Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Abstaining

I believe, from what I am told, Mr. Sabatino did attend one of the Ohio Ethics Commission training sessions last fall.

However if any of you have had the experience to watch and listen to Mr. Sabatino ask questions at a council meeting then you will quickly realize that to get through to Mr. Sabatino it would take more than one training session. Once he forms an opinion he sticks with it. Despite the fact, in from of the entire council, the Law Director will dispute his ''theory''. Clearly what the Ohio Ethics commission is trying to present is that those in government that vote on spending public dollars should not be influenced by contracts, business associations or FAMILY ties. Those that hold the public trust must avoid those situations where their vote might be perceived as a biased vote based on the above outline.

When confronted with the Diley Road widening votes and the fact that his mother lives on Diley and she will be directing affected he shirks it off. He even went so far as to call the Ohio Ethics Commission ''Ethics Nazis.'' I think this comment shows more than anything else his contempt for the laws of this state and his own personally agenda.

For the record Doug Parker and William Wright did attend these training sessions. With this new Ethics law in place in Pickerington you will find a number of times that these two (Wright and Parker) have abstained. Clearly it is no secret that public records will show large campaign donations from the principles of companies that have received large contracts with the city. I believe those same records will show these two sitting councilmen above have regularly voted on these contracts and issues that involved public money. Granted campaign donations do not go directly into the candidate's pocket unless he loses and he cashes out his account but they do show a willingness to accept campaign donations equal to probably 50% of what other candidates have spent to get elected.

An other principle that the Ohio Ethics Commission is trying to convey is the public perception of accepting funds or other gifts or considerations by the elected officials to the public and the public's concern for where their taxes are being directed. An incumbent Councilman accepting a $1,000 donation from a contractor that normally does business with the city may not violate that law but it does create some real perception problems.

So my point here is that for those that are seeing a pattern of abstentions by certain members of the Pickerington City Council some of it may be trying to be difficult on their part and some of it may very well be a REAL issue of conflict of interest and public perception brought on by an Ethics ordinance passed last year.




By Joe Ethics

Hey Joe

So if councilman X accepts say $500 from a city employee as a campaign contribution and then is faced with voting on that city employee's contract, should he abstain? Ethically or perceptionally?

Couldn't the perception be that this $500 will go to secure that the contract, especially if it is on a contractual basis, is voted upon favorably? I can answer the perception part: YES!

As to the ethical point of view on this scenario, can you answer it?

Good to hear they all attended the training. Maybe next time they will stay awake and learn something.

Given the seriousness of this fall's elections to both sides, it will be very interesting to read the campaign contribution reports. Like has been done in the past on this very site, it will be entertaining to follow the money.

By Council Watcher

Ethically Challenged

If you all think that the ethically challenged in our old city hall will do the same thing tricks twice since they know we are watching them, I would forget that. They have all kinds of track reocrds left behind when they thought they were the Rulers of Lockville not the citizens of Pickerington. This crowd will not give up and go away like so many here in Pickerington might think.

I understand that a former Pickerington City Councilman is out soliciting money from City contractors as we discuss this issue. I would fully expect a huge money laundering effort this time out and those Board of Elections reports will be delayed through a special loop hole in the Campaign reporting laws.

That loop hole is that funds are not considered spent until the check is cashed. I would also expect a lot of ''In Kind'' reporting where say signs are bought and the money is provided by either a Political Action Committee or a certain well off individual that has a special interest in the out come of this November's election. Also remember that another former member of The Pickerington City Council now owns a printing or mass mailing service in town. The last time this same mailing company waited until after the election to cash the checks and thus avoiding the reporting to the Board of Elections before the election.

Since their defeat in 2003 they have been pouring over the laws of our state to SEE WHAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS TIME.

Remember the Lee Gray trick of putting THREE mayoral candidates on the 2003 ballot to dilute the vote for David Shaver and swing the election to Lou Postage.

EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME.

right on

I believe you are absolutely correct and that the old guard will try to come back. Keep in mind that you may see some new faces that are backed by the old guard. I am sure PATA and discussion area posters will do their best to to open those candidate's closets to see if they are empty.

I think everyone should keep in mind that several former and perhaps current Council members and city employees now have or have continued developer and real estate connections in the city, Columbus, Violet Lancaster and Liberty Township. These people are not moving chump change in their transactions. Although they are free to choose whatever career path they want, it does seem to be convienent to go into development or real estate purchasing after or during government service. Is this a coincidence, maybe so but the prior posters stated the importance of appearances...I agree.