Joe Bellian - UH City Council Candidate

Joe Bellian

JOE BELLIAN

2524 Milford Rd. University Hts., OH  44118 Age: 51

E-mail: jgbellian@gmail.com

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Education: Humanities Western Illinois University & Diploma Huron School of Nursing

Occupation: Registered Nurse

Qualifications: 20 years sales & marketing including managment 8 years nursing including management

Community: Gesu Parish Parish Council Knights of Columbus (Grand Knight)

QUESTIONS and RESPONSES:

1. Issues/opportunities: a. Taxes are too high for home owners; I will strive to find ways to reduce University Heights taxes. b. Current cityservices not acceptable to justify current costs/tax levels,I will strive improve city services for our needs. c. Community relationship with John Carroll University remains adversarial, I will strive to create a more harmonious and mutually beneficial long term relationship. d. Long-time residents are leaving the city due to the over-taxation, I will work to find ways to encourage long-time residents to remain in our city.

2. Revenue: Given the current distribution of tax dollars, this decrease puts even more pressure on the need to make significant changes in our tax distribution. University Heights residents actually pay plenty in tax dollars to support the city, unfortunately, too high a percentage of those tax dollars are being diverted from essential city services toward the Cleveland Heights School board, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio. We need to find a way to increase revenues from new sources (new commerce), decrease expenses (cost sharing) and improve the distribution of tax dollars to a more equitable and representative system.

3. Mergers:  Due to the imbalance in tax revenues currently required by the CH-UH school district – our city must look at all options to continue to optimize the remaining budget available to provide essential services. I hope to explore ways this imbalance can be addressed; until this is achieved, we need to be open to partnerships and collaborations on priority resources for which our citizens require access, where it makes sense and without loss of the appropriate standard of services we deserve.

4. Plan for future: a. Decrease taxes to home-owners, particularly new-home-owners and improve services. b. Decrease the percentage of property tax currently diverted to the school board based on actual population and need. c.  Attract new businesses to locate in our city. d. Form a real integrated & long term working relationship with our University. e  Incent long term citizens to remain in our city.

5. School bond issue: City Council has limited influence over the CH-UH school board. Personally I am opposed to the bond issue and stand with many other citizens in my neighborhood.

6. Why run?: I’ve led or participated in service organizations, most of my life to impact goals and advance needs of those communities. I can bring this strength to positively affect city governance. It is my mission to get to know more of my fellow citizens in order to better represent their interests and needs. I want to maintain the many wonderful benefits of our small town, while protecting our flanks to surrounding cities. I hope to help our city move to an even brighter future of safety, growth and independence. I believe that I can fairly represent my fellow residents as Councilman.

Read More on Voters Guide
Volume 6, Issue 10, Posted 11:27 AM, 10.02.2013