Pickerington Chamber of Commerce Speech

PACC Presentation 10-15-15

Thank you for the invitation.

I am the incumbent have lived here with my wife for 30 years and had the honor to serve for over 15 years. I consider this to be the 3^rd highest honor that someone could achieve with the: 1^st being in the military and 2^nd being in Public Safety (1^st Responders)

To those of you who don’t know me, here is some history.

·       Over 16 years ago (before becoming a Trustee) a neighbor visited me asking for help opposing a high density and moderate home cost development in our area which at that time was very sparsely populated.

·       After much research this neighbor and I formed a grassroots citizen’s organization- Residents attended many, many, many testimonial appearances in opposition during zoning hearings and Trustee meetings.

·       Eventually after meeting with the developer and their legal rep. the sub-division was developed at a much lower density with high end homes.

·       Ironically this premier Township sub-division is Violet Meadows where the other candidate resides. You are welcome Darrin!

After seeing the difference I could make with grass roots support, my background as the head of several private sector manufacturers had me believing that I could make major changes as easily and quickly in Township government. I admit now that I was a little too optimistic and naiive (Senior Trustee Mr. Dunlap educated me) 

·       My first unforgettable shock was running into the two brick walls called State regulations: the ORC and the Sunshine Laws as applied to Townships. 

o   The ORC is written so that if a Township is not explicitly allowed to something, it is not allowed!  Counties and municipalities have much more latitude.

o   And - the Sunshine Laws dictate that if 2 Trustees are together the public must be formally notified in the Press and no business can be conducted unless in a formal public forum.

How is that for restriction? All newly elected Trustees go through the same shock and learning curve which is why my experience makes me the better candidate. I understand what needs to be accomplished, and what restrictions there are on how it can be done. There is no learning curve for me. It takes experience, creativity and diligence to survive in the current environment.

It has taken our team of Trustees over 15 years to remove some of these bricks in the ORC wall. Quite a contrast to the private sector! During my tenure we

·       Became “Home Rule” through a ballot initiative approved by our voters 

·       Formed a CEDA with Canal Winchester, Canal Pointe and Violet Pointe more than a decade ago that created jobs and increased revenue for both parties

·       I continue to seek new revenue sources without property tax increases, to protect our community by asking residential developers to offset the negative cost impact to our schools. I ask but cannot demand this per by the ORC. The last win was Heron Crossing a couple months ago where the developer agreed to build a road at the Toll Gate school complex that the school would have had to pay to build.

·       Additionally we have had our general revenue cut from state funding over 35% from sources that Ohioan’s approved many, many years ago. The State balanced their budget off the local governments and now has a huge surplus.

Looking forward, a critical issue I plan to address is our road infrastructure which is in jeopardy. It is like a rubber band about to break. Once broken, it will cost more to fix than our community can afford.

·       We have invested over $82 million in our road infrastructure since starting to pave. Cost of materials increases have far out-paced our ability to fund paving and so we pave far fewer roads every year than 10 years ago.

·       In response to this impending crisis, we are in the process of contracting with a single trash hauler for the unincorporated portion of the township. This would reduce the heavy trash trucks travelling our roads lowering your cost and helping the roads live a little longer. 

Being a Violet Township Trustee has been a challenging but rewarding endeavor. I have been honored to serve as your Trustee and would appreciate the opportunity to continue protecting your property values, property rights and property taxes through creativity, persistence and integrity. Please vote for me for Violet Township Trustee.