For Wells . . . Letters from Our Readers

The decisions made by the Board of Commissioners of Fayette County during the next four years will be crucial for all Fayette County Citizens.

Our lifestyles as individuals and as a community will depend upon their judgments and their votes will shape every aspect of our day to day lives. Their decisions will impact our lives much more than any made on the state or federal level.

The changes to be made in the land use plan, the zoning of our undeveloped areas are but a few of the items to be faced by our county officials.

Fayette County needs caring commissioners. We need officials who will bring intelligence, integrity, compassion, fairness and dignity back to our citizens. We deserve commissioners who understand that they are elected to represent the people, not rule them.

I feel that Linda Wells has all the qualities to be a commissioner of the people. She has always exhibited an attitude of respect for her fellow Fayette Countians, is a proven leader and has no ties to any special interest groups.

Pleas return to the polls on Aug. 11 and vote. All our futures depend on wise leadership. No county can be any better than the quality of leadership it has. Lets return Fayette County to the hands of officials who care.

Barbara Short
Fayetteville

For Brown . . .

I confess that I, as I suspect many others, found some of the recent election results surprising. The truly sad part to me, however, was the terribly low voter turnout. It is very difficult to accept the huge percentage of our fellow Fayette Countians who apparently are either oblivious to the very serious problems facing our county or simply don't care enough to take a few minutes to vote.

I hear the cries of those who say if only the elections were held on Saturday or if only the ballots were mailed to each registered voter's home all would be different. Sorry, I don't buy it. If you can't get there from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on the few election days we have, it's simply because, in the vast majority of cases, the motivation isn't there. As to the mailing of ballots to the home, the potential for widespread fraud is unlimited.

Some of this mass indifference shown in our recent primary could be changed if folks would educate themselves on the candidates and come out to vote in the runoff on Tuesday, Aug. 11. You are eligible to vote then even if you didn't vote in the primary and there are a number of fine candidates running for positions of extreme importance to all of us and the future of Fayette County. They have worked hard and deserve your consideration.

A prime example is Fred Brown who is running for a seat on the county commission. Here is a candidate of extensive experience in city, county, regional and state affairs. He is a person of unquestionable personal integrity without even any potential for conflict of interest on any county issue who would be a "full- time" commissioner. He has no ties to developers or any special interest group and his sole goal will be to work for the best interests of all the people of Fayette County if given that opportunity.

Fred has lived in Fayette County for over 24 years and fully understands the need for lower density growth today as well as the overwhelming need for carefully planned and executed control over future growth. He knows we must meet the challenges of today as well as tomorrow.

Few realize, for example, that over 6,000 building permits for new residential dwellings have already been issued. Immediate action is imperative. In this regard, Fred has a strong record of support for the imposition of impact fees so that present residents don't have to unfairly bear the burden of the cost of the additional requirements for police and fire services, roads, libraries, water, waste, recreational facilities, etc. created by new building. This is but one of many problems facing our county government now.

Fred Brown has seen the mistakes that have been made in the past and, most importantly, what will work in the future. He knows firsthand the problems of the cities within the county as well as those of the unincorporated areas. He knows that short-term action is a must but careful long-term planning is vital. He has both the background and a wealth of experience to make a real contribution to our county government.

Finally, and very importantly, Fred is an excellent listener who works extremely well with others at all levels of government and has earned a high degree of respect at both the local and state level. He will work extremely hard on a full-time basis to obtain the best for all the citizens of Fayette County now and in the future and strive to protect us against any special interest groups that would work to our detriment.

It is my hope that all Republicans will take a hard look at his candidacy and conclude, as I have, that he deserves our votes on Aug. 11.

Ed Potts
Peachtree City