Gehring, VOA, fought greater social service regulations

While our enemy Chris Monzel has been fighting for years to close the Volunteers of America sex offender facility, Scott Gehring and the VOA has been fighting to expand their reach and eliminate regulations on themselves.

Scott Gehring of Volunteers of America testified that the changes would dismantle Cincinnati's social-services network. Agency officials are concerned about neighborhood crime, too, he said, but "the social-service agencies are not the source" of crime.

Gehring is absolutely correct. Just because Gehring and the VOA imports registered felony sex offenders from all over the state doesn't mean they're the cause of the additional crime they bring to the area. There are always "other factors" that we should blame first. The lack of additional tax dollars is one such reason.

We are glad that the VOA has been able to fight stricter regulations against their great work. Scott Gehring is doing a fine job with this noble institution. It is vital to our area that we continue to import sex offenders and other criminals to Cincinnati. We are fortunate to have a quality worker like Gehring fighting for the VOA, and using his connections to David Pepper, Leslie Ghiz, and Jeff Berding to make sure VOA is protected by government.

We need to send a message to Chris Monzel to leave the VOA sex offenders alone. We need them here in SW Ohio.