Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Pickerington City Council clears initial hurdle
Councilmen expect economic development agreement will ultimately pass despite opposition
By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
tkulemeka@nncogannett.com
PICKERINGTON - It appears that a controversial economic development agreement has enough votes to get through Pickerington City Council - something the proposal's sponsor has said all along.
The economic development proposal, which would forge economic development ties between the city and Violet Township, received a 4-to-2 vote during its first reading Tuesday.

The proposal is the answer to residents' requests for the city to work cooperatively with its neighbors and for the city to create a greater tax base to relieve residents of the burden, said Councilman Keith Smith, citing what residents told him they wanted when he knocked on doors and campaigned for council a year ago.

''That's why I'm going to vote for this agreement - unwavering,'' Smith said following an in-depth discussion among council members regarding the proposed agreement.

The city and township would work jointly in any future commercial development within the township boundaries and Pickerington Local School District boundaries under the proposed agreement, which has undergone many revisions.

Council still has some kinks to work out, though, such as how much revenue the city will share with the township. Council also will decide how long the agreement will last.

Council members Cristie Hammonds and Heidi Riggs also voted favorably for the proposal, in addition to Jeff Fix, who drafted the proposal.

Fix said he believed he had enough votes to ''ultimately'' pass the proposal in a previous interview with the Eagle-Gazette.

Councilmen Ted Hackworth and Michael Sabatino voted against the proposal and have adamantly opposed it in the past.

Council President Brian Wisniewski, who also opposes the proposed agreement, was absent from Tuesday's meeting because of a medical emergency.

Sabatino doesn't believe the city should give up any of its powers to the township.

''That's the lowest level of municipal government there is,'' Sabatino said. ''We are a city and we should act like a city and retain the municipal powers we have.''

Fix spoke at length, defending why the proposal is the city's best option to attract non-retail commercial developments. Fix made many references to the city's 2007 budget, citing shortfalls such as only being able to pave three of the city's 53 streets in 2007, and hiring one police officer instead of the recommended six officers because ''we don't have enough money.''

''No one here is at fault, but this scares the heck out of me,'' Fix said. ''This is why the city needs non-retail commercial development. ... The most logical non-retail commercial development will occur outside our borders.''

While Fix may have the majority of council votes to get the agreement passed, Wisniewski previously said that residents already are meeting to take referendum action against the agreement if it passes. A referendum would place the issue on the ballot for voters to decide its fate.

I was dead wrong

I 've sat back and watched the progress of this economic developement plan. The lawyers and a councilperson drafting it behind the scenes spending untold thousands of dollars. The bragging of having the votes. The shifting it from one committe to another to get it moved foward. The tabling of it at committee level to get staff input. The rejection of staff input. Then watching it be moved out of committee with no changes after the studies the mayor praised were shown to expose the flaws of this proposed plan. The mayor putting it back on the council agenda after failing a council reading. Setting up the citizens who feel a referendum might be needed, to carry petitions in the cold of winter during the holidays to protect themselves.
To the mayor and the majority of council, you just lost the support of this household (more than one vote) and will gladly sign a referendum petition if brought to my front door!

By anon

MESSAGE FOR KEITH SMITH


?“An Officer will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.?”

Mr. Keith Smith ?– I wanted to be sure you remembered this excerpt from the United States Army Honor Code.

As a comrade in arms and fellow officer (ret) I can say that you, sir, are neither an honorable gentleman nor an honorable representation of an Army Officer.

I would caution you to assure in the future that your statements are less political and more truthful.

You are a vilification to your uniform, rank and to those of us that proudly served our nation with you.

Shame on you, sir.

Finally catching on?



I agree with what you are saying. I probably wouldn?’t have been as eloquent as you but my sentiments are the same. You see, to be a good liar you have to be more like Fix. You have to be all over the board and not let your shoes get nailed to the floor. Smith is way too one-dimensional for that. He is a simple man with a simple mind. He can?’t lie about as many different things as his pal Fix because he can?’t track that many things in his mind at a time. Enough about him.

Let?’s rewind back to the campaigns of 05 since Smith brought it up in his lies ?– again.

I don?’t have any of Fix?’s campaign literature left since the last time I ran out of toilet paper nor do I have his quotes in the papers for the same reason. However, I may be forgetful of purchasing the necessities at the store but I do remember Fix?’s onslaught of three of the candidates running against him over their lack of any appreciable experience in any city-type matters. He stated he alone was the most qualified candidate because of his omnipotence.

Now return to today and you have Fix going on and on about all the experience some of these people now have. What changed?

I?’m waiting?…?…

Ok, you?’re too slow.

NOTHING CHANGED!!

So the question is, was Fix lying in his campaign or is he lying now?

Smith, I?’ll leave the answer to you. You were a frequent poster to this site when it suited you so maybe you still read it now that it doesn?’t.



In all my years of living in this community and following the ever-entertaining but nauseating politics, I have truly never seen such a bag of trash as we now see on the majority of council and their beloved mayor. They are liars and if they told me the oven was hot, believe me, I?’d stick my head in to check for myself.

Riggs and Hammond strike me as consummate liars themselves. Someone posted on this site the meeting minutes where they said they would never vote, I repeat, they WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR the economic agreement proposal that they then voted on a couple of weeks later. LYING FEMALES! Nothing changed in the proposal and you voted for it without question.

The only difference was that you didn?’t have to face the public and the press at the second service commission meeting.

You make me sick.