Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

I wanted to address a concern that has taken back seat for a while now and that the rumored candidacy of Lee Gray for Township Trustee.

While in Office, in 1997, as Mayor of Pickerington, Mayor Lee Gray was fully aware of the City Manager speculating on land within the City of Pickerington. She had purchased an option on the Strickland parcel that the Diley Middle school sits on hoping that it would be re-zoned to high density housing. In a letter from the Mayor she was told not to have contact with the director of planning and zoning Fred Lappert. Should the City Manager have been fired? Did Lee Gray exercise good judgment?

I think before anyone votes for Mr. Gray we should all be reminded on the lapse in judgment by the former Mayor of Pickerington on more than one occasion. I believe most people in the City of Pickerington are already aware of that July evening back in 1998. About 2:30 AM a Pickerington Police officer stops a driver in a red pickup truck driving a little erratic. This stop was made very close to where the PYAA ball fields are located. The officer ran a check on the tags of the pickup truck and found that the tags were for a Ford Mustang which everyone knows is a car. Looking into the vehicle the officer saw a half full bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor board of the vehicle. The officer removed the driver, Lance Hedges, from the vehicle because he smelled of alcohol. The officer asked for insurance cards and driver?’s license. The driver didn?’t have a valid insurance card for the vehicle he was driving. The officer then administrated a field sobriety test and Mr. Hedges failed in my opinion. The officer asked the female passenger if she could drive the vehicle home and she seemed more intoxicated than Mr. Hedges. She got belligerent and called Mayor Lee Gray to come pick them up. By the time Lee Gray arrived and took his friend out of the back of the Police Cruiser the Pickerington Police officer was apologetic for even stopping Mr. Hedges. Did lee gray exercise good judgment?

January first 2000 Mr. Gray was no longer the Mayor of Pickerington. However within that first year out of office Mr. Gray was representing Homewood Homes in meetings with area residents. It is documented in a letter. Clearly if this had been known by area residents he certainly could have been charged under the Ohio Ethics laws. Considering the fact that the Mayor still has a key to the Pickerington City Hall, is this appropriate for a former Mayor to work for a person doing business with the city within that first year after leaving office? Did Lee Gray exercise good judgment?








By Beth

Outrage at his behavior

In the spring of 2002 Lee Gray was elected to the Republican Central committee and onto the county Republican Party Executive committee with his friend Brian Fox as the Chairman. During the campaign for the central committee Lee Gray and Brian Fox asked Pickerington City employees to run for Republican Central committee. The law director, the communications director, the Mayor?’s secretary, the assistant city clerk, the personal manager, the utilities director, and two police officers all ran for the Fairfield County Republican Central Committee. Some of this campaign work was done on city time with Mr. Brian Fox and Craig Maxey delivering campaign signs to city hall employees, during working hours, with the full knowledge of the City manager. Clearly they used the Pickerington City Hall as a campaign headquarters to direct the operations of the central committee races to put Mr. Fox in place to be the Republican County Chairman. Since there is no reporting required for these races we will never know who in the community funded this Central Committee race. Did Lee Gray exercise good judgment?


Now on the Central Committee Brian Fox selects Lee Gray to head up the Central Committee screening committee. Their job was to recommend to the Governor of Ohio the replacement for the vacated seat of Municipal Judge Chris Martin who had been elected to the Court of Common Pleas. The County Bar association endorsed Richard Berens by over 90% of their members. This screening committee selected Steve Jackson. Many in the BAR association felt this was a slap in the face to good honest government. Obviously Steve Jackson is the son of a Judge and he is a friend of Brian Fox. So did Lee Gray exercise good judgment?

Now comes the May 2003 primary and Lee Gray and the screening committee vote to endorse incumbent Municipal Judge Don McAuliffe for re-election. As a matter of public record that was documented in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette over the last four years Don McAuliffe had been accused of domestic violence against his former wife. She filed a complaint but the Judge was saved by the Statue of Limitations. The Judge also had an affair with a court employee who later sued the county and she was paid off with $15,000 of your tax dollars. Many in the prosecutor?’s offices (both Fairfield County and Lancaster City) complained that no one from the screening committee had talked with them prior to this endorsement. Don McAuliffe is now in jail awaiting trial for arson. One of the witnesses to this trial is our beloved Mayor Lou Postage. Did Lee Gray and his screening committee exercise good judgment?


Is Mr. Gray responsible enough to hold office with the public trust? Has he learned from his mistakes and is he trying to correct his character flaws? TODAY (July 9th 2003) I SAW MR. GRAY LEAVE HIS THREE YEAR OLD CHILD STRAPPED IN A CAR SEAT WHILE THE FORMER MAYOR WENT INSIDE THE POST OFFICE TO CHECK HIS MAIL BOX. How many times have we heard I was only in the store for a few minutes? Could Mr. Gray have held his child at the same time his was opening his post office box? I doubt I would want Mr. Gray to baby sit my children let alone run our township.


By Beth

Too aware of the troubles

Do you mean Lee Gray Way or the Lee Gray way ?

Didn?’t we name a street after the former Mayor?

In trade for that toad rubber-stamping the loss of a 600 acre Land Use Planned Commercial Park we got another subdivision.

Just like when Lee was Mayor and Goldman promised us that the Helwig Farm would be a mix of Assisted Living, a 9-hole gold course, and business and office space he C-2?’d the zoning so that we would get a Police Station, a glut of apartments, and now even more Condo?’s. Lee Gray Way was to give use a recreation area and an Indoor Soccer facility but all we got was the residential units.

The man?’s record is clear ?– you?’ll get housing units ?– nothing more! He?’ll play you saps that want athletics and recreation toward believing his dribble and you won?’t even get that in the end.

The former Mayor should be serving the public ?– the question is in which correctional facility?


By suomynona

Township invaders

I guess certain former city officials were not
satisfied with raping, ruining, and burying our
city community. Now they want to invade the
Township government. Lord help us all!

By Watching & waiting