Lorain County Democrats gather to protest Republican policies, practices

AVON — Nichole Geibel celebrated her birthday with a cacophony of honking horns. Standing with about three dozen others alongside the intersection of state Route 83 and Detroit Road, she and members of the Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville, and rural Lorain County Democratic clubs held signs decrying President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday as the second in a series of protests against the current Republican-held state and federal administrations. "It feels like I'm doing something," said Geibel, the co-chair of the North Ridgeville Democrats. "This is making my soul feel better." The majority of those at Saturday's event held signs focused on federal issues like Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late last month, tariffs, Medicare and Medicaid. Interspersed among the homemade signs were American and Ukrainian flags. Nora Almond said she has been protesting for democracy since the 1960s. Saturday was no different. "I want to leave a strong heritage and functioning democracy for my children and grandchildren," the Sheffield resident said while holding a sign imploring drivers to "Honk 4 Democracy." Dennis Gibson, of Elyria, stood beside her with a smaller sign listing his concerns about the federal government's actions. He heard about Saturday's event on Facebook. Like Almond, he was concerned about the future of the country for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Everything that's been going on is just scary," Almond said. "It's now or never." While the bulk of Saturday's attendees focused on federal issues, some set sights on state-level grievances like the recent passage of Ohio Senate Bill 1, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs, places limits on the teaching of "controversial" topics and bans university professors from striking. State Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, voted in favor of SB 1, which has since been signed by Gov. Mike DeWine. Attendee Supriya Mahajan, of Grafton, organized a string of signs referencing Carly Simon's 1972 song "You're So Vain" that read "Nathan Manning, you're so lame you don't even know this protest's about you." Reached by phone on Saturday, Manning said the protest earlier this month was not about him, and that this weekend's did not sound like it was about him either. "Certainly one or two people (were) protesting me," he said. "It doesn't mean the whole thing is about me — it sounds like it was mostly federal." Manning said he is focused on state issues, and suggested those with problems at the federal level reach out to their congressman. "I'm all for government efficiency, but I understand their concerns and think they should express them to their congressmen and senators," he said. "... I'm always available and make myself available to constituents. I'm happy to discuss any issue if they reach out." Brenda Buchanan, a former Columbia Schools board member who ran for Ohio's 54th House District against Kellie Deeter last year, called for the state's Fair School Funding Plan to be fully implemented and expressed concerns about the growth of EdChoice vouchers in the Buckeye State. The state Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that Ohio's school funding system was unconstitutional due to its overreliance on local property taxes. Since then, legislators have grappled with the issue. Ohio initiated the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2021 biennial budget. Crafted by then-Reps. John Patterson and Bobb Cupp, the legislation looks to make school funding more equitable by basing it on district costs. The funding plan was set to be phased in over several years and fully implemented in 2027, provided legislators allocate adequate funding for it. Currently, school districts only receive about two-thirds of the funding promised to them by the full Fair School Funding Plan. It is included in Gov. Mike DeWine's proposed budget, which includes more than $23 billion in funding for schools over the cycle. The plan has come under scrutiny for the metrics used to determine the split of state and local funding. Inputs are the cost of doing business for school districts, including salaries and benefits. The data used in DeWine's current proposal date to 2022, causing many local schools to see a decrease in their share of state funding. "Our kids deserve a good public education and they have to stop sending the money, the vouchers, to private schools because there's no accountability whatsoever," Buchanan said. While Saturday was her first protest, she testified in favor of fully implementing the Fair School Funding Plan at an Ohio House committee hearing in February. DeWine's budget also includes about $265 million for vouchers over the two-year period. Ohio expanded its EdChoice voucher program to be universal, with a sliding scale of the amount families received based on income, but also included in that funding line are other programs like the Autism Scholarship and Jon Peterson Scholarship for students with disabilities. Buchanan and other attendees on Saturday wanted to see more money go to local, public schools rather than the state's voucher program. Buchanan said a lot of people have told her they are overwhelmed. She suggested individuals find their singular cause — be it education, health care or equal rights and fight for it at the local and federal level. "I try to fight for the public schools because that's my passion," she said. Manning said he was supportive of the Fair School Funding Plan and was a co-sponsor when it was introduced as the Cupp-Patterson plan years ago. He was also supportive of the EdChoice expansion. "I think we need to support all our education options," he said. "I don't think it's currently had a negative impact on our public schools. … For some people, a different school could be better for their child and I want to support them as well." Protesters will be out 11 a.m. April 5 at state Route 83 and Walker Road as part of the Hands Off! National Day of Action. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.