Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Look beyond the smile

So you claim it is ''low'' to bring up the relationship between the current Mayor and his hand picked successor? It is also ''low'' to bring their mutual attitudes up when it comes to public employees.

I am sorry but I disagree with that. The current Mayor should have been charged with obstruction of justice and hauled off to jail. Those officers arriving late at his home investigating a 9-1-1 call hangup had the right and the obligation to make sure no one was injured inside or needed their assistance. Regardless of whether he was drunk or having one of his episodes there was no excuse for that behavior. What would have happened if the next day a family member showed up batter and bruised or worse?

Mayors must follow the law too. I am telling you that Heidi Riggs looks at the police in the same view. If one of her family members gets in trouble and she is mayor she will put all kinds of pressure on the police chief to let that family member off the hook. She did it in the past and she will do once she is Mayor.

During the issue 9 campaign she entered the Exxon station and gave the clerk all kinds of you know what about the owner of the station placing ''YES'' for the issue signs in front of the store. She told the clerk she represented the City. She didn't but was ticked about the sign opposing her views. She tried to force the owner through his clerk to remove the signs. I now read where the place when into bankrupcy. Is she connected to that? You can bet she was on the phone to the city manager who she drinks with before she got to her day job complaining.


I am telling you to look beyond the smile.

let's see

You just accused the Mayor of drinking, having ''episodes'', and beating his family. None of which is true. You accused Ms. Riggs of putting a store out of business and having family members who are criminals. If Ms. Riggs has the power to close businesses she is in the wrong field and should be hiring herself out as some sort of consultant. No one has that kind of power. Businesses who support one candidate/issue or another politically risk alienating customers who hold opposite views. I hope you will leave family members out of the campaign. No one, especially children, deserves to be drug through the mud and have lies made up about them. Teens are especially sensitive to this and hopefully you won't sink that low. But, I guess you already have.

The Schrew

The 9-1-1 calls are public record. He wouldn't allow the police to do their job. That is abuse of his power. I was explaining why the police should make sure no one is affected by his actions and who placed the 9-1-1 call in the first place? Something was going on.

So what you are saying everybody that makes a 9-1-1 call and hangs up should be ignored by the police and the public. This is behavior by the Mayor not his kids or other family members.

As for Heidi she threaten a business owner and she did speak about firing the police chief.

Both are abusing their power. She didn't represent the city like she said did (that is a lie) and she didn't have the right to terrorize the business owner and his employees.

Clearly she does have that power. She frequently goes out with Shaver and the City manager on triple dates. They have tremendous influence over the Manager. If Heidi is willing to threaten a stranger who is a low level employee then she certainly has the power and willingness to hold up something from the city to delay the process and over extend the owner thus causing him to go into bankruptcy. I know there are some EPA issues with the property and when a public official is so bold as to threaten and one that was recently let go from the highest levels of state government then I would not put anything past her.

Perception is important to the public.

Character

Let me share with you some of my observations regarding Mr. O?’Brien?’s character. We have a nodding acquaintance and run into each other often as we have kids in the same grade and have been for years. I have seen him at the Taste of Pickerington event. Was he there strutting around letting everyone know he was there and that he felt important? No, he had his sleeves rolled up picking up trash, folding and moving chairs and seemingly every other unexciting task he was given by the event coordinators. I have seen him working the concession stands at sporting events. Was he showing the big teeth and telling everyone ?“I am a Councilman?”? No, he was slinging hash with everyone else and sweating with everyone else. When he was coaching my kid in PYAA Tennis was he standing off to the side and having others chase balls, wipe tears and encourage and teach the kids? Nope, that was what he was doing. I saw him working at the Violet Festival. I have seen him helping to push a disabled car out of the street in front of BJs Bouquets and if that wasn?’t enough, he went home and got tools and returned to help get the car running. I saw him delivering supplies to the church at Long and Diley to support Katrina victims. There is more but you get the idea.

The only reason I tell you this is because I never saw Mrs. Riggs do any of these things or any sort of selfless act. Not I am not saying she is without character because I don?’t know her that well and the few times we have interacted left me a little unimpressed. I am sure she has her virtues. I am sure she worked tirelessly for Mr. Blackwell or made sure someone did. After all, she had a vested interest in his success.

I just am pointing out that in the cases where I witnessed Mr. O?’Brien in action, they were selfless acts. I can?’t say the same for what I have seen in Riggs so I agree with the previous poster in that character will certainly come out in the campaigns. I intend to make my acquaintance with Mr. O?’Brien more than it is. I plan to both introduce myself and ask what I can do to help assure he is our next Mayor. He is just what the doctor ordered for this ailing community.


By Ronni A.