Etna Township, Ohio March 3, 2025-Jon Hanson
Let’s be real: most of us in Etna Township do not exactly bubble with trust for our Trustees these days. The constant infighting, the endless sniping, and gaslighting—especially from that one trustee who seems to thrive on stirring the pot—has us all rolling our eyes. However, why does this breed distrust? A recent paper by Paul-Erik Korvela and Isak Vento (2023), Suspicious Minds, Analyzing Political Distrust, (the “paper”) digs into this and provides some insight into what is happening in Etna Township. (Link here for pdf)
Korvela and Vento argue that “distrust isn’t just ‘no trust’—it’s a belief that leaders are acting against us.” In Etna, one Trustee’s relentless criticism of the employees, other trustees, the fiscal officer, and others he does not like does not feel like accountability; it feels like a personal vendetta. The paper calls this “specific distrust”—targeted at actors (like our Trustees) or their actions (like bickering over every little thing). When meetings turn into shouting matches instead of solutions, we start thinking, “Are these people here for us or themselves?”
A little background: Since January 2024, Etna Township’s toxic and bullying environment has caused the exodus of all employees in the main office and the entire BZA board (about 10 folks, if you count the BZA purge when the BZA was sued by their own Trustee Board). Three Township administrators have been driven out of their jobs since 2022. We have more time without an administrator than with since 2022.
The paper cautions that democracy needs some suspicion—to keep leaders in check—but too much can backfire. A trustee’s nonstop attacks on other trustees, elected officials, employees, citizens, and anyone who may hold a different opinion might rally a few. Still, for most of us, it is exhausting and increases distrust. Korvela and Vento describe the “critical citizen” who questions their leaders with purpose versus the “cynical” or “reactive” ones who tear everything down. Guess which one we’re seeing? It’s not building faith; it’s making us tune out or foments unhealthy anger.
I, for one, need to guard against being that cynical citizen while continuing to be critical and question with purpose the Trustees’ actions, whether in song, cartoon, or blog article on the motives and actions of all of the Trustees. What is the financial cost of Etna’s toxic and bullying environment? That is an important number to disclose. We must set aside the personalities and look at actions, results, spending, human capital cost, and the damage done to the township by those actions.
The paper notes that distrust spikes when leaders do not match basic ideals—like cooperation or fairness. Here, the infighting screams self-interest over township good. We do not doubt the governing process itself; we doubt these Trustees can act like competent leaders or at least grown-ups.
How helpful is a trustee who cannot get along with any human being who will not [completely] bend to their will? That is authoritarianism, not proper administration or democratic leadership. Korvela and Vento suggest this gap between expected ideals and reality fuels suspicion. Sound familiar? The ten people who left the township have one thing in common: sustained verbal and written attacks from one of our trustees. One was physically attacked (see a later post this month for pictures and transcript).
So, next time a Trustee starts grandstanding, think: Is this helping Etna or just their ego? Maybe it’s time we demand less drama and more results. What do you think? Can our Trustees turn it around?
Bio: Jon Hanson is semi-retired from real estate and has more than 40 years of real estate, banking, and loan workout experience. He is currently working on research in leadership and organizational development. He is the author of Good Debt, Bad Debt (Penguin USA, 2007), published in five languages, a primer on stewardship and personal finance for those with financial sustainability as their goal.