Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Who was that speeding lawmaker? By JOHN MUNFORD jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com State Representative Lynn Westmoreland got a special cross-county escort from one political event to another Thursday afternoon by deputies from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. The escort brought Westmoreland, who is also a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, from the golf cart bill signing with Gov. Sonny Perdue at Peachtree City’s The Gathering Place to the open house and dedication of the Fayette County Justice Center in Fayetteville, about 10 miles away. Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson said the sheriff’s department provided the escort for Westmoreland at the state legislator’s request. “He asked us could we do it and we brought him to the courthouse dedication because he was running late,” Johnson said. “We’d have done it for anybody who asked, but he was the only one.” One witness said several vehicles passed him at a high rate of speed, with one entering the intersection of Ga. Highway 54 and Peachtree Parkway to block it so the “motorcade” could make a right turn at the traffic light. Sheriff Johnson said he was not sure if the escort was at high speed. “It was not supposed to be,” the sheriff said. Westmoreland was running late to the justice center dedication because the golf cart bill signing at The Gathering Place in Peachtree City started later than planned. Gov. Perdue told Johnson that he was slowed down by traffic coming from Newnan on Ga. Highways 34 and 54, causing him to run several minutes late. Work on widening the highways between Coweta County and Peachtree City has already begun in Coweta County with land-clearing activities. The Department of Transportation has been held up in Fayette in the land acquisition phase.