Jim Kalb is a likeable fellow of good intelligence and appearance, and may be trying to do what he believes to be an honest job, but we have seen little evidence of any major difference in his administration and the performance of Greg Bauer.

Seven citizens are in the running for the Office of Mayor. Jim Kalb claims that he is best prepared because he has served ten months as Mayor and was on the City Council for ten years; he was a member of Council Presidency for the entire six and one/half years that Greg Bauer was Mayor. Bauer trained Kalb and Jim Kalb as Council President Ok’d every ordinance proposed by Mayor Greg Bauer.

With the claim that experience is a virtue, a view of Mr. Kalb's experience is in order. Our last Mayor, the recalled Greg Bauer also was an experienced councilman when he was elected Mayor.

In November 1997 Greg Bauer was a candidate for Mayor of Portsmouth. In the fall of 1997 the Shawnee Sentinel hardcopy published an article by a university student. The young writer warned the citizens that Bauer’s past record as a close associate of the Southern Ohio Growth Partnership and other (SOGP) members indicated that the City of Portsmouth was headed for a disastrous financial future if Greg Bauer were elected.

(At that time we didn’t quite understand why the young student was so concerned about Bauer’s connection with SOGP; we did not realize then how a few non-elected power brokers were controlling the City affairs through their secret support of corruptible council members.

During the past two years website revelations and police investigation reports have given the rest of us citizens an understanding. We can now see what the young student had so truthfully seen about the controlling influence by SOGP members in the corruption of the City of Portsmouth.)

You know the rest of that story. The student was prophetic. Greg Bauer was elected. When Bauer took office in January 1998 the city had a surplus in excess of two million dollars. The surplus dwindled and the city was in actual deficit, and in deep debt when Bauer left office after six and one/half years of the most expensive, wasteful, corrupt administration in the history of Portsmouth.

The citizens recalled Greg Bauer in June 2004 after revelations of unpunished theft in office by Bauer’s appointed employees, wasteful spending, a gigantic ($2.5 Million) gift to the SOGP, unadvertised, unbid contracts to his SOGP buddies and others totalling many millions of dollars. These contracts were secretly made behind closed doors in the backroom of the Mayor’s office, and passed by a corrupted rubber-stamp council led by President Jim Kalb.

The purchase of the old Marting Building was revealed as a monstrous two million theft committed by SOGP/Marting Foundation Clay Johnson with the collaboration of Greg Bauer and a corrupted council in 2002. This crime was exposed in 2004 by Councilman Jim Kalb and was very damaging to Mayor Bauer. The documented revelation of criminal intent by Martings Foundation/Clay Johnson, Greg Bauer and others angered the citizens who had their taxes increased to pay the bill. Further news articles of the overpriced, undesirable garbage cans and trucks purchased in an unbid, unadvertised backroom contract with fellow SOGP member Andy Glockner incensed hundreds of citizens.  Many similar "done deals" that were "made in the dark" were exposed to the "light of day" by Doug Deepe and other reporters.

The people had enough of Greg Bauer and his "friends." The vote was 64-36.for recall.

The common people had won a round against the unelected elite, over-privileged controllers of the city. That was good.   However, Jim Kalb, a long-time accomplice of Bauer was placed in the Mayor’s seat. This turned out to be not so good.

There is apparently little difference in Bauer and Kalb.  Many citizens had hoped that operation of the Mayor’s office would be changed.  It was not to happen. Jim Kalb had an opportunity these past ten months to alter the previous devious dealings in the office. He chose to follow Bauer’s path with the same back-room unbid "done deals" and the same servile accords with the SOGP/Clay Johnson and other members of the "elite upper-class" that had destroyed the peoples’ faith and confidence in the Mayor Greg Bauer’s office.

Water fees have been raised by Kalb, just as Bauer had raised them. Also sanitation rates have been increased and Jim Kalb has already presented two more proposals to council to further burden the "ordinary citizens."

A bit of history is in order. It is not pretty. Bauer and Kalb have been together many years. Bauer trained Kalb and as City Council President Kalb assisted Bauer in almost every "done deal" that Bauer ever committed against the citizens of Portsmouth and against the dignity of the State of Ohio. They were such good friends that Bauer in his prosperity as Mayor, donated money to Kalb’s fund for re-election as councilman.

BAUER BETRAYED

They were "good old buddies," but Kalb betrayed his friend by exposing the inner-workings in the purchase of the Marting building from Clay Johnson/Marting Brothers at a super-inflated price in 2002. In 2004 Kalb knew that a recall movement against Bauer was already being seriously considered by angry citizens, and knew if Bauer were recalled, he, Kalb would become Mayor; Jim Kalb saw an opportunity. Bauer was no longer a friend. He had become an obstacle to Kalb’s attainment of the Mayor’s office.

"Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell," and Bauer his Kalb.

CHARGED WITH FELONIES

Both Bauer and some members of the City Council have committed and participated in criminal activities. In August 1999 Mayor Bauer, Councilpersons Jim Kalb, Ann Sydnor, and City Clerk Joanne Aeh were charged with tampering with election petitions in an effort to escape a recall action brought by concerned citizens who protested large unlawful "insurance" awards the Councilpersons had made to themselves. The charges were upheld by a 7-0 decision of the Ohio Supreme Court in a civil action, but the county prosecutor refused to indict Bauer, Kalb, Sydnor, and Aeh for the crimes. They all escaped felony indictment and possible prison sentences. These felony charges can be found on the Internet in the Portsmouth Municipal Court Records.

Jim Kalb also has a police record of sixteen (16) misdemeanor arrests, one for smoking marijuana, but we won’t talk about this. The offenses occurred about thirty years ago when Kalb was a youthful offender. This record can be found at the Portsmouth Police Department Records Bureau for a fee of only $6.80.

Jim Kalb is a likeable fellow of good intelligence and appearance, and may be trying to do what he thinks is an honest job, but we haven’t seen evidence of any major difference in his administration and the performance of Greg Bauer. We citizens cannot afford four more years with Jim Kalb as Mayor.  Jim Kalb has admitted being in SOGP/ Clay Johnson's office in recent months, and his Council has  accepted another "deal" offered by the SOGP/Johnson/Marting Foundation.  We can't afford Kalb.

The above article is an opinion by the Shawnee Sentinel, May 2, 2005.

Dr. Roger C. Scherer could hardly contain his ear-to-ear smile Monday sitting around the oval table in the Ironton City Center.

Neither could the Ironton Port Authority members and Mayor John Elam as a deal was reached that will make new company, Aluminastic LLC, the second tenant of the South Ironton Industrial Park.

The company will lease a 2-acre plot of land and the unused spec building in the park.

Aluminastic, a research and development company that has created a new aluminum alloy, plans to ultimately branch into the manufacturing industry with its product. Lots of handshaking, and "thank-yous" were handed out in the meeting that officially announced the company's plans that will create 30 jobs by the end of 2006 and 30 to 50 more within three years when a manufacturing facility opens.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring a startup business to Ironton," said board chairman and businessman Bill Dickens. "We wish you the very best and will do everything we can to support you."

Scherer gave the port authority board, city and county leaders much of the credit for making the deal happen.

"You welcomed us with open arms," said Scherer, a former professor at Shawnee State University. "You have been so supportive and met all our needs instantly."

The five-year lease agreement will give the property to the company rent free as long as the stated number of jobs is created and guaranteed for an additional three years. If the company meets the milestones, the property will then be deeded to Aluminastic. The company is responsible for making all improvements to the building but the city is seeking state grants for the infrastructure needed for the facility.

With salaries ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 per year, Scherer estimated the first year payroll would be approximately $1 million.

The company has also committed to keeping its headquarters in Ironton and look to first within the city if it is going to expand, Dickens said.

Aluminastic, and the deal to come to Ironton, did not happen overnight. In fact, it almost didn't happen at all.

In the works since 1998, the group was looking for a facility for several years but had been unsuccessful as one deal after another fell through, Scherer said. Just when he was becoming discouraged, a friend recommended he go speak to Port Authority member Rob Slagel.

"I thought that there was no way this is going to work," Scherer said. "There are so many roadblocks this will never work."

Initial talks went well and the project gained steam at a breakneck speed. Once the company chiefs saw the vacant building in the industrial park, they knew it was meant to be.

"It was the exact floor plan that we had sought five years ago," he said.

Already looking to give the new tenant some new neighbors, port authority members are optimistic about two other deals.

Two state agencies are considering locating within the industrial park. These projects could create as many 15 new jobs and relocate at least that many more jobs as part of separate projects that could exceed $2 million in development.

The port authority, a city-created entity, is an independent group of five volunteers focusing on economic development projects within Ironton.