We live in a special and unique place called Peachtree City. Over the past few weeks, I have had the distinct pleasure of working with the members of our community in multiple activities and this has strengthened my conviction to protect the promise of Peachtree City.

The citizens of Peachtree City care about each other and are willing to stand up for the high standards and quality of life present here. I am running for City Council on behalf of all the citizens who believe that the uniqueness of this community is worth fighting for and protecting.

Much has been written on the Kroger/Goodwill issue and I believe the correct decision was made. It is now up to the leadership of the city to be proactive and work with our community and its retail partners to avoid a similar situation from occurring again. I will bring that leadership to the council.

Sept. 15 I had the opportunity to experience much of what is good in Peachtree City.

We started our morning by participating in the Peachtree City Freedom Walk which was organized by Caitlin Dillon. She deserves enormous credit for organizing this excellent opportunity for the community to visually participate in a tribute to our heroes.

My entire family walked the mile to Falcon Field to honor those that were murdered Sept. 11 and also to demonstrate support for our military forces deployed around the world. We walked into the city’s Patriot Day ceremony where the music provided by the middle school bands was awe-inspiring and emotional. As the music played and the activities went on many emotions coursed through my mind.

During parts I was transported back to my own Sept. 11 experience where I was only about 25 miles from the Pentagon in a school serving the children of our Marines who by the end of the day it became clear would soon go to war.

As I listened to Nick Snider speak about patriotism I could not help but think of friends who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The pride in our community at the sacrifice they and their families have made was very uplifting.

This type of event brought together by our own Recreation Department is part of what makes Peachtree City a special place. Randy Gaddo, Caitlin Dillon, the Rising Starr and Whitewater Middle School bands and all the others who helped plan and implement the event should be commended.

Over the past weeks I have spoken with residents about their views of Peachtree City – past, present, and future. I had heard the reasons folks chose to move here, why they want to stay and why they may leave. I am focused on what needs to be done to maintain their desire to stay.

I believe that the citizens of this great city have seen a steady decline in their quality of life over the last few years and are ready and eager to reverse that trend.

To honor the citizens’ request to improve the quality of life in Peachtree City I present three examples of how my leadership would provide solutions. Leadership is more than just voting for or against certain issues but rather is about vision, service, and proactively offering solutions.

First I advocate the promotion of a clean, safe and courteous program for our multi-path system. This program will have litter control, graffiti eradication, and safety for all users as its goals. To accomplish these goals it will take the leadership of the council to bring together the public safety, public works, and public relations staffs. I bring that leadership to the table.

Secondly the identity of Peachtree City has been closely tied to being a “green” city. We are losing that identity as more development is completed and the expected buffers and “green” characteristics are not present.

To change this fact demands commitment and leadership from our elected officials. The council must work with the Planning Commission and city staff to communicate the desires of the residents in both the planning process as well as code compliance, and I will advocate strict adherence to the comprehensive plan and current ordinances with no variances unless the majority of residents agree it is in the best interests of the city.

The identity of a green city though goes beyond just the landscaping. City government needs to take the lead in preserving our natural resources. Beyond the obvious obligation to protect our environment, it makes good financial sense to judiciously reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and pesticides.

Finally I present development and redevelopment as challenges to the continued success of our uniqueness. We need to use the current comprehensive plan review process to solidify our long-term vision and goals.

Our city is preparing for its 50th anniversary and we need to take concrete steps such as developing a residential redevelopment program that maintains the uniqueness of Peachtree City.

I disagree with my opponent that we need to develop a reputation as a city that is hard to work with and promotes itself as anti-developer.

Rather I think we need to be very clear that our standards are set high and we will not compromise our values or standards unless there is consensus on a substantial benefit to the city.

We need our council to stand up for our standards and enforce them. If developers want to meet those standards and my substantial benefit caveat is met, then we should consider the plan.

You can be confident that I will protect our standards as your councilman.

I will end with a question which I believe goes to the heart of my campaign. While walking in the Freedom Walk, I was asked, “Which promise are you protecting?” I have expanded upon my answer below.

The answer on the surface is simple – Maintain a family friendly city where safety, green space, and the cart paths are protected. However, on a deeper analysis I look to the comprehensive plan as the written promise and I look at what makes our community unique as an extension of the promise.

I will protect the natural aesthetic beauty of Peachtree City and maintain the safety for all residents of the golf cart paths and other areas of the city.

I will protect the family-friendly atmosphere that Peachtree City has worked hard to achieve and will look at development as a way to protect and grow that atmosphere, not as a sales tax producer.

To protect the promise we as a community must insist on our high standards from both commercial and residential development. In addressing growth issues such as redevelopment and traffic concerns, we must look at long-term solutions over short-term Band-aids.

The promise I want to keep is that the characteristics that brought me to Peachtree City to raise my family will still be strong when my kids are ready to start their families.

Visit my website at www.tomotoole.net for more detailed information. Please email me at otooleforcouncil@gmail.com with any comments or questions. I look forward to working with all citizens to protect the promise of Peachtree City.

Thomas J. O’Toole, Jr.

Candidate, Peachtree City Council, Post 1

www.tomotoole.net

otooleforcouncil@gmail.com

Peachtree City, Ga.