Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

O'Brien says he is seeking full term to serve city's residents


Mitch O'Brien
By DAVID S. OWEN

Pickerington City Councilman Mitch O'Brien is seeking to be elected to a full term on council in the November general election.

O'Brien was appointed to council in 2004 to fulfill the unexpired term of Councilman David Shaver who had to resign from his post becaise he was elected mayor.

O'Brien is one of three incumbents on the ballot. The others are William ''Bill'' Wright and Michael Sabatino. They are being challenged by Cristie Hammond, Keith Smith and Tory Kramer

O'Brien, 47, is an information manager for the United States Department of Defense.

He moved to Pickerington with his wife, Kelly, in 1988. They have two children, Catie, 15, and Ben, 12.

O'Brien is a graduate of Columbus Technical Institute with a degree in aviation technology.

O'Brien and his wife lived in Florida and worked in the space shuttle program until the shuttle disaster in 1986 prompted them to move back to Columbus.

He said that prior to his appointment to council, he noticed Pickerington was faced with tremendous growth issues. Some council members were looking at managing controlled growth, and O'Brien said he supported that approach.

He said plans he heard City Council discussing, such as impact fees and growth management studies, were things he wanted to be a part of.

''I spent years complaining about the old council, and I did something. I ran petition drives, was treasurer of the political action committee, and decided if you're not a part of the solution you're part of the problem,'' O'Brien said.

''I felt like it was a duty and service to my community,'' he said.

O'Brien said as Pickerington continued to grow and evolve he really didn't care for the direction it was going all the time. He said he met some like minded people and talked to them and began to take action. ''Put the city first,'' he said.

He said his goals, if elected to the next term, include a five-point plan that will manage growth in the city.

''I want to execute the plans we have made,'' he said.

He said they have also re-established cooperative relationships with neighboring communities and he is committed to regional solutions.

''In the past, we've been very competitive with Violet Township, competing for businesses, services, and we all use the same roadways, the same schools,'' O'Brien said.

''We wanted to get together and look at things in a community perspective,'' he said. ''If we do this, how does it affect you, if you do that how does it affect us, and where can we look for common ground to come to a solution?'' he said.

O'Brien said he believes the spirit of cooperation has been successful and he credits City Manager Judy Gileland.

''She's very inclusive of the township, she wants to include everybody in the process and she's actually held up issues before committee until she had coordination with the township,'' he said.

O'Brien is running on a ticket with Hammond, Smith and Kramer

He said their campaign slogan is ''Together 4 Pickerington''.

When asked if he could be someone, who would it be, O'Brien said, ''To be the world's best dad and husband. Family first.''


By www.together4pickerington.com

O'Brien in This Week

Pickerington City Council
Seven seek election Nov. 8 to four open seats


Thursday, October 13, 2005

By MACKENZIE WHITE
ThisWeek Staff Writer


O'Brien, 47, is employed as an information manager at U.S. Department of Defense. He is a graduate of Columbus Technical Institute in aviation technology.

O'Brien was appointed to city council in February 2004. He is a member of the Fairfield County Republican Central Committee. He was a PYAA tennis coach in 2002-03 and a Violet Festival volunteer in 2002-03. He and his wife, Kelly, have two children: Catie, 15, and Ben, 12

Six of the seven candidates responded to questionnaires from This Week. Sabatino did not respond.

Looking ahead to 2006, what do you see as the city's biggest challenge? If elected, how do you plan to deal with this?

O'Brien: Managing growth will continue to be a major issue. But because council has been aggressively addressing growth through deliberate planning, I think traffic will be the city's biggest challenge in 2006. The city needs to effectively manage traffic flow along our major corridors. Access improvements to those corridors are also paramount. To that end, I am working with the finance committee and our engineering staff to upgrade all our signals and signal controllers in the city. Our ultimate goal is to create a smart corridor to maximize traffic flow adapted peak travel times every day of the week.

The city and Violet Township have been working to cooperate more than in past years; examples are the resolution of several annexation lawsuits, a possible joint parks district and a possible Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) or a Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA). Do you think this is a positive move? Why or why not? In what other ways might the two communities work together?

O'Brien: First of all, I don't see Pickerington and Violet Township as separate communities. We are one community and it is time we address common issues as one community. Absolutely JEDDs and CEDAs are positive moves, and are outstanding examples of what can be accomplished through cooperation instead of competition. We all share the burdens of past growth policies and we are now striving to realize joint benefits from properly managed development. We need to continue to jointly develop two projects that are currently underway: a transportation improvement plan and our comprehensive land use plan. These projects will benefit us greatly.

Residential design guidelines have been proposed. Some say they will benefit the city and will affect only those building new homes; others say people should be able to design their homes as they wish. What do you think? Do you think these guidelines might keep people from moving into the area? If so, would this be an appropriate way to manage growth?

O'Brien: Please keep in mind that the primary intent of the design guidelines is to ensure quality construction. Pickerington already has design guidelines for commercial development. Design guidelines are not intended to be a growth-management tool. These guidelines are just broad brush strokes which reflect the distinctive character that defines Pickerington.

Nearly all the builders in Pickerington already meet the proposed guidelines as they stand. People can still design their homes to express their individuality. What they will get in return for their investment is a higher-quality home that will have a higher resale value in the future.

mfry@thisweeknews.com