Wednesday, July 30, 2003

So, let's find a really good slogan for PTC

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

Amid all the hullabaloo that was the July 17 Peachtree City Council meeting, Councilman Murray Weed finally was given consideration of his idea that Peachtree City adopt an official motto. This, from the man whose campaign slogan in 2001 was "Win With Weed."

But I don't disagree. A catch-phrase or a punchline, if you will, that sums up what the place is all about could do wonders for the image of the town.

Especially now. The timing couldn't be better.

Think about it: You tell somebody you're from Peachtree City, and what are the next six words you hear?

That's right DO YOU HAVE A GOLF CART?

Butta-boom-cha.

What a tired old nugget, as grounded in reality as it might be. It's time knowledge of Peachtree City grew beyond its quaint alternative mode of transportation. Ditto the assumption everybody makes that this is "where all the pilots live." And as thrilling as it is to hear the words, "National Weather Service, Peachtree City" everytime anybody between here and Soddy Daisy gives the forecast, it's not positive reinforcement when it's always followed by, "has issued a severe ..."

I thought the city had a slogan, but apparently "You'll Love to Call It Home" was just an advertising gimmick used by the old development corporation (which now, oddly enough, brags on itself as "The Developers of Peachtree City").

So while the city does not have a slogan, the city itself is, in fact, somebody else's slogan.

Clearly, something needs to be done.

When Weed's slogan idea first reared its head at the city retreat in March, it was decided that city staffers would offer suggestions, and the three finalists were announced last Thursday:

1. Peachtree City: America's Premiere Planned Community.

2. Peachtree City: Planned to Perfection

3. Peachtree City: Planned for Perfection.

You probably noticed right off, as I did, that all three slogans include the words "Peachtree City," which is probably a good thing. Each contains the word "planned" as well, and that's a real yawn of a word. Can't we do better than that?

Apparently so. City Council agreed to open up the selection process to all residents.

This could get interesting.

A short, decent, to-the-point city motto would certainly go far, something like, "The City Too Busy to Hate."

What? That one is already taken? OK then, how about, "The City Everybody Loves to Hate"?

For inspiration, look around. Just about every local government or jurisdiction has some sort of motto. For example, Fayette County schools are "Where Excellence Counts" and the Fayette County Commission claims this is a place "Where Quality is a Lifestyle."

Newnan is "The City of Homes" and Griffin is "The Jonquil City." Athens, of course, is "The Classic City." Thomasville is "The Rose City." Elberton is the "Granite City" and Columbus is the "Fountain City."

If we followed that line of thinking, we'd be right back calling Peachtree City "The Golf Cart City."

For all of you ready to go, pen in hand, here is some inspiration: Netscape, the Internet search engine, recently ran an online feature on all 50 state mottos.

Some of them I knew, like my home state of Georgia: Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. Even you Yankees have got to admit that's better than some 300-year-old war cry about not stepping on a snake.

In fact, compared to a lot of official state slogans, Georgia looks pretty darn smart. Here is a sampling:

Alabama: We Dare Defend Our Rights (Well, that explains a lot).

Arizona: God Enriches (Amen!).

Arkansas: The People Rule (Scary if you've ever been to Arkansas).

California: Eureka ... I Have Found It (But they still don't know what "it" is).

Connecticut: He Who Transplanted Still Sustains (What?).

Florida: In God We Trust (I think they stole that from somewhere else).

Hawaii: The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness (WHOOSH! As in, right over the head!).

Kansas: To the Stars Through Difficulties (Come on, people, life isn't that bad!).

Maryland: Manly Deeds, Womanly Words (Does Martha Burk know about this?).

Michigan: If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You (Well, isn't that just at the top of everybody's list?).

Missouri: The Welfare of the People Shall Be the Supreme Law (So that's what they didn't want to show everybody!).

New Mexico: It Grows as It Goes (which is common for foreign countries like New Mexico).

North Carolina: To Be, Rather Than to Seem (Everybody breath deeply and meditate for a moment).

Oklahoma: Labor Conquers All Things (That wasn't a wind sweeping down the plain, it was Mao's army).

South Carolina: Prepared In Mind and Resources/While I Breathe, I Hope (Forget understanding it, who in the Palmetto State can read it?).

South Dakota: Under God the People Rule (Apparently, there aren't many Baptists in South Dakota).

Washington: Bye and Bye (Should it be, Byte and Byte?).

Wisconsin: Forward (How cheesy).

My final observation on writing slogans: The best ones seem to be some interpretation or translation of an ancient Latin phrase. But try as I might, I can't seem to find any Latin representation of "Golf Cart."