It's all about race and party politics. The Fayette County NAACP and the Fayette democrat party want to have a black and/or democrat on the commission and they think that by implementing district voting, they can accomplish it in the northern district.

There's no other reason.

Years ago when the county was mostly democrat and that same district was mostly republican, the district voting issue was brought up. The democrats would not support it because it would erode their control of the Fayette Commission. Now that the tables are reversed, there's a change of heart by the democrats... imagine that.

Just look what it's done to Fulton and Clayton county. Not good!

I understand.
Does the Northern District deserve to vote for one of their own, is the question? Should they have a seat at the table?

All you have to do is get a good, qualified candidate to run that lives in your district and vote for that person. There's absolutely nothing stopping you today from doing that.
But since that person represnting "YOUR" district makes decisions that effect the whole county, just as persons from other parts of the county make decisions affecting "YOUR" district, shouldn't the county as a whole deserve to have a voice?

Keeping Fayette much like it is now. Having lived my entire life in the Southern Crescent of Atlanta, Fayette has always been at or near the top of most quality of life measurables. I'm not sure how district voting could/would make it better. I've asked on these very boards, and I've yet to get an answer.

Your point is valid, it might not make much difference, but why do we need to find out?

Well it seems the minorities want just one who will answer to them!

Well, I guess they can have one. Which one do they want?

Tig?? Have you been taking your meds.?

Having some eye problems, sorry.

Which one, you asked: Why, the one in their district (or districts) where they are the majority!
Should they have it? And why, or not?
Got any real opinions?

I really do not understand.

So, first, you've got a big chunk of land inhabited by a whole bunch of people. Each person, from every corner of that land, gets to vote on what goes on in that chunk of land.

Someone proposes to break up the big chunk into smaller chunks. Picture here, say, the nine squares that make up a tic-tac-toe game. So now we have nine smaller chunks instead of one big chunk.

Each of the nine is represented, correct? Is the point here that, say, the chunk down at the bottom right of the original square might be sparsely populated so that the voting that comes from that chunk may be ineffectual--particularly where the voting is on an issue that directly affects that chunk? (For instance, the proposal is that the bottom right area will serve as the sewer and waste dump for the rest of the big chunk.)

Is this it?

Muddle, in a nutshell my answer is "additional accountability". Let me put you on the spot: can you name all five current County Commissioners?

I'd venture to say that maybe 15-20 percent of the residents of this county can do so, and I think I'm being generous.

The current system makeup rewards incumbency and dilutes accountability. Suppose they were to rezone the property next door to yours for a halfway house for the violently mentally ill. (Denise Conner as a neighbor...the horror!)

Under the current setup, you'd have no one with a vested interest in looking out for YOUR best interests, you'd have to petition each commissioner (or vote against them) individually. This makes your job much harder.

This lack of accountability to the people strikes me as contrary to the principle of representative government. It does, however, pave the way for well-heeled development interests to bankroll a slate of candidates to its liking.
_______________________________________________________
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Don't Click This Link, Denise!

One argument for District voting is that the representative of that area would be more responsive to the citizens of that area. That may well be true, but it may also be true that the other four Commissioners would less responsive to those local area concerns. So with district voting we have the potential for the balkanization of the county with the five districts battling it out for the allocation of county resources.

So while district voting might result in an African-American Commissioner for the northern Fayette area (the anticipated outcome of many who support district voting), that new Commissioner might find himself/herself consistently outvoted by the other four Commissioners who would naturally tend to cater to the local interests of their districts.

To address this concern, some counties use a mixed system with some Commissioners elected by districts and some at-large. This balances the pressures between local neighborhood and county-wide needs. This could be a compromize that would work well for Fayette County.

There are serious issues with district voting that must be addressed before we make any move to change the current system. I believe that citizen's commission representing a cross section of the electorate should be formed to discuss this topic and come up with a series of options that can be debated and voted on. This would be a much better approach than having a single State Representative, whose district only touches a part of our county, push through a solution that is not well thought out nor has the support of the general Fayette electorate.

No need to be able to name them all. They need to work as a TEAM. I'll say this, the ones that vote against the "will" of the people, will be remembered, and voted out of office.

Having lived in Metro Atlanta my entire 44+ years, I think this County should be proud of the way it has been ran. Especially when you see some of results of neighboring Counties.

I plan on attending the commission meeting tomorrow to make sure that MY voice will not be trampled by mindless, power-hungry Dems who seek to tap into my wallet in order to achieve their agenda. There is nothing wrong with the current system other than the fact it doesn't help the Dems achieve their will.

I have no agenda other than to follow the US and GA Constitutions, never harm my neighbor and be as productive an American as I can be. Recently, I have been tempted to leave the area due to the many changes that have occurred to our wonderful county but have decided to STAY and FIGHT for my rights, my property values, my tax dollars, my education system, my low crime rate. Yes, accountability is an issue and accountability is built into the CURRENT system. Let's not fall for the DEM hyperbole. Don't stand idly by. Speak up or they will change things for us.

that the current county commissioners submitted a change to the State Elections Office to get rid of what you refer to as "militia lines"?

Isn't true they offered to redraw the districts in accordance with the current voting percents?

And, isn't true you were a part of blocking this action?

The current system is outdated and unfair. The system needs to be revised. This legislation would put into place a more equitable system.

Equitable according to you?

I'll grant there are some arguments in favor of district voting. My biggest (but not the only) problem with it is this.

The five districts of Fayette will become a microcosm of DC. Each district commissioner wanting to "bring home the bacon" for his group. If you want proof look to the statements of a candidate who (unsuccessfully) ran in the last election saying he was going to get "his share" for his end of the county.

What district voting will give us is a tit for tact system that says "I'll vote for the needed bridge in Brooks IF you give me another park in my district."

The net result is that we spend money we don't need to spend.

what parts of the Constitution do envision as being under attack here? The "equal protection clause" of the 14th Amendment?, the "establishment clause" of the 1st Amendment? the "elastic clause" of Art. 1? I am not sure just what part of that venerable document you are accusing rep. Fludd of questioning. Keep the faith

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

I asked, "Is the Constitution also 'outdated'?"

I didn't say that it was "under attack."

I was referring to Mr. Fludd's statement, “The current system is outdated and unfair" and the flyer calling the current system "ANTIQUE" because it "dates back to the CIVIL WAR."

Hint: Which event (the Constitution or the Civil War) came first, and is, therefore, older?

Just because something is old doesn't mean that it's "outdated" or "unfair." Even if something's "outdated" (such as polyester leisure suits), doesn't mean that it's "unfair." Unfashionable, yes; unfair, no.

"Polyester. The very name stirs images of tackiness, of Saturday-night swingers in leisure suits making clumsy passes at women in hotel cocktail lounges. Without polyester, the look that some people rudely called the 'full Cleveland' would be nothing more than a white patent-leather belt with shoes to match. Polyester, in short, is a cultural smirk, a synonym for bad taste." (Was this really how it was? )

Check the definition for SATIRE or read more Ann Coulter.

A Democrat would bring home the bacon to the district in question. None of this nonsense about spending $50 million on roads - instead let's get some welfare-style freebies for the district. The county has a lot of money and they want their "fair share'. It is not about fair representation - it is about getting into the treasury.

I'll be there and when they talk about their demands to be represented - I will talk about my rights to vote for all the commissioners since they have a right to spend all of my tax money.

Others - please speak up for your rights. Not caring about stuff like this allows worse things to happen as we sit idly by and do nothing.

"I will talk about my rights to vote for all the commissioners since they have a right to spend all of my tax money."

And while you're at it Morgan, tell them how unfair it is that you only get to vote for 2 out of 100 U.S. Senators and only ONE out of 435 U.S. Representatives!!

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Truthsleuth Speaks!
Don't Click This Link, Denise!

"Others - please speak up for your rights. Not caring about stuff like this allows worse things to happen as we sit idly by and do nothing."

Couldn't agree more. The "other side" will certainly speak up loud and louder.