The giant full-page ad from the past mayors of Peachtree City was shameful. Imagine that bunch of losers accusing anyone of lacking integrity or responsibility. Most people don’t know what went on in the old days.

I spent most of my youth in Fayette County and later in Peachtree City. After four years of college, getting married and having our first child, I returned home.

Even while I was away, my holiday discussions with family always centered around what was going on in Peachtree City. It’s hard to believe now but there was a time when traffic signals did not exist and restaurants were almost nonexistent.

Steve Brown was a breath of fresh air for me when he took office. For once, the old controlling interests couldn’t push the city around with its little finger. Government cared about people for a change. I fumed when the past mayors flexed their egos in the newspaper fighting to get their old system back.

Joel Cowan started the whole thing by being the mayor-developer. Cowan’s vision (or lack of it) was to plaster the city with somewhere around 90,000 residents and concrete extending from end-to-end.

To this day, he keeps selling property in the area and raking in the cash. Cowan shamelessly takes credit today for many of the good things in the city that came long after he was mayor.

Herb Frady and Ralph Jones controlled the city during the almost visionless years with nothing happening. Unless you liked playing in the woods and climbing trees, being a child in Peachtree City was monotonous during those years.

No one in my family can clearly remember anything that Chip Conner did as mayor. Conner and Cowan are part of the chosen elite that can have a boat on Lake Peachtree.

Fred Brown was always PCDC’s man. No one had been so closely connected to the development industry since Cowan. It was during Fred Brown’s terms in office that growth really took off and the sleepy town began to change. Some of the changes were welcome and others caused panic.

He lost every election he entered after being mayor. He was viewed as a sellout to developers. It is no wonder that he strongly opposes Steve Brown.

The most risky and controlling mayor in history has to be Bob Lenox. Many of Lenox’s dealings had to be investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI was called in on the sewer arrangement and the development authority. The GBI was also summoned one time regarding Lenox’s relationship with PCDC. Fred Brown could be a domineering presence but he was nothing compared to Lenox. Both of them were simply gaudy and if you weren’t in their circle, you didn’t count.

Everyone admits Steve Brown wasn’t in office to further his own self-interest. It was totally rude of the past mayors to say that the city has declined during the last four years. Those remarks reek of envy and resentment.

Steve Brown challenged people to think and I truly believe that’s what makes him so disliked by the past mayors. His legacy will be one of caring for our school children and his courage to take on the wayward influence peddlers.

I really like Cyndi Plunkett and I think she conveys the personal attention to families that Steve Brown has in the past four years. Cyndi has a mind of her own, which is important. She has the support of many of our local moms and we wish her the best.

Thank you, Mayor Brown, for enduring the horrible remarks of the past mayors on our behalf. You are the definition of “public servant” in Peachtree City.

CeCe Jensen
Peachtree City, Ga.