Alright, I’ve been waiting, but no one is saying what needs to be said about [Fayette County’s] defined benefits plan. Sad to say not even this paper [is], which is usually pretty good on local issues. Everyone needs to know defined benefits are a payoff to county employees, especially the sheriff and fire department. This is an organized effort by county employees to put their needs in front of that of the Fayette County. I love our emergency workers and police and have always supported them. I still do, which is why this is so hard to write. I was hoping someone else would bring this up, but I think everyone else (including me) is afraid because of possible retribution. I support full paid sick leave and regular pay raises, but retirement benefits that go on forever will bankrupt Fayette County as they have every other government agency or corporation. Don’t let the commissioners get away with it. I don’t know who this Lee Hearn is, but I hope he offers some kind of compromise between Horgan and Dunn. Keep your ears open and look out for anyone who supports draining county funds for their own political gain.
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Bravo to Don Haddix in regards to the empty space all around the city. Maybe someone should take the planner by the hand and show him all of the available space. Oops, that would mean someone would have to do their job, unless the purpose is to create more empty spaces. Don’t worry, Don, help is on the way, hopefully the next election. Until then, keep the faith. P.S.: Did the city manager get a new car? If so, who did I see driving his old car?
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Thank you, Don Haddix, for common sense talk on big boxes. We don’t need any more half-empty retail centers. Please run for mayor.
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To the citizens of Peachtree City: Please stand up and say NO to this effort to erode our standard of living by allowing developers to petition for a larger store than permitted. Haddix and Sturbaum have done exactly what they have said they would do when running for their seats. They have worked hard to protect Peachtree City from becoming another fine example of developing without rhyme or reason, which we can see these examples all over the state. Ms. Plunkett will do well to consider this and realize this is an opportunity to correct her present course. Please vote NO, council members, on this petition.
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Granted, LongHorn’s motif is one of the Old West. But why does the hill in front of their establishment look like a ghost town from the West: high weeds, barren and desolate? A frequent visitor there, I asked the manager why they did not spruce up their landscaping by the roadway to match the beauty of the garden-like appearance right outside of the front door. I was shocked to learn that Peachtree City would not allow them to do anything at all about the land beyond their parking lot. Is that what is wrong with the entrance to Planterra Ridge as well? The Avenue looks great, but it is surrounded by unkempt, weedy looking grounds across both sides of the street. In a city that obviously prides itself in appearances, let these tax-paying businesses hire people to make it more appealing, clean cut and cared for. If PTC cares so much about its image, put your money where your mouth is, or let others put their money to work to make it presentable and not the eyesore that it currently is.
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So Fischer Crossing has joined the list of local strip malls promising to look “just like the Avenue”? Those of us who have lived here more than a few weeks remember when the Target developers made the same unlikely promise to Kedron residents. Meanwhile, The Avenue itself is falling victim to rapacious development, and driving through PTC feels pretty much like driving through Riverdale.
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To the management of Peachtree City: If you want to save money and maintain the current tax base, how about demanding the city workers give an honest day’s work for their salary? I really can’t be the only person in this town who sees the workers hanging around more than working. Part of the problem is their use of cell phones, which are personal phones used for personal use. I would also like to know that now along Ga. Highway 74 whether the new barriers that are being constructed are going to be turned into a great place for graffiti. Who will clean up the art work, and how long will it take to get it cleaned up. These are some of the things that should be discussed by city management and the City Council, instead of finding ways to build more unneeded — and shortly after they are built — vacant buildings. Guess I should spend more time fishing in Florida and less time watching this city going down the drain.
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To whoever pays taxes to PTC, I think its time for you to get involved in how the city is squandering your money: i.e., new cars for some of the managers who don’t manage. Just look to the side of the road while you drive thru the city and count how many city workers you see working, and then tell me where the managers are. They are at local coffee shops, or sitting behind there desks, enjoying the air conditioning. Yet we continue to go along with this, day in and day out. I am afraid that once the taxpayers truly open their eyes and consider making changes to get their money’s worth out of the people who work for them, there will no longer be PTC as we know it. Once again, I say, wake up.
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Thank you, Peachtree City! You have been spring cleaning and it shows. Thank you for all you do; this is why we all love to live here. On a walk today I noticed so much, and you deserve thanks. The new docks at Lake Kedron are wonderful. All of the playgrounds look so great and so safe with the new thick layers of mulch and new equipment at so many of the parks. The paths are all so well-trimmed, and I love the extra golf cart crossing signs on the roads and stop signs and crossing lines painted on all of the roads. Plus the stretching machines and exercise equipment at the Lake Peachtree boat docks are wonderful. We all love to call it home because each and everyone of you take such good care of the city for us.
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I find it absolutely sad and pathetic that the teachers at one of our fine Fayette County middle schools thought it would be appropriate to dress up and mock their students on one of their teacher work days in front of the entire faculty. The people involved (this includes an assistant administrator) should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. You should really rethink why you choose the education profession. You teach children who are at a very difficult stage with their identity and self-esteem, and you find it appropriate (as adults) to make fun of them? If you think the parents of these students don’t know what you did, you are wrong. Dr. DeCotis has been contacted. It’s no wonder your middle school has the worst test scores in the county year in and year out.
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I agree that the Fayette County Board of Education’s Human Resources Department needs to be investigated. School systems are required to post all vacant positions. Fayette County fills the vacant positions before they are posted. I was interested in a specific position with the school system. I found out (through the grapevine) that the position has already been filled, even though the position has not been posted yet. The system does not seem to care whether they hire the best and brightest; they only care that they hire their friends. The “good ol’ boy (girl)” system is alive and well in the Fayette County School System.
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This question is for Wayne Hannah. Why didn’t you invite the rest of the Republican candidates to your question and answer session at the Sheriff’s Office at 5:30 a.m on Saturday morning, May 31, 2008, which was conveniently during shift change? I thought your letter to the Sheriff’s Office employees on your website stated that you wouldn’t talk about any organizational changes during your campaign, and that if anyone had a question about your political position, they could reach you by email or the phone number listed on your website? Why would you swing by the Sheriff’s Office and use your influence on Saturday? Why not Monday through Friday? Well, I guess if you went during the week, then that would be considered an ethics violation, wouldn’t it?
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As much as I hate all these political signs, I pay attention when the signs of a group of candidates appear in certain locations. When I see the signs of Hearn, Ballard, Horgan, and Wingo all clustered in front of the offices of the biggest developer in Fayetteville (Rolader and Scarbrough), I know who won’t be getting my vote. Hearn will be a lackey for the developers like he was as a county employee. Horgan is the worst example of a commissioner we have had around here in decades. Ballard’s record speaks for itself, and Wingo is a poster boy for disrespecting his constituents and his own employees. If these “slash and burn” developers are backing them, it is the last straw. None of them will be getting my vote.
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I have never in 35 years allowed a political sign to be placed in my front yard, but this year I feel compelled to express my support for a particular candidate. The half-truths and innuendoes have really upset me. To infer that Sheriff Randall Johnson is moving because of the fear of crime is absurd. Anyone knowing Randall knows his love of fishing, and West Point Lake has been his lake of choice. Randall has NO fear of crime; the criminals fear him. If the other candidate has such a wide range of experience and truly has the public at heart, our neighboring county has a dire need of someone with his experience and gall. Wayne Hannah has come from the ranks and is well-experienced, and has current knowledge of police enforcement and laws. In Hannah’s interpretation of the law there is no gray; it is either black or white, and this remark has absolutely no racial intent, only right or wrong. Simmons has been retired long enough that he will need several years to get back the experience he has lost and by that time Fayette County should be annexed into Clayton County, because there will be no difference between Clayton and Fayette. To elect Simmons would be the same as hiring a new law school graduate to represent one on capitol offense charge. Remember, many of the laws he is knowledgeable of do not even apply here and he is not knowledgeable of many of the laws that do apply here. Case in point: no signs on county right of way.
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Well, I see the Fayetteville Fire Department at it again. They had a big ladder truck parked in front of Publix’s south store with the engine running Thursday morning. Seems to me you could have driven a small vehicle and saved the taxpayers some money on fuel. No, I have not been turned down for a job with any fire department. I spent 29 years in the military, and we called it waste, fraud, and abuse.
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I am glad someone said it: We need bike paths or bike lanes in Fayetteville. I live close enough to ride a bike to work, but am fearful because there are no bike lanes on the roadways or bike paths. When is Fayetteville going to get with the rest of the country and “go green”?
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Fayette County’s leash law: Does it not apply to everyone? We have a person in our subdivision off Redwine Road who thinks it does not. Actually, this person is a police officer in the city of Fayetteville and has one or more dogs out each day. These dogs actually try to chase those walking or jogging and keep all the other dogs who are where they should be in a stew.
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Tyrone facing $1 million deficit? Gee whiz, who woulda thunk it? I hope all you people who got taken in (or for a ride) by The Neighborhood Alliance can see the way of your errors now. Gracie has brought in some of her fellow rejects from Fayetteville with inflated salaries and arrogance and ineptitude, and lo and behold, we have a deficit that was not there with our old administration. I’m all for our children, but $100K-plus in playground equipment to create a destination? I wonder who got the commission on that sale (or a piece of it)? So do you see where all of this is going? Higher taxes, a special assessment — hold onto your wallet. Litigation may not be out of the question. How do you spell recall? Say goodnight, Gracie.
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Tyrone’s Town Council might well serve its citizens best by surrendering its town charter, disbanding its government and allowing Fayette County to provide its citizens with all services just as Fayette County does for the majority of the people who live in this county. The recent budget disaster seems to be the chronic result of attempting too much beyond what this small town of 5,000 is capable of. They do not need a town manager who is paid well over $100,000. They do not need a clerk who is paid $75,000. They should not allow their police department to over-expand and (after recognizing the overstaffing) scoff at the problem by suggesting that attrition will solve the problem. As to spending $200,000 on lawyers after they put out no proposals and no bids, that’s a fine example of what has led to this problem. If, as one council member suggests, the legal problems of Tyrone are so severe that they need to spend more than twice as much as Peachtree City (which is 10 times the size of Tyrone), the little hamlet of Tyrone (and its defenseless taxpayers) might well be better served by the Fayette Board of Commissioners.
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Once Grace Caldwell got a mayor and council that would do her bidding, it took her less than six months to bankrupt Tyrone. She must now think that the citizens have only two choices: Have their taxes doubled or dissolve the town. Guess what, Grace? There is a third choice: Recall the whole bunch and put in responsible adults who have integrity and care about the town.
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Tyrone’s problems can be attributed to one person, Grace Caldwell. She started the problem about four or five years ago when she tried to get to be mayor and lost. Since then she has been waging a rumor campaign to discredit anyone who opposed her or that she thought might be supporting the old group. She used a long-time simple-minded resident to get access to the senior population, then preyed on their fears to get their vote. Once in office, Grace and her puppet sidekick stopped all development in Tyrone. And now that she has a council that does her bidding, Tyrone is in deep problems to the tune of over $1 million.
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Why is that I see fat people riding in the golf carts running their dogs alongside their carts on the cart paths? Seems to me they could lose a few pounds if they walked their dogs instead of running them half to death.
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Please tell me that the article by Steve Declasse-Walford was just a one-time column. Most of the readers do not subscribe to such views. We are accustomed to inspirational writers such as Dr. Chancey, Sally Oakes and Father Massey. We are not interested in being told that the creation story is not what is in the Bible. Those are the kind of views which got Mercer in trouble with the Georgia Baptist Convention. Also, this church he pastors is probably one of the weakest in Fayette County. People just do not subscribe to this type of heresy.
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To our newly-arrived friends from Clayton County: My heart is open and I wish you much happiness here in Fayette County. However, I am concerned that by loudly playing basketball until 1 a.m. and walking your pit bulls up and down the street, you may well incur unwanted racial stereotypes of young black males. The negative connotations associated with, say, pit bulls, might prevent your new neighbors from seeing positive qualities — such as your adherence to leash laws. They may even misunderstand your fondness for oversized white T-shirts. And when they see you get off the school bus without a backpack or books, they might not assume your mind is so brilliant as to render homework or study useless.
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Wake up, people! We are in a serious drought. Most of you seem to be mainly concerned with watering your grass, and having enough water in the lake so your boat won’t drag bottom. My lawn doesn’t like city water, and only grows after a shower. No matter how bad your lawn looks, showers will bring it back. At present, no water is flowing below the Lake Peachtree dam in Flat Creek. The lakes may be full, but how often in the past year have you seen a good soaking rain? I can’t believe that the authorities are thinking about easing water restrictions. If anything, they need to hire a few rain dancers. The prayers didn’t help. The authorities should buy rain barrels, and sell them to people who complain.
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I would like to urge everyone to stop feeding bread or other junk food to the ducks. It is very bad for their health and mold will kill them. A couple of weeks ago at Lake Peachtree, somebody fed a lot of bread to the four ducklings that mother duck had left out of 11. They became sick and were abandoned by the mother. Needless to say, they didn’t make it. Please check www.liveducks.com/bread.html, and please do educate others.
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The Dumocrats are such an angry bunch. They whine about the poor economy, but, by gosh, you ain’t paying enough taxes. They cry about the gas prices, but forget about drilling for our own oil. A caribou might stub his toe. They cry about fat kids going to bed hungry, but, oh, no, we’ve got to use agri-products to make fuel to save the planet; forget the starving folks in the third world. Food riots here and there, but no. The planet has warmed up 0.6 degree in the last 200 years. Let us look at some of our esteemed dumocrats: millionaire gigolos; trust-fund drunks; spoiled brat affirmative-action recipients; race-baiting hate-mongering preachers; ignorant-elite uni-opinioned academia; married-him-for-the money, left-over sixties-love-the-one-you’re-with radicals; former cross-burning, white sheet-wearing klansmen; radical Arab government lobbyists; sex-addicted former presidents. Well, no wonder they’re such an angry bunch.
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The Texas state social workers that took the kids away from the parents should be brought up on kidnapping charges.
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Local restauranteurs have a clever method of underpaying their illegal workers. I am aware of a few Mexican restaurants that hire illegal alien workers with a catch: the first week of employment, their employees are expected to give a “down payment,” which is codeword for work for free. That’s right, your first paycheck is $0. Their uniform fees are regularly $50 per shirt. Their last check is regularly withheld, knowing that they will not seek legal remedies. Yes, illegal immigrants do fill the jobs that American citizens don’t want with unethical employers with substandard business and salary practices.
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The terrorists have America right where they want us, thanks to the greed of the oil industry executives. As soon as our transportation industry is sufficiently paralyzed until we can’t act, they will be ready to take over. The AAA announced yesterday that the number of calls for help coming in from people who have run out of gas on the highways quadrupled in recent months. It’s just a matter of time.