Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Feb 20, 2001

This is in response to Mark Uher worrying about PATA taking credit for efforts on recent rezonings in Violet Township in the previous discussion.

Mr. Uher participated in a rezoning negotiation with Donley Homes Inc, 3.5 years ago and thought I forgot about his contribution to that effort. I have not.

I want to clearly state that PATA does not care who makes efforts to curb housing growth in our community...PATA members or not, our purpose is to encourage participation in the process not increasing our membership numbers. We try to provide documentation of government activity and analysis to the best of our ability. You do not have to be a PATA member to make a difference...if you choose to try to make a difference, you are not necessarily aligned with PATA! In fact, many non members are making more efforts than members....we applaud everyone trying to create a better community for our families, no matter who you are or who you are associated with.


Mark,

I do not forget your efforts with Donley on the Summerfield 16/ now Ashley Creek development. I do remember attending several meetings with you and witnessing your endorsment of Donley's condo planfor this property, and then AFTER stating your endorsement of such, making an effort to talk to your neighbors and finding out that they really did not want condos on the SR 204 corridor just like the postiion of the majority of the committee. I 'm glad you made the effort to find out what your neighbors thought even if you first blurted out your personal opinion representing Glenshire... without knowing what your neighbors thought really about it. Your initial position endangered the success of the majority view of the committee. I am glad you took the time to speak to your neighbors, because Glenshire's support of the effort was very important. Having been there negotiating yourself I think you know if people care they can make a difference. Please stop wasting time with the soap opera politics part... as it means nothing to results... but may be more fun for you.

I honor the efforts of the Chevington Village citizens and all the members of the committee who perserved through a long series of meetings. We need more people to become involved in development issues to have an effect on this runaway housing growth. Since you made an effort on one such issue 3.5 years ago, perhaps you would consider joining other citizens, PATA members or not, in demanding that our government officials make strong efforts to control housing growth.

With the time you spend typing on this discussion page, perhaps you could write a letter to Donley, Homewood, M/I, Dominion, Rockford and other developers and ask them to donate substantially to the capital development fund for our schools instead of just the levy campaign fund!

We, all the residents of our community, would welcome your help. -By Lisa Ross

Not In My Backyard

Not In My Backyard

Interesting how times have changed. When the up-scale condominiums were being proposed in your backyard, they were awful. However, when they are being proposed in John Brinson?’s backyard, they generate .2 to.4 children versus the 1 to 2 children generated per single family home, and all of a sudden they are wonderful.

People in Glenshire at the time thought up-scale condominiums should be, at least, considered. You fiercely opposed any discussion of condominiums.

Our schools may have been a bit less crowded if you would have kept an open mind.

As I have mentioned before, as long as Gail Oakes is on our school board, corporate and business contributions to our schools will be few. She has voted against and/or abstained on literally millions of dollars of contributions to our district and is the sole reason we have lost millions in corporate contributions. She has berated and humiliated sizable contributions to our schools. Maybe you and other PATA members ought to write Mrs. Oakes condemning her treatment of corporate contributions and her taking thousands of dollars of tax payers money away from our kids for her own personal use. If you would like, Lisa, I could write Office Solutions and Bank One asking them to substantially donate to our schools. After all, doesn?’t Bank One make some money off the 30-year mortgages they write for residential homes in our community?

Throughout the nation, most smart-growth organizations target their attention towards banks because they fuel growth. All groups except PATA. PATA targets only developers. I wonder why.

Finally, Lisa, I thought your comment about Mr. Ruma?’s check bouncing was very unprofessional. When you write your letters to builders asking for donations, remind them to send a ?‘check that does not bounce.?’ You?’ll get a lot of respect.

Mark W. Uher

You forget

Mark.

I think you seem to forget that the ''people'' in Glenshire DID NOT support the condos on the Ashley Creek property...or at least that is what you told the committee, developers and zoning board after you sought ''their'' opinions instead of only your own. The condos on the Wellington Park property are up against SR 256 and the PR10 zoning the city is allowing on the Krivda property, not next to John Brinson's neighborhood as you seem to believe, look at the map on the site. I see others have discovered your lack of seeking information on this site too. John Brinson supported the condos as an alternative to having 60 foot frontage lots next to his neighborhood, now they are 100 foot frontage lots nearer the size of the lots in Chevington Village.

Your Gail Oakes Spew is getting old and if any school board candidates who sit on the board majority embrace you to help their campaigns, they will make a big mistake as many members of the community are beginning to see you as radical and vindictive to a greater degree than you can accuse anyone else of being! I hope you keep spewing...then the whole community can see what you are really about, it is getting comical.

Come Together

My Dear Lisa,

Please re-read John Brinson?’s February 20, ?‘Come Together?’ remarks under the ?‘Where?’s PATA?’ discussion.

Let me share again some of his words, ?“Finally (to Mark, all P.A.T.A. members and the rest of this community), we must come together ... someone please get us together.''

I listen to John Brinson. He has earned my respect. Though I don?’t personally know him, I admire his accomplishment. He played a most valuable role in securing a tremendous donation from a business to help our schools. He succeeded, in part, because he understood how to achieve results. Lisa, you too could learn from John.

I do plan to respond to his thoughtful comments, in addition to the valuable insights offered by Soap Box Hero over the weekend. Some of my comments may surprise you.

Finally, Lisa, I don?’t think it is helpful to PATA for you and I ?‘to stand on the public street corner shouting at each other and calling each other names?’ regardless of who is right and who is wrong. But, then it is your 'street corner'.

With all due respect, you have absolutely no clue about the ?‘Oakes?’ situation. Even Soap Box Hero knew not to ?‘go there?’. And, if you want some numbers, I got four calls praising my letter to the editor today at work ?– all four from people who have never called me at work and one person that I never spoke to in my life. In addition, at the meeting I attended this evening with 32 other district residents, it was the ?‘talk of the town?’ and I hadn?’t even received my newspaper yet. Please feel free to call former Governors Rhodes & Celeste if you want information about my political insight or judgement (if you would like I could provide a list of current elected officials that have paid me for my political insight ?– let me know how many you want). I take it by your tone, Lisa, you won?’t be one of my customers. For some reason, I doubt that Mrs. Oakes will consult me either. I just don't know why.

Please, Lisa, listen to Brinson and take his advice if want to ever succeed at your mission to put legal home construction limits on our community.

Mark