I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Rita Ricketts and Ted Hackworth on their successful efforts on behalf of the citizens of the entire Pickerington community. Mrs. Ricketts and Mr. Hackworth have been selfless in their pursuit of making the overall community a better place to live and raise our families.
I am privileged to have been asked to serve as treasurer of the Committee for Citizens?’ Rights. I agreed to be treasurer immediately when they asked me because I knew they would run a clean, professional and dignified campaign. I have had experience with the opponents of Issues 17, 18 and 19 in my own campaign for Central Committee of the Fairfield County Republican Party so I was well aware of the tactics our opponents would employ. I was not disappointed by the mudslinging, falsehoods and dirty politics presented by the opponents nor was I disappointed by Mrs. Ricketts and Mr. Hackworth?’s refusal to stoop to that level in action or in thought.
The overwhelming percentage of the voters have sent a loud and clear message to the City government and fired a warning shot across the bow of the Township government in what the citizens of this community are demanding for the future. We no longer want housing tract after endless housing tract, pharmacy after endless pharmacy or traffic light after endless traffic light. We no longer want the City to make deals with residential developers to get them to come to Pickerington. The voters feel that Pickerington has plenty to offer without giving away millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to sweeten any deal. Most importantly, the voters have announced to City Hall that the overcrowding and budget challenges faced by our schools are directly tied to the irresponsible and unethical actions of City Hall. We have had enough.
I would like the current (but hopefully not the future) occupants of City Hall to hold one thought when reflecting on this election. Every time you are at one of the local supermarkets or restaurants, every time you are at a school sporting event, every time you look out at the people attending Council meetings and every time you are sitting on 256 or 204 waiting in traffic for an eternity ?– take a good look around you. Look at all the people you can see and remember, 3 out of 4 of each and every one of them disagree with the way you are ?“running things the way you want to?” in the words of your spokesperson, Mr. Parker.
Thanks again Rita and Ted for letting me help in my own small way.
Mitch O'Brien
P.S. To the present (and hopefully not future) chairman of the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce, in anticipation of your one-sided representation of the issues to the area businesses, the Committee for Citizens?’ Rights made absolutely sure you were ?“aware of a cohesive group of supporters for the issues?”. Your office was hand-delivered the flyers sent out by the Committee and unless you have been successful in driving through Pickerington only in the dark with your eyes shut, you would have had to have seen the numerous signs in resident?’s yards that those residents asked us to place there. So come up with a different excuse for your inexcusable behavior and bias towards the City government.
I am privileged to have been asked to serve as treasurer of the Committee for Citizens?’ Rights. I agreed to be treasurer immediately when they asked me because I knew they would run a clean, professional and dignified campaign. I have had experience with the opponents of Issues 17, 18 and 19 in my own campaign for Central Committee of the Fairfield County Republican Party so I was well aware of the tactics our opponents would employ. I was not disappointed by the mudslinging, falsehoods and dirty politics presented by the opponents nor was I disappointed by Mrs. Ricketts and Mr. Hackworth?’s refusal to stoop to that level in action or in thought.
The overwhelming percentage of the voters have sent a loud and clear message to the City government and fired a warning shot across the bow of the Township government in what the citizens of this community are demanding for the future. We no longer want housing tract after endless housing tract, pharmacy after endless pharmacy or traffic light after endless traffic light. We no longer want the City to make deals with residential developers to get them to come to Pickerington. The voters feel that Pickerington has plenty to offer without giving away millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to sweeten any deal. Most importantly, the voters have announced to City Hall that the overcrowding and budget challenges faced by our schools are directly tied to the irresponsible and unethical actions of City Hall. We have had enough.
I would like the current (but hopefully not the future) occupants of City Hall to hold one thought when reflecting on this election. Every time you are at one of the local supermarkets or restaurants, every time you are at a school sporting event, every time you look out at the people attending Council meetings and every time you are sitting on 256 or 204 waiting in traffic for an eternity ?– take a good look around you. Look at all the people you can see and remember, 3 out of 4 of each and every one of them disagree with the way you are ?“running things the way you want to?” in the words of your spokesperson, Mr. Parker.
Thanks again Rita and Ted for letting me help in my own small way.
Mitch O'Brien
P.S. To the present (and hopefully not future) chairman of the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce, in anticipation of your one-sided representation of the issues to the area businesses, the Committee for Citizens?’ Rights made absolutely sure you were ?“aware of a cohesive group of supporters for the issues?”. Your office was hand-delivered the flyers sent out by the Committee and unless you have been successful in driving through Pickerington only in the dark with your eyes shut, you would have had to have seen the numerous signs in resident?’s yards that those residents asked us to place there. So come up with a different excuse for your inexcusable behavior and bias towards the City government.
