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EducateWorthington.org

The 912 Project - Glenn Beck

912 Group of Central Ohio

Please let me know if you'd like your link added

I was curious if CTHers had an opinion about the Republican Primary for Clerk of Courts. Basically, Phil Harmon is running against a candidate to be named later by the party. Here are the details:

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/conte...olitics&sid=101

 

The following statement didn't sit to well:

Main issues: “The clerk's office should be run by an experienced attorney, not a political appointee.”

If we could demand some type of answer from our local officials it'd be nice, but seeing how they hold infrequent secretive meetings where they dictate topics to be discussed, I doubt we'll get an answer.

My guess is that the Harmon is "overqualified" and hasn't been tithing enough to the local party in order to get elected.  What I don't understand is why you must run under a party for Clerk of Court.  How this has any influence, I have no idea?  I guess one party is more "qualified."

The name Phil Harmon invokes some thoughts and not all of them very nice. One of those thoughts will be the Big Darby Accord which is another well documented step towards socialism. Talk about the fox in the hen house.

I would attribute a lack of endorsement this time around for Phil brings to mind Worthington attorney & school board member David Bressman who failed to secure the GOP's blessing to run for the state representative due to the very fact that he donated to Dim candidates being a start.

I wouldn't see either case as a case of a snub more along the lines not just being a "good fit" for the party due to some of these individuals well documented activities.
Back to Phil failing not to be a good fit would be a polite start.

On the other hand having Dorthy Teater to hold the office position is still another incident of both parties in Franklin County playing the "contested and non-contested" game. We can thank our local media for failing to go beyond what Brittany Spears' latest crazy act receiving breaking news status.

Isn't it time Mr. & Mrs. Teater was left alone? These 2 have long served the public well.  

Tweet,

What is your opinion on this?  I got lost in your comparisons and sarcasm (I think).  I don't understand your point of being a "good fit" as Clerk of Courts shouldn't be much of a political position.

Franklin County Municipal Court

CLERK OF COURT

The Clerk of Court is an elected position with a six-year term. The Clerk's Office is divided into several divisions. The divisions occupying the first four floors of the Municipal Court Building are: Administration, Accounting/Finance, Civil, Collections, Criminal/Traffic, Quality Control, and the Traffic Violations Bureau. The Office of Information Services is located of the 16th floor.

The Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk of Court's Office serves as the legal guardian and keeper of all the official records of the Franklin County Municipal Court including all criminal and civil case filings, subpoenas, search warrants, pleadings and monies (Court costs, fines, and third party monies from garnishments). The Clerk's Office is entrusted with the responsibility of processing and archiving all Court records in accordance with file retention requirements established by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Additionally, the Clerk's Office calculates and fully details all financial transactions involving the Court. The Clerk's Office compiles and publishes an Annual Report each year that details the various categories of Court case filings, all financial transactions connected with all Court cases and statistically reports all relevant data regarding the same.

 

Dear All,

I appreciate the chance to weigh in.

It was indeed represented to the Franklin County Republican Party Central Committee at its meeting on January 4th that Ms. Teater would withdraw before the general election and that the Party would name a replacement at a future date uncertain.  I opposed that plan.  The Committee voted 47-43 to endorse her as a "placeholder" candidate.

It was and is my strong belief that the use of a placeholder candidate violates the basic reasons for having a primary election, i.e. to allow the voters of a poltical party to select their nominee.  

My campaign website is www.philharmon.com.   I would welcome your support, but I value you more the fact that you are debating this placeholder election practice which I think must end.

As to my being overqualified for the Office, I wish it were so.  The Common Pleas Clerk of Court (not the Municipal Court Clerk referenced by one of the posters) oversees a $12 Million annual budget and manages the work of over 200 employees.  The Common Pleas Clerk's Office manages all of the legal documents in the Common Pleas Court system, including all criminal cases.  It is a very significant and challenging Office.  I look forward to carrying out the important duties of that Office in a professional manner if I am given the chance to do so.

As to the Darby Watershed matter, I am proud to have worked with a group of citizens who petitioned City Council for a change in the policy by which the City of Columbus would only extend sewer and water services to an area if it annexed into the City.  Our campaign, Stop the Sprawl, resulted in the formation of the Darby Accord, an intergovernmental agreement to manage growth in western Franklin County in a coordinated intelligent fashion.  Responsible land use long-term planning is not socialism, it is how regions develop.

Thanks again for letting me comment.

Phil Harmon
433-9502  

Thanks Marc for posting this thread !  I agree with Mr. Harmon. Whats the purpose of a primary but to allow the voters the opportunity to choose the candidate who each citizen deems qualified for the position.

  It smacks of the "politoboro" when the Party, in its arrogance, endorses a candidate in a situation like this one. I think Mr. Harmon is more than adequately qualified for this job and more over has a broad conservative viewpoint that most of us can be more than comfortable with. I know how I'll be voting....and it won't be in concert with the Party endorsement.

 Puger G Calabalini

Phil:

Welcome to the forum (again). You are correct in that I was looking for opinions about the party use of placeholders as opposed to debating whether you personally are qualified for the office. I don't have the foggiest idea what the issues would be in a clerk of courts race.

One problem I have is that I have no idea who is the placeholder and who is not. I mean.. who reads voters guides? I might have seen Dorothy's name and thought I was getting Dorothy! Silly me.

Another problem I have is that we are running people I've never heard of for County Commissioner. Now, I don't know if they are genuine or if they are placeholders. It is frankly a very scary thought for me that the party can replace who I thought I was voting for.

47-43 at the central committe. What happened to the other 60 someodd votes?

Lovely it would be nice if Phil could provide his prospective of preventing landowners from selling their land if they so desire. You wouldn't like it if someone worked preventing you from selling your private property.

This agreed contested & uncontested between the Dims & GOP has to go. The monkey move up game is killing our election process.

Public employee's access to the internet should be eliminated as well.

Dear Tweet,

I was not involved in the drafting or formation of the Darby Accord so my understanding of it may not be accurate, but, to the best of my knowledge, there are no prohibitions against any landowner selling their land.

According to the Accord:

http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/BigDarby...tes/darbyd1.cfm :

"A fundamental goal of the Big Darby Accord is to ensure that the zoning and site development review processes are fair, consistent and apply evenly to all areas of the planning area.  

A Big Darby Accord Advisory Panel will fulfill an oversight function to the review process and create a mechanism for collaboration among the jurisdictions.  

The Panel shares responsibility with the local governing jurisdiction to review and render advisory, non-binding opinions on zoning applications and site development plans in terms of conformance with the Accord Plan.  Each jurisdiction continues to be responsible for final plan approval or denial for proposals in their area".

So, while the Darby Accord does seek to coordinate big-picture development trends, each locale continues its right to exercise home rule.

I agree with you that excessive governmental control is not acceptable (e.g. emminent domain abuse), but the Darby Accord strikes me as a good balance.   I understand why you may not.

Phil Harmon



 
 

Are you sure you had no involvement?

Phil,

You were the front guy for PEER. PEER is an ECO-NAZI group that circulated the petition to place the Darby Referrendum in the Cily of Columbus. I was the first citizen to speak out against the Darby Referrendum  at the City of Columbus Countil Meeting,. Tim Black, former mayor of Hilliard was the second. Paul Dubmoshelle, converynor for the Ohio Green Party was in initial point person. They brought you in when Columbus City Council was not going to place it on the ballott. I saw you speak at Columbus City Countil  on the topic a number of time. I was going to work with and also met with Councilman Richard Sensenbrenner on behalf of the City to oppose this.    Phil, don't you remember when you malisicously slandered Richards Legislative Aide  Steve Soble? I sure do. You never really apoligized to Mr. Soble about your slanderous allegations did you. I also personally spoke to Steve on the phone in regards to this.                                                                                                                    

Phil. Here is an article from the Paper with your name in it. Don't you remember.


http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?sto...1211-C1-00.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

City sued over Darby exceptions
Group says four decisions by utilities director violated moratorium on development in area
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Suzanne Hoholik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A citizens group sued Columbus yesterday to stop the city from extending water and sewer lines to four properties near the Big Darby Creek.

The lawsuit says Columbus Utilities Director Cheryl Roberto violated a moratorium on development in the creek’s watershed when she approved four exceptions after property owners complained of financial hardship.

The City Council approved the ban on extending utility lines last year after the group, Progress with Economic and Environmental Responsibility, gathered enough signatures to place the issue on the ballot. The group wrote the wording for the ordinance and signed off on rules for hardship cases.

Phil Harmon of the citizens group said under those rules, Roberto was supposed to consider how each variance would affect the Big Darby Creek. The lawsuit claims she did not do that.

"Her only issue was, ‘Have the developers spent money?’ " Harmon said. "That was her whole focus, not ‘What was the interest of the moratorium or the Darby?’ "

The ban allows financial-hardship variances if property owners had annexed their land into the city before the ban but hadn’t had it rezoned for development. City officials have interpreted any spending on site plans or other preparations before the ban as a hardship.

Roberto said last week that there are no pending variances and questioned the group’s criticism. She said the group did not object to the first three variances when they arose, only the fourth one granted three weeks ago.

"I’ve tried to understand what anyone’s criticism would be," she said. "I tried to be thorough in the process so that anyone could not question my decision."

The lawsuit also faults City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. for not stopping Roberto from granting the variances. Also listed as defendants are the owners of the four properties given variances.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge John P. Bessey yesterday denied the group’s request for a temporary halt to extending sewer and water lines, but the question of a permanent injunction is set for a February hearing.

"The judge felt that the construction of water pipeline and sewer pipeline were some months away, and there was no sense of emergency," Harmon said. "I have no problem with the judge’s order."

Scott Varner, Pfeiffer’s spokesman, said Roberto is "following the ordinance to the letter and she has the authority to grant those hardship variances."

Utilities spokesman Greg Davies said he hopes the lawsuit can resolve this debate.

"There’s been a lot of scrutiny of the decisions made, based on the interpretation of the language," he said. "We welcome a third party to look at it. You never want to enter into litigation, but in this instance we welcome a judge reviewing our decisions."


shoholik@dispatch.com








--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 




 

One more time Phil,  are you sure you had no involvement?

I'm sure the Mayor of Hilliard Don Schonhardt would remember you.

I'm as well sure the affected property owners would remember you as well.

Hey Phil, here is another article with your name in it.



 

http://shop.dispatch.com/newsarchive/Archi...2043:4:2&md=dir
     
LONGER BAN ON DARBY GROWTH SOUGHT
Petition begun to put moratorium on ballot
Published: Friday, February 20, 2004
NEWS 05C
By Suzanne Hoholik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Angered that Columbus officials allowed four developments near the Big Darby Creek despite a moratorium, a citizens' group filed petition language yesterday to extend the development ban through 2009.

Progress with Economic and Environmental Responsibility says the city violated the spirit of the current two-year moratorium on extending city water and sewer lines to the environmentally sensitive area when officials granted four exceptions last year.


The group must collect 5,240 valid signatures from Columbus voters by July 1 to put the issue on the November ballot.

The City Council approved the moratorium in December 2002 after the environmental group collected enough signatures to put it on the ballot. The ban expires in December.

In 2003, Columbus Utilities Director Cheryl Roberto approved four requests for variances to the moratorium, saying that property owners faced a hardship because they petitioned for permission to develop the land before it took effect.

The council then approved the zoning changes necessary to allow development.

Roberto called the environmental group's initiative "an ill conceived and environmentally damaging growth limit'' that ignores the city's commitment to work with other governments to protect the Darby.

"I think it would harm the environment and central Ohio's economy,'' she said. "The city's moving in the right direction with its unprecedented collaboration . . . The moratorium adds nothing to that dialogue.''

This time, the environmental group wants voters to decide all variances or plans to terminate the moratorium.

"They say one thing and do the other,'' Chairman Phil Harmon said. "These variances have pushed us to extend the moratorium. They passed that legislation, and they've never yet enforced it.''

The initiative also states Columbus cannot extend its sewer and water agreements with Dublin, Grove City or Hilliard, which are in the Darby watershed area.

Councilwoman Patsy A. Thomas said the city has abided by the law.

"We currently have a moratorium regarding the Big Darby watershed, and the city has followed the language that the PEER group'' agreed to, she said.

Harmon said variances were intended for farmers who might suffer if they could not sell land. Instead, they were given to companies such as American Electric Power and Dominion Homes.

"We agreed to the variance language,'' he said, "but they (the city) abused it, and we can't agree to that again.''

The Big Darby Creek watershed is a national and state scenic waterway that's home to 11 threatened or endangered fish and mussel species.

Harmon said he's not against growth, but wants the city to grow with a plan.

"I think it's going to be a lot easier this time'' to collect the signatures, he said. "People are upset with variances being issued in the watershed.''

shoholik@dispatch.com


 

Hey Phil,

Another article with your name in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
 
 


http://shop.dispatch.com/newsarchive/Archi...:326:5:2&md=dir
     
BRIEFS
COLUMBUS
GROUP PROMISED DARBY MORATORIUM EXTENSION
Published: Thursday, July 1, 2004
NEWS 03D
By From staff reports
The day after a citizens group filed signatures at City Hall seeking a ban on development near the Big Darby Creek, group leaders withdrew the petition.

The group, Progress with Economic and Environmental Responsibility, often has accused Columbus leaders of harming the environmentally sensitive area, but yesterday it put its trust in the same officials.


This came after Mayor Michael B. Coleman and City Council President Matt Habash promised to continue a moratorium on extending sewer and water lines in the area through 2005 while officials create a plan to protect the watershed.

The City Council would vote on the extension this month.

The council also is to agree to help pay to develop a regional plan for the watershed and hold public hearings.

A two-year moratorium the council adopted against extending water and sewer lines into the watershed runs through the end of 2004.

Phil Harmon, the group's chairman, said he has city leaders' promises in writing and if they fall short, he'll refile the petition.

COLUMBUS

Man who died on train tracks is identified

A man was hit by a train early Tuesday after lying down on the tracks, police said.

Scott Lucas, 21, died about 3 a.m. on the Norfolk Southern line near Clinton Heights Avenue but was not found until another train passed by about six hours later, said detective Mike McCann.

Lucas, recently home from the military, had been living with his sister nearby in Clintonville, McCann said.

Toxicology results to determine whether Lucas had been drinking or taking drugs were not back yesterday.