Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

It has always been my teaching that people elected to serve in public office are representatives of the people. They are the people?’s voice in matters of government. Why then is no one asking us anything about this agreement between the city and township? I am starting to see somewhat a matter of taxation without representation. The recent unscientific poll taken by the SE Messenger shows that 89% of the respondents were against this agreement. Certainly our representatives have to take stock of this number. Unscientific as it may be, if the numbers were much closer to 50% on each side then maybe proceeding forward would have some merit. However, when nearly 9 out of 10 respondents are against something it is time to think before acting.

It has been reported that there has been no cost benefit analysis done to defend the agreement. Then on what basis is it prudent to proceed forward? I agree with other posters that trust has to begin somewhere, but an agreement of this magnitude is not the place to start. Why are the city residents not being given the opportunity to look at numbers that will convince us that this particular agreement is beneficial. All we read are words and threats. Words that we need to get to 33 and threats that if we don?’t hurry and sign, other agencies will enter into agreements with the township. Please stop threatening us. The school board has threatened us for years with split sessions, an end to extracurriculars and so much more. We have, time and time again, called their bluff. Why should the threat of other agencies entering onto agreements with the township be any different?

I want to name the 5 people supporting this agreement and make my please to you directly as all of you read this forum and sometimes post.

?• Mayor David Shaver
?• Councilwoman Heidi Riggs
?• Councilwoman Cristie Hammond
?• Councilman Keith Smith
?• Councilman Jeff Fix
In your own words, the votes has already been taken and tallied. You seek to move this issue from committee to committee to expedite the matter. Please be more thoughtful an prudent before you rush. The five of you have apparently seen information and data to support your commitment to Mr. Fix with promising your votes. Please share this data with us so we can understand and not have to face the mudslinging that would result with a referendum.

Mrs. Riggs, I appeal to you as you are beginning to finally recall your campaign promises. You promised so much more than you state in the papers relating to working with the township. You promised to listen and respond to the citizens. Why have you now closed your ears? You are a smart woman and you hold a position in the state of high regard and responsibility. Do you base the complicated decisions you have to make daily on the advice of just one person or do you demand research and statistics and piles of data? I am sure it is the latter. It has to be or a responsible man such as Mr. Blackwell would have corrected the situation years ago.

Mayor Shaver, you are a practicing attorney who planned to run for the bench. Are the decisions you make in your legal practice and your personal life based on words solely? At some point in time when you are seeking judgment, there are dollar figures involved. I can?’t imagine you simply pluck numbers out of thin air in seeking restitutions and it is safe to assume that no judge would permit you to without data to back up your claims. The same applies here. You need to take the time to analyze the analysis that proves this will be a boon for the community you swore to serve. You need to treat us as if we were the judge in your case and present us with data before moving forward with your case.

continued

By KT Smith

Taxation, continued

Mr. Smith, when you came to my door campaigning you had so much to say. One of the things you said you promised to do if elected was listen. Are you listening to us now or will you even ask? You described your job in your personal life as a position of great responsibility. Obviously that is so because your job takes you away and forces you to miss a lot of meetings. I am not slamming you for that but it cements your statements that you have an important job. Sir, your job with the city is also important. Do you simply fly place to place in your job and render decisions based on nothing. That is what you have committed to here with your promise of your vote to Mr. Fix to pass this agreement through. I doubt you are as reckless in your day job because if it were so, I doubt they?’d keep you on. You promised to listen and represent. Please do both now.

Mrs. Hammond, I cannot for the life of me understand where you stand on any issue. You are totally ambiguous in your statements to the press. Is that your intent? I can?’t say what you promised in your campaign because I don?’t think you campaigned. I think you rode on coattails into office but that is beside the point. Please let us know something about you. You say you are ?“retired?”. From what career are you retired? Certainly in that career you were faced with important decisions that had to be informed decisions and didn?’t some of that information come from data and analysis? You need to open up to the community some. At this point you are giving me and others I speak to the impression that you wither follow the orders of the wrong people and vote how they say to vote or you are simply a proxy for some other significant person in you life who thinks they are really the councilperson.

continued

By KT Smith

Taxation, continued

Lastly Mr. Fix. Sir, you made a lot of claims and promises in your campaign. You claimed to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Pickerington is not Bexley. The gross majority of those you claim to represent are hard working folks. We worked hard to get where we are and made the choice to live here. Please do not take away all we worked for over the years by condemning our city to stagnation and declining value. Don?’t send our hard earned tax dollars out to the township to line their pockets. We were not as fortunate as you have been all your life by having everything handed to us as you explained in your campaign speeches at the senior center and other places. We?’re just regular folks so please stop looking down your nose at us. You seek wealthy and power while we seek happiness and harmony.

You also promised to listen and so as the residents want. Looking back through this posting makes me believe that everyone that campaigns makes the promises to listen and listen and listen. You aren?’t listening. Neither is the rest of your faction that you have garnered votes from outside the public eyes and ears. So you are telling us that you lied to us when you said you would listen. You can?’t have come to the conclusions you have made and stated to the press without data and analysis to support it. You simply couldn?’t have. If you have this data, please share it with us. Post it to the city website of sent it to the webmaster of this site to get it out there for all of us to digest and decide. You seem of currently have 89% of the residents against you. You have roughly the same against you in this forum. Take some time to try to change our minds. We are not stupid and don?’t treat us that way. It makes you and your faction no better than previous regimes in city offices. I heard you, yourself make that case to Randy Hughes one night in the public comments section. You damned him for the very same things you are now doing now that you?’re sitting in that side of the table.

Remember things you have said in the past and stick to them or explain why you changed. We remember many of those things, why don?’t you. Randy and Lou and Fox and Maxey and Wright and Sabatino and Parker and Bushman all remember. We, who were once your friends, remember. Why can?’t you?

So again to all of you, please show us in dollars and cents why this agreement will benefit us. Stop telling us and show us.

We deserve no less.



By KT Smith

Well said, KT

You must be a mind reader for you have listed all the concerns that I have about this very important agreement. I am in favor of cooperation with the Twnshp but not at the expense of all concessions being made by the city. When someone tells me what a great deal I am getting, it makes me want to check to see if I still have my wallet! Everyone concerned about this matter should attend the Service committee meeting on Thur. Oct 12 @ 7:30 pm.

By lin