A majority of respondents to The Marietta Times' 2009 Washington County Fair Poll are not pleased with the job being done by Ohio's governor.

The annual survey of opinions on various issues received only 48 responses this year, down five from the 2008 edition, and a far cry from years past when more than 100 people responded. The poll is not scientific, although in the past, it has been a good indicator of local opinion.

Respondent Ronald Hill, 68, of Reno, was one of 34 people indicating they were unsatisfied with Gov. Ted Strickland's performance going into the upcoming election year. Hill described himself as a bit of a "fence-straddler" when it comes to the governor.

"I like Ted Strickland as a human being, as a man, but I don't think he's doing what he's supposed to do," he said.

For example, Hill said he doesn't agree with the governor's plan to legalize video slot machines at Ohio's seven racetracks to help balance the state budget. He said the poor are the ones who mainly take advantage of gambling, pointing to West Virginia's video lottery parlors.

"The rich man is the one that's behind the slot machines, collecting the money," he said.

Hill was in the majority when it came to the slot machines issue, with 33 respondents opposed. Ten people agreed with Strickland's proposal, and five labeled it "a necessary evil."

Locally, there wasn't a lot of support for Marietta City Schools' bond issue, also appearing on the November ballot. If approved, the measure would collect, over a period of 37 years, the $48 million local share of a $78 million construction project to bring all Marietta schools together in state-of-the-art buildings on the same campus. The measure would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $140 a year.

Nine people said they would vote for the issue, and 22 said the opposite. Fourteen respondents indicated they wouldn't be voting at all on the issue because they live outside the district.

In non-election issues, 29 respondents said the recent scandal - in which two Marietta police officers, a city firefighter and a Washington County sheriff's deputy were accused of having sexual encounters with a woman while on duty - had not lowered their opinion of the departments.

Lowell resident Cindy Flower, 36, was among the 19 who said their opinion had been lowered.

Specifically she was referring to the Marietta Police Department. Flower said she'd had a bad encounter with an officer following the arrest of a family member and news of the scandal made matters worse.

However, Flower said she did not believe the claims involving firefighter John Brooks, who was terminated after an internal investigation. Brooks is a family friend and should not have lost his job, she said.

"He's a really good guy," Flower said.

Hill said he didn't think less of the departments after the scandal.

"Just 'cause you've got one bad apple in a barrel, that doesn't (make) the whole barrel rotten," he said.