Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue.


I attended my first Violet Festival parade last night. What a ripe off of tax payer?’s dollars. I went to the parade to be somewhat entertained and somewhat curious. I know there are other parades and festivals that follow a theme. Another theme festival/ parade is the Rose Parade in Pasadena Ca. If you have watched that parade you will find floats decorated with, what else? ROSES! Now couldn?’t one assume that if you went to a Violet Festival Parade you should expect to see floats? Secondly you would also expect to see Violets on these floats? I saw neither last night. Once the Pickerington High School Band passed then the parade was over. Many started for their cars. If they would have told the truth that this patade was to shine the spot light the City Council then there wouldn?’t have been anyone there. Just ask yourself, would you have watched that parade if the PHS band wasn?’t there?


Of course we have a Violet Festival Queen. That Queen contest was marred with controversy as well. After the contest was over, they came out of their backroom (just like city hall)and said they had made a mistake. It was actually a TIE! That smells to high heaven. Someone won the contest that wasn?’t in the in-crowd and they wanted to correct their mistake. I think Pickerington should quit funding this Festival. It should stand on its own two feet. The best thing Pickerington could do for the Festival is to develop commercial property in the area so that these businesses could support the event.

I guess my expectations of Pickerington is that, if they are going to put on this Festival, at taxpayer?’s expense, at the very least, they should have truth in advertising. It is not about Violets. It is about getting the local politicians time in front of the community and getting them re-elected. This is why the challengers have so much difficultly in getting elected against these incumbents. This is also why our elected people have so much tunnel vision in dealing with our problems. You would have thought they collectively dug into their (COUNCIL?’S) own pockets to pay for this parade and festival. The reality is that the taxpayers paid for the vast majority of the activities.

You have the Grand Marshall Mayor Randall Hughes. Next came the Pickerington City Council on a float. These floats cost money and time to build. Who or what city funded the float that the City Council rode on during the Violet Festival Parade on July 26th? Expect for a couple of Church floats and the City Council Float you wouldn?’t have known it was a parade.

If they are going to put on a theme festival and parade then stick to the theme. It is not about Randy Hughes, it is not about Lou Postage, It is not about Craig Maxey, It is not about Brian Fox, it is not about William Wright, it is not about Doug Parker, and it is not about Jeff Monebrake. It is about Violets. Anything else is a fraud.



By Bored

Violate Festival



I also came down to the parade. I thought, however, that it was called the ''Violate Festival''. This seems more appropriate as it certainly celebrated those politicians who have violated the citizen's rights to choose thier leaders by free election. It also highlights those leaders who routinely violate the citizen's right to free speech by publicly berating opponents and privately make semi-threatening telephone calls to anyone who dares sign a petition they do not agree to. These are the same people who do everything possible to stop any citizen from getting any issue on the ballot thereby violating rights to referendum and petition. Next Year Craig Maxey should be the Grand Marshall.


By Daniel Webster

Trouble in River City

What a relief! The Violet Festival is finally over. This Festival is a total waste of the tax payer?’s money for nothing more than self promotion, of not only the local Politicians, but the local Home Builders. They had their little booths there, trying to find more buyers to flood our schools with even more children. When are we going to stop this insanity of allowing the developers to have their way with us? I think when we finally do get new members to the Pickerington City Council this certainly should be one of the areas to cut FIRST.

I can?’t understand why so many communities around our borders have great potential business parks and light industry and we are still waiting on ours. According to Lou it will be great when we do get it! It will make Canal Winchester?’s look pitiful. Yea Right! That is what you were saying three years ago LOU. You even said you would fire the development director if she didn?’t perform. The problem the director is having is that Lou first doesn?’t know where the Pickerington and Canal Winchester borders are and how they have blocked out Columbus. He just wants, ?“to see land and grab it?”. That doesn?’t get us the business park. However it does make Lou and his partner money selling bonding insurance to the developers.

This corruption here in Pickerington has filtered into our society. It is a way of doing business now. The organizations that would normally help promote and attract business into the community are so cash strapped that they must depend on the city for their existence. So they look the other way just to keep their pitiful organizations afloat. Granted there are some very dedicated people from this community working there butt?’s off trying to promote the city and the community. However they will never over take the powers of this City Hall and their backroom controllers. I know there are many in this community giving untold amounts of time to the betterment of us all. Some day we will take the city back out of the hands of the controllers and return it to the citizens who pay the bills. That day can?’t come too soon.


By Jerry Wade

Fireworks better than the 4th

The Violet Festival fireworks were excellent at least 30 minutes long. The 4th of July fireworks were OK, approximately 15 minutes. I guess the city people want to celebrate themselves with a bigger show than the celebration of our nation. This is curious and puzzling especially after Sept 11th.

Next year, I suggest that we have both displays at least equal so your true colors do not show too much.