I have lived in Peachtree City for 15 years. Prior to that, I lived in East Point near the Airport for over 30 years. Up to the late 1970's, East Point was a wonderful place to raise kids - just like Peachtree City is today. I know first hand how things can change.

For the past 20 years, I ran a petroleum marketing company called Otter while remaining involved with my family's commercial property management business. Working under both entities was very time demanding. About three years ago, I leased out all the Otter retail operations. Until then, I did not have an opportunity to give back to this community that we call home. This is the only reason that I am running.

Neither of the companies that I am affiliated with have any business interests in Peachtree City so there are no financial conflicts of interest. I am just a citizen.

Peachtree City is rapidly approaching its planned build-out phase of development. If we continue to expend all of our energies bickering solely over the remaining 10% of undeveloped vacant land, how can we effectively deal with all the other issues that could ruin one of this nation's top ten places to live? This does not mean that we abandon our village concept and allow developers to run willy-nilly through our community.

We cannot lose focus on the primary purpose of government, which is to serve the citizenry and protect our quality of life. One of my top priorities will be public safety and whether public servants charged with that duty are appropriately compensated. In comparing the current budget allocation to other Class B cities, I think that we are getting a real bargain… perhaps too good a bargain.

We must remain proactive against crime and improve our EMS services as more seniors locate here. As terrorists have shown, the perception of safety can be more powerful than statistics.

Traffic is going to get worse due to developments outside of our borders. We must reach out to our neighbors and find ways to strengthen our regional influence. The corridors to our city will always appeal to businesses attracted by our demographics.

Last, I am very impressed with the quality of people serving on our various commissions as well as the city’s staff. Good planning and good people are what make this town such a great place to live!

Mark Hollums
Candidate Post 2