Our last Peachtree City Council meeting was about as close to an apology as we can expect for an extremely unfortunate incident that was government sanctioned. It will be interesting to see how Judge Johnnie Caldwell fares in his upcoming election now that City Attorney Jim Webb has begun to ask what we know about him.

Many council members stated that Dan Tennant had the right to stop City Attorney Rick Lindsey in mid-speech if he so desired. That is exactly what Mr. Tennant is fighting against. Mr. Tennant not only wanted to allow Mr. Lindsey all his words and unofficial opinions but he wanted me to also have the opportunity to respond as well — freedom of speech at its best.

I thought it was fascinating that Councilman Robert Brooks stated that I am not just a “general citizen,” as if the U.S. Constitution separates the citizenry as regular, unleaded and premium. He was referring to my many letters to the editors of various newspapers. I get the feeling that Brooks thinks that putting forth an effort and using your First Amendment right stains you as an individual.

I will give you the real story. I moved to Peachtree City years back with the belief that I would be totally immersed in my two passions — family and gardening. In Peachtree City, my wife and I had found a quality of life that we thought would endure long after we were dead and gone.

I put my multitude of gardening tools to work and produced some wonderful flower gardens. My wife played golf and my two little girls fell in love with all of our wonderful neighbors.

Then it happened — the Photocircuits battle. Most of you know the details. Many local residents were concerned because it appeared that both the city and the corporation had no intention of looking out for the welfare of the citizens. I began to attempt to stimulate a debate on the issue by writing letters to the editors of various newspapers. Fortunately, the citizens responded and the results have been magnificent.

I will publicly applaud Mr. Mark Bunker and his staff at Photocircuits for responding and setting a new standard in industrial and commercial design and hazardous chemical safety that protects our citizens. I had researched hazardous chemical early warning systems and asked Mr. Bunker if he would be willing to participate in such a project to insure the safety of the citizens and he agreed.

We are now about to initiate a countywide computer automated, state of the art, phone bank system that could save countless lives in the event of a hazardous chemical disaster at no cost to the taxpayers of Fayette County. This system will accommodate industrial site, tanker truck, railroad tanker and possibly even tornado disasters. I can assure everyone in Fayette County that our Local Emergency Planning Committee is making our county one of the safest in the state and in the country.

Did applying our First Amendment right of speech help the city and the county?

Next came the “Big Box” issue. For the record, I do not want the big boxes, their traffic or their infrastructure expenses, period. However, the Ga. Highway 54 West Home Depot site is an absolute nightmare even if you want the big boxes in Peachtree City. This was a health, safety, welfare and quality of life issue. Again, I started writing letters to the editors to stimulate public debate.

Again, the public responded. Soon after, the Traffic Impact Ordinance was passed. I was surprised when one of the Planning Commission members actually quoted one of my letters to the editor prior to the commission voting the Home Depot site plan down.

I will also applaud the men on the Planning Commission. In my opinion, they are the most diligent, community-oriented body in the Peachtree City government. They have reinstated the workshop method (as stated in the city's official protocol) and have made the meetings much more open to public comment. I beg all of you not to take this for granted and I am asking you to tell these men that you appreciate their devotion to all of us. It took a lot of guts to go head-to-head with a $30 billion corporation and the assorted attorneys and decide that safety and quality of life is priority one in Peachtree City. Was the freedom to speak helpful to our city?

Lately, I have used my First Amendment right to speak up on annexation and governmental ethics. Since the City Attorney and his law firm is suing me in what partner Rick Lindsey said would be a “both lengthy and expensive” process, I am hesitant to say anything about the subjects. In fact, no citizens are addressing certain ethical subjects related to the City Attorney appointment at all. Is this beneficial to our city?

Our mayor said at the March 16 council meeting that free speech is not an essential component of council meetings. He pointed to our state legislature as an example.

I once attended a state legislative committee meeting many years ago. While a private citizen was trying to address the committee, our elected representatives were talking amongst themselves and not listening to a word from the speaker. One of the committee members began throwing peanuts at a fellow committee member while another citizen was trying to speak. It was all I could do to keep from bursting out in anger at their lack of responsiveness.

All one has to do is look at the abhorrent, pork barrel spending taking place with our tax dollars and it is easy to conclude that our state legislature makes a poor example in cases involving fairness. I urge you to take your children to such meetings and discuss what you see. It might encourage them to take a stand for better government later on in life.

In actuality, our council meetings will be whatever our council members decide to make them. It can be “my meeting” or it can be “our meeting.” Our local government process can, without a doubt, be much more open than it is now. Special thanks to Council Member Dan Tennant for pushing the “openness” position. If the largest campaign donors or influence peddlers were addressing that state legislative committee, the committee members would have most likely been at perfect attention, and this is the main problem that we face in government today.

I have quite a few modern day heroes. I will not mention any of my heroes in Peachtree City as they might receive a subpoena from our City Attorney for knowing me. Let me give you a hero on the north side of town — Emily Lemcke. Ms. Lemcke is the county commission chair for Cherokee County. They were having a lot of problems similar to what we are now experiencing.

To make a long story short, the “pro-development at any cost” commissioners were booted out and Ms. Lemcke and company was installed. She listened to the people and gave them back their government. The citizens were so delighted with the election outcome that one citizen unfurled a banner at Lemcke's first commission meeting that stated “of the people, for the people and by the people.”

She has done a great job bringing the growth debate to the people and not leaving it in the developmental services office. She has gotten all sides involved and not just the friends of the elected officials.

Please do not let anyone tell you that you cannot have real public meetings and true public debate because that is an absolute lie.

I adhere to the “love your neighbor” philosophy. This does not always mean that you agree with your neighbor but you should want his or her family to prosper. If you go out of your way to help your neighbor, your good deeds will be returned to you ten times over. This philosophy must work because I have received numerous letters and phone calls of support from people that I have never even met.

You have no idea how much it means to have those I know and total strangers offer assistance and say that they pray for my family and me every day. One particular letter from a woman in Fayetteville was so touching that it caused me to start crying as I thought about her words while driving in my car. I love my city and I love its people.

Steve Brown
steve_ptc@juno.com
(at your own risk!)

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