Before there was a Steve Brown, there was a James Melvin Ewing.

It is interesting to note that through the years even though I have inspired a number of headlines, none of these have touched the pulse of the people quite like those that Mr. Brown has generated.

My name is James Melvin Ewing, unsuccessful candidate for my City Council. I wanted to let some of the dust settle and let a little time go by to allow for some of the emotions to calm concerning the turn of events here in my city. Now I wish to enter the debate.

With reference to Mr. Steve Brown, I write what I hope will serve as encouragement.

Under my First Amendment rights, I choose to tell the editor a story. The title of this imaginary story I will call “The Surreal Facts.” The names have been changed to protect the innocent from SLAP suits.

Once upon a time in a place far, far away, there was a planned community in the low country of the Americas, in north Jawja called CherryTree City. The year was 1997, an election year. Now there was a certain Cowboy Engineer, who decided to run for the City Council. At that same time a gentle man by the name of Beav FourDoor decided to also run for City Council (For those of you that don't know, Beav FourDoor was the original architect in CherryTree City, of debate inspiring letters to the editor).

The Cowboy Engineer was a man of little means and he did not have much money to get his message out - you know, in a way that he thought he could be the most effective. Nevertheless, he decided to move forward anyway.

The Cowboy Engineer and Beav FourDoor began to speak out against the high command political establishment in CherryTree City. This is because they did not want their beloved CherryTree City to become like Cod Liverdale or Linnette County, Jawja (suburbs of Hotlanta).

There was this local periodical called “The Surreal Deal (published on Wednesdays) and the CherryTree and Soweta Review (published on Fridays). The Surreal Deal newspaper was the only publication in CherryTree City in which the people could have the real unencumbered facts (that's why our story is named the Surreal Facts).

However, there were many in CherryTree City that did not like this. The Grand Pooh-Bah even wrote that the Surreal Deal published lies, inaccuracies and innuendo. Another top high command official said they didn't want the Surreal Deal delivered to their house anymore. How dare the puny CherryTree City citizenry criticize anyone in the high command? The high command will never allow that.

CherryTree City was unique in the fact that it was re-developed by the former CherryTree City Re-development Corporation (CCRC) and other re-developer “fat-cats.” CCRC is now known as Golf-Cart-Pathway Commune. Now a re-developer “fat-cat” is different from just a plain re-developer. A re-developer “fat-cat” wants to consume all the re-development dollars that they can out of a re-development.

In other words, the “fat-cats” are the ones that won't tell you about the destruction of wetlands and flood plains and green belts, siltation damage to the environment and our precious water supply watershed, over building with too much impervious surface material, and they have a lack of concern for the infrastructure (Given the chance, I never vote for re-developer “fat-cats”). CCRC was also the owners of the privately owned Shower System. CCRC was (prior to the election) in secret negotiations with the city in the sale of the Shower System.

CherryTree City was full of “so-called” power brokers. You know, this group of movers and shakers together with other re-developer “fat-cats” and the high command that think they know what's best for our planned city better than you or I. Unfortunately, I listened to my broker one time, and the only one broker was me. So this was the entrenched power base in the city. Nobody had better question entrenched power.

The Cowboy Engineer, then head of the city government organization known as the H20 and Shower Majority, felt that the secret discussions in the Shower Deal and the hiring of professional consultants was both inappropriate at times and costly for the city in this information gathering effort. The Cowboy Engineer began to speak out on this and the Surreal Deal newspaper began to report these events.

One day, the H20 and Shower Majority's Attorney advised it that the city's Re-development Majority (issuer of Re-development bonds to CCRC) had the authority to obtain financial information on request. The Cowboy Engineer and attorney made a formal appeal for the Re-development Majority to get this financial information because it would be a cost savings to the city. The Re-development Majority gave a resounding “no” to this request. The Surreal Deal newspaper reported this in what was headlined “The Million Dollar No” in 1995. So much for teamwork.

Just who were these people on the Re-Development Majority? To find out, the Cowboy Engineer went to City Hall and requested of the city clerk the roster of who sat on City Council, the Re-development Majority and the Hairport Majority as far back as 1985 to then 1995. Believe it or not a pattern began to emerge from these lists. The Cowboy Engineer was trained to recognize mathematical patterns.

Much to the Cowboy Engineer's chagrin, there were in plain sight on the City Council, the Re-development Majority and the Hairport Majority all kinds of conflict of interests. There were Re-developer “fat-cats,” Movers and Shakers, past Grand Pooh-Bahs, Aire apparent Pooh-Bahs, and others of that same ilk. There was one other special breed of power broker. This was the individuals that have been on the boards for many, many years. You and I can call them “lifers.”

Well, you can start to see how high stake politics works in CherryTree City. Term limitations in CherryTree City is a joke. So much in CherryTree City government is orchestrated. The good guys must somehow break up the clique. Its time to retire the so-called “lifers.”

In the meantime, Beav FourDoor went on the attack in the fight for justice concerning the issues of the day such as the secret shower deal, out-of-control growth, and the attack on the re-developer “fat-cats” in his then unique campaign letters to the editor. This was a time when the legendary letter to the editor was authored criticizing the Grand Pooh-Bah himself. That letter was entitled, “Don't let CherryTree City turn into Pooh-Bah's Town.”

Unfortunately, the CherryTree City government Grand Pooh-Bah issued a statement: “Please do not vote for these two men - they will ruin this city.” Can you imagine that? The Cowboy Engineer and Beav FourDoor loved CherryTree City.

Subsequently the Cowboy and the Beav went down in smoke.

It even got so bad that the CherryTree City government high command even tried to blacklist and shut down the Surreal Deal's reporter, prior to their good wisdom to hire an Infomercial Specialist. Open and honest government hit an all time low back in 1997.

Then afterwards came a good elected official we'll call “our man - Stan.” He won 100 percent of the vote in all precincts to finish a three-way race without a runoff. The year is now 2000. “Our man - Stan” came to try to save the day and break up the clique. He was pretty successful at it too (through the introduction of Ethics and Free Speech legislation).

However, currently “our man - Stan” has been somewhat slowed up out of the starting block due to his side involvement in “cat-fights.” Don't worry, they won't be able to keep “our man - Stan” down for long.

Enter our hero - Clev Down. Clev was an everyday foot soldier who came to pick up the gauntlet. Clev, with his letters to the editor and his gift for the written word, he has been able to galvanize the people and inspire them to greatness and meaningful debate. All of a sudden Clev began to get things done and with the support of the citizenry.

What Clev didn't know was that the new millennium high command in CherryTree City government doesn't appreciate thought-provoking debate. This was because fingers got pointed at the high command itself. Now, Clev's free speech rights have been stymied. Now we wait. We're rooting for you Clev.

No one knows what the outcome will be concerning Clev's ability to raise questions surrounding his local government and that government's key players. Will our hero be able to prevail? Or for that matter will you and I be able to ever criticize our government without fear of being crushed into grapefruit juice or CherryTree wine? Will the border police go unchecked? Will Glasnost and Perestroika ever make it to CherryTree City? Stay tuned.

Somebody once said, “Even if you lose the game, you can never lose the game of life.” Have courage, Mr. Brown.

You're a good man, Steve Brown.

James Melvin Ewing
Peachtree City

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