January 6, 2011
Primary election filing deadline nears By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Does your New Year’s resolutions include running for office in Hilliard? If so, you have a few more weeks to file as a candidate. With the May 3 primary looming, the filing deadline is Feb. 2 (90 days prior); and if you’re running as a write-in can-
didate, the filing deadline is Feb. 22, said Ben Piscitelli, Franklin County Board of Elections spokesman. In order to run for office, “you have to be a registered voter in the county and live within the precinct,” Piscitelli said. Next, visit vote.franklincountyohio.gov under the candidate services link to create a petition, or visit the board at 280 East Broad Street. After paying a $45
filing fee, you’ll need to collect signatures for your petition. “The requirements are in Hilliard; you have to have a minimum of 50, a maximum of 150 signatures,” Piscitelli said. “If you’re from a minor party, you have to have a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 75. And if you’re an independent, you have to have a minimum of 115 signatures and no more than 345, and
you would file for the general election in November, so you would have to file at 4 p.m. May 2.” Piscitelli said he would advise a potential candidate to get an early start on collecting signatures. “It’s going to take you a while to get valid signatures,” Piscitelli said. “You’re going to have to knock on a lot of doors and get more than you think you need,
because human nature is not every signature is going to be valid – that’s just too difficult for anyone to do. Either a voter thinks they’re registered, or they’re not or maybe they’ve listed their old address. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. You have to be very careful. “You do have to have so many valid See PRIMARY ELECTION, page A2
Harrington BLOCKING A PUNCHER assumes OAPSE leadership position
Farm market to expand in 2011
By GARY BUDZAK
An expanded Hilliard Farm Market will return this year, running on Tuesdays from June 7 to Aug. 30. Unlike last year, it won’t be held in September. Nathan Painter, one of the sponsors of the farm market, made the announcement at a recent meeting of Destination Hilliard, an organization that promotes events and activities in the city. The Hilliard Farm Market started as a project of the 2009-10 class of Leadership Hilliard, sponsored by the Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce. “The idea was to bring something to Old Hilliard,” Painter said. “It’s been excellently received. The attendance was well above what any of the farmers or vendors expected.” Painter said Hilliard residents, as well as people in outlying communities, appreciated the fact that the farm market was held on Tuesdays, which gave people a chance to buy local produce on a different day than farmer’s markets in other municipalities. This year’s farm market may expand to include more natural products, ice cream and feature acoustic and vocal music, Painter said. The 2011 Hilliard Farm Market will start a week earlier than last year, but it won’t continue into September because of last year’s poor attendance. “It hit school time, and it just died off and it wasn’t really well attended,” Painter said. But the time of farm market will stay the same: 4 to 7 p.m. “The response from the vendors is they want to keep it at 4 p.m.,” Painter said. “If you’re there, the height of the traffic is 4 to 5, and then it kind of dies, and then it comes back 6 to 7. They don’t want to move it later, because some have to literally get back and feed their animals and get out to the fields.” One of the things Painter hoped for with an expanded farm market was that some community organizations could promote themselves while manning the Leadership Hilliard booth. “It’s an opportunity to allow your organSee MARKET, page A2
By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
On Jan. 1, Mark Harrington became the president of Local 310 of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE), which represents the support staff in the Hilliard City School District. Mark Harrington Gary Heyder, the past president of Local 310, resigned after nine years of service for personal reasons. Harrington was the vice president, and according to OAPSE’s constitution, was appointed to be president after Heyder stepped down. The president’s post will be up for election in 2012. A technology technician for the district, Harrington said he’s been an officer in Local 310 for the past six years. He has three children who attend school in the district, and one who graduated last year. Harrington said Local 310 has roughly 470 members — secretaries, bus drivers, custodians, maintenance men, computer support and aides. The support staff, as well as administration and teachers, agreed to a freeze on salary and step increases for 2011, but by year’s end there will be contract negotiations for 2012 salaries, regardless of whether a proposed levy passes. “The biggest challenge indeed is the levy,” Harrington said. “With a failure in the levy, there is the potential of a reduction in force. We feel as the leadership of Local 310, we are at the bare bones of our staff, of what it takes to make Hilliard City Schools function. I think the district will start to show its wear if indeed the support staff is reduced much more.” Harrington said he would support the levy, although he admits it will be a tough sell. See HARRINGTON, page A2
By Tim Norman/ThisWeek
Hilliard Davidson’s Maddison Blackwell (42) blocks a shot by Mifflin’s Shanaulan Holden during their consolation game in the Cage Classic at Gahanna Lincoln High School on Thursday, Dec. 30. The Wildcats rolled past the Punchers 50-27. See Sports, page B1.
Citizen Police Academy forming alumni association By GARY BUDZAK
“We all want to give back,” said Christy Clark, who will be the association’s publications/historian. “We all bonded so Some who attended the Hilliard Police much because we spent so much time toDepartment’s recent Citizen Police Acad- gether, but it also made us so aware of emy liked it so much that they are form- what these police officers face on a daying an alumni association. to-day basis. They’re putting their lives ThisWeek Community Newspapers
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in jeopardy every day to keep our safety dent), Crystal Bailey (secretary), Lynn in mind.” McClain (treasurer) and Jess Lippoli (proClark said the Hilliard Citizen Police gram officer). Academy Alumni Association elected ofThe association’s mission is to: ficers and intends to file as a nonprofit as• Function as an interface between the sociation. The officers are Jim Starcher See ACADEMY, page A7 (president), Jean Gualtieri (vice presi-
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