The exact moment he decided to answer the call so many begged him to accept, Ed Marling knew there could be push back.
And there most definitely has been.
Is it because he’s from Shadyside and was a member of Council there and even a past mayor of Tiger Town? Or because he was the write-in winner who defeated current Council member Mike Doyle by 32 votes?
“I don’t really care what the issue is because I took this position to help the village of Bellaire,” Marling insisted. “I didn’t take it to make friends, but I do want the six Council members to work with me and not against me. They have to realize I can do the job without them if I have to, but I prefer to have them involved. But I can’t have all of this backstabbing and talking behind my back. We’re adults, not children.
“This past meeting it got to the point that I had heard enough. I know there were a lot of remarks made about me, but not to my face. That’s why I got P.Oed, and I let them know who the mayor of Bellaire is. I am the mayor of Bellaire, and it’s time for the Council members to accept it,” he said. “But some want to play the games like they want to be the mayor of Bellaire, but no one beat me because the electorate of Bellaire took care of it. That’s why I took the certificate out and I read aloud during our Monday meeting. I wanted to prove a point.”
And a point is what he proved, and that’s because half of the six-member Council has met with him since to enlist their cooperation.
“I believe the reaction was that they were dumbfounded. I believe I surprised them, and that’s a good thing because that’s what I wanted to do,” Marling said. “Since that Monday meeting, I have had three of our Council members meet with me and say that they want to work with me. I won’t say which three because I’m hoping others will decide to do the same thing because that’s what would be best for Bellaire.
“If we work together, I can see us getting so much more accomplished, and that’s exactly what this village needs us to do,” he explained. “That’s why I boiled over. I had enough. People asked me to toss my hat in the ring for the good of the village s,o that’s what I did, but here we are, and it’s gotta change so we can make our village a better place now and for the future.”
Age Counts – Especially Now
There are still wooden water pipes in Bellaire, Ohio. Streets that haven’t been paved in more than a decade. Traffic signals that have been around since the Ohio Route 7 bypass was constructed in the 1990s.
And there are more than 20 houses that need to come down before falling down and a plethora of property owners to hold accountable.
There’s work to do, the future of the village depends on it, and Marling believes Bellaire Council members Jerry Fisher, Mike Doyle, Jerry Olack, Janet Richardson, Bubba Kapral, and Elizabeth Dugmore are quite aware.
“I just hope all of the Council members decide they do want to work together instead of having differences for whatever reasons. I’ve never been a man that has played games, and I am way too old to change now,” Marling said with a chuckle. “And that means if they have a problem with me, we can shut the door, and we can have it out because that may be the only way to get the B.S. out of our way. This is supposed to be about the people that live in the village and not personal agendas.
“Now, I personally feel we’ll all come together one day because if we do not, we’re not going to get done what our residents need us to get done,” he said. “The list of jobs we need to complete is a long list, and I know some Council members believe some are more important than others, and that’s just fine. If we work together, we can come up with our priorities, and that’s how we’ll finally be able to move forward and get it all done over the next four years.”
It takes money, though, and thanks to significant population loss over the last 40 years, the village’s 1 percent income tax does not generate enough funds to supply services and infrastructure updates.
“That’s why, when I go to work each morning, the first thing I do is kick the computer on and start looking for grants for the projects that we need to be done in the village. It’s all about the money, and it’s all about finding those grants because the only revenue Bellaire collects is from the income tax and that doesn’t us give enough to do what needs to be done,” Marling said. “And I know all of the Council members understand that, too.
“We have so many infrastructure projects on the list, but there are state and federal grants out there that we should be able to get so we can finally get them finished,” he said. “I know the state lawmakers have been talking about taking the income tax and giving us only what they think we need in Bellaire, and if that happens, Bellaire would be in big trouble because the state always takes what they think is their share. It’s total B.S. if you ask me.”
Easy on the Ears
“I took this position to help the village of Bellaire.”
“We’re adults, not children.”
“This is supposed to be about the people that live in the village and not personal agendas.”
“It’s all about the money.”
Mayor Marling’s statements are to the point and easily understood.
“Well, there’s a lot to get done, but if we all work together, and I mean me and the Council members, the business owners, and the owners of all of the rental properties, we can turn the village of Bellaire around. That’s been needed for a lot of years, but I think we have a chance right now,” Marling said. “There have been too many arguments that have gotten in the way of any progress for a long, long time, but no one has time for those things anymore.
“Listen, I don’t care who gets credit for what. I just want someone to get credit for doing something positive for this village. If we all work together, we can all get the credit and be proud of it because we did something no one expected us to do,” he added. “That’s all I want because that’s all our residents want, so the time to move forward is right now.”
