When one looks up the words “poor loser” in a dictionary one will find a picture of Janet Smola.

It is sadly pathetic to read about her vindictive legal pursuit of Carl Avrit. Apparently, she cannot accept being a loser and has lashed out at him to rebuild her shaky self-image.

She does not understand that Mr. Avrit had only one SPLOST vote. It was the people of Fayette County who voted down a new tax. She no longer claims that his phone messages were lies because she knows they were not (she was the one who lied when she said his message were lies). She has taken to nitpicking over irrelevant procedural details to persecute her opponent. How can we expect to teach our children to be graceful losers when we have such contrary examples from parents?

What horrible indiscretion did Mr. Avrit commit? He did not have the name of his organization and his name at the end of the message!

There are three reasons he did not. First, he was concerned with brevity. Secondly, the law states that a referendum, by definition, is something the state legislature has put forth and the people of the state are to vote upon, which this was not. Thirdly, the announcement was done by a man in the business of making recordings who had never had anyone file a complaint on any of his projects or ever heard of anyone being called on the carpet for this minuscule detail. Apparently, in all of Georgia's history there has never been anyone as petty as Janet Smola.

What Ms. Smola needs to do is work on SPLOST II. That SPLOST stands for Supporters Put up Loot Or Shut Traps. It is time for all those people who voted “yes” because “our children matter” to start calculating 1 percent of their purchases and donating that money to the Fayette County School Board. They need to “walk the talk.”

Everyone who voted “yes” on SPLOST because of conscience is obligated to support the schools with a 1 percent contribution, even though SPLOST did not pass. If there was true belief of a need, there is an obligation to meet that need personally. Anyone who does not donate that 1 percent has absolutely no right to speak about need the next time SPLOST raises its ugly head. Put up or shut up!

Janet Smola needs to pull up. She cannot change the votes by persecuting Carl Avrit. Her hate is a deplorable thing to watch.

Bill Webster
Peachtree City

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