Attempt for Shenango Valley Consolidation by George Gearhart

 

George Gearhart is the Director of the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the Shenango Valley study committee for consolidation as a citizen representative of the city of Sharon. Gearhart believes that racial and economic issues were involved in preventing the consolidation referendum from being passed in all of the municipalities. He also talked about the process of conducting the study and getting the public involved, and noted that although opponents to the consolidation were organized and mobilized right away, the proponents of consolidation were not as organized as they should have been from the start. Gearhart also pointed out that the commonwealth promised grants and funding, but never confirmed exact figures or amounts, leaving municipalities wondering if the state would cover their outstanding debts moving into consolidation. Gearhart explained that after the four year study, the committee voted not to recommend anything. Then, the citizen group’s petition got the referendum on the ballot, which ultimately did not pass in all five municipalities.

Click here to read the Report of the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee http://www.mcrpc.com/svisc/finalreport.pdf