To the editor: Reform program to help victims

5/12/2018
Use of the Ohio Victims Compensation fund is limited due to its excessively strict rules, writes Carly Thompson-Memmer of South Toledo.
Use of the Ohio Victims Compensation fund is limited due to its excessively strict rules, writes Carly Thompson-Memmer of South Toledo.

I’m writing to express my concern about the eligibility, or rather the ineligibility, of victims who apply for the Ohio Victims Compensation program.

According to the current Ohio Victims Compensation requirements, individuals who are the victims of a violent crime, or who are the family members of a deceased victim, can apply for financial compensation to cover medical, counseling, and funeral costs. However, there are several limitations on who is eligible; and many victims may not be getting the help they need.

For example, if a college student gets sexually assaulted at a party and then goes to get an exam from a hospital, the nurses will generally do blood and urine tests that will identify if the student has alcohol and/​or drugs in her system. If so, she likely will get denied victim’s compensation because the Attorney General’s Office will deny people who “committed criminal or tortious acts that contributed to their injuries.”

Therefore, if the student was under the age of 21, she might also be denied compensation due to underage drinking. Additionally, people who have a child endangering conviction within the past 10 years are ineligible. This is problematic because many women in abusive relationships get charged with child endangerment because they do not have the ability or feel they cannot leave their partner.

It is my belief that by denying these victims, the state is continuing to victim-blame those who have had a traumatic experience. I urge readers to contact the Attorney General’s Office and request that victims who have drugs or alcohol in their system, or a child endangering conviction, be eligible to receive compensation.

CARLY THOMPSON-MEMMER
South Toledo

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Lucas County Dems are incompetent

It is not appropriate for anyone to say that Lindsey Webb should be blamed for her ambition to move from city council to the treasurer’s office. After all, isn’t that what we all try to do? Improve ourselves?

At this point we need to determine if Ms. Webb’s work is competent, as her personal issues have created doubt in the minds of many as to her capabilities. We should not rush to judgment and we should allow Ms. Webb the opportunity to succeed. Competence in performing the duties of treasurer is not guaranteed by either a high or low credit score.

Competence, for a treasurer, is measured by the successful use of financial tools and processes that insure proper control of funds collected from the taxpayers of Lucas County. A competent treasurer would also insure collected funds are invested sensibly for the common good of the county. Each party should have, and probably does have, personnel who meet these requirements for the voters to approve of at elections.

The real issue is the Democratic Party. This is the party that was in control of city of Toledo when the city misplaced $8 million through accounting mistakes. The city then tried to pass a tax increase onto the voters of the city to have more money for street repairs but would not commit to collected tax being used for street repairs. This was a major issue in the past mayoral campaign causing the incumbent mayor to lose the election.

Did those responsible for screening candidates for the office of treasurer wonder if there could be any reason that a new treasurer candidate should have the credentials necessary to insure competent operation of the treasurer’s office? Did the Democratic Party indicate that it understood the needs of the office and wanted to put forth a candidate who would be shown as cognizant of these financial issues?

No, the Democratic Party thought it was OK to put forward anyone who meets the primary condition of having a “D” in front of their name versus learning from the last election. It appears they do not understand why the voters rejected their mayoral candidate in the past election.

The new mayor is a Democrat and has shown competence and understanding of critical issues affecting the city, but he was not the party choice for the office. I am amazed at the incompetence of the Democratic Party’s hierarchy, but I guess I should not be, given their latest actions.

EARL REID
Waterville

Editor’s note: Mr. Reid is a former facilities director for Lucas County.

Jim Richard was a role model

Toledo lost one of its best on April 20 with the passing of former Blade sports writer and Medical College of Ohio communication director Jim Richard.

Jim was already well known and widely respected in the community when then MCO President Richard D. Ruppert hired him in 1978 to lead the college’s public relations and publicity efforts.

The late 1970s and 1980s were the go-go years at MCO, a place where much was happening as the Arlington Avenue campus blossomed and new degree offerings and patient care and biomedical research programs were established. Jim played a major leadership role during those heady times.

His efforts included employee publications; a magazine that spotlighted the college’s education, patient care and research programs; publicity associated with the dedications and openings of five buildings, including the patient move into and dedication of teaching hospital in December, 1979; promotion of the college’s graduation ceremonies, faculty, staff and student accomplishments and clinical care advances at the teaching hospital; and development of the teaching hospital’s marketing and advertising materials.

He established a monthly TV program that aired on UT’s cable channel that featured President Ruppert as host and MCO medical specialists addressing health topics, and positive relations with Toledo news organizations and with many MCO faculty members who were always willing do interviews with news organizations when Jim asked.

A terrific writer and a delightful storyteller, Jim was always the go-to source if you wanted a quick lesson in Toledo history or Lucas County politics, his favorite love.

I worked for Jim at MCO for 11 years. He was an absolute role model for how to be a boss and simply a decent, thoughtful and kindhearted friend who will be greatly missed by all those whose lives he touched.

JIM WINKLER
Gainesville, Fla.