Wednesday, May 23, 2001

Recently the newspaper reported there is a chance that Fayette County could have three congressional districts. The article commented as to the potential for multiple districts and received input from state legislators. It did not conclude that this would be good or bad for the county.

The different levels of government representation provide corresponding levels of public interaction. The federal, state and local officials should react to citizens' request to effectively represent their interests with the government. As for local representation, I believe it is time to consider changes in the districts and voting for county commissioners.

In my experience in state government, I have learned that multiple representatives for a county is a good thing. When Georgia citizens contact a state legislator for example, the citizen may have more than one option to request assistance. Most state legislators will provide assistance regardless of the exact address or district line in the county.

Having three congressional districts in Fayette County will only provide added representation to the citizens. If the citizen concern, interest or problem involves a federal government agency, all three congressional representatives should, and I trust, will respond in a timely and efficient manner.

This has not been my experience with Fayette County commissioners. While I have not had personal contact with every commissioner, the ones I have contacted to assist with my concerns, interests and problems have been less responsive than efficient.

One commissioner, for example, gave me a lot of lip service and basically told me every thing I wanted to hear. However, all the time and energy disappeared into totally wasted interaction when the commissioner concluded he could not learn any more because the county office did not return his e-mail.

Another commissioner quickly determined that I did not live in his district, and I barely kept his attention to complete my phone call. I received no assistance, and the whole situation was lost in government bureaucratic red tape, inefficiency and unresponsiveness.

The latest call for a special election for the vacated commission seat held by Harold Bost heightens the need to change the county commission district and voting practices in Fayette County. The citizens in south Fayette County may not receive the best representation from the commissioner selected to fill the vacant seat.

The candidates qualify to run as residents of the specific district. But the voters from all of Fayette County make the final determination.

I believe the commissioners elected in north Fayette will not represent the south Fayette citizens' interests. I know. I have been in the position to call on a commissioner I helped elect to office, but I got nothing in return because I was not in his district.

We should study and change the voting districts in Fayette County to vote and elect a county commissioner from our neighborhoods, and let others elect the commissioner from their communities.

Randy Clayton

Fayetteville

[Randy Clayton is director of the Georgia Criminal Justice Improvement Council. He has served the state legislature since 1987.]

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