Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Eric Allen as self-appointed head of the Tyrone Watch Community, continue to misrepresent innocent Tyrone citizens by not providing them with all facts relating to issues for consideration before the town of Tyrone.

I refer to the following misrepresented facts addressed in your Aug. 14 comments in The Citizen:

1. As a matter of record, an official ruling has not been given as to whether or not the law has been broken regarding the Open Meeting act. Mr. Allen, you chose to quote the Attorney General's office, stating that no law had been broken. Please produce your evidence that such a ruling has been given. You will find that there is no such ruling.

2. Refer to The Citizen article written by John Thompson (on the same day as your letter) which stated, "An attorney for the Georgia Press Association believes the Fayette County Commission has broken the Open Meetings law. Attorney David Hudson said the violations occurred when the County Commission voted on items concerning legal issues in executive sessions in 2001 and 2002." Quoting Attorney David Hudson, "This vote must be open. There is no exception that allows that type of decision in closed session."

3. You indicated, Mr. Allen, that the Tyrone Council was guilty of holding such meetings. Tyrone official records reflect that no such voting has occurred in executive sessions within the last six years (of which Mr. Cannon has been an elected official), nor is there any indication that such voting has ever occurred in Tyrone.

4. You referenced comments by Fayette County Solicitor General Steven Harris who indicated, "that he resented that his office is being used for political purposes." It appears that Mr. Harris' response could also be perceived as politically motivated.

Also, you failed to mention that you, Mr. Allen, (a relatively new resident to Tyrone), has aligned yourself as a political pawn to Greg Dunn (who appears to have personal influence within The Citizen), Linda Wells and a small group of Tyrone citizens whose only interest in Tyrone is to further their political ambitions. You have taken blind advantage of innocent Tyrone citizens by professing to represent them in their issues and concerns.

By you misrepresentation of the truth, you have managed to separate lifelong friends, put neighbor against neighbor and brought out the worst in people's attitudes, not to mention having disrupted the serenity of Tyrone. Is this what your true intentions have been? Do you believe that all of this misinformation and personal slandering is in the "best interest" of Tyrone?

5. As for your comment that "Mr. Cannon has shamed Tyrone with his backward ways and methods," Mr. Cannon's community and political record speaks for itself. He has addressed and tried to legally remedy concerns expressed to him personally and through his position on the town council.

Although I may not always agree with Mr. Cannon's methods, I do not appreciate your malicious intent to degrade his contributions to Tyrone.

What qualifications do you have, or right to think that you can best represent the Tyrone citizens, or as you so often refer to them as "your people"? I apologize to Mr. Cannon for your lack of professionalism.

Burt Clark

burtclark@bellsouth.net

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