Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Councilman Steve Rapson, in your impassioned open letter in the Aug. 14 edition of The Citizen you discuss two major items. You begin your letter by stating that when first elected you had to "wonder why [elected officials] chose to participate in undignified and unnecessary behavior." You also state that the recent ethics violation for which you were found guilty was "both frivolous and a waste of money." That all you learned during this hearing was "who [your] true friends are."

Let me point out that I should be one of the most important people in Peachtree City to you. I am a citizen and a voter. It is ME that you were elected to represent, not your "true friends!" You seem to have forgotten that small aspect of holding public office. As for the "frivolity" of the ethics violation, as a voter I consider ANY ethics violation by an elected official anything but frivolous! In fact it is one of the worst transgressions that an elected official can commit. I find it disconcerting that you would believe such a thing to be frivolous. It tells me that you have become extremely shortsighted and are either incredibly naive or incredibly self-centered and arrogant.

The ethics code you were found guilty of violating is really quite straightforward. I am surprised that you seem so confused by it. Simply put, if you ask for an opinion (you did), an opinion is rendered in writing (it was), then the opinion is binding. Simple, straightforward, easy to understand. In fact it is so simple that everyone except your "true friends" understood it clearly, including the majority of the ethics board, a board appointed by you and the remainder of the City Council, most of whom you certainly consider among your "true friends." And even this board could not deny the facts before them, not even after nearly four hours of the nondefense that your high-priced attorney presented.

It was the nondefense that created the "waste of money" that you are so upset about. Your attorney spent nearly four hours dissecting the contract, accusing the former mayor of wrongdoing, and trying everything EXCEPT a defense. In spite of repeated attempts by the chairman of the ethics board to address the violation, never in all that time did he actually present a reason for you to violate the ethics code! And for this we, the taxpayer, paid over $27,000! In fact the defense was so weak that it only took a 15-minute presentation by [former Mayor] Bob Lenox to convince an ethics board, appointed by you, that you were guilty!

As for your reasoning for your violation, they too are weak and unreasonable. You basically stated under oath that you "knew" you were in violation but, as your letter states, you were trying to "expose corruption." However you also stated under oath that you "never discussed" the situation, but only "voted." In fact the special counsel report recently released states that during a meeting in Jan. 2002 Councilman Tennant stated that the contracts in question could "only be broken if both parties agreed." Yet during this discussion you never once questioned that comment by your fellow councilman!

So when did you actually act to "expose corruption?" You maintained under oath that you didn't know about the contract provision until Mayor Brown told you in May 2002. But there it is, in the January minutes, Councilman Tennant stating the very fact that so "surprised" you. You were in attendance in January; were you not listening?

As for "undignified" behavior, you must begin with yourself. The Open Meetings law provides for executive session specifically in dealing with personnel matters. The "surprise" attack of the city attorney in June that began this whole event, coordinated by [Mayor Steve] Brown and supported by you, was nothing more than a "public lynching."

If you truly wanted to stop "undignified behavior" you would have sided with Councilwoman McMenamin and stopped the entire event. If there was ever a need for executive session, this was the time.

This attack was designed to publicly discredit the city attorney, coordinated to purposely exclude Councilwoman McMenamin, and timed to be done while the city attorney was not in attendance. You insult our intelligence by stating in your letter that you "did not know prior to the meeting how the others would vote." The entire event was designed to achieve the result it did. You knew it and so did everyone else. No one deserves this type of treatment!

Regardless of the results of any investigation, this was an "undignified" attack beyond compare. And you must bear as much responsibility as your other cohorts.

Councilman Rapson, as a voter and citizen, I am very disappointed in your behavior. It is time that you grow up and act "like a man." Stop your self-centered and insincere attempts to become the "martyred victim" and accept accountability for your actions. Recognize the fact that you clearly violated the ethics ordinance, and issue an apology to the city attorney for your participation in a most undignified attack. Then begin to bring some "dignity" back to the City Council and start acting in behalf of your constituents, and not your "true friends."

Jim Stinson

Peachtree City

j.stinson@mindspring.com

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