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Logsdon: Is anybody there? Is Peachtree City mayoral candidate Harold Logsdon an empty suit? Is it enough that he is “not Brown,” the current mayor? Is there anybody home behind the vacuous platitudes that form the core of Logsdon’s campaign positions? What does he stand for? Let’s examine what his own campaign platform says about his positions. “Leadership is about accepting challenges and presenting solutions,” Logsdon says in his Citizen Forum, available at www.The Citizen.com. “Like any good Army man, I am not interested in excuses. Neither are the citizens of Peachtree City. I am interested in results, and I will work to bring those results quickly and efficiently for the benefit of our community.” That’s his number one position: leadership. But where will Logsdon be leading us? What “results” will he be seeking? Let’s search his Forum statements for any clues to where this “leadership” will be taking us. Logsdon: “Financial accountability, sensible budgeting, and resource management are among the most vital roles of our next mayor. We’ve seen tax increases for four consecutive years, while visible signs of infrastructure problems continue to appear. This signals a lack of financial responsibility in our current administration. “I want to use my experience as a certified internal auditor, fraud investigator, and business operations manager to evaluate our city government for efficiency, as well as to better manage our budget. This way we can stabilize and work to reduce the tax burden on our citizens.” How nice. Not a word, not a word, not a word on “HOW” he will accomplish his number one goal. How can he do what he says is vital? Cut programs. Which programs? Soccer, maybe? Recreation in general? Fewer public works employees? Logsdon never says anything but, “Trust me; I will lead you and I’ll be nice.” Logsdon: “The West Village land must be developed to our planning standards, and as mayor I will be proactive to ensure those standards are met.” As far as Logsdon is concerned, the big 900-acre annexation is a done deal. You remember that annexation, don’t you? That’s the one where then-Mayor Bob Lenox told a standing-room-only crowd at City Hall that he knew “more about the West Village than anybody else,” and produced a PowerPoint show to push for his plan. The citizens rose up and a chastened five-member council voted 5-0 to say, “Oops, we made a mistake. Let’s don’t do this annexation.” That was five years ago, not a long time for anything to materially change to warrant a rethinking of the big NO that residents said to annexing the last time it came up. But Logsdon is being supported and receiving his talking points from the very people who pushed for that first annexation. He is either ignorant of that “NO” five years ago, or he is choosing to disregard it. Neither says anything positive about Logsdon’s “leadership.” Logsdon: “I have maintained that our citizens are most concerned over issues of leadership, accountability, and quality of life here in Peachtree City. ... In times of crisis, I am a leader who will stand firm, make informed choices, and utilize our good will through relationship building with our neighbors.” How nice. But no details, no specificity, no hints as to what he will do about any “crisis.” He either doesn’t know what actual issues confront Peachtree City, or he doesn’t have the political guts to declare what he will do about those issues. The skipped debate is one telling example. Logsdon, who runs on a platform of “leadership,” failed in his first “crisis” when he disrespected a bunch of politically interested teenagers at McIntosh High School by snubbing their political forum. Here were some impressionable teens looking for examples of leadership, and this reputed “leader” doesn’t have enough regard for the kids to even show up. If Logsdon can’t handle the pressure of a high school debate, what will he do when the first hot item shows up on the City Council agenda? Duck and cover? I fear Logsdon is just another in a long line of “stealth” candidates who know the right people, join the right clubs, and issue position statements containing vague platitudes, and hide their allegiance to the developers who dearly want the candidates to loosen up existing development, zoning and annexation policies. His maximum test will come when he faces a rezoning, say, of some land in the industrial park to accommodate some high-density apartments. Homeowners by the thousands will expect him to say NO, but he will smile before the big vote, scratch his head, and declare that he has thought long and hard about this and made the tough decision. He will smile and vote for the developers, I fear, against existing homeowners who must live with the consequences of his “leadership.” There are a significant number of people in Peachtree City who have a love-hate relationship with Mayor Steve Brown after four years: They love to hate him. I speak to you folks directly: You are voting for “anybody but Brown,” but my great fear is that you will getting an affable, friendly guy who will favor higher density, more commercial and apartment development and increased traffic every time it comes to a vote. The homeowners of Peachtree City will get a get-along-go-along kind of guy who will vote against their interests just about every time. But, hey, he’ll be nice about it. And he won’t write letters to the editor. In fact, you’ll hardly ever see him, except when he smiles and sticks it to you on behalf of his developer friends. Don’t say somebody didn’t warn you. And to paraphrase the immortal words of Richard Nixon, “Who you gonna kick around then?” And let’s all hope I’m totally wrong, and you’re totally right. But, hate aside, is there anything inside that nice suit besides the platitudes? Are you sure? Steve Brown is a known quantity. Harold Logsdon, so far, is just an empty suit, with developer friends. Now, let’s vote. login to post comments | Cal Beverly's blog
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