Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Does this mean that Postage will appoint her successor?

PICKERINGTON CITY COUNCIL

CITY HALL, 100 LOCKVILLE ROAD

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2003



SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING

CALLED BY FINANCE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL



7:30 P.M.



1. ROLL CALL.



2. LEGISLATIVE READINGS:



A. ORDINANCE 2003-105, ?“AN ORDINANCE TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF THE CITY MANAGER, PROVIDE FOR SEVERANCE, AND THE DECLARATION OF IMMEDIATE NECESSITY AND EMERGENCY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FOR ORDERLY TRANSITION,?” First Reading, Parker.



B. ORDINANCE 2003-97, ?“AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR THE 2004 FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2004, INCLUDING THE EMPLOYEE PAY PLAN FOR 2004, EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 22, 2003,?” Second Reading, Wright.



3. ADJOURNMENT.

Council hires Manager

Postage will not be appointing anyone. The new manager will be screened and then voted on by the NEW council sometime early next year. Once Mrs. Bushman resigns the Service Director Frank Wiseman will be acting manager until the new manager is hired and voted on by the 2004 Pickerington City Council.

Search committee

I understand from the Pickerington Times-Sun that there is going to be some kind of search committee formed to screen for this new Pickerington City Manager. They also said that it would cost the about $15,000 for the search. They didn't say how long it would take but I am sure it will take months.

The Pickerington City Council actually appropriates the money for the manager so they will make the final decision. I am sure Mayor Shaver will have a lot to say on who he wants as Manager and I am also sure knowing those that just got elected they will honor David Shaver's choice.

Golden Parachute

Well Joyce Bushman is no longer the Pickerington City manager. Her resignation takes affect on January 2nd. So for those that may worry that Lou Postage would be appointing the new manager this should ease your mind some because he also will be out of office on January 2nd.

Some expressed sympathy with her departure, namely Doug Parker and Lou Postage. Both claimed she has done a good job. She takes credit for the widening of STATE route 256 and the downtown revitalization projects. For those of you that don?’t know we have spent millions to spruce up the downtown area. The current project is costing us $1,800,000 for curbs and sidewalks. Now you can?’t make the turns because of the tight curbs and this so that it looks pretty. Please take the time to stop and watch the trucks try to negotiate the turn at the former four way stop in downtown Pickerington. This is a state highway that semi?’s can?’t safely travel. I have witnessed tanker trucks loaded with gasoline go left of center and their back wheels up on the curb just so that the pork barrel council men could put their names on the construction sign near the rail line just before the election of 2001. Being a tax payer, that was nothing lest than theft of our tax dollars when we needed so much more attention paid to other parts of the city.

As for the state route 256 project and her taking credit for that project. Would it be so bad if route 256 was still two lanes? I can?’t seem to get up to I-70 any faster now than I did in 1995 when the road was smaller. Despite the fact that she has a degree in planning it appears to be poor planning to have allowed all of these new homes to come into Pickerington without any kind of traffic plan to get these people to work and just to travel around Pickerington. Maybe some of the dollars she spent on the downtown should have been spent on roads and other planning.

From the Columbus Dispatch this morning Mike Maurer reports that Joyce will receive a $50,000 severance package. Apparently she will also be paid through the end of the year until she leaves office. Maybe she is smarter than we gave her credit for. Clearly she wouldn?’t have gotten that good of a deal with the new council after the first of the year.


After years of terrifying the Pickerington City employees she is now leaving with a fat pay off. Notice they just allowed her to resign and accept this payoff. They didn?’t find porn on her computer nor did they make up some story to fire her. She was allowed to resign. I bet she also gets a positive reference from the Mayor Lou Postage.

That is much more than she gave her employees and the taxpayers of this city.



By Average Joe