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Post 2 race has
lower profile, but candidates have interesting possibilities
By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com
The three-way race to claim
the Post 1 seat on the Peachtree City Council could best be described
as “the battle of the have-nots,” at least when compared to
the contest being waged for the next chair over, Post 2.
The two candidates running for Post 2 have Web sites to advance their
causes, a far cry more than Lee H. Poolman or Judi-ann Rutherford, considered
the leading candidates for Post 1.
The third candidate in the race, 29-year-old business owner James Adduci,
has relied mostly on business cards handed out to patrons at Martini’s
bar and restaurant in Westpark Walk, which he owns, to promote his name.
Adduci’s perceived lack of understanding of the key issues facing
the city has turned much of the focus on Poolman and Rutherford, though
Adduci could prove the spoiler and force the Post 1 race into a runoff
if nobody earns a majority.
The DIRECT PAC political action group interviewed all three candidates,
and this week endorsed Rutherford, Chairman Rex Green said in a letter
to the editor printed Wednesday.
Both Poolman and Rutherford, by their own admissions, are runnning for
office on pocket change and have put almost nothing into their grassroots
campaigns beyond the $180 it cost to qualify.
The two have another issue in common as well: Potential conflicts of interest
with their employment should they be elected to council, though the conflicts
are different.
Poolman, 48, works in the budget office of Fulton County government, directly
reporting to Fulton’s budget manager, Steve Rapson. Rapson sits on
Post 3 of the Peachtree City Council.
Both Rapson and Poolman dismiss any suggestion that the two cannot maintain
an ethical, unbiased working relationship, both at Fulton County and at
City Hall.
“It’s more like we’re professional acquaintances,”
said Rapson. “Yeah, we’re friends, but we’ve never gone
to the movies together.”
The two have known each other since Poolman first moved to Georgia more
than a decade ago to work as finance director for the city of Griffin.
At the time, the Spalding County city was facing bankruptcy, Rapson said.
Poolman’s financial know-how helped Griffin rebound, and also was
instrumental in establishing the state’s first stormwater utility
agency, something Peachtree City is studying.
“People who are trying to make it an issue, that Lee and I work together,
they don’t know Lee and they don’t know me,” said Rapson.
Poolman said that while Rapson may have a hand in his annual performance
reviews, Fulton County hasn’t tied raises to performance in years.
Beyond that, he claims he was acting budget manager when Rapson came on
board almost five years ago.
“He knows I’ve got more experience in financial management,”
said Poolman of Rapson. “Yes, I do answer to him based on the organizational
chart, but I answer to a lot of other people as well.”
As budget systems manager, Poolman is essentially the one who crunches
numbers for a department that this year is responsible for a budget of
$1.8 billion.
Poolman said he decided to run for the city council seat without discussing
it with Rapson, and in fact cleared it with Fulton County Manager Tom
Andrews before considering the matter further. Fulton County officials
expressed confidence the relationship wouldn’t pose an issue, Poolman
said. Besides, he added, he’s about ready for a transfer to another
department and may pursue one if he gets elected or not.
Another work-related conflict may affect Rutherford, 53, office manager
of the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater and officially employed by the
Development Authority of Peachtree City. With the future of the DAPC and
its management duties in doubt the past few months, she has sustained
most of the campaign without knowing for certain what her legal standing
would be should she win Post 1. City ordinances strictly forbid an elected
official from working directly for a city department or agency.
“I spoke with Bernie McMullen several weeks ago and asked that question,”
said Rutherford, adding that McMullen assured her the city does not intend
to staff the amphitheater with city employees even if it technically falls
under the city’s management umbrella.
Instead, the city council is expected to consider setting up an autonomous
management board that will be able to collect and distribute the city’s
hotel-motel tax, negotiate contracts with vendors, and sell alcohol and
the like, all things a city council cannot do with a traditional public
facility.
“There is also no guarantee the city will hire the current staff
to operate the amphitheater,” said Rutherford, seemingly willing
to take the chance. “Either way the conflict with the DAPC becomes
a non-issue.”
As for the issues in the race, Rutherford has emerged in short order as
the candidate most direct and ready to fire off an answer. She refused
to take sides in the Dan Tennant-Steve Brown tug of wills.
“I think it does the voters and candidates a disservice,” she
said, avoiding the issues at hand in favor of personality spats. “As
for my chances, who knows? A great deal will depend on who actually votes.”
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