Wednesday, January 22, 2003

I don't know about the other residents of Peachtree City, but I, for one, am sick and tired of reading sour grapes editorials from Mayor Steve Brown's adversaries. Yes, Mr. Lenox, we are all well aware of the fact that you are not the least bit pleased at being ousted from your comfy little political position by a logical, non-self-serving opponent.

I believe that Mayor Brown is doing an excellent job in office so far. The decisions he has made to date are exactly what I would expect (and agree with) from a mayor who refuses to participate in the good old boy system of government previously in force in Peachtree City. The placement of Dan Tennant as mayor pro tem is another fine move toward a ethical city government. Both men appear to be more interested in what is good for our city than what is good for their own gains.

The Citizen has succeeded in stirring up nonessential issues against the current mayor by bellowing out nothing but negative comments regarding his administration across the headlines of its paper. I want to note that it is quite obvious that The Citizen is participating in the good old boy network, as well as Mr. Lenox and those sour-grape-slinging opponents of Mayor Brown, who they so willingly give credence to. Sometimes enough so to print front page articles with massive headlines of unsubstantiated trash to undermine the mayor's efforts.

The Citizen's loyalty to the past administration was quite blatant when an article appeared on the front page wherein it was reported that Mayor Brown was correct about the amphitheater/tennis center contracts. The placement of that article, crammed underneath another giant-type, bold headline, midway down the page and hanging off the right margin, printed in type that one nearly needed to consult their magnifying glass to read, says much about where The Citizen stands on this issue.

The whole issue of Bob Lenox attempting to have Mayor Brown arrested for taking his assistant up on an offer to drive his child somewhere was asinine. I bet you can't find a single executive who hasn't taken an underling up on similar offers for the sake of business. Mayor Brown did not solicit the genuine offer of help. He made financial amends for the "city's time" and apologized to the community.

But, our ex-mayor saw this as a way to publicly harass the man who beat him out of office. (And, might I mention that it undoubtedly cost the city more to answer Mr. Lenox's self-serving mudslinging that the $15 that Mayor Brown reimbursed the city for this act of kindness on the part of his assistant.)

Get a grip, Bob. You're out. Get a life and leave the mayor alone to do his job. Maybe you and your cronies could take up golf. I understand we have really nice courses in Peachtree City. I'm sure YOUR assistant would be more than happy to schedule your tee time.

As for The Citizen, what ever happened to non-prejudicial reporting? It seems to have gone by the wayside. Perhaps it is time for a turnover in the administration of the paper as well. The reason the citizens of Peachtree City elected Mayor Brown in the first place are the same reasons that will most certainly cut your readership, which would not be nearly as large if you didn't distribute your paper unsolicited. I for one would be quite pleased if you would stop throwing your unsolicited trash in my front yard. Because, by now, I have learned to discount any opinions published in The Citizen as more good old boy garbage.

Kim Hamm

Peachtree City