike path and the Little Miami River. We have a strong community spirit. We have successful local businesses. With our growth comes inherent challenges.

We are at a point where the decisions made by your City Council will affect the character, look, and feel of Loveland for future generations. Here are a few key areas where Council’s decisions will impact Loveland going forward:
- The first is zoning and development. Our Council has approved the rezoning demands of developers which increased the density of development and will contribute to further congestion. I listened to your fellow citizens and voted against this rezoning. Council will face similar zoning and development questions over the next four years.
- Second is how we manage traffic and parking downtown. Our Council is considering a multi-million dollar parking garage and we do not know whether it is even financially sustainable. The location of the garage will cause overcrowding in the busiest part of our downtown. There are other options we can explore before we change the landscape of downtown for the next 30 years with a garage which may not even solve the problem. I have consistently asked Council to explore these options and explain to our citizens the financial impact of the garage and the availability of alternatives.
- The third is ensuring we fully involve our citizens as we make these and other decisions, including annexation of new property into the city. Unfortunately, our Council has not been fully transparent in this decision-making process.
As I talk to our fellow citizens, I hear concerns about the direction of our city and some of the decisions made by our City Council. How much development is too much? Are we spending your taxpayer dollars on pet projects? Are we sufficiently planning for the next generation of Loveland’s families so they can enjoy the kind of childhood our own children were fortunate enough to have?

Let’s take a breath and engage in thoughtful, analytical growth. Let’s seek out the opinions and gauge the wishes of our citizens. Let’s spend our tax dollars wisely. Let’s think and talk about what is best for the city of Loveland for the next ten to twenty years, so future generations will continue to think of Loveland as a wonderful place to live, work, and raise their families.

I ask for your support for reelection to Loveland’s City Council. If you trust me with your vote, I pledge to continue to serve as your voice on Council. Together, we can plan and build the best Loveland for the present and for our future.

Meet the candidate nights

Candidate List and Voter Information
Oct 3, 2021

We’re asking one simple thing (parents like me) but you, you’re asking for my world

Loveland Magazine received this Guest Column from the parent of a Loveland school student who asked us not to reveal their identity and to go one further step, besides sharing the sentiment of her writing – to help protect all of the “health compromised children” that need to attend school next week.

Most of you don’t know what it’s like to have a medically fragile child. Most of you never will.

Most of you don’t know what it’s like to beg God to let your child live another day... thankfully, most of you never will.

Most of you do not know what the scene of life-saving measures on your child looks like - and thank God, most of you never will.

But unfortunately, for some of us parents - we do know all of these moments and they never leave us. They are forever ingrained in our memory - you can see, smell, hear and taste these moments.

Always.

Forever.

I’ve come to realize that most of you don’t realize what you're asking of parents like me - with young, medically fragile children.

You can’t possibly realize what you’re asking... because I cannot wrap my head around it - if you do realize what you're asking of me - how can I possibly wrap my head around the fact that I’ve been surrounding myself with so many people that would dare have such an ask.

So many fake promises like “I’m here! It takes a village”.

I sit back and think-shame on you. HOW DARE YOU. But then I remind myself, there is no way they realize their “ask”. I won’t call you selfish - because there is no way you really understand what you’re asking - and if you do, then it’s a step beyond selfish- it’s evil... and may God help you.

We are asking one simple thing, parents like me — but you, you’re asking for my world.

We ask just one simple thing - but you, you are asking for us to choose risk.

We are asking for one thing - a very simple thing, indeed.

But you... you are asking something far too big- something far outside of our reach.

We are asking you for one simple thing... a mask. Please, we ask - it’s just a mask...

But you, oh YOU... you cannot possibly realize it, can you?! You think you’re asking for choice... you think you have this right... but what you don’t realize, you can’t possibly realize — is that you’re asking me to risk my child’s life. You’re asking me to not put up a fight.

You’re asking me to risk the very depth of my being - my reason for living - you are asking me to sacrifice all that we’ve done - and asking us to risk our children’s health... and all we ask of you is one SIMPLE thing... please mask up, to help protect the children. Send your child to school with a mask... you may save a life.

If you’re reading this and getting angry, still not getting our message, then it may be time to take a long look in the mirror and start asking yourself some hard questions.

Please stop demanding we risk our children’s life.

Our ask is simple.

And your ask, well it’s inconceivable.

Aug 14, 2021

A Diversity Story: by Leah Marcus

“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed, but when we are silent we are still afraid. So is it better to speak?” – Audre Lorde

I am in sixth grade. My hands, gripping the edge of my desk in a quiet rage. Knuckles white. I. Hate. It. Here. My skin crawls. There isn’t a place in the world I want to exist. Everyone listens to me say this. But no one hears me. I am ignored.

Mrs. S. wrote the word “Apathy” on the board.

“That feeling. That word, murdered 11 million people. 6 million Jews. 1.5 million Jewish Children. Look at it.”

We stare for a minute. Silent.

I hear a soft laugh. Is that my snicker? Another. Uncomfortable shifting in desk chairs. Whoever it was, Brandon has the loudest giggle, and he receives the teacher’s corrective glare.

She darkens the room and pulls down the screen. A slide of a naked, emaciated, woman, dead appears. My eyes glance over at the word. Apathy.

The next slide. A gas chamber. Dead bodies slumped over each other.

Next, the entrance to Birkenau.

Next, Auschwitz. “Arbeit Macht Frei” Apathy.

The deceitful message at the entrance to Auschwitz- translated means “Work sets you free”.

Another slide.

“This is Babi Yar”. Mrs. S. delivers the information with a cold, flat, statement. The class gasps. All of us. Collectively. Gasping at the sight – a photograph of a mass grave holding the dead and starved bodies of 33,771 Jews, murdered over 2 days. Marci looks down at her paper and reads the quote that was to accompany the slide, number 18, “There is no gravestone that stands on Babi Yar; Only coarse earth heaped roughly on the gash.” One of the boys groans, “Ugh…Gash.”

Apathy.

I silently rode home with my father. I will never look at my Grandmother the same. “What did she see in Germany?”

Apathy.

I visited Majdanek, Sobibor, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Birkenau when I was 17. I am numb, the feeling of existing nowhere. I think I have died, but I am only numb. Every day, I want to die. Instead I am numb. Now I can survive.

And I promise to share these words, as I stand under the gallows of Auschwitz:

“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.

Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.

Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul, and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am consigned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” (Elie Wiesel)

“It doesn’t feel right.”

“Let it go.”

“Ok, I’ll move on.”

That conversation has dominated my life for 34 years. Apathy. I define it. My stomach rumbles every day, I never feel good. I sit with my husband at dinner and watch the news. This isn’t how it is supposed to be. All that I have seen and heard. I am numb and dead inside, as I was in Majdenak choking on the stench on rotten leather shoes. Trophies saved by Nazis to commemorate 80,000 murders.

“Never Again. What does that mean?”

He stares back at me. My question emerges from my apathetic silence.

“When we say never again, doesn’t that mean we’re supposed to do something? What does `never again’ mean to you?”

He quietly speaks of his dreams for peace. Eradicating poverty. Housing for the poor. Healthcare. College. Employment.

“What about you?”

“I can’t live here anymore. Not the way it is. When I said never again, I meant I would stop a train carrying cattle cars of Jews with my body, with my strength, with my power. I don’t have power. I don’t want to live that way anymore. I don’t want to live here anymore.”

“Like Loveland? You don’t want to live in Loveland anymore?”

“No. I can’t live in the world as it is anymore. I have to change it. It’s unbearable.” I cry. I can’t stop. I feel the quiet rage of my youth. But my hands lie flat on the table, my knuckles pink. I don’t think I can exist here. I look to my husband and children. But they exist here.

I pick up books and learn. I register voters. I learn how to organize large groups of people to fight for a common cause, not because of politics, but because it aligns with their self-interests. I learn about my privilege. I learn about systemic racism. I make so many mistakes. I am corrected aggressively. Kindly. Ignored. I cry. I laugh. I am successful. I learn as I go. Things change.

One day, I press play. My daughter is watching over my shoulder. We watch George Floyd die. She has closed her eyes. I restart the video.

“Open them. Open your eyes. We have to see.”

I think, “There is no gravestone that stands on Babi Yar; Only coarse earth heaped roughly on the gash.”

We exist in a world like this – coarse earth heaped roughly on the gash. I don’t want this world to exist as long as I live in it.

We hug at the end of the video.

When my husband finishes work, I greet him by stating simply, “Never Again.”

He knows what it means.

I step in front of the train and put my hand up.

With a short meeting and trusted friends, the Loveland Diversity Advisory Board is formed.

John comments only occasionally, but when he does, I put the “mature administrator” hat on immediately and respond with a question, “Help me understand…” or “I’m not sure I am following what you mean…could you say more about that?” Inevitably, John replies with a co-opted statement about the thread and relates it back to Critical Race Theory or Reparations, or School Funding and School Policy. Clearly, he is looking to push buttons and searching for a “gotcha moment”.

I don’t want this world to exist as long as I live in it. My stomach rumbles. Looking down, I see that my hands are clutching the edge of my desk. My knuckles are white.

He writes, “Critical Race theory has no place in American Schools. The tenets of Critical Race Theory are based in the destructive ideal of inherent racism and will teach our children to judge and self segregate based solely on skin color….It promotes the dismantling of American Society thru (sic) Marxist anti American rhetoric.”

It takes my breath away to see it in writing. “Marxist anti-American Rhetoric”. In the rambling online blogs of the Poway Synagogue shooter, references to Jews and their control of the media, the banks, and his description of hatred for Jews and their role in “cultural Marxism”. This phrase has repeatedly created a rationale for violence against leftists, against Jewish people, and against anyone associated with either.

My alarm is sounded. Bully. Microassault. Dog Whistle. “There is no gravestone that stands on Babi Yar; Only coarse earth heaped roughly on the gash.” Apathy murdered 6,273,676 million Jews between 1941 and 1945.

Never Again.

I step in front of the train.

Stop.

You’re either driving the train. Or you’re stopping it.

The more people that stand in front of this train, the faster it will stop.

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. –Elie Wiesel Z”L, Buna, Buchenwald, Auschwitz Survivor (1928 – 2016)

This Guest Column by Leah Marcus is presented by Loveland Magazine in collaboration with the Loveland Diversity Advisory Board. Contact them if you’ve a story to share.

Jun 24, 2021

Tag: guest column

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