Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

I hope everyone has survived the Holidays and now we all must look forward to the coming year here in Pickerington.

Well it has been a long and hard fought battle this entire year with our Pickerington City Council and the direction we want our city to develop toward. Just one year ago yesterday, I filed the three initiatives to place them on the ballot. After a second attempt and a few thousand dollars at the Supreme Court we finally had an opportunity to vote and send an official message to our elected leaders.

What is now before us this year, is did they really get the message? Do they think they will appease us with talk instead of action?

One issue that has been on the back burner is a moratorium on housing starts since last summer. Mr. Shaver introduced this idea last summer. They are just getting around to talking about it. After a couple of months off, I am ready to circulate another initiative calling for twice the amount time on the moratorium as Mr. Shaver wants. This moratorium is not an issue to keep new people from moving into Pickerington, but a break, to buy time so that the leaders of this community can develop a growth plan and have EVERYONE sign off on it. The first step clearly is to slow the residential growth rate down to a manageable rate so that our other infrastructures can catch up. Infrastructures include our schools.

Economic Development should be a very close second, on the issues facing our city and our community. I think the community must first decide exactly what kind of economic development they want. What will you tolerate in your back yard? I was encouraged to hear the new Chairman of The Board, Sara Rose, for the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce speak to the Violet Township Trustees last night on a number of the very same issues I am reviewing here. She did mention the PACC has an economic development committee. I am not sure what role they plan to play in this process but I am encouraged that they are at least talking. Actions must follow.


Mayor Postage is now talking about impact fees. He claims in the Time-Sun that they are talking with lawyers now to implement impact fees. This should be of special interest to us all and I am not very optimistic about it right now because I don?’t believe we can now tax those residential developments (2000 homes) that have already been approved to be built on. If the Mayor can find legal way to do that then I will cheer him on.

The Pickerington Local Schools are in need of more operating money and more permanent buildings. We all must encourage our leaders to work out a growth plan to show us how they plan to develop the remaining lands in the school district and how they plan to provide adequate roads and access to the existing commercial properties locate within our school district. How do we control the number of new students each year entering our school system so that the tax base can keep up with it? The tax base being those of us that must make that left turn at 256 each morning after our 30 minute wait to get to the light.

Our work has just begun

I am trying to get a feel for the public sentiment on recall. For the most part the Pickerington City Council and their management of our city business has been the problem area for this community to provide a public supported growth plan. I am totally convinced by the documentation that I have seen that the City has in the past and is today the road block in any publicly supported plan to develop our community.

Mayor Postage wants us to be kinder and gentler now that the voters have spoken, but as Clara Peeler (for Wendy?’s Restaurants) once said, ?“Where?’s the Beef??” So as we progress threw this coming year we must keep in mind are they just trying to appease us with talk or are they trying to buy time? I believe they are doing the latter. They will probably appoint someone lease controversial than I to these two vacancies on council. That is their right to do so. If these folks are residential PRO-GROWTH council persons then they have only replaced one AYE vote for another AYE vote.

I have been asking different people here in Pickerington two questions lately. The first question is ?“Are you willing to circulate a recall petition on one or more of the Pickerington City Councilmen??” The second question was, ?“Would you be willing to be a spokesperson for a recall effort??”

I was hoping that Gwen C. that posted down the page would contact me and we could share our information and determine just how much support there is for a recall effort. Clearly from my limited effort there is strong support for a recall. I am not planning on running a recall but there are people willing and able to do so. I think everyone that lives in this community must be ready to step to the plate soon if we find that we are being put off once more by our Pickerington City Council and the Mayor.

Pickerington got into this mess because we weren?’t paying. Your voices must be heard. Please allow us to hear what you have to say. I am encouraged that the two vacancies on the Pickerington City Council have brought forward some very highly qualified candidates. I believe even if these incumbent City Council members do run THIS FALL they will not run unopposed. We will have new people occupying the Council Seats this time next year.

I am leaving my contact information on this posting. If you want to contact me in regard to recall please do so. If you have questions of where I stand on anything please feel free to contact me.

Pickerington your marching orders for 2003. GET INVOLVED. There will be new candidates running for the Pickerington City Council in 2003. Please support them. The City Council campaign starts in March be on the band wagon. Be alert to what the council is doing. Speak out if they try to do the back room stuff. Be ready to walk the streets with your petitions.

We also have elections this fall on the school board and the Violet Township Trustees. Please be informed. Please support you candidate of choice. Let the siting members of these two bodies know what you want. Demand that they listen. You know initiatives, referendums, and recalls petitions can be run on these other government bodies. Hopefully 2003 will be the year that we can retire the use of the petitions in getting our elected leaders to act in our behalf. You will make the difference by monitoring what they do and how they do it. The township is looking for people right now that live in the unincorporated areas of the township to help with their growth plan. It is time to put up or shut up.

Thank you all, lets attack the New Year NOW!!

Maybe you can answer..

Ted, I appreciate all of the work you put into making this town a better place to live, I'd say work also but I'm not a teacher, grocery bagger or a pharmacist so I need to work outside the city.

Maybe you can answer the questions I posted to Gwen C. that weren't answered.

What happens next? If we take the petitions to the street and we get the signatures we need to throw out the current officials who determines who replaces them? Is there a special election to elect officials? Or do those who are left on council get to appoint to the vacant seats?

I'm willing to go out and knock on doors, talk to my neighbors and such if the people get to decide the replacements via a special election. However if whomever is left on council gets to apppoint then I don't see how a recall is beneficial and leaves us any better off than before.

Thanks.



By Curious George

Solutions to our problems

Curious George,

It is interesting that when my daughter was very ill many years ago I bought her a stuffed Curious George monkey. She slept with it during her long stay in the Hospital. She still has her Curious George and she is 33. I am not sure if I should have given her age.

Anyway George you do point out a very weak point in doing a recall here in Pickerington. If we were just trying to remove one council person that we objected too then the remaining council persons would have the right to re-appoint the next person to fill the vacant council seat. Even if the citizens in Pickerington try to remove 3 or maybe 4 council persons the remaining council persons would be the one appointing the new members of council. It seems almost a futile effort here in Pickerington when so many people want an entirely new council. Of course if the council can?’t decide within 60 days then the Mayor can select a person to fill a council seat.

So if this current process results in our Rules Committee or our Mayor appointing someone not acceptable to the Pickerington citizens their only recourse is to recall the offending people and hope for the best in the re-appointment process. This could go on for ever.

Let me throw this idea out. Before we can fix a problem we must understand the problem. Our problem is that our City Council has ignored the citizens of Pickerington for years now. Those that are in currently in office have got there with strong support of the builders and the BIA members. They have displayed a pattern of having an incumbent resign and the remaining councilmen re-appoint someone that is like minded to them. Thus we then head into an election with a person appointed by the council to perpetuate their long time hold on council. Let me also remind you that in 1995 a local group recalled council person Linda Wilson. Her seat was filled by Craig Maxey. Mr. Maxey was hand picked to help support the recall group and their goals over the last 7 years.


So how do we regain control of our local government? My first suggestion would be to have term limits. I understand that in Upper Arlington they allow their council two four year terms. We, as citizens, could circulate an initiative for a charter amendment to only allow our council members to serve two four year terms. Mr. Postage has been on Council since the mid-80s. Randy Hughes served for 15 years with 12 years on council.

How about a financial disclosure City Charter amendment? The city of Dublin Ohio has a financial disclosure law on the books. They (Elected Leaders and the Manager) must report their sources of income prior to the election.

CONTINUED



By Ted Hacwkorth