Issue Background

UAPA agrees with the UA Public Library’s philosophy that “…everyone matters and is respected.“ And we support its goal, which is “…to have an unbiased collection representing many points of view…”

However, in Upper Arlington, there is a growing intolerance of others’ views by a small, vocal minority influenced by outgoing Council member Tim Rankin. One of the most egregious examples is the 2005 dispute about the distribution of gay publications at the Upper Arlington Public Library. A group of conservatives tried to sway the Library Board with the claim they were protecting children.

Between October 9th and 20th, UAPA asked members to complete a membership survey about the 2007 Upper Arlington City Council election. We received 118 completed survey returns. Many respondents took the opportunity to add free-form comments --- adding valuable context to their responses.

We wanted to answer questions like these:

BuckeyeState blog recently posted an entry regarding Leslie Heath's run in the UA City Council race. The Ohio Dept of Taxation seems to think that Leslie Heath and her husband owe over $11,000 in Ohio taxes. To see the court record, search on the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas web site for the name 'Leslie Heath' or look at this screen shot.

Based on the feedback from our membership survey, nearly all of our 118 survey respondents indicated that unpaid personal income taxes or business bankruptcy would effect their vote.

Update: AsOhioGoes has also picked up the story and added to it.

Update2: Heath, accountant explain tax snafu

From the UA News, October 24, 2007:

Heath, accountant explain tax snafu

As Election Day approaches, public records concerning Upper Arlington City Council candidate Leslie Heath have become fodder for anonymous e-mail messages and Internet bloggers.

While public records indicate Mrs. Heath and her husband owe more than $11,000 in state income taxes for 2001, she said the whole thing is an unfortunate misunderstanding.