July 21, 2011
Finance committee
Joseph: Take more time to discuss budget By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Councilman Doug Joseph said Monday city officials should take more time to discuss budget issues rather than rush to place a 1-percent income tax increase on the November ballot, as recommended by an ad hoc committee. Joseph, as chairman, scheduled a special finance committee meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 25, to discuss the matter further.
Based on state budget information, the five-member ad hoc committee recommended reduced expenditures and an income tax increase as ways for Reynoldsburg to cover the projected loss of $1.7 million over the next four years. During the July 18 finance committee meeting, Mayor Brad McCloud agreed that the issue deserves more study. Council President Bill Hills said he supports a November ballot request and Councilman Mel Clemens advised everyone to consider the needs of the
city and “take the politics out of this.” Joseph said some things the ad hoc committee recommended, such as raising city service fees and cutting employee benefits, should be examined. However, he said, it is too soon to ask for an income tax increase without further discussion and input from the community. “I think the report they came up with had a lot of good ideas in it,” he said. “Some of the ideas have been kicked around for awhile; other issues I think perhaps may be something that we
should take a look at, but we don’t want to rush into.” He said two attempts to get a tax increase approved failed in 2006. Council would have to decide by July 25 — the last scheduled meeting before its August recess — whether to go ahead with a tax request in order to meet the Aug. 10 deadline to file documents with the Franklin County Board of Elections to place an issue on the Nov. 8 ballot. “It doesn’t give the community enough time for input and it doesn’t give coun-
cil and the city enough time to look at other reforms of cuts and exactly what we need to generate the dollars we need,” Joseph said. “I will not be supporting an income tax increase.” The ad hoc committee reported to council on July 11 there are two ways to increase taxes. One is to increase the rate charged; the second is to reduce the 100percent tax credit Reynoldsburg offers residents who work outside city limits. See FINANCE COMMITTEE, page A5
Kelly leaving district for Westerville schools post eSTEM Academy leader will be Walnut Springs Middle School principal By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
(Above) Ray Gosnell (left) talks with Scott Roberts, of Dublin, at Gosnell’s annual car show July 17 at his home in Reynoldsburg. (Below) Jack Gaston, of Athens, polishes his 1947 KB-7 International truck during the show.
‘Out-of-control’ hobby resulted in car show By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Reynoldsburg resident Ray Gosnell gives little, if any, public notice about the annual car show he’s hosted for the past 33 years. He doesn’t have to. Aside from sending flyers to people who have visited in the past, word-of-mouth advertising is enough to attract more than 450 vintage, restored and modified vehicles and at least 1,000 people to his 30-acre property off Taylor Road for the show. Each summer since 1978, Gosnell has hosted a free car show on his property; this year’s event was held July 17. In the past, the day usually included a potluck picnic, but since the event has grown in popularity, he said he decided just to have the car show this year. “We had 1,000 people go through here last year, just for the picnic alone, so this was the first year we didn’t have the potluck. It got so big, we couldn’t manage it,” Gosnell said.
Reynoldsburg eSTEM Academy leader Leslie Kelly is leaving the school district to become principal of Walnut Springs Middle School in Westerville, effective Aug 1. The Westerville Board of Education approved hiring Kelly on July 11. She will be paid a base salary of $91,000, about $3,700 more than she is earning in Reynoldsburg. Kelly has been with Reynoldsburg schools for the past 11 years and was one of the coordinators responsible for launching the district’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) initiative. She also is a member of Reynoldsburg City Council; she is uncontested in her bid for a second term in the Nov. 8 election. Although Westerville is explorLeslie Kelly ing STEM opportunities for the future, Kelly said being principal at Walnut Springs Middle School, which has a student enrollment of 850, is a challenge she is looking forward to. “I’m really pleased to be able to go from a district that is my home to another district where every single person I have come in contact with has just been so incredibly nice and welcoming,” Kelly said. “I am very blessed to go from a great situation to another great situation.” Kelly said the opportunity in Westerville will provide her with new challenges. See KELLY LEAVING, page A3
47th Tomato Festival will feature free admission
See CAR SHOW, page A7
Teacher resigns amid harassment investigation
By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By CHARLIE BOSS The Columbus Dispatch
There will be no admission charge for this year’s Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival, scheduled for Aug. 19-20 at Huber Park. Mary Hudson, president of Reynoldsburg Tomato Festivals Inc., said organizers were considering an admission charge of between $1 and $3, but ultimately decided against it since the organization is financially sustainable for this year. “We were really looking for future sustainability … we’ll make up our revenue in other ways,” Hudson said. “We’re getting most of our sponsors back this year.”
A former president of the Reynoldsburg teachers’ union resigned July 18 as officials were investigating a complaint that he harassed a student. The Reynoldsburg Board of Education met in emergency session Monday to accept the resignation of Waggoner Road Junior High School teacher David North. North was president of the Reynoldsburg Education Associa-
tion in 2009. He has taught seventh- and eighth-grade language arts for the past six years. North, 32, did not return a call seeking comment. District officials launched their investigation in early June, shortly after school ended for the year, after a parent said North’s repeated reprimands of her 14-year-old son were akin to bullying. District spokesperson Tricia Moore said the district is not releasing the name of the parent or the student.
In a letter to Superintendent Steve Dackin, the parent said her son felt that “he didn’t seem to be able to do anything without Mr. North reprimanding or disciplining him.” As part of the disciplinary actions, she wrote, North yelled at her son, had him sit in the hallway during class, sent him to the office and to detention. She said she and her husband met with North and an assistant principal to discuss the situation, and North said he thought her son was disrespectful but didn’t provide specifics.
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Both parties agreed to a “fresh start,” but it lasted only weeks before her son started receiving new reprimands, the mother said. “It seemed as if there was at least one incident daily,” she wrote. The disciplinary actions continued when her son was removed from North’s class, including an incident on the last day of school when North allegedly “chest bumped” her son and yelled at him to take off a hat.
See TOMATO FESTIVAL, page A2 See TEACHER, page A2
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