George Sarantou Press Releases...

Recently I received the two press releases from the George Sarantou for Lucas County Commissioner campaign that happened earlier, one in August and one in September. In the interest of providing complete information to the readers of Glass City Jungle I am including them here.

TOLEDO, OH- George Sarantou, Toledo Councilman and candidate for County Commissioner, unveiled his new vision for Lucas County during the first of a series of press conferences Wednesday, August 30, 2006.

He began with a pledge to protect taxpayer dollars by going through the $138,000,000 budget line by line. “With 24 years of professional financial experience, I can eliminate waste and overspending in Lucas County,” he said.


Sarantou then vowed to create more good jobs for Lucas County by creating a hit list and personally contacting 100 top companies that are poised to move out of their current markets and fit the profile of businesses needed in Lucas County.

He promised to continue his vigilant fight to lower residential and commercial utility rates. “Lucas County’s utility rates are nine percent higher at the residential level and a whopping 33.9 percent higher at the commercial level than the state of Ohio’s average,” he noted. “These costs keep much needed businesses out of Lucas County and put and undue strain on our residents.”

Sarantou also promised to champion a sales-tax-free shopping day for the state of Ohio. “A tax-free shopping day will stimulate economic growth and save our citizens money,” he said.

“Scheduling this day in August will also lessen the burden on families buying school supplies, clothing and other merchandise.”

TOLEDO, OH- George Sarantou, Toledo Councilman and candidate for County Commissioner, continued announcing his vision for Lucas County during a press conference Wednesday, September 13, 2006.

Beginning with a guarantee to promote Lucas County as a family-friendly region, Mr. Sarantou said he will work with Toledo Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce to create a unified, positive message about Lucas County.

“As a family man, I realize the importance of portraying Lucas County as a fine region to live, work and raise a family,” he said. “I hope to disseminate that message not only in our own community, but also in surrounding metropolitan areas.”

Sarantou then spoke of a plan to increase local job visibility, saying he will promote the listing of all public and private sector jobs with The Source of Northwest Ohio by creating a public service campaign marketed to employers who are not currently participating in the free listing program.

“Having a current, accessible database of available jobs will enable local citizens to find work in the region and prevent the post-graduation exodus of valuable candidates,” he noted.

Sarantou also pledged to help keep Lucas County dollars in Lucas County. Recognizing that the county must award a contract to the lowest and best bid, Sarantou said he will champion efforts for local businesses to work with local government.

“I will encourage Lucas County businesses to bid on Lucas County projects because, without question, money spent locally will have a greater impact on economic development throughout our region,” he said.

He promised to protect citizens and their neighborhoods by working with the Lucas County sheriff’s office and suburban law enforcement to establish and maintain block watch programs throughout Lucas County. Additionally, he proposed working with the Lucas County judicial system, law enforcement agencies and social service agencies to educate citizens about the problem and prevention of domestic violence.

Sarantou closed with his strategy to plan for regional flood control by cooperating with all Lucas County jurisdictions, as well as Monroe County, Michigan, to map out flood prone areas and identify solutions for fixing them.