Elyria Republican Party billboards stir discussion

This story has been corrected to reflect that Jim Miller is running for the 4th Ward and that Brandon Rutherford is the director of Elyvation. ELYRIA — Two billboards put up by the Elyria Republican Party criticizing the state of Elyria are garnering reaction online. The party placed one billboard up at East Bridge Street last week asking the last person to leave Elyria to turn off the lights. The second billboard went up next to it on Monday, declaring Elyria a ghost town with a declining population. Elyria Republican Party Chair Jeff Baxter, who is running for City Council at-large, said the billboards were designed to create a discussion among residents. It was particularly after the second billboard that Baxter said it started to get attention. "I think the best way to explain is that right now, we are like the wooden spoon stirring the pot in Elyria," Baxter said. "We are trying to provoke people, citizens, to some kind of action." Brandon Rutherford, executive director of Elyvation and moderator of the Elyria Front Porch Facebook page, posted pictures of the billboards and his opinion that they take the wrong tone on the community page. He received hundreds of comments to his post. Rutherford said he was prompted to address the billboards' messages after receiving multiple messages and videos about them. In his message, he traced Elyria's issues back 40 years. With businesses and families leaving Elyria, Rutherford said the direction will only get worse if things don't change. But this isn't the way to do it, he said. "Those billboards send a wrong message," Rutherford said. "They send a wrong message to anyone interested in moving here or starting a business here." Comments on the post didn't necessarily disagree with the billboards' messages. Baxter said anger from residents shouldn't be directed at the Republican Party — after all, they haven't had a majority on City Council in decades. The Democratic Party has long held the majority on Elyria's City Council. "If you're satisfied with the state of Elyria today then I'm not happy with that," Baxter said. "Because nobody is satisfied. This is a 40-year-old problem in Elyria. The Republican Party is not the reason for the problem." As the party chair, Baxter said he has received calls about the billboards and gotten mixed reactions. Some have said things need to be shaken up, while others have been upset about the messaging on the boards. The real answer, Baxter said, is probably somewhere in the middle. But he said Republicans wanted to spark a reaction, which was accomplished. Republican Jim Miller is running for the 4th Ward on Elyria City Council. He said the messages were directed at City Council members for not doing enough. "We want to get people talking; we want to get people involved," Miller said. "I don't like the way things are going. We need to get things turned around and get people thinking about it." Miller cited torn-down buildings in downtown Elyria, and he said Council members could have done more to make sure they were maintained. But Baxter didn't blame all of the city's issues on City Council, or on the mayor's administration. He said there's a three-legged stool, and right now it's balanced unevenly on Council and the administration. Baxter said residents have a responsibility to be engaged and a part of the city. Fellow Republican at-large candidates Larry Beckman, Garry Gibbs and Jeff Heathcote echoed Baxter's desire to spark a conversation. Gibbs said buildings downtown have been allowed to deteriorate over the past decades. But the deterioration isn't limited to downtown, he said. Gibbs said other areas of the city have been neglected and economic development has been slow. Heathcote said that in the decades of Elyria's decline, the city has been mostly controlled by Democratic mayors and City Council. He cited issues with getting Ely Square fountain reopened and the delays with the Chestnut Commons connector road as reasons for change. Beckman said he wanted the billboards to create a discussion on why Elyria can't keep new businesses in the city. He said he wants to work with city officials on a better plan regardless of party affiliation. Other Republican candidates for Elyria Council — Maurice Corbin for the 3rd Ward and Marcio Tolentino for the 6th Ward — hadn't yet seen the billboards. Corbin said he couldn't say for certain that people are moving out of Elyria because it's not a nice place to live. But he did say he believes people are leaving the city to build a better life. Baxter and Miller both said they don't think the billboards will hurt election chances in November. It's only March, Miller said, and people have short memories. Rutherford said he doesn't care about the party letter next to someone's name. He said he cares more about someone putting in effort to improve the city, and in his opinion, the billboards only serve to make Elyria look worse. Council President Vic Stewart, D-at large, did not respond to a request for comment. Mayor Frank Whitfield, an independent, plans to send a statement on Wednesday. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.