Published Sunday, Jan. 20, 2002
SHENANGO VALLEY
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More oppose full merger, survey says
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GC PROF SAYS POLL SHOWS THE PUBLIC BACKS CONCEPT
Herald Copy Editor
Thirty six percent of Shenango Valley residents support the merger of Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon, Sharpsville and Wheatland into a single city, but 46.3 percent oppose it, according to a poll conducted by Grove City College for The Herald.
But those numbers don't mean the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee -- which has been working on the project for nearly two years -- should hang it up, according to Dr. Michael L. Coulter, a political science professor at Grove City College who directed the poll.
"Before conducting the survey, I was told by some residents of the Shenango Valley that there was little public support for merging the municipalities, but the survey indicates there is substantial, but not overwhelming support for merger," Coulter said. "There is strong public support for the concept of the merging municipalities."
Coulter points to results showing nearly 57 percent supporting some of the municipalities merging and 46 percent who support their municipality joining with another. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percent.
Coulter stressed the poll is only a "snapshot of public opinion" taken from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6.
The intergovernmental study committee has been gathering information and examining the pros and cons of turning the separate communities into a single city. The committee, which is funded by state grants and donations from local foundations, is preparing recommendations for the municipalities to consider.
The poll shows some support for discussing consolidation, with 47 percent saying they thought it was a good idea. About 28 percent said it was a bad idea and 24.4 percent said they did not know.
"The survey also indicates that those who are more familiar with the merger discussions are more likely to support it," Coulter said. "This suggests that the strong education campaign in defending and explaining the merger would likely be effective in increasing public support."
Support for a merger of all five communities was highest in Farrell and Sharon. Opposition to a complete merger was highest in Sharpsville, followed by Hermitage and Wheatland.
Asked if their municipality should merge, a majority of Farrell and Sharon residents said yes. Wheatland residents were split down the middle. Most Sharpsville and Hermitage residents didn't think they should merge with others.
The poll was not limited to the current merger discussions. Respondents were also asked:
Coulter said he was surprised that support for the merger was higher among those who have lived in the area the longest. Nearly 50 percent of those who have lived in the area more than 15 years support merger discussions, the poll indicates.
"I expected those who lived in the Shenango Valley longer to have the strongest attachments to their own municipality, but that was not the case," Coulter said.
Support for the merger was also higher among respondents who described themselves as politically active, with 47 percent backing it. That could help if the committee sticks to its timeline, which calls for a Valley-wide vote on the merger in 2003.
"Those who describe themselves as politically active are most likely to vote in primary elections or in odd-number year elections. There is good chance that this initiative could do well at the polls," Coulter said.
Along political lines, self-described independents showed the most support for merger with 44.6 percent. Republicans and those who listed "other" as their political party are least in favor of the merger, and 47 percent of Democrats oppose it.