To the Editor:
I am a private citizen who works and pays income tax in Wood County, but lives in Lucas County, and
thereby ineligible to vote for Wood County sheriff.
I am also tasked with protecting the health and safety of Wood County residents as a physician for over
20 years in this community.
I am pleased to have Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn’s permission to use local news, weather apps and
my own common sense to determine whether I should drive in Wood County during snowy weather.
I have developed a correction factor that I use now to determine road conditions in Wood County. When
neighboring county sheriffs start declaring snow emergency levels, I will find the Wood County snow
emergency level and add at least one to the number.
I have feared for my life trying to get to work during severe snowy conditions and I no longer feel like
I can trust my safety to the judgment of the county official tasked with making that judgment call in
Wood County.
Thankfully, he has clarified his position and rationale that he uses and given us all permission to use
our common sense when determining if we should be on the road. I may be overly cautious with my
conversion factor, and I worry that it may still underestimate actual road conditions at times. I can’t
encourage the rest of you to follow my Wasylyshyn conversion factor formula, but I can encourage you to
follow his advice and use your common sense. Please stay safe out there.
Jason Evans
Toledo