2011 Marysville High School Band at Findlay

Here's video of the Marysville High School Marching Band performing at Donnell Stadium in Findlay, Ohio on October 1.



The Monarchs received a superior rating. They also won overall best percussion and tied for overall best color guard.

The show this year is entitled "America's Greatest Generation" and features an awesome rendition of the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B" as well as a heart touching tribute to those who died in World War II.

A great show with lots of potential. Still needs work on music tone and overall marching, but a very impressive outing.

State Finals-Marysville Ohio High School Marching Band

The Marysville Ohio Marching Band performed at OMEA State Finals on Friday, November 5, 2010.  Below is a video of the performance.  Percussion and Auxiliary earned a Superior rating.

It was really hard to believe, however, that the judges gave the group an overall Excellent rating, rather than a Superior.

Marysville's show, "New to Blue", included the songs New Era and Rhapsody in Blue. It was a difficult book musically and a challenging show to march.  The band received Superior ratings throughout the season, but, the judges were stingy on the final night of competition.

I haven't seen the scores, but I can only think that marching was the challenge.

Regardless, the kids should be very proud of their accomplishments this season. A very difficult show presented very nicely. This will help each of these musicians be even better in the future!

Congrats to the band and to the staff / directors who led they way!!

Can't wait until next year!!  Go Monarchs!!!

Script Ohio

Here's a video of the Marysville Ohio High School Band performing Script Ohio at their homecoming game on October 15, 2010.

Two 5K runs come to Marysville, Ohio

I was excited to read in the local paper this evening that there are two 5k races coming to Marysville, Ohio this spring.

This is great news for Victoria and I as we strive to run a 5k race before we turn 40.

There are two races on tap. Both are being hosted by Premier Sports.

The first race is on March 20, 2010 and is called Warm Up for Relay. This one falls on the same day as our little guy's 11th birthday, so I'm doubting we'll be able to do this race. I must say, however, that if I had to do it, I'd be ready to participate in this event.

The second event is on May 22, 2010 and it is called the Loving Care 5K Run, which will support one of the local hospice organizations. Sign us up for this run. First of all, it works better on our schedule. Second, this is the organization that helped a close family a few years back who lost a loved one to cancer.  That will provide extra special meaning for us.

Marysville Tax Increase Alternative

I read Mayor Chris Schmenk's column in the Marysville Journal-Tribune tonight which focused on answering questions about the proposed .50 percent income tax increase coming up on the spring ballot.  I've yet to hear a good answer to the question regarding why taxpayers should approve an increase during one of the worst economic down turns in the post-war era.

The column did provide some insight into how the income tax, if passed, would be used to help fund city needs. According to the mayor, "$1.3 million" would be used to bolster the budget deficit and maintain current service levels in the budget. "$2.8 million" generated by the half-percent tax increase would be used to build new city facilities. This is straight from the mayor's news paper article.

If I read this correctly, the city needs approximately a third (31.7 percent) of the proposed tax increase to maintain current levels of service.  The other 68.3 percent is going to fund new buildings.

I don't know about anyone else, but it feels like City Hall remains a bit out of touch.  Our Mayor is a good person and, I believe, has the best of intentions for our City. But the request for a .50 percent tax increase is excessive and inappropriate for the economic times.

How do you run your household finances? If you were short on meeting the bills every month, would you continue planning on building a big new house? In reality, you would be seeking to shore up your balance sheet by cutting expenses and finding ways to make ends meet. You would NOT be looking to build a new house until the economy recovered and you found yourself in a better position to expand your obligations.  

Here's a reasonable, alternative proposal (based on the numbers published in the Mayor's newspaper article):

• Reinstate the tax credit for residents who work and pay taxes in other cities.
• Repeal the .50 percent income tax and replace it with a .20 percent income tax. A .20 percent income tax should generate more than the city needs to maintain services levels. 
• Back away from the building program for a year and let's revisit the matter when the economy has had a chance to recover.

That, my friends, feels like a more appropriate approach, given the current economic challenges impacting households on a daily basis. Regardless of the accuracy of my math, I believe the city may find support for a more conservative revenue generation approach. The current proposal on the table feels inappropriate.

What do you think?

Hey! We're Printing Your Salary in the Paper

The local paper, the Marysville Journal-Tribune, has been running a series over the past several days listing the individual salaries of county employees. While pursued with noble purpose, I must say I'm a little bit disappointed in the outcome of the series.  

I used to be a public employee, so I understand what it is like to potentially have your salary published in the newspaper. It comes with the territory, so let's dispense with any indignation by county workers. You work for us, we pay the bills, and we have a right to know how much you are paid. If you don't like it, get a public sector gig.

Regarding the series, I do think it is legitimate to say that the newspaper failed to deliver on in-depth analysis of the dynamics that are driving county fiscal problems. If they were trying to help me understand the story behind the numbers, consider the task left undone. I know how much individuals are making, but I don't know if the salaries are fair. In some cases, only the county portion of the salaries was provided, leaving me as a tax-payer with unanswered questions regarding the big picture.

The lack of analysis on the numbers is what should leave county officials unsatisfied. Why? The result of the series doesn't result in building understanding of the counties fiscal situation. Instead, it has only resulted fostering "salary envy" among county employees who now know who has the biggest paycheck in the office.

Ouch!

Marysville Holiday Parade

It was chilly, but the Marysville, OH 2009 Elks Holiday Parade was a pretty good time on today.

In my opinion, this parade is the best of the year. While it's the same crowds and same attractions, I think the holiday theme makes it the most enjoyable.

This parade and the annual Care Train auction are the signs of the season in Union County.

My son Andrew actually caught a stuffed bear in addition to a pretty decent stash of candy. He collected almost as much sugar this afternoon from the floats as he did on Trick or Treat night. My oldest son, Curtis, was in the marching band.

The only downer for the parade was the mob of out-of-town petition collection folks. They were everywhere seeking signatures to let Ohioan's vote next spring on video slot machines for horse tracks. We politely declined about 50 times. They were polite, but obviously from out of town. Not at the holiday parade folks. Please.

Regardless, the parade was a good time. Here's some video.