Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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PTC mayor cuts off public comment during meeting By JOHN MUNFORD
Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown cut short public comment during a discussion at Thursday night's City Council meeting of his request to convene a series of workshops to investigate the creation of a sports and entertainment authority. Brown, who made a name for himself criticizing other officials before he ran for mayor, said public comment wasn't necessary because council was trying to determine whether or not the issue deserved to be studied further in workshops. "I didn't want to get in a heated debate on the tennis center," Brown told The Citizen Tuesday. "The issue is not about the tennis center; it's about holding public information workshops about forming a new authority." During the council meeting, the mayor stopped Tate Godfrey, the chairman of the Development Authority, who was asked to speak by councilwoman Annie McMenamin. Peachtree City resident Bill Aleshire and Mike Hofrichter of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce also wished to address council but were denied the opportunity. "We had public comment 'til 1:30 a.m. on the first go-round and if this passes we'll have hours and hours and hours of public comment," Brown said after McMenamin argued that the public should be allowed to speak. "The purpose of the workshops is to have the discussion and to have the openness that you're accusing me of not providing," Brown later replied. Aleshire was the most upset about being muted. After asking to comment for a third time and being denied by Brown, Aleshire made a scene. "I want to address a problem with you," Aleshire said. Brown told Aleshire the matter was not a public hearing and he would be glad to meet with Aleshire personally, but that didn't smooth out the matter. "This is for the public because you are making things public with your e-mails," Aleshire said. "No sir, my e-mail is to one specific person. You're making it public with my e-mail. No, stop it. Let's go on with the agenda." Brown believes a sports and entertainment authority should be created to operate the city's tennis center and amphitheater, both of which are currently operated by the Peachtree City Development Authority. That way, the Development Authority could focus on its original goal of economic development: attracting business and industry to the city, Brown said. Brown wants to include the Development Authority, the Recreation Commission and the Chamber of Commerce in the workshop plans. The mayor waved off Godfrey immediately after McMenamin asked him to address some of Brown's allegations, saying council was still discussing the matter. At a later juncture, Hofrichter stood up to be recognized but was told, "Hold on a second, Mike," by the mayor. Godfrey told The Citizen Friday that he would have told council that the authority does not support Brown's proposal, but if the authority was invited to participate in a workshop that it would. Hofrichter, who is chairman of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, said he wanted to offer the chamber's willingness to participate in the workshops and declare that the chamber doesn't support changing the operation status of the tennis center and amphitheater. After the meeting, Hofrichter approached Brown and asked why he wasn't allowed to speak. He says Brown rudely informed him that he was not allowed to because he was not an elected official. "He has made an art form out of exercising his right to speak out against government," Hofrichter noted of Brown's activist background when he was a mere citizen. But now that Brown is mayor, Hofrichter said, his agenda appears to be changing. "We were there to work in cooperation with him," Hofrichter said. "But it seems like he doesn't care what the business community has to say."
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