Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

The Issues not Grammar

It is interesting that you lecture me on credibility and then you don?’t sign your name. I am sure you just forgot.

You seem to be more interested in my grammar than the critical issues facing those of us that live in the city.

Obviously I am not a very good writer or a salesman. I was not willing to lower myself into the make believe world of political speak just to get a second term on the Pickerington City Council. With input from Mr. Fix; Brian Sauer and Tricia Sanders (who has never been involved in local issues) promised things that she didn?’t know what she was talking about and now Jeff Fix takes credit for that being her campaign manager.

In my opinion Jeff Fix is dishonest and he is a fraud. When I lost by the 61 votes I felt relieved. I even told Jeff Fix that at one of the budget meetings. I am now a private citizen and I have every right to hold the members of council feet to the fire. If I want to bash them then, I can and will.

Keep it about Issues

Ted -

You have the respect of many people; however, you saw that erode to the point where it cost you your seat at the last election.

You are passionate about the City of Pickerington & for that we thank you. As a supporter I would ask that you keep your focus on issues and not people. It seems to me that very often your dialog gets personal with anyone that does not agree with you - that is NOT positive or professional. That was a fact that hurt you in the last election - you can say it didn't if you want. But as a voter I can tell you it did.

I also believe that within any group you do not do your best work when everyone agrees with each other. Different ideas presented in a positive manner can be a good thing with a healthy debate moving everyone to a better spot than they would have been to had they not had to think about their position, defend it and perhaps tweak it to accomodate a new thought or idea. Nobody is perfect in a vaccuum - it would be the height of arrogance to think otherwise. Different perspectives represent different points of view and I'd like to think the taxpayers have many different points of views on matters that relate to the City. To see our representatives engage in a healthy, fact based debate will be a great step forward for our City and one that I hope to see as we move forward.

Thanks for your time.

By Just a taxpayer

Fix is not a lawyer

Taxpayer:

As you can imagine, I have received a number of assessments on how the election went and why I was 61 votes short. You are the first to say it was because my dialog got personal.

The fact is I have been very active in this community for over ten years now. I have put a lot of myself into trying to fix the problems that I saw within the city. Most of the problems centered around the uncontrolled residential growth and the impact it had on our city. Most of what I approached and completed would bore the average citizen to explain it in detail and it was more than any campaign flyer could handle. I would like you to also consider that in my first two years in office I had three votes guaranteed to object to anything I put forward. So to say that the council agreed with me on everything shows your lack of understanding in the workings of our city council in 2004 and 2005.

I am sure as a taxpayer you would have wanted me to employee the best in any field to analyze and counsel the city. Getting it right was very important to me. Using professionals to lead us through the mine fields of these issues was imperative.

Also consider that when an issue is about a person then that issue become personal and you can?’t avoid pointing that out. When you go from a uncontrolled residential growth to a slow growth or a more controlled growth that affects everything in the city organization including revenues and expenses. We must finish that process by reforming our income tax collections.

In your last statement, it clearly shows you have no idea what is going on.

?“To see our representatives engage in a healthy, fact based debate will be a great step forward for our City and one that I hope to see as we move forward.?”

In the first three years that I was on council we regularly did that and backed up most of our decisions with expert and staff counsel or official studies. What is happening now with Mr. Fix is that he is out negotiating these agreements and he comes back to council with a take it or leave it approach. Many times these agreements are very one sided and favor the township and give them our tax dollars.

I became enraged with Mr Fix in 2006 when he told me that the Law Director had reviewed an agreement. Mr. Fix on his own had removed an entire paragraph that protected the city from another city annexing into our area. When I confronted him about the paragraph missing he simply blew me off by saying it was a deal breaker. The fact was Fix was too lazy or lacked the skills to get a good agreement for the city and we had to rely on the total trust from some other government. I am sorry that is not acceptable.

Mr. Fix is not a lawyer, but he plays one on council.

If the posting above is correct that Mitch O?’Brien has removed him from the negotiating team for the JEDD, then that will be a huge improvement for the safety of the Pickerington and its taxpayers.

Meanwhile I will enjoy and relax in my retirement knowing I was able to make a difference here in Pickerington. I am not crying in my beer over losing the election. Thank you for your concern.

Grumpy Old Man wanting it done right.




By Ted Hackworth