Then anti-levy leader Jeannie Ford, wife of Morgan County Commissioner Bob Ford, backed out of a debate she had previously agreed to.<\/a><\/p>\n Another anti-levy leader, Brooks McCumbee, a candidate for the school board, said that people who don\u2019t think like “Morgan County natives\u201d \u00a0are \u201ctrash\u201d<\/a> and urged them to leave the county.<\/p>\n Now, it appears that the pro-levy forces have taken an early lead in the battle of the yard signs.<\/p>\n A survey today of yard signs from Route 9 east from Sheetz to the Morgan County line shows that pro-levy yard signs outnumber anti-levy yard signs 12 to 2. (The anti-levy forces have paid for four billboard ads, including two on Rt. 9 East. And a large homemade anti-levy sign is up across from Hillbilly Heaven.)<\/p>\n A similar survey today of yard signs on US 522 South from Berkeley Springs High School to the Virginia line shows that pro-levy signs outnumber anti-levy signs 30 to 4. (Two of the four anti-levy billboards are on that stretch of US 522.)<\/p>\n That means that pro-levy signs outnumber anti-levy yard signs on those two stretches by 42 to 6 (by 7 to 1).<\/p>\n During last year\u2019s campaign on the levy, the anti-levy signs far outnumbered the pro-levy signs. This year, the early trend is reversed.<\/p>\n The levy went down to defeat last year by a vote of 1,672 citizens against (56 percent) to 1,323 for the levy (44 percent.)<\/p>\n Last May, the victorious anti-levy forces were driven by anti-tax arguments made by its leaders, including Tim Seims, who claimed in a May 8, 2013 letter to the Morgan Messenger<\/a> that \u201csome believe that it doesn\u2019t matter what taxes we pay since one can never do too much for the kiddies.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201ckiddies\u201d pretty much sat out of the fight last year, but this year, they are taking a leadership role in the pro-levy campaign.<\/p>\n This Friday night, April 11 at 7 pm they will be holding the \u201cRock the Levy\u201d music event at the Granary.<\/a><\/p>\n This Saturday night April 12 between 4 pm and 10 pm, they will be holding a Youth Club Night at the Berkeley Springs Bowlerama. <\/a><\/p>\n And on May 4, there will be a student rally at Berkeley Springs State Park.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been a rough couple of months for the anti-school levy forces in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. In February, their lawsuit challenging the May 13 levy ballot vote went down in flames (they are appealing.) Then anti-levy leader Jeannie Ford, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/morgancountyusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/levysign.png\" "\\"levysign\\"")
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