Friday, September 19, 2003
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Friday, September 19, 2003 |
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Candidates gear up for council races By J. FRANK LYNCH “I don’t take this lightly,” Dan Tennant responded when a reporter asked last month why he appeared to be running the campaign of his life for relection to the Peachtree City Council — especially since, at the time, he had no announced competition. Now, Tennant is grateful he launched his bid for a second term way back in April, especially since his opponent, Stuart Kourajian, waited until last Thursday, Sept. 11, the next-to-last day of qualifying, to officially throw his hat into the ring. Tennant, regional sales manager for a pharmaceutical firm, and Kourajian, a senior project manager for a major bank, are running for the Post 2 seat, while three more newcomers to city politics are vying for Post 1, the seat held for more than 13 years by veteran Councilwoman Annie McMenamin. Term limitations, which didn’t exist when she was first elected in 1990, prevent McMenamin from seeking office again. Running to fill McMenamin’s Post 1 seat are Lee H. Poolman, employed in the finance department of Fulton County; Judi-Ann Rutherford, office manager for the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater; and James J. Adduci, who listed his occupation on qualifying papers as “local business owner.” The city election ballot will also ask voters to approve a $4.9 million expansion of the library, which will raise propety taxes about $26 a year on the average $200,000 home. The campaign’s lone incumbent Tennant made headlines during the recent budget debates by the City Council by proposing alternate plans to the finalized budget that slashed city employment and didn’t fund raises. None of his proposals made it into the approved budget, which the council OK’d two weeks ago on a 3-2 vote, with Tennant and McMenamin opposed. Tennant has also sparred frequently and loudly with Mayor Steve Brown in recent months, whom he openly supported in the mayoral election two years ago. Brown has accused Tennant of having “higher political ambitions.” Said Tennant, “People have asked me to run for mayor in two years, but I’m more interested in winning this race in November. I don’t do anything halfway.” The election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. The deadline for voter registration is Oct. 4.
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