Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

This is just too good to resist. In today?’s Pickerington Times-Sun Michael Sabatino is quoted and it shows just how shallow his thought process is.

This article talks about the Diley Road issue and putting the question to the voters on whether the Road expansion should be a three lane or a five lane project. First I guess you should understand how does any City develop projects, especially road improvements? Do we start out with a $ 7 to $8 thousand dollar special election that is ?“ADVISORY?” in nature and propose a project because some of the local residents think it is a good idea?

I doubt the school board is proposing these new school buildings with out some justification. I would think they have put in some study and they are projecting a NEED in the future.

So what would we think if the school board would have placed the three options they had proposed or at least the facilities committee had proposed on the ballot? Would any of us been understanding enough to allow the board to waste $16 or $17 thousand for an ?“ADVISORY?” election?

What Mr. Sabatino, Wright and Parker are proposing is just that, a waste of taxpayer?’s money to answer a question that has no basis in fact or study to justify a three lane road over a five lane road.

When Mr. O?’Brien proposed to put a bond issue on the ballot to pay for the project because the City will lose its federal funding and after 10 months these three councilmen have failed to come up with any source for funding this three lane Diley Road citizen's idea.

Here is Michael?’s response to Mr. O?’Brien's proposal: ?“Councilman Michael Sabatino scoffed at the tax request, calling it ?“a smoke screen and scare tactic?” that would not accurately gauge opposition to the five lane project.?” ?“It is very foolish for someone to think (proponents of the five-lane project) are going to get an honest reply (from opponents of the five-lane project) by attaching a tax to it and asking people to vote for it,?” Sabatino said.?”

FOLKS I THINK MR. SABATINO IS MISSING HIS CALLING. I THINK HE HAS FOUND THE REASON WHY SO MANY SCHOOL BOND AND OPERATING LEVIES FAIL. YOU IDIOTS AT THE SCHOOL BOARDS ARE ATTACHING ACTUAL TAXES TO THE BALLOT ISSUES TO PAY FOR THE PROJECTS YOU ARE PROPOSING.






By In Disbelief

PARKER FOR SCHOOL BOARD

While we are at it we should also include Mr. Doug Parker into the pool of potential candidates for the Pickerington Local School board race his fall.

Here we have a leader in our community with proven skills in finance and engineering to guide the future school board into the abyss I mean the promise land. At around 48 he lives above a craft store in downtown Pickerington.

His only goal in life is to play golf and accept FREE golf trips to places like Pine Hurst, North Carolina with a Judge that is now convicted of arson. Obviously Mr. Parker was just trying to protect his friend and accomplis from going to jail when he testified to the whereabouts of the judge when the Judge?’s house was burning. I think loyalty is important in school board members. We can see Mr. Parker has blind loyalty.

Our children are under pressures that none of us parents will ever understand. I am sure Mr. Parker could relate to these younger citizens in the community by proposing rules at the board for our children not to rat out their friends in the name of doing what is right.

Mr. Parker who pays no property taxes at age 48, believes the real estate taxes in our community either stay flat or they actually go down because of increased number of new homes and the dollar amounts of the levies are then spread over more property evaluations. Thus our taxes decrease every year so what?’s the big deal? He would be more than willing to propose bond levies to build what ever was needed to support the residential builders in our community.

LIKE SABATINO, PARKER THINKS ALLOWING A THREE LANE ADVISORY VOTE ON DILEY ROAD IS ACTUALLY THE BRAVE THING TO DO. THIS IS AFTER APPROXIMATELY 26 VOTES IN FAVOR OF THE FIVE LANE PROJECT. HE IS TURNED AROUND BY A CITIZEN?’S REQUEST BASED ON THEIR OPINION. TO PROPOSE A BOND LEVY TO PAY FOR THE ROAD SHOWS THAT CERTAIN PICKERINGTON COUNCILMEN HAVE NO ?“GUTS.?”

We need men on the school board with GUTS.


By Golf supporter

WRIGHT FOR SCHOOL BOARD

I almost forgot the third candidate for the Pickerington school board this fall.

That would be Bill Wright.

Mr. Wright has for years defended his actions on the Pickerington City council and how they have related to the school district. He accepts NONE of the blame for the over crowed school district. Obviously he would make a great board because of his finance experience as the Chairmen of the Pickerington City Council finance committee.

I think we can all agree that Mr. Wright is the smartest person in Pickerington and the most senior councilmember. With his quick wit in attacking the Mayor and trying to see if he can get a negative reaction from others members of the council has been the long standing behavior of Mr. Wright. Clearly this breaks up the meeting so that nothing gets done if the others allow it. Mr. Wright tries to teach us character by testing our limits regularly.

I believe Mr. Wright even takes his character training home to his children. Forcing them to endure the hardships that we all must face in life by attending over crowed schools.

FOR A REAL CHARACTER BUILDER ON THE SCHOOL BOARD I WOULD RECOMMEND WILLIAM WRIGHT FOR THE PICKERINGTON SCHOOL BOARD.


By Class of OHHH 6

Trial by your peers

Let?’s take a more realistic look at the nominations. These three are running for council in November. What do they bring to the table? The last ties of elected officials to the past. Staff has been ferreted out somewhat and there are a few more to go. This city is getting closer to the fresh start that the voters indicated they wanted in the 04 elections.

Let?’s review some of the accomplishments of these three in the illustrious elected or appointed careers. All three voted in lockstep to do the hostile annexations and emergency rezonings that have resulted in the loss of hundreds of acres of commercial and industrial development. The resultant rezoning is high density residential. Who benefits? The schools at 1.9 students per house? The city? Contrary to what Wright continues to say, the cost of community services is greater than the tax dollars received. He continues to cite one year out of the twelve studied where is was barely less.

Well, I digressed. After making possible thousands of house down Diley Rd. they then decide that the original widening they approved for Diley wasn?’t fair to 5 households along Diley. Thousands of additional cars on the roads per day on a two-lane hay wagon road don?’t matter. Only the financial gains of 5 households are at stake. They want three lanes. What do you gain with three? A turn lane for those 5 to get into their driveways easier.

The new council decided to enact legislation requiring ethical behavior on the part of all elected officials. They then sponsored ethics training from the Ethics Commission of Ohio at no cost to anyone who wanted to attend. Hundreds attended. Representatives from all township offices, city offices and schools attended. Did all council attend? No.

One of these abstains from voting on most things. He hasn?’t the courage to vote. You know why he abstains? Because when the reporters ask why you voted one way or another, you don?’t have to answer why you abstained. But this guy does have the courage to vote on ordinances that have a direct financial impact on his immediate family. He doesn?’t have the courage to vote to approve the minutes of the last meeting.

No courage, no honor and no ethics. I cannot vote for him.

One of these missed a whole slew of meetings last year. I read that in the paper. If he doesn?’t have the time to attend, why reelect him? It would be kinder to not reelect him and let him pursue whatever it is that keeps him away. By the way, in addition to missing many council meetings, he also missed a lot of committee meetings according to the Pickerington web site. He also was quoted in the Pickerington Times-Sun October 2, 2002 stating ?“We were elected to handle things the way we want to handle them.?” Well, I elect people to handle things the way I want them handled. After a council meeting this winter after the Cherry Hill residents came in to hear about the storm damages, I and a lot of other residents were in the parking lot. I heard this councilman literally explode on a fellow councilman outside and he knew full well that there were others of us in earshot. He was vulgar, hysterical, offensive and verbally abusive. I guess he knew he had an audience. My husband and I felt better that the assaulted councilman just walked away.

Poor attendance, poor behavior, poor intelligence, vulgarity in front of the electorate. I cannot vote for him.

Last guy. Do I have to go farther than when he attacked the Mayor?’s family at council?

Unwarranted attacks of someone?’s family? Unforgivable. I cannot vote for him.

OK, someone else?’s turn. I fully appreciate the sarcasm of nominating them for school board, but let?’s be real. Sarcasm aside, these baboons should be run out of town.


By voter