John Taylor for Treasurer, Warren, Ohio

One of the most important issues that faces Warren today is the accurate and complete collection of income taxes. To that end, a new position has been created - Tax Administrator. To see the job description as it is written in the ordinance recently passed by City Council, please click here.

My name is John Taylor and I'd like to be the next Treasurer for the City of Warren. I have been the president of Paige and Byrnes Insurance since 1987 and have spent the last 23 years as an active member of this community.

I have chosen to run for Treasurer because I believe in the 21st century, it is no longer acceptable to tolerate mediocrity in our public servants. It is time for a Democrat who has led by example and has the business experience to manage the Treasurer's Office for the city of Warren.

I believe this city is looking for a sign of hope. We can no longer tolerate business as usual.

JOHN TAYLOR FOR TREASURER. HELP IS ON THE WAY.

Endorsed by:

"Taylor has done more for Warren as a private citizen than most politicians do their entire career. Along with Clyde "Skip" Cole, Taylor put up his own money to buy units in the former Westlawn development, managed the units until they could be sold to the city and demolished. Taylor and Cole get the lion's share of the credit for eliminating the Westlawn eyesore in a matter of months, when the city was unable to do it over a period spanning more than a decade.

Then, Taylor went on to raise more than $425,000 to buy books and renovate the libraries in Warren's elementary schools. During this time, he maintained his job as president of Paige and Byrnes Insurance Agency.

In his business career and in community activity, Taylor has demonstrated his ability to act and to solve problems. That is the kind of person Warren needs as treasurer.

Much has been said about Treasurer Patricia Leon-Games in her 12 years in office. The bottom line, however, is that she could have done better -- much better. Over the years, her investment policies have failed to earn top dollar for the city, and despite the repeated urging from first the Sferra and then the Angelo administrations, she has failed to adequately check income tax accounts against other records to make sure everyone is paying the city what they owe. It took the state performance audit to get her to move in that direction.

Much has been written about problems with that audit, but one fact has not been questioned. Nearly 10 percent -- 97 out of 983 -- Trumbull County employees who live or work in Warren were not paying city income taxes. That is inexcusable and should have been caught long ago.

Over the years, Leon-Games has improved, but not enough. We think Taylor has shown time and again his ability to get things done, and he gets our endorsement for treasurer."

- Tribune Chronicle, May 2, 2001

"The city of Warren has never faced a greater need for experience on the city council and true professional experience in the treasurer's office. With their community confronted by a growing financial crisis, Warren voters cannot afford to turn legislative leadership to those with a limited background. Nor should they keep the treasurer's office in the hands of the individual who has, herself, been part of the problem....

Now that the Warren City Council has made the treasurer's job part-time and added an appointed full-time tax administrator to the department, it is particularly important that the treasurer is well suited to supervising the operations of the department and investing the city's funds responsibly and safely.

In our interview with John B. Taylor, the president of Paige and Byrnes Insurance, we were impressed with his business and community background and the trust others have placed in him. He co-chaired the Salvation Army's capital campaign, chaired the 1994 Trumbull County United Way Campaign and was president of Trumbull 100. We believe it is past time for a change in the treasurer's office and urge Taylor's election."

-The Vindicator, April 27, 2001

John Taylor is not only a man of words but a man of action. He truly is a man who believes in the concept "give back to the community what it has given to you." This has been demonstrated through his leadership and involvement with:

- the Boy Scouts of America
- Salvation Army
- United Way
- Warren City Schools and many more civic organizations

His commitment to Warren and Trumbull County is and will always be sincere and relentless."

- Martin L. Cohen, Owner, Mickey's Army and Navy