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Since 1-16-01, Soap Box Hero (SBH) has had 18 postings in this Discussion Area. Come to think of it, I could have called this ?“Evolution of Soap Box Hero?”.
SBH started in rantings and ravings to the 1-9-01 letter of Mayor Hughes to the citizens of Pickerington about the circulated citizen petitions, but then proceeds to claim that the City regime is transparent in its ulterior motives that are an insult to the intelligence of the citizens of Pickerington. Continued SBH claims state that the two-day deadline is a direct result of the Mayor?’s personal interference with Mr. Harding?’s attempt to obtain certified copies of the ordinances to attach to the petitions in a forthright and proper manner.
If Mr. Harding would have proceeded to action like he is quoted in the 12-6-0 Violet Township Meeting Summary as obviously having full knowledge of the ordinance under fire; he did have more than two days prior to the deadline. Enough said on that SBH?
You continue to claim that emergency legislation is a new method of government that you will continue to use every right you have as an individual to repeal and restrict the very ability to use such legislation. The petition drive will be on the ballot for this fall as required, but it is about the PR 4 zoning for any new annexations. Check again, emergency legislation is used by other entities as well and has been used as such for a very long time. I agree with you that it should be very cautiously used because of the appearance and the limitation to public input. However, it is not something new, as you appear to be preaching.
OK, SBH, you continued to throw your temper tantrum for a while longer. You like to call it being ?“verbose?”. I call it throwing a TEMPER TANTRUM! You continue to bring in more and more personalities along the way, all in the name of being ?“an equal opportunity grumbler?”. You profusely continue to thank more personalities and then get further into another beef you appear to have with the schools. You promise to help repeat the campaign to defeat the next levy that comes up so your ?“words are not wasted?”.
Thank you so much for sharing your 10-6-00 letter that you believe the media suppressed in their support of district puppets more than the TRUTH. Actually your continued furor let us all get to know you better. SBH, did you happen to ask Ms. Oakes in your dialogue for the answers to your questions? It doesn?’t look like she volunteered it openly to your open letter. Did she talk to you about enrollment projections, current student population, and facility planning? It still doesn?’t look like it. In your pursuit of the TRUTH, maybe you need to be able to handle the TRUTH. The levy group, you so despise, had the information did you really try? Let me put it to you simply, or do you want a picture? The levy website did have pictures and information. If you still had questions did you ask as you stress to others it is so important to do? Remember, this is a search for the TRUTH. Did you really speak to two professional contractors or are you just blowing hot air again? Experts can be sought out to tell what you want to hear. Remember? You are so correct when you say you are entitled to answers to a thousand questions by the elected officials, just ask them out in the open.
By Another Concerned Viewer
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SBH Part 2
Please forgive me, I had to continue....
Oh, that?’s right you are afraid of the retribution from the Pickerington ?“mafia-styled system?”. Hmmmmmm, paranoia from the self-professed Soap Box Hero?….Get real SBH, they have been doing very well by our kids, do you really need to EXAGERATE so much!
You asked Mayor Hughes to resign not once, but twice in your ramblings. Yes, the ?“free to be stupid?” quote was in poor taste, but did you really have to join in? Remember you profess to be looking for the TRUTH. Do you really need to make your point by being so personal? Cooperative ventures?…..mutual is not in their vocabulary?…?… Do you think your type of ranting will make it better?
You then take a week off and decide that it is time to stop what you perceive as the maligning and vilifying of PATA. You don?’t want others to be sheep that are just led around. You even admit you are working on your character flaws. Good for you! I wish more people would take their civil rights as seriously.
UhhhOhhh! You slipped up again with the personal attacks all in the name of no longer looking back, but ahead because you can?’t change what has already happened. That is OK, SBH, you are working on those character flaws aren?’t you? Especially when one perceives themselves as having charisma and a desire to be in the public eye. That?’s right SBH, you did say that about another! Did you remove the plank from your own eye first?
All of a sudden you are blushing about civility in dialogue. You persist in being protective of sticking to issues until such time as the campaigning begins and the candidates get personal. You call people to action in your family meeting scenario. SBH also finds a common cause?…..on the mark! You slip up again with personal comments of names, but ask others to join PATA and be heard.
Then, just as the redness leaves your face, you develop another tone/mood/personality. You claim the importance of moving on, focusing on issues, and minimizing personal attacks. You don?’t believe someone else can play well with others. You?…You?…You?…go to a different venue?…You will have control?…You will reign supreme. Again, I say you appear to be might possessive of the PATA SANDBOX (Soap Box?) in your temper tantrums. Finally, you add ?“Loose the cannons boys, and prepare to be attacked?” ?– Captain Thomas Graves. Now, you are really out there, SBH!
Are these postings the work of a true crusader to protect and preserve the dignity and integrity of the beliefs they PROFESS to have? Are you really seeking the TRUTH, SBH? Or are these the postings of an unbalanced, ill-tempered bully from his own backyard sandbox? It certainly looks like Soap Box Hero is more than the everyday person that occasionally gets his bowels in a pretzel twist!
By Another Concerned Viewer
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Reply
Thanks for taking the time to read my postings. You make some valid points, and yes, I am an equal opportunity grumbler. I give the City, Township and schools all airtime.
Regarding your first three paragraphs, I agree, enough has been said on that subject. In the next paragraph I get a little confused, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. I know the zoning issue is on the ballot and I am glad you agree that Emergency Legislation should be used very cautiously. I also know that Emergency Legislation is both sometimes necessary and used by other entities. There is always going to be a public perception that when most of the business is conducted in this manner, then at least some of this business must be secretive or too complex for us to understand, or the City fathers are so far behind the capability curve, they can't keep up with business via normal legislation methods. Either I'm missing your point here or you have missed mine in the past, but utilizing Emergency Legislation for the gross majority of legislation is just flat wrong. I believe Emergency Legislation should be reserved for matters of public safety or where the City stands to lose significant tax dollars if the normal readings take too long. I also believe that unless the City government makes sudden great strides in voluntarily reducing the amount of business conducted by declaring emergencies, the taxpayers will decide they have had enough and take steps to reduce that capability by vote. I pledged to support that.
Moving on, in rereading some of my postings I can see where you might perceive tantrums. Sorry. It was my intent to stir up discussion. Sometimes you have to yell a little to get someone to respond or at least that's what my kids try to prove. Ah, the next levy campaign, a subject near to our hearts, right? As I bantered with our pal Mark in the past, I had hoped that to get a point across. The School Board needs to take steps to become more publicly forthcoming in the areas of posting transcripts of the Board meetings and perhaps publish a 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25-year facility plan. I have no doubt they exist and are probably a matter of public record if I just knew where to go get them. Perhaps the PLSD web site might be a good place to post them. Keep in mind, and I'm sure you've acknowledged this in the past, but there are a lot of talented, skilled and educated people in PLSD that can offer valuable advice on such plans. My opinion is that with a School Board so forthcoming with information, the voters will respond positively. Additionally, if more public input is sought or at least considered, then puppet panels to pick colors, mascots, names and district boundaries will be perceived differently.
I'll try to live by my words and not get into specific discussions about Ms. Oakes. Fact of the matter anyway is I didn't really understand all Mark was making accusations about regarding her and I hope that he indeed starts a discussion forum elsewhere where we can discuss it. You know what I always say: ''Informed Voter yada yada''. I also hope that the elections will help to depolarize the Board for the sake of all the kids and taxpayers. You later call me a bully but I believe that the pro-levy campaigners could have given me bully lessons. I have a friend who was, and I'm going to wear out his word - bullied into working for P4K. In their meetings my friend described some of the things that were said about Dr. Rigelman, et al, and P4K should be ashamed.
By Soap Box Hero
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Reply, continued
I was vocal in agreeing with the fact that the schools were (are) overcrowded. Without reviewing 18 tiresome postings, I think I said no intelligent voter in PLSD could disagree. However, they could disagree with the fact that $77 million worth of new schools was the solution. You (scratch that?…too personal) It hasn't been demonstrated in the past that fiscal prudence hasn't always been the one of the foremost creeds of the Board. Similarly to City government, there is the possibility that the experience level of the current Board just doesn't match up with where PLSD is at today. Once again, the election might help to balance Board Members' experience and skill levels with the complexities of PLSD, Violet Twp., the City, the developers, the voters and all that goes on around here.
On to Part 2: Paranoia? Possibly, but it was Mark that pointed out examples of retribution. By whom, we can only speculate. I just said I, and others feared possible retribution. He lives it. Does it matter if it's my side against yours or your side against mine? If there is retribution taking place, it's gone too far.
Doing well by our kids? In this paragraph are you talking about the City or PLSD? The City could care less unless there is a career crossover between public officials and educators, but anything I say on that, you will dismiss at conjecture or speculation. School Board? In spite of themselves, I think the system works. Not because of the antithetic School Board, but because of the Principals and teachers and all the others that have a daily hands-on effect with the children. Not some aloof committee of earnest headline grabbers. Give credit where credit is due please.
You think I am too personal in asking the Mayor to resign. Very well. How about if a panel of peers should censure any public official who is quoted as calling his constituents stupid and misguided not only in one article but also in subsequent articles. There, is that better? Sorry, I took personal offense by his statements. You have pointed out that you believe I am misguided, but hopefully you won't say I'm stupid. At the very least, shouldn't the media consultant caught that before it jumped out of the box?
The rest is about Mark, right? Gosh, unless I missed something in his postings, I don't think he took our bantering as badly as you have. He has proven himself quite capable of defending himself, so I won't address this with you, too.
I wasn't off the mark, even if I'm off my rocker once in a while, about preparing to be attacked. Hopefully, as a result of your efforts, others will explore the website and see the value. Hopefully others will post their opinions and SBH can ride off into the sunset as he had originally intended before Mark showed up at the backyard sandbox wanting to play.
Can you accept if I express opinions about entities such as the City Government, School Board, etc. instead of the Mayor, School Board President, etc.? Would this seem to be less personal? I asked for civility and will give it in return. Civility is established by society. Please let me know, speaking for society, if I am getting more civil and rectifying my self-admitted character flaws.
I do get my boxers in a bunch now and again. I will never claim that I am the sharpest knife in the drawer. I just ask a ton of questions when I don't understand something. If I don't ask I will never learn. If I stop learning, what is left to do?
By Soap Box Hero
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