Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

So you?’ll take a little

To: Still pleased with Council and others

What you are saying is that you?’re willing to take a little (at the expense of the future mortgage payments on new residents) as determined by the developers of the BIA and give up a lot!

You?’re saying that it is important to listen to the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce?’s viewpoints about the Community Authority. A Chamber comprised largely of area businesses that rely on an increased population base of local residential development; realtors, developers themselves, insurance agents and those that primarily benefit from a NO GROWTH CONTROL position. A Chamber who has historically held a ?“Meet the local candidate?’s?” event. A venue with skewed prepared questions rather than audience participation. In such a format is this Chamber presenting an event that citizens can best determine what a candidate stands for prior to the election? A Chamber who?’s largest supporting Platinum members are the City of Pickerington government and Berry & Miller Development Company.

You?’re saying that you now believe we should ?“buy it?” when the Pickerington Local School Board President says that the WHOLE Board has opposed the rampant rate of residential growth though the facts are clearly to the contrary. And his viewpoint that a Community Authority will help the schools with a few schillings of funds for only a partial need of buildings are paramount while the operating costs of today?’s and tomorrows children are clearly straining this community to it?’s limits by the NO GROWTH CONTROL growth rates that have been allowed to occur.

You?’re saying that we can trust this sitting Council & Mayor to do the right thing. They (Postage, Fox, Wright, Parker, Maxey ?– and now Sabatino) are not the ones who time and again have been the tool used by the BIA to annex, pre-zone, induce with abated utilities, plat and permit the explosive growth of our current and many years future situation exacerbating years of NO GROWTH CONTROL practices.

You?’re saying that it is preferable to continue and even add to the repulsively skewed residential tax base imbalance to support our schools and infrastructure.

You?’re asking us to believe that the BIA will limit the future growth rates though the Ordinance passed which clearly is at levels of growth that exceed our infrastructure capacity. A business association that prides itself as being the Central Ohio ?“Champions?” for NO GROWTH CONTROL issues and helps fund candidates into office to espouse that position.

You?’re saying there isn?’t another alternative. Suck it up and take what the BIA and the PRO GROWTH Council members will ?“give us?”.

This all began back in October as an in sub-Committee Ordinance to SLOW THE GROWTH DOWN. It started as ZERO residential units for one year. Committee members Parker and Maxey (as well as the voices of their council mates) convinced some that they were listening. This got out of Committee as a 100 homes for 1-year Ordinance in full view of the public. That Ordinance was tabled, delayed, and influenced by outside and inside interest groups then voted down. Following this a changed NEW Ordinance with NO public viewing in what amounts to a VERY LITTLE GROWTH CONTROL measure was approved by this Council.

I say NO ?– it?’s time to change

There are alternatives and I will pursue these.

1. I will not look my child in the eye and say that I tried but the BIA was too strong. I will not settle for a BIA UNCONTROLLED GROWTH rate that will hurt my community. One which offers only a pittance of a ?“fee?” to exceed an already over bloated number of homes allowance per year.

I owe that much to my child, other people?’s children, our elderly and retired citizens, and the community in general to wrest Growth Control measures from the BIA?’s influence to were it belongs ?– the CITIZENS.

2. I will do all that I can to see that the currently circulated citizen?’s Initiative for a GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN and TWO YEAR MORATORIUM gets to the ballot for a citizens voting decision.

It has become overly obvious that the current majority sitting government does not want to let the people have their say and will listen only to the BIA. Note that in the number 2 posting above I said ?“I?” and not PATA. PATA informs people. It is up to each and every individual to decide to take action or sit on the sidelines. It is also quite obvious that the appointed City Manager is not following a direction of slowing growth, so despite her educational experience and as illustrated in her previous land option deals with the Strickland lands she is nothing more than an advocate to continue unfettered growth.

3. I will do all that I can to see that the members of this area government answer to the electorate through as complete a disclosure as possible and review of their past performances and then the opportunity, if desired, of the citizens to remove these individuals from office. For those that means RECALL.


If City officials want to perpetuate their attack on PATA by having the Manager?’s hair dresser, or the distant Pickering heir, the cartel that propelled Brian Fox into the Fairfield Republican Chairmanship via their precinct races, Brian?’s own sister-in-law or others then they need to be fully prepared for the facts that will let the public know the true story. Again with PATA?’s mission to inform the material will be public, however I will do what I can as an individual that wants a just government.

So Still pleased ?….. you can accept what others decide for you, your family, and this community?’s future by not opening your eyes to the layers of interconnected manipulation that exists here ?–or- you can be a part of a positive change.

Where I live

Where do I live? Fair question. Naperville, Illinois, about 30 miles due west of downtown Chicago. Not all that much different from Pickerington, given that we both are outer suburbs of the largest city in our respective states. I have lived here since December 1992 and have seen explosive growth, but growth that has been controlled. Last evening, I spent 3 1/2 hours at our village Plan Council as our church was requesting a variance for an upcoming expansion, and I witnessed this planned growth regulation first hand. Well thought-out developments were approved, and haphazard ones were rejected. This system is working here in Naperville, and I believe it can work in Pickerington.

''Pleased'' is a toady !!!

''Still Pleased'', you're a city hall toady!

You know the real issue here:

City council is pro-residential growth and has no clue how to developed a strong commercial tax base. Look, there's no office park, no industrial park, and there's no attempt to develope any commercail properties in Pickerington other than resturants, and retail. The gig is up! There's no more shells to hide facts under!

The school funding problem was created in 1997, when city council turned commercial into residential (Kroger). That means the problem has had 6 years to fester and grow. The citizens refused to ''step up'' and challenge incumbent council members for their seats and the voters voted for those on the ballots (incumbents). And we were all ''fat & happy'' with our schools and morning commute. The vicious cycle continued until a few citizens said, ''Wait a minute, what are we doing here? This is awful.'' Can we blame ourselves for this? Yes. Do we take what the BIA gives us as far as the c.a. goes? No!

How do we fix the problem? Stop the builder influence on city council (recall or replace them in November), immedaitely remove the city manager, and immediately developed and implement a comprehensive commercial development plan within PLSD.

Pleased, nevermind what the township is doing. At this critical stage, what the township is doing should not concern city council or city residents; meltdown is near. The need to do the right thing now outweighs the need to look beyond city limits. Clean up your own house first, is what I've heard. The township v. city homebuilding argument is merely a stall strategy while developers run rampant and earn record profits. M/I & Dominion doesn't care about this community (OUR COMMUNITY). They care about profits! The Violet Township vs. Pickerington argument shows your ignorance and willingness to be used as a BIA pawn.

What these developers didn't see coming was area citizens willing to tarnish a good school district for the greater good of the community. In other words, the citizens were looking further ahead than the BIA, M/I & Dominion had planned.

Dear ''Pleased'': I am ''Pleased'' the levy failed in light of the hocus-pocus pulled Tuesday night by city council. If they would spend as much time and energy trying to attract commercial businesses as they do addressing how they can build more homes in our community and still keep their seat on city council, we wouldn't be in this mess.

You've got to wonder why city council pays so much attention to people who do not even live in this community and completely ignores the citizens who actually do live here! We can no longer trust city council to do what's in our best interest. They are of no use to the citizens who want to make Pickerington a better place to live.

Here's your solution ''PLEASED'': Stop the sewer expansion, oust the pro-development councilmen, pass the moratorium and..

WE WILL PAY FOR THE NEW BUILDINGS AND MONEY TO OPERATE THEM OURSELVES. WE DO NOT NEED THE COMMUNITY AUTHORITY OR THE BUILDERS.

WHAT WE NEED IS OUR COMMUNITY BACK!


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