An editorial yesterday in the Canton, OH paper, The Repository, suggested that mediation might be a way to prevent Stark County from suing itself. As the editorial points out, this scenario sounds like something out of a Jay Leno wacky headline survey. The problem is that the county’s veterans’ agency maintains that it is entitled by law to the full $1.36 million it requested from the county commissioners for its operating budget. Yet the county is strapped for cash.
Kudos to The Repository for suggesting: “It’s time to bring mediation into the picture.” A lawsuit is a clumsy and expensive way to resolve this conflict. A process that would allow the county to use some creativity and common sense to find a resolution would better serve the veterans, the county, and the taxpayers.
