Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

In kind donations

I am also wondering if the Mayor, being lawyer and all, is actually reporting his donations to the campaigns. I understand that he has sent out this email and on that email is a campaign disclaimer that the fund raiser and email is being paid for by ''Laura Smith for Judge Committee.''

I can only assume he took some time away from his law practice to either write the invitation up himself or have his secretary write it up. In any event that took time away from a corporation (I believe most law firms are LLCs to protect them from malpractice suits) and isn't it wrong for a cooperation to donate money to a campaign?

Did Jeff Fix and the County Republican party report the in kind donations of the Shaver Law office to the Ohio Elections commission? I believe at some point phone are required to report their efforts. I know Lee Gray did.

Laura Smith campaign

To answer some questions, these emails were sent out on my personal time. I do not have office hours at the city and no one from the city or city equipment was involved in the emails. I do not even involve my own staff from private law firm in political acitivites. From those of you who have known me for years, I do not even want my private employees involved in my campaigns.

If any employee of city hall recieved an email, I apologize. It is not my intent to solicit city employees on behalf of any campaign. I thought I had removed the any city employee from the mailing list, but in mass mailing mistakes are possible as I was utlizing my email address book.

City council members are not ''employees'' but elected officials. They are by defintion political and I have no authority over them whatsoever.

If I was trying to do something underhanded, would I would be sending out emails with multiple addresses. I am simply announcing a fundraiser for someone who will make a fine judge.

Far Fetched

I think you are all just reaching for straws. Where is the evidence that the City Manager solicited money for Blackwell? I doubt that ever happened. I suppose in this group you can just make things up and after a few beers among your group you believe it's the truth. Let the voters speak in the next election. If one (or more) of you really wants to get rid of the City Manager and be Mayor or President of Council you should be able to earn the votes. Why sink to such a low level as to try to tear everyone apart in such petty ways? Don't you have the stuff to run a real campaign and win w/o sinking to such low levels and pettiness? Get a backbone and run on a real platform. If you are really qualified, promote your qualifications instead of tearing other people apart. That's what the political process is all about.

Your work contributed as well ?

Following that line of thought -- Any of us that work for a corporation and think or speak during the day regarding a political issue must ask our employer to file a contribution to the group supporting whatever we were thinking or speaking about.

This could get fun....