Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

How the bloody he** can the City government continue to get away with what they are? According to This Week in Pickerington, Page 1 (by the way, THANK HEAVENS CLAFFEY WASN?’T THERE or we might have not heard about this), by the amazing margin of 6-0 they publicly authorized Mrs. Wonderful to ?“negotiate and execute an agreement?” but not with whom or why. Am I the only one besides Mr. Shaver who sees a problem here? Who are we that we cannot be told about these secret negotiations and agreements by the very people, some of which, we elected? Just voters and taxpayers; in other words COMMON TRASH.

You know darn well that they are negotiating another annexation and high density rezoning to help crush our schools, our infrastructure and possibly our environment. You know they are catering to another residential developer. You know Gray is involved. You know it and I know it but those fascist, despotic, dictatorial, Nazi sons of you-know-what running our City won?’t tell us. If it is above board and within the Charter, why can?’t you tell us? Maybe we should take a closer look at the Charter.

Mad?? Yes I?’m mad! Enough is enough. Can anyone tell me if the Ohio Ethics Commission has been brought into the loop on what is going on here? Can anyone tell me if there is even the remotest possibility that we can do a referendum for a recall election of these tyrants? We need to get rid of them and we cannot wait until November of 2002, 2003 or more. They need to be out and they need to be out NOW. They are killing our City and they are doing it fast.

Open up your eyes people. Put all the pieces together. The City of Pickerington and Violet Township are being sold out! Sold out by a bunch of amoral, corrupt and impenitent money grabbers who have nobody?’s, I repeat NOBODY?’S best interest at heart but their own.

Oh, and by the way Claffey, tell the whole truth about just how much your beloved TIFs are boosting anything but the owners of those businesses profit margin. Tell the truth on how many of those buildings are occupied. Tell the truth on which local businessman and developer benefits the most. Tell the truth as to whether this is commercial development at its finest. Tell if this is the best our City Government can do. And don?’t tell us we can?’t handle the truth. We hear that from our comrades in City Government.

It only takes two!

Anonymous

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer some of your questions. Please refer to the postings of 10/1 and 10/2 on this discussion page.

Let me answer some of your questions. First there were five of us at the city council meeting that asked about this contract with 8185 Farms. We were all stonewalled. Thanks to Mrs. Pat Shaver engaging the Mayor and him not wanting to sound like a tyrant with the press, she got the Mayor to say annexation more than once. Once the annexation word was spoken the reporters started taking notes. After the cat was out of the bag Mr. Postage made his statement about grabbing any available land. He also said the City manager knows what they want and they trust her. I guess he was speaking for the other five council members. How did he know how they were going to vote? I can?’t see council members voting to approve any contract that they haven?’t seen yet.

There are some legal points here we must cover. All of city legislation must come through a committee. It states in the ordinance that it was recommended by the Service Committee. It was not. The reason is so the public has an opportunity to discuss the ordinance and voice any opposition or support. They bypassed us all. Mr. Washington stated that they had discussed this ordinance at length only to be interrupted by Mrs. Bushman stating that that it was passed by waivers not passed by the service committee. It is a very difficult job to get everyone telling the same story and I mean story. Please read upcoming letters to the editors because this will be discussed at greater length and I don?’t want to steal her thunder. The lady that I refer to is just as angry as Anonymous.

Recall can?’t be run until six months after someone is elected. If it were run now it would appear on the November 2002 ballot. The recall would take affect thirty days after the election if the person were recalled. Please don?’t recall the Mayor he is the best reason for people in this city to get out and vote for the challengers. He makes us look good.

Please note that Mr. Shaver and Mr. Hackworth need help. We both need sign locations and for people to make phone calls to your city friends. If you don?’t like what you see down at city hall tell a friend and have him tell one of his friends. Pass these postings along to others. If we could just get two new City Council Members not willing to vote on emergencies then the city can?’t pass things as an emergency. These ordinances would then be subject to referendum. It takes ?¾ of the council to vote for emergency. That means 5.25 council members must approve an emergency. Since we don?’t have fractions of people then two members cancel out the emergency. Judging this council?’s fondest of the emergency then it will be a very big bargaining chip.

Anonymous if you want to talk to me I would be very happy to explain my positions. I am in the phone book.

Pickerington?’s mad dash for land

Pickerington?’s mad dash march to gobble up all lands?…?…?…


Consider the present office holders past comments (WHEN THEY WANTED YOUR VOTE TO KEEP THEM IN CHARGE ?– Oct. 20th 1999)

Louis Postage ?– goals ?“to expand the commercial tax base through the development of a commercial complex.?”

John Washington ?– goals ?“promote commercial land development and form a better relationship with the township trustees.?”

Randall Hughes ?– ?“?? will continue to take the lead in seeking and attracting quality commercial expansion.?”

Actions once in office ?–
1. Annex Burtnett properties 54 acres ?– 130 more R4 homes.
2. Annex the AMA ?– R.G. Barry grounds ?– TIF it to siphon off money from the schools, the fire department, etc. for the infrastructure improvements (like your measly $100,000.00 grant to the PLSD will offset the tax base they were already getting) ?– it was already Commercially viable ground ?– paying taxes into OUR School district.
3. Annex the Diley Farm 245 acres ?– 520 more PR4 homes.

Oops?… those nasty Trustees begin ?“Growth Summit Meetings?” and want to get the whole community involved in OUR futures.

Let?’s go into high gear and Merge the whole area cause were soooooo cooperative already.
--- meanwhile back to business as usual!!
4. Annex the Hill Road nine (give ?‘um free sewer & water) another 200 acres with promises of R4. Outside officials state, ?“when incentives are used to offer annexation the only winners are the developers.?”
Local official (Craig Maxey) stated, ?“this will give us access to commercial property within our school district.?”

Picktown?’s Mayor speaks out to annexation opposition Sept 25, 2000 ?– ?“Either jump on the train to help us get there or stand back and get hit.?”
5. Picktown attempts hostile annexation of Pifer Farm in an effort to kill a Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA). Facts then reveal that all of this land is in the Canal Winchester School District. Oops Mr. Maxey is wrong, but then PLSD majority board members (Carlier & Sigman) jump on the Picktown bandwagon to thwart neighboring Canal Winchester from developing land within their own area. With cooperation of Violet Township CEDA becomes a reality for economic growth (tax revenue sharing between Canal Winchester and both incorporated & unincorporated Violet Township). Pickerington - though invited to join in - refuses.

Back to the real Pickerington mission------

Mayor Hughes calls off City participation in ?“Growth Summit Meetings.?”

6. Annex the Kohler-Painter Farms 149 acres ?– 340 more R4 homes cause the developer made use a ?“deal?” loaded with conditions that we couldn?’t refuse.
7. Annex the Steiger-Wirthman- Clark Farms (Viola Park) 210 acres more R4 homes.
8. Annex the ?“mysterious 8185 Farms?” approx. 235 acres
?–as Mr. Postage put it, ?“When there?’s land out there to be had, we?’re going to get it.?” Just for the record this land already has sewer & water services available to it --- but of course it?’s not Pickerington sewer & water.

Each and every annexation proposal passed this Council with NO OPPOSING VOTES. If you need the names ?– Maxey, Parker, Wright, Monebrake, Fox, Washington, and Postage. NO OPPOSING VOTES.

During this same time frame Pickerington Council approved Subdivision plats for:
-Windmiller Subdivision
-Simsbury II
-Sheffield
-Sycamore Creek
-Good Subdivision
-Longview Subdivision
-Milnor Place
not to mention the continuing build outs of:
-Stonebridge
-Willow Ponds
-Manchester
-Preston Trails.
-Pine Ridge Estates

Your ?“promised, quality commercial complex?” is where?

There is a condensed timeline from the last Pickerington election involving local races to now. Well, it?’s election time again and there are (4) people wanting you to return them to office. Have YOU learned anything?