Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Matheny resigns from county board of elections

By CARL BURNETT JR.
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
cburnett@nncogannett.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lancaster - For 14 years, Peggy Matheny has been a familiar face on the Fairfield County Board of Elections.

She spent the first five years as a clerk in the office and the last nine years as president of the four-member board.

Her last meeting with the Board was last Thursday.

''I am moving out of the county to accept a new position,'' Matheny said. ''So I am going to resign the office.''

She said she would be starting her new job in a couple of weeks.

The Board of Elections consists of two Republicans and two Democrats. Matheny has represented the Republicans on the board through numerous elections and party chairmen. The Fairfield County Republican Executive Committee authorized its chairman, Steve Davis, to replace Matheny permanently on the board when it becomes vacant.

Fairfield County Democrat Party Executive Committee Chairman Dale Graham serves on the Board of Elections. He said Davis serving in the Republican seat is a good choice.

''I've know Peggy since she was in school, and she was great to work with as an employee of the board and as a board member,'' Graham said. ''She will be missed.''

Graham said also that Davis is a good choice.

''I've always had a lot a respect for Steve and I think it is mutual,'' Graham said. ''He will be a welcomed addition to the board.''

Davis said Matheny's resignation came up during an Executive Committee meeting Thursday night.

''It is common practice to have the party chairman serve on the Board of Elections,'' Davis said. ''In most counties, the chairman of both parties serve on the Board of Elections so that critical information about elections get to party members and candidates.''

If made official, Davis will bring his experience as a lawyer and former elected official to the board. In the 2004 presidential election he worked as an observer for President George W. Bush's re-election campaign.

''I've also represented Republicans and their positions at the board on legal issues, as well as being a candidate, and I am familiar with the financial reporting process,'' Davis said. ''I won't come to the board running, but I won't be standing either. I look forward to the opportunity of working with everyone.''


By Independent Thinker

Time for newer, fairer fields

OK, I ain't having fun no more. Steve Davis, bless his little soul, simply has his hands in too many pies.

- He is representing the developers of the Roshon property trying to get several hundred more kids in the PLSD.
-Guy's a lawyer, gotta make a living, right?

- He is running the county republican party, albeit running it somewhat into the ground.
-How much have things REALLY changed in the county party? Same games - different faces??

- He is meddling in the nonpartisan Pickerington city council race.
-What could be better than republicans owning city hall?

- He is securing endorsements for and promoting partisan candidates (note I said partisan candidates, not the best candidates) in the nonpartisan race that the candidate couldn't normally get on his own.
-Hey, if they are a republican, they are OK, right?

Steve is a great guy. Don't get me wrong. I respect him from my involvement with him several times in Lancaster. He simply has his hands in too many pies.

By Township dude

Owning City Hall

Thinker you are very close to the truth here. This is exacting the way the other Republican club took over in the 90s. In the early part of the nineties we had a local Republican club that was run by the locals. Once they started having some success and recruiting candidates to fill NON-PARTISAN seats on council the Republican partisans from Lancaster started making charges against the Pickerington Republicans that they had non partisans signs in their yards and one of those yards was sacred ground.

This was also small town Pickerington with a club of locals trying to do their civic duties and get involved. However they left themselves open to these so called partisans like Brian Fox and Lee Gray.

As we all learned later after the fact our young Mayor Lee Gray that promised so much was ethically challenged. We all remember his interference in a drunk driver arrest in 1998. If that had been all there was then he may have been forgiven. He was into more things and he associated with a criminal element that worked out of our City Hall. Currently this current element is serving time in Jail for Arson.

Then we have Brian Fox and from the beginning he aspired to reach a much higher office. He was susceptible to political manipulation because of his desire to go places in the political world outside Pickerington.

So in 2001, there was a political revolution here in Pickerington. Why did these folks revolt? First the only way to get elected and it was known by many was to kiss up to the local Republican Club. They would provide you money and workers and help to get you elected. They had strict rules and you had to be a loyal Republican to join the PARC. However you could be also a Democrat (like John Washington. Joyce Bushman, Randy Hughes and Old Lou Postage) if you wanted to play by their game. That game was sitting there voting and not asking questions.

So after supporting the county party in the continuation of the revolt the local NW club elected a Lancaster Attorney Steve Davis in 2004. This removed many of the PARC members from any leadership role from the county Party.

So what do the dumb asses do but start down the very same path that the PARC did in the early 90s. They currently have a candidate Jeff Fix running for Council. He has his own campaign staff working behind the scenes to give him the club's endorsement. Seeing this some in the club wanted to forgo the club's endorsement and now they have been ostracized.

Obviously Jeff is using us all for a political stepping stone and on to higher county wide office like county commissioner. Fix's candidacy is more about his next step rather than serving the citizens of Pickerington now.

Unfortunately Fix is taking Mayor Shaver with him who also has aspirations of becoming a Fairfield County Judge next year in the primary.

Mayor Shaver has the ability to over look Mr. Fix's outburst during the July P & Z meeting where he attacked the ethics of not only council member Mitch O'Brien but that of the other candidate Tory Kramer. I have received documentation that Fix has listed Mayor Shaver as endorsing his candidacy for council. I also understand Shaver is refusing to endorse Mitch O'Brien.

What is going on with these two?

I am sure there will be much more with this issue soon.