Scioto County Commissioner Mike Crabtree criticized the total shutdown of bars, restaurants, and other public venues in Ohio and the decision to push the election to June. The moves were made in a bid to slow down the spread of Coronavirus. “To expect people to live in a bunker for 90 days or 180 days or even longer than that and eat out of a paper bag when the people that’s making that decision still got their kitchen open and hot meals being served. If there’s not intelligence or common sense up there, maybe those people need to step down.”
Crabtree didn’t hold back when he said the Coronavirus shutdown decision had shaken his faith in Ohio’s leaders. “Right now I don’t have any faith whatsoever in our state government.”
He expressed concern for school children who were now eating to-go lunches of “peanut butter and crackers” instead of a hot meal due to the shutdown of schools.
Crabtree criticized the drastic effect the shutdown will have on the county’s already tight budget.  He said the statewide shutdown of casinos will cost Scioto County $90,000 not to mention the money lost in sales tax revenue due to the shutdown of restaurants and bars. He said the county would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue and take a huge hit to the general fund. “That ain’t our fault. It’s those numbskulls at the state. They done everything wrong. Now, who’s gonna pay? They should come forward with more money.”
The commissioner said he believes the threat of Coronavirus is being blown out of proportion. “Obviously, we don’t anyone to get the virus. We’re all Americans. Americans are probably more resilient than anyone in the world.”
The commissioner, who is running for re-election this year, expressed dismay at the decision to move the election to June 2. “Do we know we’re even going to have an election before the general election? We don’t have a clue when the election is going to be. It could go up to June 2 and they could cancel it again. So what happens if it goes right on into the general election?”
