Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Boy have I been reading a lot of comments by the City?’s Law Director?

Does this man have a ?“real?” Law Practice?

He seems to be a solicitor of considerable merit. Is he an unnamed partner with the firm Shyster, Loophole, Cheatum & Steele?


By another interpretation

Put his words in one pot.

Mr. Mapes has made a series of comments this year starting with the initiatives in January. Remember the FATAL ERRORS? Was he trying to do things correctly or just keep the citizen's issue off the ballot? Who does he work for?

He was asked in Judge Luse's court room if these developers had contracts (for zoning) prior to the annexations wouldn't the city be required to honor those contracts? thinking on his feet Mr. Mapes' answer was, ''yes and no''. You know riding the fence you can get splinters in your crouch. Mapes is certainly the rail rider of the year.

Now in July he rules that the two petitions that he ruled with FATAL ERRORS were still in front of the council. He then says they are illegal and the councilmen could be held personally liable for passing these two ordinances. (The two lots per acre and the elimination of fee give aways ordinances). The council then fixes THEIR problem by letting the issues die for a lack of a second.After saying they would pass them onto the ballot because, ''the will of the people was very important to them''. Quote by Brian Fox April 16th, 2002. But sitting on the clerk's desk were two more initiatives to replace the illegal and FATAL ERRORED ones only to have the Auditor, Linda Fersch place them on the ballot.

An even more distrubing to the council was another initiative saying that the council could no longer pass Zoning ordinances and resolutions as emergency. That would allow the citizens to referendums on ALL zoning decsions made by the council. Actually that is what the law intended in the first place. So what does the clever Mr. Mapes find wrong? They have typos and he has the ability to read the minds of the signers of this petition. He said they, ''were confused''. They, ''didn't know what they were signing''. OOPS that question is now before the Ohio Supreme Court. OOPS! those dumb citizens filed it in the worng court. They should have filed it in the appeals court o we could drag this out for years and bankrupt our own citizens with their tax money fighting for their rights.

Now the council goes ahead and passes an annexation against the Judges order. Hey wait a minute, Mapes can read minds. He said so with the emergency initiative, didn't he? Why can't he read Judge Luse and Judge Clark's minds?

Does this city and this law director have any respect for our laws? our courts? and our way of life?

By Billy D. Davis

Petition to Fire Mapes

All of this is pathetic. We have a city government to make decisions to protect and serve the citizens. After the last couple of months, there can be no mistake about this city government being in the pockets of the a few of the developers. This city council refuses to follow the law (unless it is convenient) and insults and slanders any citizen who dares to oppose them. No matter how many citizens protest the city council continues to rubberstamp developers wishes and then has the nerve to give away money to them.

The answer is easy: the next petitions that the people of this city should ciruclate is for ordinances terminating the services of Joyce Bushman and Robert Mapes. Peititions should also be started for a recall election for the Mayor, the City Counsil Presdient and Craig Maxey, since he has no business being on council int he first place.

Morover, we should take all decisions out of their hands by repeated filing of petitions. I would also suggest that we start a petition for a moratorium as soon as possible.



By Oliver Wendell Holmes