Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

What started below in response 2 to the red light camera posting need to be promoted out here so here goes?…?…..

Finally, a thread that sparks interest. Currently under the luxury of being on maternity leave I went back and read some of the minutes of council meetings and have to ask you who are the ?“in pocket?” members of council? I haven?’t seen a lot of in pocket voting. Do you consider the 5-2 on red light cameras and whatever was on that pathetic out source issue with income tax as Fix?’s pockets? Don?’t get me wrong ?– I don?’t like Fix, but I don?’t think he was ever able to pull together any in pocket voting bloc, so I am not defending him.

I can answer your issues on that Sauer boy -- simply put, he is not up for reelection this year. Although by his statements you can see he is ALWAYS counting votes. Sauer?’s sole focus is on money. He wants to cut here, cut there and then redirect the money towards his pet projects. He is a councilman I voted for and believed in but he has been a bitter disappointment. He spent the entire first year of his term with diarrhea of the mouth believing he was required to comment on everything brought up. Who he was committed to I hoped was this city but in reading those minutes I think he is much more committed to the township.

What I don?’t understand is why he and the rest of council voted for this budget and now are going back and making changes. You gave the city staff a budget and told them to deal with it. Why don?’t you all shut your mouths and let them deal with it instead of continuing to interfere each and every day? Are stupid things like fireworks THAT important to the Average Joe? I am an Average Jane and they are NOT TO ME!

You need to stop worrying about Sauer. He counts as only one vote out of seven and I suspect he didn?’t make a lot of friends in his first year so he probably isn?’t out lobbying those friends for support to his pork barrel projects that benefit the township. The guy you need to be worried ?– extremely worried about is Sabatino.

Mr. ?“Man of the People?” has become so unreliable in his stance on issues that he is losing credibility not only with the residents but with council. When an initial vote is cast in committee or council no one can rely on if his vote will remain consistent. If one of his coffee klatch buddies hints that he will lose a vote based on his first vote, he will change it. He has no conscience when it comes to election year. The only thing you can count on is that he will vote in any way he feels will get him votes.

Mr. ?“Livin?’ Large and being IN CHARGE?” Fix is all over the board. He feels desperately pressured to please everyone every time. He says things that even he can?’t possibly believe to get his quotes in the papers. He reminds me of that Riggs woman. I heard she used to count quotes in the papers and if she wasn?’t highest quote-getter, she was livid.

Anyway, no one likes Fix anyway so let?’s move on.


(continued)

By Kathy K

contined

This council has stalled. Fact. As you stated, they are more interested in their reelections than the prosperity (or survival) of the city they swore to serve. This is not going to change this year so don?’t think that posting here will change that. The three that are not seeking reelection are not a majority and the mayor doesn?’t have a vote so kicking the can down the road for another year is a pretty good analogy.

The root problem here is we have 4 council seats open this fall and 2 Trustee seats. That means to turn things over again we need no less than 6 candidates. Fix and Sabatino will get reelected if there is no decent opposition. Myers and Dunlap will get reelected if there is no decent opposition. Simple as that.

Where in the world are you going to get 6 viable candidates and push some of these idiots out the door? From the red light camera opposition group? I don?’t think so. They were too narrowly focused. You never heard from them before and you never will again.

We need candidates. We need them to get their names out there now so we can separate the wheat from the chaff. If we don?’t hear names soon we will be stuck with what we have another 4 years. We have a unique opportunity to elect 6 people who might see the light at the end of the tunnels of both the city and township.

That light is MERGER. When all these talking heads talk about cooperation they really mean dog parks, log cabins and bicentennials. Cooperation means banding together for survival. Cooperation means MERGER. A MERGER would put this corner of the county in the uncontestable leadership position in this county. All the economic development deals that the county swings towards Lancaster would come our way. All this Port Authority crap done by the township by themselves and not in partnership with the city would cease. When I read comments made by Strickland and Fischer about where the economic (read: stimulus) eyes are looking they are looking at entities that have put aside political and geographic issues and united to become a player.

ONE COMMUNITY ?– ONE GOVERNMENT


(sorry to sound so cranky but this post partum crap is murder)



By Kathy K

Its time

Kathy

Congratulations on the baby.

My comment on ?“in the pocket?” council members relates to Sanders and Smith. They seem to support anything and everything that Fix puts forward. There has been some glimmers of hope with Sanders but so far I have not seen her break away from Fix?’s ideas and direction. Smith is reported to be not running this year so that problem will go away soon.

I am hearing that people like Sabatino are proposing a police levy increase. I am unclear about that because I believe if the city voters were to pass a levy in 2009 it would not be assessed against property until 2010. If someone can correct me please let us know on that issue. If isn?’t assessed until 2010 then it will not be collected until 2011. By say May of 2011, the budget will have been passed and the fund for the police department will have already been allocated.

Now my information about Sabatino?’s proposal is about third hand. I doubt he wants that out until after the election. I am not sure who else on council supports that move. Clearly a poorly thought out move because by the time the money rolls in the police lay offs will have already happened.

As for being hopeful of someone running to challenge the four seats or six seats it will take a lot of time and money on the part of those attempting that challenge. I would think that it would take in the range of $4,000 to $5,000 to get elected to council and maybe more for trustee. It would take a support group and most people in the city and township are complacent and tired of politics. So I doubt that we will find 6 people with great resumes to step forward and commit five grand to win a thank less job. I think it would be more reasonable to go after part of that this time and build from there.

If Smith is not running then some body has a better chance for this seat.

Sabatino is strong and has lots of money. Very willing to use it and he has no problem lowering the civil discourse in the election to gain a seat. So anyone challenging him needs to have a very thick skin.

Fix has support from the County Republicans and he is a pathological liar. Willing to say anything and everything to get elected. It will take a ton of money to counter his lies.

Hammond; I have no idea about. She seems to be in over her head and I hear she is running again. The last time she ran she was mainly elected by the female vote. She showed very little knowledge on the issues and that continues to this day. I would think another woman running against her might be affective. In any event she is the less offensive on council of those that are currently running. I don?’t think she spent very much money the last time out.

I think there is a need to find a few people to articulate the issues and be willing to move forward on this election. Then again maybe we should allow those that created the problems to solve them and boil in their own stew.

merger will not happen

Hi Kathy you make a lot of good points but I think your baby will be in college or beyond before any merger will likely happen. The township people get a lot right now for low taxes, they sure do not want to start paying for it. The city has some overhead that is just plain wasteful. I am not going to name it but when two different colored government vehicles drive by each other daily when on duty well those boundaries of service just appear wasteful to some.

Teh alternative is cooperation to the best of our ability within the confines of the parameters or each government. We will continue to live in a community that has a little less opportunity because of this. The thing is...people seem to want it that way as they see it as more efficient.

good luck with the baby!