From Promises to Pattern: How Lorain County’s Big Ideas Keep Failing Its People
A failed radio system. An unwanted sewer district. A politicized public defender plan. An empty mall. One story: a government that’s lost its way.
Aug 27, 2025
By Aaron C. Knapp, Investigative Reporter, L.S.W., B.S.S.W., The Ohio State University
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Promises Made, Promises Broken
For years, Lorain County’s leaders have sold voters on transformation. They’ve promised modernization, efficiency, and bold new initiatives. They’ve pitched each project as a sign of progress—a step toward a more “streamlined” and “prosperous” future. Yet the record tells a different story: mounting costs, broken promises, and decisions that put politics ahead of people.
This is not a series of unfortunate events. It is a pattern. One that has left residents footing the bill for failures they didn’t ask for and can’t afford.
When the Radios Went Silent
The radio system saga encapsulates the core problem: decisions driven by political optics, not public safety.
In 2022, Lorain County hired Mission Critical Partners to evaluate its emergency communications. The study recommended building on the Harris P25 Phase II network already in use—a system designed for resiliency, with multiple redundant tower sites. Local police and fire chiefs supported it. Contracts were signed with Cleveland Communications Inc. (CCI) to expand the system at no upfront cost to taxpayers.
Then, after a change in the Board majority, the county reversed course. The CCI contract was canceled. The commissioners pivoted to the state’s MARCS system, a network that their own consultant had ranked lower on coverage and reliability.
When a severe storm hit in 2024, MARCS failed. Entire sectors of Lorain County went dark for hours.
“Unreliable coverage in key response zones.” — Elyria Fire Department memo, 2024.
“Coverage should never be sacrificed for politics.” — Former Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann, Lorain County Police Chiefs Association.
The county is now facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit from CCI, which claims breach of contract and interference. Meanwhile, first responders remain trapped in a patchwork system that costs more, performs worse, and serves as a case study in how not to manage critical infrastructure.
Clearwater: Old Problems, New Packaging
The Clearwater Regional Sewer District is being touted as “the future” of regional infrastructure. In reality, it is a decade-old idea repackaged for a new political moment.
In 2012, local officials rejected a similar proposal for a countywide sewer authority. The concerns were clear: loss of local control, lack of transparency, and the potential for escalating costs. Those concerns have not gone away—they’ve been ignored.
Today, commissioners are rushing to create Clearwater under Ohio Revised Code 6119. Avon Lake and LORCO will control initial board appointments, while Lorain County residents—whose rates will fund operations—will have little direct oversight. The commissioners insist this isn’t “county-controlled,” but they will be the ones choosing who controls the board.
“They’re rushing this through while people are distracted, and they know it.” — Municipal council member, August 2025 meeting.
The urgency isn’t driven by public need—it’s driven by the $80 million All Ohio Future Fund dangling state dollars for “shovel-ready” projects. History shows what happens when short-term funding dictates long-term policy: taxpayers get stuck with the bill long after the grant money runs out.
Justice for Sale?
Lorain County’s appointed counsel system for indigent defense has been praised by judges and attorneys alike for its quality and cost-efficiency. It costs the county about $600,000 annually after state reimbursements—pennies compared to the $5–6 million budget of the prosecutor’s office.
Yet commissioners want to scrap it in favor of a county-run Public Defender’s Office. Why? To centralize control.
“Taxpayers are paying pennies on the dollar for a constitutionally mandated service. Replacing this with a full-blown office could multiply costs, not reduce them.” — Brandon Oliver, President, Lorain County Bar Association.
Criminal Section Chair Zach Simonoff called the move “a solution in search of a problem” that risks politicizing a system designed to be independent. Despite these warnings, the Board appears determined to move ahead—another “big idea” that ignores expertise in favor of political advantage.
Midway Mall: A Monument to Mismanagement
The Midway Mall redevelopment was sold as the centerpiece of Lorain County’s economic revival. In 2021, commissioners allocated over $14 million in public funds to acquire and revitalize the long-struggling property, promising that the investment would attract new businesses, create jobs, and spark broader development along the I-90 corridor.
County leaders announced bold plans: convert empty retail space into mixed-use offices, attract anchor tenants, and leverage the site as a catalyst for regional growth. They touted partnerships with private developers and hinted at major retailers returning. Yet as of late 2025, those promises remain largely unfulfilled.
Most of the money has gone toward acquisition costs, environmental assessments, and basic maintenance of the decaying structure. Potential tenants once floated by officials—including logistics firms and healthcare providers—never signed on. The property sits largely empty, generating no significant tax revenue and serving as a constant reminder of unkept promises.
“We’ve seen this movie before: big promises, no results, and the taxpayers left holding the bag.” — Lorain Politics Unplugged analysis.
Midway’s lack of progress isn’t just a failed development—it illustrates how this commission approaches public investment. They committed millions of taxpayer dollars without enforceable benchmarks or accountability measures. They celebrated the purchase as a “win” before a single lease was signed. And now, as with other failed projects, they have quietly shifted their focus elsewhere, leaving residents with a costly, underused property and no clear plan forward.
For the public, Midway has become a physical embodiment of wasted potential: a high-profile project that drained resources, raised expectations, and delivered nothing of substance in return. It belongs in the same conversation as Clearwater, MARCS, and CCI: initiatives launched with lofty rhetoric and little to show beyond bills taxpayers are left to pay.
The Price of a Broken System
The true cost of Lorain County’s governing failures cannot be measured in dollars alone, though the financial toll is staggering. Taxpayers are on the hook for millions in legal fees over the CCI lawsuit. They are paying for MARCS user fees, retrofits, and duplicated infrastructure that should never have been necessary. They are funding a $14 million mall redevelopment that has produced no tangible returns. They are watching state grant money drive the creation of Clearwater without any guarantee of long-term stability.
But beyond the balance sheet lies a more corrosive cost: the erosion of public trust. Residents who once believed their leaders were acting in good faith now see decisions made in closed sessions, expert advice ignored, and accountability avoided. First responders have been forced to operate in uncertainty, legal professionals have had to fight to preserve the integrity of the justice system, and entire communities have grown skeptical of every new “big idea” the county rolls out.
Lorain County is not just failing to deliver on promises—it is undermining the very relationship between government and the governed. When people stop believing that public institutions can work for them, democracy itself becomes fragile.
Final Thought
What happened on August 26, 2025, was not an isolated moment—it was the culmination of years of decisions that placed politics over public service. The CCI lawsuit, the MARCS failure, the Burns Road vote, Clearwater, the Public Defender push, and the Midway Mall debacle all flow from the same source: a commission that has lost sight of its responsibility to the people it serves.
Lorain County stands at a crossroads. It can continue down this path of mismanagement and mistrust, or it can demand transparency, accountability, and results. The question is no longer whether these failures exist—they are plain to see. The question is whether voters, taxpayers, and civic leaders will tolerate them any longer.
“My reporting on these issues is now part of the federal lawsuit over the CCI debacle—a case that could cost this county millions. What does it say about the state of local journalism when independent reporting is exposing the truth while mainstream outlets look away? If the watchdog’s refuse to bark, who is left to guard the public’s trust?”
“If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly.” — Thomas Sowell
By Aaron C. Knapp, Investigative Reporter, L.S.W., B.S.S.W., The Ohio State University
Legal Disclaimer: The information and opinions expressed in this article are based on publicly available sources, official statements, and my independent analysis as a journalist. While I have taken care to ensure accuracy, this article is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to review public records, attend public meetings, and consult qualified professionals before making any decisions based on the issues discussed herein. All individuals and entities mentioned are presumed innocent of wrongdoing unless proven otherwise in a court of law.
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