But not for long: “We are not going to allow what happened in Flint to happen in Youngstown”
A Press Release from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), from May 9, 2018.
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO: The battle for clean water in Youngstown, OH, continues unabated following yesterday’s elections. As the Mahoning County Board of Elections (BOE) refuses to place the people’s Water Protection Bill of Rights charter amendment on the ballot in multiple elections, community members continue to advance their measure, insisting on their democratic right to vote and their environmental right to clean water.
Since 2013, Youngstown residents have worked with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) to protect the city’s water from fossil fuel extraction, waste disposal, and other harms, and to defend their democratic right to vote. With each community effort, rights proponents are met with strong opposition from the oil and gas industry, local elected officials, and the media. CELDF provides legal assistance to Youngstown residents as they advance Community Rights – including democratic and environmental rights. Two weeks ago, with CELDF’s support, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the BOE place the rights-based amendment on the May ballot.
With voting already begun and more than 1,000 ballots mailed without the amendment, the BOE declined to ask the Court to place the measure in a later upcoming election. Instead, the BOE “promised” to mail out supplemental ballots and to distribute those ballots at voting sites yesterday.
Thus, the Water Protection Bill of Rights was in an election where it was not on any printed ballot. At least one polling location did not include the amendment on supplemental ballots. The election results were 44% in favor with 2,857 votes, and 56% against with 3,589 votes. MORE…