Mr. Harman, I attended both the most recent meetings held at the Gathering Place and McIntosh High School for the candidates for the incoming council.

At both of these you made it very clear that your decisions on council would be made after you had completed your own research as to the merit of each planning application which you might face and would not be swayed solely on facts as presented by applicants who would always present facts that suited their case, which is perfectly understandable.

I wonder if you did this research when considering the application for the seniors condominium project presented by Dominion Partners for which you voted to accept at the council meeting on Oct. 18?

At that meeting the applicants made great play on the fact that these were high-end-value properties starting at $300,000 for a unit and, in addition to their other reasoning, included the fact that their target market of seniors over 65 years and anticipated that most applicants would be over 70 years because “this age market has the money.”

If you had researched this thoroughly, which you claim to do, would you not have used the most recent AARP research that indicates that, out of all the age grouping in the U.S. at present, the incidence of bankruptcy is highest in the age group of 65-plus?

If they are right, then it would seem that a project aimed at this target market could well start and then falter if sales are not completed, leaving the whole project in jeopardy or, worse even, that it gets half way and then stalls, leaving an uncompleted building site for some time to come.

As you were the tie-breaking vote at the council meeting, you will bear a heavy responsibility if this comes to pass, but in any event it does question your claim to doing “my own research” before voting.

I suggest voters remember this on Nov. 6.

John Wallis

Peachtree City, Ga.

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