Fellow citizens of Peachtree City, my name is Mike Harman and I am currently your city councilman for Post #1. I was appointed to this position by the other four members of the city council to fill the position vacated by Judi Ann Rutherford. I am also running for this same position in the upcoming November election. I am writing this letter to ask for your vote in that election.

My family and I moved to Peachtree City a little over nine years ago. There is no question that the city is different today than it was then, but even so, I cannot imagine a better place to live, raise a family and retire. This is our home, and we have no intention of ever leaving. For these reasons, I will work for you to make sure that the decisions made by the council are in the best long-term interest of the city and its citizens.

I’ve already demonstrated my commitment to this community through my volunteer service with the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). Shortly after moving here, I applied for and was appointed by the city council to the authority, and remained on WASA as an unpaid volunteer for nearly eight years, the last four as chairman. I resigned after my recent appointment to the city council.

In my role with WASA, I and the other board members oversaw the transformation of a somewhat dilapidated utility to one of the finest treatment systems in the state. WASA has won awards that confirm its excellence. Yet over that time, you the homeowner have seen only one increase in your rates, in 2002 at a time when our treatment capacity was expanded to accommodate the eventual build-out of Peachtree City. Prior to that, the rate in effect was established in 1992. Even with the rate increase, Peachtree City water and sewer rates rank in the bottom third of all communities in metro Atlanta.

As most of you may know, WASA was approached by Tyrone about the possibility of purchasing 500,000 gallons per day of excess capacity that they have. At that meeting WASA’s general manager, Larry Turner, asked the board for permission to negotiate with Tyrone, which was granted. All of this occurred prior to my even filing the necessary paperwork or appointment to council. In that meeting, I stated clearly that any approval would have to be approved by city council. Since my appointment to council, I personally have called the general manager and asked for him to break off any discussion with Tyrone about this issue, to which he agreed. I asked for the discussions to be broken off because council was not in favor of the proposal and it appeared that the Tyrone council also was divided on the issue.

What do I want to do with the next four years as you councilman? The citizens of Peachtree City have seen tremendous growth within the neighboring communities. For people who live in those areas, a great many of them have to drive through Peachtree City to either get to the interstate or come here to shop. We the citizens of Peachtree City have had to bear the brunt of the growth outside our city limits. I will work with those neighbors to ensure shared responsibility and sacrifice to provide solutions to these issues. I have already been working with officials from other municipalities and the county on issues that affect us regionally.

Next, I will work proactively to redevelop some of our aging areas of the city. As the city has matured, we have areas, both residential and commercial, that we need to look at bringing up to current standards. This will ensure the long-term viability of those areas, help maintain our property values and attract the type of residents and businesses that we have grown accustomed to having. It will become more and more important that we work to ensure the successful redevelopment of several of the aging areas.

Lastly, I want to work to maintain the quality of life that we all moved here to enjoy. I will do this by working with the city staff to make sure that the amenities we expect are in good condition, working with the Police Chief to make sure that our families and neighborhoods are safe and to make sure that the decisions made, on the citizens behalf, are in the best long-term interest of the city. To that end, I have already been working with city staff, have met with the Police Chief and several of his officers on different occasions to make sure that there goals and direction are what we as citizens desire.

We as citizens need qualified competent leadership to collect the necessary information to make the best decisions for our city. I am that type of person. I have shown my commitment to the city as a member of the board and leadership as chairman of WASA.

We need someone who knows and is willing to work with our neighbors to develop solutions on a larger basis than just what happens in our respective city or county limits. I am that person and have already begun that process with those neighbors. I am asking for your support so that I may continue working for you on these and other issues which are affecting our city.

Sincerely,

Mike Harman