Tyrone Mayor

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Don Rehwaldt

This is my last chance to clarify any doubts about where I stand and how I would like to see Tyrone evolve in the next four years.

First – Those of the town’s staff that are reappointed by Council will be responsive to any concerns or issues presented.

I will be actively seeking qualified replacements for those who are not reappointed. Help with procedures will be made as simple as law allows.

Second – The majority who responded to the comprehensive study stated that they were not willing to pay for expanded sewage. I agree and support that position.

Third – Overwhelmingly, citizens stated that they desire one-acre buildable lots and were against smaller lots or multi-family housing. I fully support this concept and will endeavor to maintain Tyrone’s small-town atmosphere.

Fourth – I am very interested in assuring that Tyrone citizens remain safe. To this end, I will continue to fight for a second exit from Shamrock Industrial Park and will work with our surrounding cities and Fayette County to assure that a viable emergency plan is in place.

Fifth – I will provide the oversight and management required to assure that Tyrone’s employees are the very best available and that they have the support and the training required to perform their jobs.

Sixth – I will provide Tyrone’s citizens timely information to allow them to make inputs and/or to express their ideas prior to any changes.

Seventh – I will work with the state, county and surrounding cities to provide the best possible clean water sources by maintaining our streams and green space.

Eighth - I will review all of Tyrone’s ordinances and guidelines and put them in a logical, dated order that will be available to any who need them.

And ninth – I will be working diligently to assure that Tyrone receives their share of Special Option Sales Tax revenue to allow paving and repair of our roads needing improvement.

Even though I have had over 40 years of management and administrative experience, this is my first entry into the political arena. I only wish to guide Tyrone towards the best possible environment through decisions that will match the desires of our citizens.

It will be with the help of a viable Planning Commission and concerned Council that I will be moving Tyrone forward in the direction Tyrone’s citizens’ desire. Please vote Nov. 6.

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Mike Smola

It’s always darkest before Don.

A week before the election and my opponent has yet to address the three biggest issues facing Tyrone:

Big Boxes — Are you or are you not in favor of big box stores in Tyrone? You have conveniently avoided the issue by pretending it does not exist.

People in Tyrone value their scenic views. Are you going to ruin those views by adding these stores along with their high intensity lights, acres of impervious surfaces and higher levels of criminal activity?

Widening of Tyrone-Palmetto Road — Where do you stand on this issue? Are you for it or against it?

My guess is you will trade some park funding from the county for giving them the opportunity to cut the town in half yet again. We’ll have a nice park but two high-speed roads passing it by.

Senior citizen housing — Are you for it or against it? Is it reasonable to ask senior citizens to live on an acre of land? Must one leave Tyrone if they are physically unable to maintain an acre? Does it bother you that we live next door to one of the 10 best places to retire, yet we as a town do not want those people?

Threatening town staff — What exactly does this mean? “Those of the town’s staff that are reappointed by Council will be responsive to any concerns or issues presented.” Is everybody on probation if you take office? Are wholesale dismissals in order? Will you replace our chief of police with your buddy? How are you going to replace the knowledge and experience of the people you fire?

Shamrock Industrial Park — How are you going to pay for a second entrance? Are you going to increase taxes to benefit a private developer? Are you going to tax just the businesses in the park or will all citizens pay?

SPLOST — You do not need to work diligently to collect these funds. They are fixed by formula and governed by an intergovernmental agreement. Of the 30 percent devoted to local projects, Tyrone is entitled to 4.29 percent or about 1.3 percent of total collections.

Viable Planning Commission — What does this mean? What a slap in the face to those people that dedicate their time and talents for a paltry $50/month. Will you replace with TNA members?

See the light on Nov. 6. Vote for Mike Smola

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Tyrone Council Post 1

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Ken Matthews

Tyrone is facing a challenging time in our business community and in our government. It is obvious our economy in Tyrone is slowing; businesses in town are leaving or going out of business. The housing market has slowed and foreclosures are increasing. This next four years will be transition period.

Tyrone Town Council passed the 2007-2027 Comprehensive Plan: Community Agenda Aug. 16, 2007. This plan went through public hearings and other community meetings before being adopted.

The purpose of the community agenda is to lay out a road map for Tyrone’s future.

Over the next 20 years, Tyrone is expecting significant population and employment growth. This level of growth presents both challenges and opportunities for all aspects of the community.

This document develops a strategy for addressing that growth and ensuring it improves quality of life for Tyrone. This strategy includes regulatory and policy changes and updates, capital investment, and strategic planning.

Another purpose of this report is to meet the intent of the “Standards and Procedures for Local Comprehensive Planning” as established by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) on May 1, 2005. Preparation of a comprehensive plan in accordance with these standards is an essential requirement in maintaining Tyrone’s status as a qualified local government.

During the preparation, citizens were offered a chance to review photo concepts of how Tyrone could look and on page 8 of the adopted plan are these below.

A Vision for Downtown:

• Small-town feel

• A place to bring your parents and out-of-town friends

• Walking district with generous sidewalks

• Small-scale shops and restaurants

• Upscale and specialty shops

• Gathering places

• A mix of uses

• Park-once environment with shared parking lots

• All parking to the rear of buildings

• A place for important civic functions such as Town Hall, the library, police and fire stations, and the Post Office

• Historic feel

• Parks, especially an improved Shamrock Park

• Clean streets

• Mix of houses, housing for retiring baby boomers

• Cultural facilities such as a performing arts venue and a new library

• Like downtowns found in Senoia, Serenbe (near Palmetto), and Charleston, S.C.

This is consistent with my statements.

Shamrock Park Master plan should be adopted and implemented as funded.

It will be an honor to serve you the next four years. Please vote for Ken Matthews, Council Post 1, Nov. 6, 2007.

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Tracy Young

During my campaign, many people informed me that they support my candidacy for town council and pledged to vote for me in this year’s election. I am honored to have your support and my position on the issues has not altered.

While I believe most citizens have already selected their candidates, I want to recap my stance on key issues.

• Maintain low density by adhering to ordinance 459. The ordinance does not address an average number of homes per acre but does state that each buildable lot must be a minimum of one acre.

• I will not seek additional sewer capacity. With five years of development, we are only using 22 to 25 percent of the available capacity and we have the highest sewer rates in the county, if not the metro area. Additional commercial development in the Southampton area will increase the overall usage while reducing the rates.

• Promote an open government and encourage public participation.

• Fortunately, the county did not lift the deed restriction on Shamrock Park and Tyrone citizens retained this valuable green space. Restoration of this park is important and a plan has been in place for some time but unfortunately ignored by our government.

• Adhere to the land use plan.

• Promote resolution to codify town ordinances.

• Promote policies for annual sewer system maintenance.

• Promote technology to improve communication with citizens. This can be accomplished by posting pertinent information on town’s website and re-establishing email generation for upcoming meetings.

This community deserves new leadership and a new direction. I look forward to the results of Nov. 6 and anticipate working for the citizens starting in January 2008.

Please feel free to contact me by email at tyoungforcouncil@numail.org or by phone at 678-612-2169.

Tracy Young

Candidate for Tyrone Town Council

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Tyrone Council Post 2

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Eric Dial

Every election season, we get bombarded with promises about everything politicians can control and even more that they can’t.

It’s inevitable because human nature drives us to tell a person what they want to hear with the intent of gaining a vote.

Will Rogers summed it up well when he said, “If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches, there wouldn’t be any inducement to go to heaven.”

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve caught myself wanting to make promises, and I’ve had to give myself a reality check.

Therefore, in order to keep it simple, I’ve tried to think of one promise that represents my entire campaign – that is to listen to the will of the majority of the people and make every effort to act accordingly.

Over the course of my campaign, I believe I have developed a pretty good understanding of the will of the people.

You insist that we manage growth responsibly to avoid high density.

You want to maintain the small-town feel of Tyrone.

You want Tyrone, especially downtown, to be more aesthetically pleasing.

You want open and honest government.

You want your children and grandchildren to have a safe environment in which they can learn and play.

You want a government that respects private property rights.

And finally, you want a council and staff that works together to solve problems and is accountable to the people.

I share your sentiments on all of these issues. If elected, I will be committed to make wise decisions with each and every vote taking into consideration what is best for Tyrone.

Finally, on a personal note, those who know me well know that truth and integrity are very important to me. They are more important to me than an election could ever be.

At the end of the day, I want to be able to look back with no regrets at my every thought, word, and action in this election and beyond.

These are MY words. Please listen to my words – not somebody else’s. I hope I am worthy of your trust and your vote on Nov. 6.

Eric Dial

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Jesse Nasianceno

Embracing Tyrone’s vision for the next generation

As Tyrone citizens enjoy the quality of life and small-town characteristics, I want to work for all the citizens of Tyrone to help maintain and improve our quality of life and leave a legacy to our children and grandchildren without compromising our small-town appeal and rural character.

Looking down the road 20 years from now, what are the opportunities and greatest needs for our town to accomplish these goals?

Help build a vibrant downtown:

A downtown that is a gathering place, with shops, restaurants, library, police station, fire station, post office and parks that can be reached by multi paths from all our neighborhoods.

Tyrone has the opportunity to create a downtown that will flourish and full of life with activities for family and friends to enjoy, with clean streets and a historic touch.

We want to focus on construction character and quality of new residential homes in the revitalization area of downtown. And look at housing options where buildable lots are smaller than one acre.

These approaches can serve the needs of Tyrone‘s housing options and economic survival as we move into the future which would help protect our sensitive environmental areas such as green space.

I would like to help preserve our scenic view along Highway 74 with wide natural landscaped buffers and enhanced by neighborhoods like River Oaks, River Crest And Southampton.

Can we service our vision and goals for Tyrone’s downtown revitalization area?

If we want the town of Tyrone to survive, to have the opportunity of becoming what the citizens are asking for in the comprehensive growth plan and help build our future together, then we need to support the following options:

Extend sewage capacity in the revitalization area of Tyrone, extend sewage service to areas that have demonstrated septic tank problems.

Keep a visual and protect our water quality, by revisiting impervious surface per development, storm water utilities, and additional conservation subdivision options (parking areas).

Revisit our solid waste and recycling programs and expand programs like this one (we need to think green).

I would like to see Tyrone have all that it needs, grow gracefully and keep its small town characteristics. With your vote and support on Nov. 6, we can reach our goals.

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Gordon Shenkle

Shenkle did not submit his essay by deadline.

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