I’d like to salute the efforts of two people who will be leaving local office at the end of this year. Greg Dunn has devoted eight years to serving on the County Commission, six years as chairman (a record). Linda Wells has served for a total of 12 years. Their work has endowed the people of this county with better government and better services during the time they were in office and we can reap the benefits into our future.

This week I’m speaking of Greg Dunn.

I am not aware of any elected official who has represented Fayette County at any level who has worked as hard and for as many hours, as effectively and with as much integrity for us as has Greg Dunn. The late Paul Coverdell may have been his equal but Greg’s is supposed to be a part-time position.

What did he do? Well, he participated daily in the activities in our county. People, who knew, knew they could contact him on any local issue and get answers or action right away. He was “up to speed” on road issues, recreation issues, finance issues, senior issues, law enforcement issues and more. To some, who maybe wished to be left to doing things for their own benefit, he was too involved.

He was the primary manager, on behalf of the Commission, for several large projects. Among these was the new Justice Center/Jail. This was an immense project and it was brought in, as the saying goes, on time and under budget. This facility is universally recognized, by those who have used it or worked in it, as one of the finest facilities of its type in the state of Georgia.

The recreation facilities in this county? He worked with the department and with the various associations to help improve the existing facilities and develop new ones. The results? Ask them. I’ve seen the facilities and I’ve seen the letters from the associations and heard their comments. They like the results.

We just broke ground for a new senior center. Greg Dunn? The first meeting to discuss how to get this done was conducted several years ago in Greg’s kitchen. Ask the members of the Board of Fayette Senior Services.

The road improvements we’ve seen recently and the massive improvements still to come? Greg’s hard work at the ARC. No one from Fayette County before, and I don’t see anyone capable and willing to step up in our immediate future, accomplished as much as he has for us in working with regional and state departments and governments. Ask the leadership of the ARC and of the state government about his leadership on transportation.

Taxes? For the services we receive, a bargain. Fayette County has become the best run, biggest bang for the buck, county in the state of Georgia with one of the lowest millage rates. Check the numbers.

Perhaps the most important thing he has done is to insist that every person and every department in county government obey the rules. No special favors, no special privileges, no special treatment.

For the dollars we pay a county commissioner chair, we have gotten a bargain of the century. We’ve had the benefit of the sincere, heartfelt, expert and effective efforts of a person of very high caliber. Companies or governments typically would pay a salary many times larger than we paid for all this.

I’ve been fortunate. I’ve had the privilege to know this man closely and personally. He is a good friend. I think that because he has known of, and known some personally, true-life heroes in the military he doesn’t like the word “hero” to be used loosely. He doesn’t want it attributed to him.

One of the definitions of hero from the dictionary.reference.com reads, “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Greg is someone I admire and you should too. Ask the people who have worked with him and know him.

Thanks, Greg.

Greg’s replacement as a commissioner? The person who will become chairman next year? This isn’t about him or them and it’s not written to diminish them. Any results and accomplishments they achieve for us will be up to them. But he, or they, will have a very tough act to follow and a very high standard to live up to.

Peter Pfeifer
County Commission, Post 3
Peachtree City, Ga.