Wednesday, June 11, 2003

I received an e-mail from Steve Brown yesterday (attached). The mayor has chosen a path of personal destruction to attempt to discredit me, and I am certain he will continue on the warpath until election day.

Unfortunately for Mr. Brown, he has met his match. Unlike Mr. Brown, I have a real job, I own a business, I run a charitable foundation, and have plenty of other interests to occupy my time, but I will always make time to respond to Mr. Brown's slander. His remarks are full of lies, distortions and innuendo.

This is the same guy who writes flowery tributes to motherhood and quotes scripture when he seems to think it is advantageous to do so. The problem is that the real Steve Brown is exposed here for all to see. So here is a quick response.

1. Brown claims I "defended" the authority on nine highly controversial claims he made about the development authority. That is a total of nine lies, to say nothing of the damaging and in some cases inaccurate charges he makes.

2. It is not my duty, obligation, or role to call for a detailed audit of the Peachtree National Bank debt. It is also not my place to threaten to default on loans to the president of said bank.

3. Steve Brown made an enormous open records request to the development authority. I never defended the authority, as Brown claims I have, in what Brown claims are the authority's lack of providing such records. Lie number 10.

4. "First Amendment Dan," who defended Steve Brown's right to be heard back when he was a letter-writing activist, believes in protecting the right of an individual from being unjustly abused in public, which is exactly what Brown permitted of Virgil Christian.

No, I am not in the midst of a cover-up. Along with Murray Weed and members of the development authority subcommittee, I spent many hours trying to resolve conflict, not cover it up. Steve Brown is simply bent on the destruction of the Development Authority, plain and simple.

I did not plan a last-minute agenda item for the city to pay off tennis center expansion debt. Lie number 11. The record shows that Ted Meeker simply brought the public up to date on the status of the development authority's debt when that agenda item came up.

I do not want to "milk our taxpayers" for any debt. Lie number 12. The entire council has already publicly agreed that we are ethically and morally bound to see that the development authority debt is paid.

Twelve lies in a one-page e-mail. Mr. Brown is a discredit to the office of mayor. Lies, distortion and dishonor what a shame that the real Steve Brown fooled us all in the last election.

For the record, I don't need to hide or talk my way out of anything. I offer no apology for advising a citizen that the city manager and [the city's public information officer] would be happy to answer any other questions he might have on a subject.

Finally, I don't know who is behind DIRECT PAC, but I do know that any group that demands truth and accountability in its elected officials can't be all bad, can it?

Dan Tennant, councilman

Peachtree City