Friday, November 7, 2003
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Friday, November 7, 2003 |
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Rutherford, Poolman in holiday runoff By J. FRANK LYNCH Three weeks to the day after coming within 20 votes of giving a majority to Peachtree City Council Post 1 candidate Judi-Ann Rutherford, voters will be asked to return to the polls to choose between her and second-place vote getter Lee H. Poolman in a runoff. Though Peachtree City voters made a respectable 26 percent showing Tuesday, the runoff election threatens to attract far fewer voters — not because of the candidates or the issues, but because of the timing. It will be held Tuesday, Nov. 25, two days before Thanksgiving and while local schools are closed for week. That worries Rutherford, who said Wednesday her efforts over the next two weeks will be to “get out the vote.” “Anybody who voted can vote again, and anybody who didn’t vote the first time but was registered can vote this time,” said Rutherford, who works as office manager at the city’s Fred Brown Jr. Amphitheater. Though she has previously been elected to municipal office in a small Maine town, this is her first run at Peachtree City politics. “The hardest thing to do is to get the vote out,” she said. “Traditionally, trying to get people back out to the polls is hard for any candidate.” Rutherford drew 2,179 votes or 49 percent, while Poolman got 1,473 votes or 34 percent. As expected, the spoiler in the race was third-place finisher James J. Adduci, a local bar and restaurant owner, who got 737 votes or 17 percent. While stopping short of calling her totals a “mandate,” Rutherford did say they reflected a solid support base for her cause. “I’m running for good government, for good progress, to build relationshiops,” she said. “We as a city and a council need to move forward.” Poolman, meanwhile, was just as miffed that Rutherford came so close to winning a majority, but for opposite reasons. “I’m surprised the voters of Peachtree City would think she is qualified,” said Poolman, who is employed as the budget systems manager for Fulton County. “Her experience is nothing compared to mine.” Poolman said he would have gotten more votes if he had attended the Rotary Club’s candidate forum Oct. 21, but a previous conflict related to his job kept him in Washington that night. Rotary officials refused to compromise. “If you take her answers at the Rotary forum and compare them to James (Adduci), yeah, she looked better,” said Poolman. “But she still beat around the bush and didn’t have a clear-cut answer to any problem.” Both candidates again dismissed their perceived conflicts of interest, both employment related. At Fulton County, Poolman reports directly to Budget Director Steve Rapson, who sits on Council Post 4. And Rutherford’s employment at the amphithteater has posed a big question mark as the future of the Development Authority of Peachtree City is decided. Poolman described as “sad” any voters who chose Rutherford instead of him because of the Rapson connection. Rutherford, on the other hand, was decidedly frank about her situation, which would appear far more complicated. “My conflict is very clear,” she said. “The message I need to get out is I’m not a city employee. I intend to keep my job.” A clearer “mandate” was handed down in the Post 2 race, in which 15-year resident Stuart Kourajian soundly ousted incumbent Dan Tennant, 3,072 to 1,721, or a victory margin of 64 percent. “I’m very pleased with the results,” said Kourajian, who was still fielding congratulatory calls two days after the vote and maintained his message to restore integrity, honesty, and professionalism in city government carried the day. “The margin of victory is a clear indication that the residents of Peachtree City are tired of contentious attitudes from our elected officials,” he said. “The City Council and Mayor are elected to serve the residents and provide the leadership necessary to help our City progress. As elected officials, we must accept our responsibility, and be accountable for our actions and our inactions.” Tennant, who did not return phone calls seeking comment, circulated a press release Wednesday in which he congratulated Kourajian and said he is considering his political future after failing to regain his seat for a second four-year term. “It has been a great experience, and I will have many rewarding memories about serving my community,” said wrote. “I congratulate Stuart Kourajian and wish him the best of luck in his term in office.” Tennant formally announced his intentions to run for reelection last spring, and even when Kourajian emerged as his lone opposition in September, he spent much of his time battling Mayor Steve Brown, with whom he had grown increasingly at odds with in recent months. Though he has hinted at making a run for mayor in 2005, Tennant was vague about this political aspirations after Tuesday. “There will be plenty of time to sort out my future political plans, if any, as I have a number of options,” Tennant said. “In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my family, my friends, my good health, and stay involved in the community in other ways.” Kourajian said he hopes his success beating a seating councilman will encourage others in Peachtree City to enter the public arena and help make a difference. “The challenge I am posing to myself, to the Post 1 electee, to the current Council, and to the Mayor is to recreate an environment of team work, with the focus on what is best for Peachtree City,” Kourajian said. “I am very encouraged as to what improvements and changes can be affected over the next four years.”
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