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In reading about the triennial update of real estate values in Butler County, I was amazed at the current auditor's attitude and interpretation of the Ohio Revised Code as it applies to the update of property valuations.

The updates are not based on "stagnant sales because of a niche market," as stated by Mike Tilton, spokesman for the Auditor's Office. Mr. Tilton knows better than this. The application, if applied in this manner, would defeat the very intent of the Ohio Revised Code provisions.

As to Chief Deputy Auditor Groves' suggestion that what has taken place here is "not a subjective valuation," I would like to know what else it could be labeled? Further, I see no comment from your "award-winning" auditor herself on this issue, so who could possibly imagine what her thinking is on this matter?

As to Mr. Groves' statement that "the property values were approved by the Ohio Department of Tax Equalization," Mr. Groves fully knows the Ohio department only looks at or is interested in the overall increase or decrease in values by political subdivision and does not approve or disapprove the valuations of individual parcels. Therefore, manipulation of the individual parcels by decreasing the tax values of properties owned by the wealthy and increasing the middle-class homes by a huge amount to offset that reduction would not be an area that the state would consider. In other words, the fact that the state approves the overall method doesn't make it fair in regard to the individual properties. In this case, I do not believe the Ohio Department of Tax Equalization would have given its blessing to this application, which totally ignores the intent of the Ohio Revised Code, if it fully understood the unfairness apparent in its application.

In any event, it's not the state's or appraisal firm's obligation to ensure a fair valuation. That responsibility falls directly on the county auditor. In this case, this is another responsibility that this auditor has failed miserably in fulfilling.

While we are on the topic of the appraisal firm, I do not know how much the appraisal firm was paid for the fiasco, but I imagine it was a considerable amount. When I was auditor, we performed this task in-house, resulting in a huge savings to the county. The task was not that difficult. With this auditor's greatly enlarged staff (that's another story), she should have sufficient staff to do the job ...

The very least the residents of Butler County should expect of their county commission is that the commission holds a formal review of the Butler County auditor's application of the update. Frankly, don't hold your breath ... You are totally represented by only one party in Butler County.

That has been the case since the demise of John Holcomb, the last of the Democrats, about six years ago. You can assure yourself that no Republican officeholder will request an investigation that might prove fatal to a fellow party officeholder.

I am an independent. I choose to be because I have grown weary of party politics on any level. I fully hope that the residents of our country and our county begin to think a little and not be led by any party dictates, but rather by the performance (or in this case, lack of performance) of their current officeholders and the promise and qualifications of potential officeholders.

I am now a Florida resident with no intention of permanently returning to Ohio. I have no expectation of any reward as a result of offering my opinion. However, Butler County was and will always be home to me and I care about the welfare of my hometown and its residents. I wish you all well.

Mike Brown

Former Butler County auditor

Port St. Lucie, Fla.

'Is this the same

Kay Rogers?'

Is this the same Kay Rogers who admittedly signed some documents for Dynus to obtain a $6.5 million loan?

Is this the same Kay Rogers who used her taxpayers' car to take her son back to school?

Is this the same Kay Rogers who cashed a personal check at the license bureau — when you and I can't?

Is this the same Kay Rogers who had opposition in the primary election from her own party?

Shame, shame on you for including religious belief into a political issue. Whatever happened between separation of church and state?

On Nov. 7, let's give Butler County the dignity it deserves by electing Jack A. Zettler for Butler County auditor.

As an African-American voter, I will be voting for Ted Strickland for governor of Ohio. My sisters and brothers, let's show unity in 2006.

Rosa Lean Lindsey

Middletown

'A logical reply'

Don't know if you received a reply to your query "Thumbs down to unsafe intersection" (Sept. 23); if not and if I were a member of the Butler County Commission, I would offer the following as a reply:

"The accident in question was caused by driver error. There is nothing wrong with the intersection or the highway system in this area of the county. There has been no major improvement to the road system in that area since the 1940s. If you review county records, you will find that the last major improvement to any highway north of New Miami to Trenton (west of the Ohio 73 bridge) and west to Ohio 127 occurred in the 1940s. I am not relating to Band-Aid improvements but new construction. How can you find anything wrong with a road system that is 65-plus years old? We can't.

"As county commissioners, we think the present road system in this area is fine. Many citizens of the area in question thought that the Miller brewery revenues would someday improve the highway system. We commissioners, along with local state representatives, need the revenue from the Miller brewery to help fund our agenda for other areas of the county and state. Miller pays $39 million per year in state excise taxes. We put these funds where they will do the most good. You will also note that these funds are allocated to the areas of high voter registration.

"Those of you in the Trenton area need to forget the state and county agreement with Miller Brewing for a new highway. We have.

"We commissioners are the best the county has ever had. Remember the last county commissioners' race? We eliminated any competition from our own party and sent one of our own commissioners to the State Legislature. This is only one example of our clout ...

"As commissioners of this county, we trust that you will accept this as a logical reply to your 'thumbs down' inquiry."

John Madoffori

Trenton

Editor's note: John Madoffori is a former mayor of Trenton.

'Constant nitpicking'

Month by month, our military has made steady progress in Iraq, all the while as we battle resistance there, and from the Democratic Party. One has to wonder how much further we would be along if we didn't have this constant nitpicking from within ... How would you feel if you were serving in Iraq and every news broadcast and newspaper lists Democrats' harsh and often fabricated attacks on your efforts with the hopes of gaining political points? Would you feel used? ...

Has everything in this war gone perfectly? No war has and neither will any future war. The only way we can possibly fail — and the insurgents know this — is to break our resolve, and the Democrats are helping them do just that ... Democrats are so filled with hate for the Bush administration that they will sell us down the road, hoping to gain some points. This behavior in our media persisted in the Vietnam era and they're doing it again ... The idea that media, whether viewed or printed, leads one into a certain opinion is nothing new; one must be aware of this and form their own opinions.

As to the war, we're too close to quit ... To cut and run now, and then realize later that it was the wrong move, as Tony Blair said, "would be a long road back." Vote Republican, and hold them accountable for the reason you put them there.

Daniel R. Bashore

Franklin