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Updated Thoughts On Who To Pick: Ramsey vs. Brown Election Update: I went and read all of the letters to the editor and all of the candidate letters and I have drawn another important conclusion. In the previous post below, I focused on issue knowledge, campaign supporters, financial support and public exposure. I would like to add another factor which is evident in the support letters. The support letters for Brown show a great deal devotion, sometimes described as passion, for the community and the citizens. You also pick up that Brown has gone out of his way to help individuals and HOA's solve problems. The letters of support for Ramsey are more generic and rely on general political rhetoric. A couple of letters for Brown stressed that he will respond to your concerns out of devotion to the community. I think that is very important. PREVIOUS POST First, let’s point out that both know something about the issues. Ramsey did show up for the forum unlike Harold Logsdon who refused in November 2005 (that should have been a sign to all of us). Brown could rattle off a long list of achievements the others couldn’t match. The reporter from the AJC correctly said Brown “appeared the most polished and consistently touted his previous executive experience and accomplishments” to which Ramsey could only meet with vague replies from working in Coweta County for former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins. Brown and Ramsey have knowledge of the transportation and water issues, but Brown has vastly more experience working on those issues in the Atlanta area. Brown cited his work with the Georgia Department of Transportation and a group he called the Seventy-four Alliance which dealt with the I-85 interchange in Fairburn. Obviously, Ramsey has far more campaign funding. He had paid political consultants at the forum on Wednesday. Brown stated he isn’t taking political contributions. Brown won the support of the late Dan Lakly’s family with a letter of support in the Citizen from Lakly’s son David Lakly. In addition, Brown won letters of support from new PTC councilmen Don Haddix and Doug Sturbaum who both easily won their races. mayor-elect Don Rehwaldt of Tyrone also gave his support to Brown. Ramsey received support from re-elected mayor Ken Steele of Fayetteville. In addition, Ramsey was supported by a letter in the Citizen from Mac Collins who recently lost a race for the U.S. Senate. The financial support Ramsey received from people connected to the Development Authority corruption (Bob Lenox, Doug Warner, Bob Brooks) has caused some controversy. Doug Warner is also Matt Ramsey’s employer. There are also some local developers making contributions to Ramsey. On letters of support in the Citizen, Brown has the edge by about three to one. Evaluating the weekly letters from the candidates, Brown easily wins on knowledge of the issues and the depth of his answers. For the first three weeks, Ramsey rarely touched a specific issue. The Peachtree City council officially agreed with Brown’s position on the proposed higher sales tax plan from House Speaker Glenn Richardson. Both Brown and the city council oppose it. Ramsey hired the same political consultants Harold Logsdon used in his 2005 campaign for mayor. In fact, Ramsey has much of the same core support base as Logsdon when looking at the campaign disclosures. I overwhelming agree with the assessments of Ramsey being a “risky” candidate because of his questionable support base and his diminished voice on the issues. Brown certainly has the stronger hand on the issues along with a proven record of standing up to special interests. Councilman-elect Don Haddix agrees, “We need his voice at state. A voice that is for the average citizen, and not the big money interests. Steve is not afraid to speak up or fight for what is right. You call him, he will answer.” The Ramsey bloggers, some rumored to be paid bloggers, are turning up the malicious content on this site. The Brown bloggers tend to be more relaxed and generally stick to the issues. The safest bet by far is Steve Brown. Brown wins on knowledge of the issues. Brown has the edge in relevant support from those who knew Dan Lakly best and those who have won the recent approval of the voters. Brown, without a doubt, isn’t the favorite of the special interest groups who tend to side with Ramsey. Ramsey certainly has more exposure with many large 5ft by 4ft signs in the area. Ramsey has a definite edge in financial support too. He reported having $20,000 before the day of Dan Lakly’s funeral. It is the source of that funding that is questionable. Brown is the easy choice, the safest bet and the most vigorous defender of the local citizens. Based on Ramsey’s list of supporters, concerns arise with TDK and overdevelopment. Ramsey worked on the TDK project as an aid to Coweta Senator Mitch Seabaugh. Spear Road Guy's blog | login to post comments
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