Wednesday, February 14, 2001

I had to laugh when I read Mr. Bartlett's letter in the Feb. 7 issue of The Citizen, in which he referred to Tyrone as "Bubbaville."

I couldn't help but think back on a phenomenon I often saw back in my home state of California: people buy homes next to an airport, only to turn around and spend the rest of their lives complaining about airport noise and trying to shut it down.

Mr. Bartlett gave himself away when he admitted to be a builder-developer. Perhaps he had high hopes of being the next Joel Cowan and molding the town of Tyrone into his dream development.

I can only (again) commend Mayor Lee and the town council for standing firm against these things that Mr. Bartlett and other developers pine for.

Some time ago, these same "dumb as dirt, redneck as it gets, Bubbaville-thinking" leaders of ours polled ALL residents of Tyrone, seeking our wishes for the long-term plans for our town.

The results were not only conclusive, but overwhelming. Tyrone's residents LIKE our small-town atmosphere and OPPOSE large-scale development.

Did our elected officials ignore our obvious wishes and attempt to shove development down our throats (a la Peachtree City)?

No. They had the courage and integrity to say NO to developers, respecting the wishes of the citizenry.

Dumb as dirt? Hardly. (The citizens are happy, and the officials will probably be reelected). Redneck as it gets? Definitely not. (Just a little cash or other incentives under the table, and "...you got yerself a deal, feller!") Bubbaville-thinking? Perhaps, but we LIKE our "Bubbaville", whatever that means.

Mr. Bartlett, as your neighbor, might I respectfully suggest you throw a "For Sale" sign in your front yard, and go find yourself a nice house near an airport. I'll get some neighbors together and we'll help you load the U-Haul. Shoot, I'll buy the pizza.

Dave Buck

Tyrone

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