Friday, March 9, 2001
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Friday, March 9, 2001 |
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Commissioners spar over water plan By JOHN
THOMPSON
A feud that had been festering since the election in November exploded in broad daylight Tuesday at the Coweta County Commission meeting. Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter and Commissioner Leigh Schlumper tangled over the Commission's plan to publish its water plan in a local paper to get the message out that the county is ready to serve a growing population's water needs. The issue arose after the commissioners took exception to a letter to the editor in the Newnan Times Herald that criticized the county's water plan. The Commission decided to run a paid ad in the paper to get the message out, but Schlumper disagreed and said the county did not need to use that money on responding to personal issues. Hunter told Schlumper to leave him alone, and the commission took a brief recess. In the commission's break room, Hunter and Schlumper went after each other. Schlumper yelled at Hunter that she had every right to disagree with him, while Hunter said she was sticking up for the letter writer because she was a friend of Schlumper's. After the recess, Schlumper was visibly upset and went outside the chambers. When she returned, she was clutching a Kleenex and had red eyes. The dispute was the first since the divisive election that pitted Newnan Utilities versus the county. Schlumper works for the utilities company and the county and the company have been arguing about water for the last few years.
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