Letters to the Editor

Former Mayor Brown a con man with trail of ethics problems

Commissioner Jack Smith has made some decisions I haven’t agreed with, but I believe him to be honest and genuinely concerned about the county and its citizens. He will receive my support in the primary election for county commission.

Steve Brown is another story all together. Brown is very personable, but so is a con man. He talks a good game, but so does a con man. And just like a con man, Brown is out for what he can get for himself. We know, similar to a con man, Mayor Brown was ethically challenged. Read More»

Brown: Chairman Smith misleads on ties with developer-driven bank, mass transit

Several key points were made at the last candidates’ forum that distinguishes me from the incumbent Jack Smith. I will offer a few of those points in this correspondence. Video clips from the forum are available on my campaign website at www.sb4faycom.com. Read More»

Smith, Maxwell taking lots of credit for other folk’s prior accomplishments

I went to watch the “Fayette County Tea Party” County Commission Forum on May 24. It wasn’t amusing, but it was entertaining, and a learning opportunity.

What did we learn? Well, it was clear that any good thing happening in Fayette County is the result of the efforts of the current commission. And, everything bad that’s happened in Fayette County is the fault of previous commissions. Especially the one just prior to this commission. Read More»

Imker: No progress on PTC budget mess

Now that Peachtree City’s proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget has been released I need to point out several concerns.

I had previously told you we faced a $20 million ($19.6 million) shortfall over the next five years. This included next year’s FY2011 being $1.2 million short. The proposed budget still shows an $18.1 million problem for the next five years. Not only that, the solution to next year’s budget being proposed uses city reserves of $764,000 and a tax increase for $459,000. Read More»

McCarty: ‘Shocking’ how officials spend taxpayers’ money

I was very impressed by the number of people who thought enough of Fayette County to show up for the political forum on a Monday night.

Steve Brown had the quote of the evening when he said, “Our county doesn’t have a funding problem; it has a spending problem.” I totally agreed with that thought.

It’s really shocking to see how elected officials are spending our hard-earned tax dollars at the county level.

I used the example of the Board of Education wasting our tax dollars on empty and half-empty schools. I asked where the accountability in the excess spending was. Read More»

Brown: Commission has ‘gone off the deep end’ on spending; stop the bypass

I invite everyone to visit my website at www.sb4faycom.com for information on my campaign and to find out how you can help.

While the incumbents on the county board of commissioners have gone off the deep end on spending, there is a lot I can do to help the county return to common-sense conservatism.

It does not take a rocket scientist to see the West Fayetteville Bypass cannot be justified. Your vote to defeat the incumbents and elect Allen McCarty and me will be the people’s mandate to stop the foolish road. Read More»

Maxwell ‘continues with parade of lies’

County Commissioner Eric Maxwell lies so much I think he can’t tell a lie from the truth. In his letter published in The Citizen on May 19, 2010 at the top of page A6, he once again accuses me of “not being a resident of Fayette County” when I ran for re-election in 2000. Mr. Maxwell knows very well that what he states is a big, bald face lie. However, since Mr. Maxwell is such a habitual liar, he doesn’t realize what a fool he makes of himself when he lies and lies the way he does. Read More»

Maxwell mocks goats, but what has he done for environment?

It was awful to see the name calling in Commissioner Eric Maxwell’s letter. He referred to Steve Brown and Harold Bost as “despised and disgraced” but he failed to discuss any of the relevant issues most of us are concerned about. Unfortunately, Commissioner Maxwell is degrading the level of decorum in this election with name-calling and innuendo. Read More»

Smola and Smith ‘build empty schools,’ buy unneeded land

I’m fed up with the scheming by some of our elected officials. It’s easy to know who should get the vote in this upcoming July election. Just watch for the ones who would rather sling mud than address the real issues.

Two people who have seriously concentrated on the issues are Bob Todd for the Board of Education and Steve Brown for the County Commission. Their political adversaries seem to relish the art of personal attacks because they don’t have any intelligent positions of their own. Read More»

Don’t ‘coddle’ vacant owners

Since Mr. Clell Lambert of Peninsula Drive has commented on the Peachtree City proposed ordinance regarding vacant homes, I would like to make a statement to say what happens when you live next to a vacant home for 15 years.

Mr. Lambert states that a $200 fee to register a vacant home is “excessive.” I’ll tell you what’s excessive, Mr. Lambert. Read More»