Wednesday, May 1, 2002
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Wednesday, May 1, 2002 |
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Are these the changes you voted for in PTC last year? In the weeks and months since the newly elected mayor has taken office he has continually reminded us that he was elected to bring about change in Peachtree City. He has told us there was a mandate from the voters. While I personally disagree with both those statements, let's take a look at the things he is attempting to change, then you can judge for yourself whether this is what you intended last November. The first shot out of the barrel was the building moratorium. The mayor claimed it was necessary to rewrite the entire code of ordinances to protect us all from rampant growth. The change, [sic] Peachtree City lost a lawsuit in the courts. Peachtree City lost its reputation as a pro-business community. New businesses stopped looking at Peachtree City for their relocation plans. We lost business growth, lost future tax revenue from those businesses and may have potentially higher taxes for us all. Round two: The mayor tried to take the Tennis Center and amphitheater away from the management team that turned both into world-class venues. The stated purpose was for the creation of a Sports and Recreation Authority. The unstated purpose was to control the money used by the Development Authority that was generated by the hotel and motel tax. This change would have meant reduced services and increased fees regardless of how you explain it. Fortunately, the citizenry turned out in force and that change died on a 2-2 tie vote. Round three: The mayor tried to force our state legislator to sponsor legislation on another tax increase, the CID. This one was for business and property owners on Ga. Highway 54 West. The mayor blames Representative [Kathy] Cox for not doing his bidding, yet she has stated that not a single business owner of the affected properties contacted her to support the legislation. The mayor blames Councilwoman McMenamin for being the sole dissenting vote. The mayor viciously attacked Rep. Cox in his letters published locally yet failed to present a factual justification for the legislation. He also attacked Councilwoman McMenamin for her vote, yet she did speak with business owners who did not support the legislation. This change would have meant higher taxes for the businesses passed on to you, the consumer. The legislative session ended without the tax increase. This brings us to Round Four. Last week the council was asked by this year's airshow director for the money to provide the extra police and firefighting services required by the city. The proceeds of the airshow go to nearly 40 nonprofit organizations in the community. These include the Scouts, booster clubs, veterans organizations, Kiwanis and many, many more. In effect, all the proceeds end up benefiting the residents of Peachtree City. The airshow, which is arguably the finest in metro Atlanta, attracts more than 20,000 visitors every year. While here for the airshow, they also dine and shop, increasing the benefit to our city. The mayor, never a fan of the airport or the airshow, has tried to shut it down. He is trying to deny the police and firefighting protection required for the event. He will use cost as the reason for denial even though the airshow has agreed to repay the city out of the profit should there be one. If this passes, the airshow may die or move elsewhere. There is a pattern here. The mayor, who wants change, wants to change the things that make this a great place to live. Rather than being constructive, it seems he is bent on tearing down everything that is good and everything that makes us proud of Peachtree City. If you voted for change, are these the changes you wanted? Gary Rower Peachtree City
[Editor's note: Gary Rower was defeated by Steve Brown in the race for mayor last November.]
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