Sales tax advocates take on communication

By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

The political action committee that spearheaded the push for a special local option sales tax for school improvements in September will continue as a communications committee, acting as a link between citizens, the school superintendent, school board and staff.

The group, known as Fayette Citizens for Continued Excellence in Education, will no longer act as a Pac, but as a citizens committee. It will be chaired by Janet Smola of Tyrone and will have six to 10 members from various parts of the county with the intent of responding to questions from the general public concerning academics, operations and facilities.

Smola said Monday night that she continues to receive numerous phone calls, despite the fact that the sales tax initiative failed last month. During the time the committee worked for the SPLOST, Smola said, “We established a wonderful working relationship with the superintendent and department heads.”

Smola said in a mission statement read before the board Monday night that the committee will “serve as conduit between the citizens of Fayette County and the superintendent of Fayette County Schools and the members of the Board of Education... Our purpose is to cultivate a cohesive working relationship between those serving and receiving services from our school system.”

The committee is still seeking representatives from Woolsey and Brooks to serve. Committee members include Don Apking, vice chairman, Fayetteville; Connie Leary, secretary, Peachtree City; Katie Fisher, Peachtree City; Virgil Fludd, Fayetteville north; Dean Howard, Fayetteville central; Joe Palmer, Fayetteville south; and Mike Neill, Fayetteville east.

Members of the committee were thanked Monday night by superintendent Dr. John DeCotis and the board for their work on the SPLOST proposal. The initiative failed by a margin of approximately 400 votes and that fact has led Smola to file a complaint with the state Ethics Commission against Carl Avrit of Fayetteville, who reportedly led a telephone campaign against the tax. The recorded telephone messages contained inaccurate information, Smola charged, and SPLOST supporters believe the calls could have tipped the balance against the referendum.

Smola said the complaint will be heard by the Ethics Commission Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. at the state Capitol. She declined to discuss details of the complaint, saying that if the complaint is dismissed, she did not wish to tarnish a man's reputation, referring to Avrit.

A second complaint also will be heard the same day. This one was lodged against the Board of Education by Claude Paquin. It states that the board indirectly contributed to the Fayette Citizens for Continued Excellence in Education by allowing a representative from A.G. Edwards, one of the firms engaged to handle bond sales in conjunction with the sales tax, to act as an advisor to the group.

If the SPLOST had passed, Edwards would have benefitted financially from the sale of bonds.