Friday, April 11, 2003
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Friday, April 11, 2003 |
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Council disagrees on new nominee By J. FRANK
LYNCH
It's back to the drawing board for the Peachtree City Council in the hunt for someone to fill the seat on the Development Authority left vacant by the term expiration of Doug Warner. Warner, whose six-year term ran out this month, had asked the council not to reappoint him because he wanted to spend more time with his family. An attorney, Warner also serves on the city's Airport Authority. Council respected that, but disagreed at its April 3 meeting on who should fill the seat. Mayor Steve Brown and Councilman Murray Weed supported Todd Strickland, whose background is in architecture. Councilmen Dan Tennant and Annie McMenamin were opposed, suggesting Jim Maniatis, a human resources executive at Cooper Lighting, would be a better choice because of his industrial connections. Councilman Steve Rapson, whose wife is involved in litigation with the authority, abstained from the discussion and vote. "We have a great deal of respect for any resident willing to serve a six-year term for no pay," said Tennant. "But in my opinion, Mr. Strickland would be more valuable to us on the Planning Commission." McMenamin agreed, and suggested Maniatis would be a good appointment to the Development Authority because he already speaks the language common to those who "move in that environment and talk about location, location, location." Weed said he stood by his choice, insisting Strickland was the best man for the job simply because of his length of time in the city 21 years. What's more, Weed said, as an alternate to the Development Authority, Strickland had attended every meeting for eight months, while Maniatis had attended no meetings, to his knowledge. Brown said he knew both men well, but sided with Weed that Strickland is very passionate about serving on the Development Authority. "I'm suspicious when someone steps up to serve on a board and they have never been to a meeting," Brown said, adding, "I think this is becoming a political matter." The others on council took issue with that, and McMenamin declared that she "didn't even know" Maniatis before she interviewed him for the position. The mayor did not clarify or explain his comment. Neither Maniatis nor Strickland was the first choice to fill the seat by Development Authority Chairman Tate Godfrey, it was pointed out. In the end, Brown and Weed voted to appoint Strickland to the vacant seat, while McMenamin and Tennant voted against. McMenamin then reversed the motion to appoint Maniatis instead, and that also ended in a tie, with Brown and Weed against, thus nullifying any appointment. After some lighthearted banter about who should volunteer to give Warner the "good news" that he would have to stay on, it was agreed that a search would begin for another candidate. In other business related to the Development Authority, businessman Bob Steiber asked to address the council regarding his failed restaurant at the Peachtree City Tennis Center, Asheland Grille. "We lost a lot of money, and much of it is my fault," Steiber told council. "But the way it happened, it didn't have to happen. I was lied to." Steiber had a stack of documents at the meeting which he claimed was evidence that tennis center management had misled him about the restaurant's ability to succeed. The Development Authority oversees operations at the Tennis Center. Council stopped Steiber before he got into his presentation and asked if he would be willing to sit down with the authority and work out his disagreements, and then bring the results back to the council at a later date. Steiber claimed he has tried to meet with the authority and chairman Tate Godfrey to no avail. "I don't want money," he told council. "I just want you to know the truth. I'll try to meet with them again, but then I want to come back and address the council." Council assured him that he would be given an opportunity to share after going through the proper channels. Tennant thanked Steiber for his "graciousness" and for considering another meeting with the authority.
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