I’m thrilled to see that Don Haddix is running for mayor. He’s got my vote. But then again for all the damage Logsdon has done to our community I’d vote for Osama bin Laden before I’d vote for Logsdon.

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I’m so upset with Mayor Logsdon and Cyndi Plunkett I could just scream! I hate what’s going on with our city. The mayor is just the biggest freeloader and a lot of us wish he would just pack up and go. My mother, a taxpayer of 31 years, has to pay a fee to go to the Gathering Place for a meeting. Mrs. Plunkett, duh, wonders why our seniors are going to the county facility instead. At the same time, Mayor Logsdon, a taxpayer of six years, gets free trips to China with our tax dollars. Mayor, why do we need extra big box stores on an already busy highway? Anyone can see big name stores are going out of business every week. Even Tom Shane filed for bankruptcy. We’ve got a lot of empty retail space now. The amphitheater is going bust and there’s trash all over the cart paths. We’ve got a bad case of poor leadership. This is what we had to go through with Delta’s poor management over the years.

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Memo to the Ga. DOT: It’s time for you to pick up your toys on Ga. Highway 74 in PTC and skedaddle. You stopped working the week before Christmas and haven’t been seen since. Finish the striping, the curbing and clean up all the loose asphalt. Get rid of the erosion control fences, the hideous orange barrels and, most of all, that freakin “construction ahead” sign in front of The Avenue that we have had flashing at us for over two years now. Clean up your equipment over on Paschall Road and leave that area in the condition it was in before you came. Finally, when you learn the street names, correct the yellow street sign you put in over by Coldwater Creek on the southbound lane. It should read Clover Reach, NOT Culver Reach.

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2008. What can I say? It has been a bad year for everyone. Bad economy, unbelievable gasoline prices, inflation, stock market crash, job cuts, and out of control school boards. I read the blogs, the letters to the editor and Free Speech. Some people have very valid points. Others seem to not be in touch with the real world at all. Most people bash the politicians, the people WE elected. The school board, as far as I am concerned, deserves all the bashing they can get. I didn’t vote for any of them and I didn’t vote for SPLOST because I don’t trust the current school board with my money. Yes, I have two kids in the Fayette school system, and I will gladly support their teachers financially if they need supplies to help educate MY kids. I am so sick and tired of seeing Bernie McMullen referred to as a drunk who doesn’t know how to manage Peachtree City. The man made a mistake; get over it. You aren’t perfect either. From what I can see, the city employees being laid off are not police officers or firefighters. Sounds like Mr. McMullen has his priorities in order. Public safety first. That is, after all, the primary role of government, to protect its citizens. The things that disturb me most, however, involve the people of Fayette County. With so much uproar over layoffs, poor school board management, and various other blunders, why are there usually more politicians at board meetings than there are people from the general public? These meetings are open to the citizens. I am so sick of people who sit at home on the computer and complain and accuse anonymously but don’t have the spine to show up at a public meeting to speak to your elected politicians directly. It’s called apathy. The out of control government we are seeing is a direct result of apathy. I as a citizen, work, come home and have to get kids to multiple places like everyone else. Can I attend every meeting? No. Would I like to see meetings broadcast live and unedited on local access channels? Yes. Why? So if I can’t be at a meeting to speak my mind, I can flood email boxes and voice mails. It is well past time we as citizens stood up and took our county back. Demand live broadcasts of board and council meetings. Attend them if you can. Speak out. Contact your politicians and remind them that they work for YOU. Oh, yes, live meeting broadcasts can be done by our local high school media programs at relatively low cost, especially if you get the cable company involved. I know, I did that when I was in high school. Interesting thing, too, was that people watched, meeting attendance swelled, and people even drove to the town hall with a point to make after seeing something on the TV. The end result was that our elected officials became much more in tune with what the voters wanted. Last point. I strongly recommend Jesse Ventura’s book, “I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed.” It is a very good story about how one man, who felt his local government was out of control, became involved, started voicing his opinions, ran for office and eventually transformed his community. The story line I would like to see: 2009, The Year We Took Fayette Back.

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Having moved to Georgia 15 years ago from Washington state, I can attest to the fact that other parts of the country are much more interested in environmental conservation and stewardship of resources than Georgia seems to be. We’re getting there, but we’re still way behind. A case in point is the ability to time traffic lights when possible to control the flow of traffic. I’ve lived in places that have the traffic lights timed so that if one is doing the speed limit, there is no need to stop for a light. Imagine traveling Hwy. 74 from I-85 all the way into Peachtree City at 55 mph (I know, many of you “can’t drive 55” as Sammy Hagar croons, but would you if you knew the lights were the great equalizer?) and never once stopping for a light. This does two things: it conserves fuel by eliminating stop and go driving, and once drivers learn that the light sequencing is timed for the speed limit, it helps enforce that speed limit. I understand this is not always desirable, and that there may be times at any given intersection that it is better to have the traffic lights controlled by demand rather than a set schedule due to peak demand issues. But I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat at a red light late at night (Hwy. 74 and Jenkins Road, for example), and waited several minutes for the light to turn green. Not due to crossing traffic, but as the one and only vehicle at the intersection. Or the number of times I am in a pack of traffic approaching an intersection, and our light turns red so one crossing vehicle can pass through the intersection, thereby stopping several vehicles for one. Does this make sense? During these tough economic times, isn’t there a way the road department can assist the average citizen in saving money by doing a simple evaluation of roads that may be suitable for traffic light sequencing? This may not quite be a no-cost issue, but it’s pretty close, I’d bet. Are we talking world peace? Of course not, but maybe this is more attainable than world peace. Let’s give it a try.

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On Jan. 5, the Fayette County School Board suggested, as a cost-cutting idea, to take away the county supplement to all pre-K paraprofessionals. These women will be still working a 40-hour week, but they are looking to lose from between $6,000 to $10,000 off their annual salary. Take away taxes and the cost of benefits, they will be lucky to bring home part-time wages. The school board, obviously, doesn’t value all the hard work these people do on a daily basis. We are all suffering with tightening our belts, so why do these employees have to take the hardest hit? Guarantee, the county is going to lose a few, if not all of these exceptional employees. It is doubtful many people will be clamoring over such a low-paying position. It is truly a shame that the board is willing to say goodbye to these hard-working, dedicated employees for a savings of $60,000 a year. There has got to be another way to save this amount of money. I have a suggestion: eliminate the cable channel. This is not a necessity to the quality of education our children deserve.

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Regarding the entry, “Wait ‘til the math teachers figure out how this affects their retirement for years to come”: it will take them until their retirement years to figure it out using the current math curriculum.

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As a retired Fayette County school employee, I just love it when I hear the general public complaining about the school board wanting more money. Did you vote against the ESPLOST and did you complain when the superintendent got an 11 percent salary increase? You’d better get involved in the politics of schools or your tax dollars will continue to increase. Don’t be intimidated by the wants of the superintendent and the school board; children have been and will continue to be educated. Here’s an idea: let those making above $80,000 a year take a 10 percent cut in salary. Wonder how much money that would save the school system? Cut in salary vs. not having a job, cutting from the top first — interesting.

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If the FCBOE would eliminate half of its administrative positions, it would not have a budget problem. Traditionally, any time Fayette County has any trouble with anyone in the school district, instead of dealing with the employee, the county brings that person up to the county office and makes a position for him or her. Over the years, this has resulted in having a building full of worthless administrators who bump into each other trying to find make-shift work. Or, worse yet, who plan absolutely worthless workshops for the teachers to attend on their workdays. Shameful, especially when FCBOE has also stooped to asking former teachers, on their fixed income, to pay for FCBOE retiree meals at the retirement dinner.

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BOE needs more money? Why not start charging the NAACP every time they use school facilities at Sandy Creek and Fayette High. Seems they use the schools any time they want for free. Teachers get 2.5 percent raise and the superintendent gets 11.5 percent. BOE wants to take back the 2.5 percent? What about the 11.5 percent? The superintendent makes about $45k more than the governor of Georgia. How much does it cost to keep cable channel 24 going? How much is spent to produce all the shows/infomercials on channel 24? How many employees are in the main office with nothing to do? Do we really need four assistant principals at each high school? Management always wants to cut at the bottom, not at the top. We pay school taxes to have our kids taught, not to make movies and turn lights and heat/air on after hours at schools for non-school functions.

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I couldn’t agree more with the request for the superintendent and board to resign. I have lived here for eight years and have never seen a district mismanage funds as they have. They have used the taxpayers’ money without careful thought, non-logical strategic planning for growth, hired an unwarranted consultant as well as did nothing to build reserve funds. For centuries, people and businesses build reserve funds for downturns. However, almost every entity that operates on taxpayers’ monies will not build a reserve fund or have a surplus at year’s end. This’ll never change until we the taxpayers force their hands or the non-financial minded leaders (superintendent and comptrollers) resign. Just because a person has a MBA or Ph.D. does not mean they are competent to manage all aspects of the business. Mr. Superintendent, as a taxpayer that funds your expenditures, give the teachers their well-deserved raise, reduce your overpaid salary, pay for the retirees dinners or resign.

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Mr. Superintendent, be careful asking for re-assessing properties for tax gain. In theory and admissible in a homeowner plea, property values have dropped; therefore your thoughts may backfire. If re-assessed and there’s an increase, you can bet there will be tax complaints filed. It would be great if we all received a refund from decreased property values and the district proportionally lost their share. Think before you speak.

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If the FCBOE is looking for ways to save money, I have a solution. Get rid of the SMHS boys varsity basketball coach and let the boys coach themselves. The school system would save money and the boys would be much better off.

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It didn’t take long for our new sheriff to get revenge on an officer who ran against him. Demoting Babb and transferring him to the jail is like exiling someone to Siberia. I never dreamed Hannah would be so vindictive. I am very disappointed in him.

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Wayne Hannah’s demotion of Barry Babb was interesting. It isn’t Victor Hill but it is really close. Hannah is either saying (1) Randall was stupid or (2) that Hannah is stooping to vindictiveness. During the campaign Babb came to Hannah and told him if I win your job is safe. Hannah said that if he won Babb would be gone. Hannah said that Babb was demoted his second week under the new sheriff because of “weaknesses.” Didn’t Randall see that, if that were true? Or Bruce? Or the lieutenant colonel’s secretary? What is it that Hannah could find out in 10 days that Randall and Bruce could not find out in 10 years? And then the icing on the cake, Hannah says the department has become, under Randall’s leadership, “stagnant.” Is this Wayne’s World? I think if we wanted a sheriff with character and strength we would have been better off with Hannah Montana.

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Deputy Sheriff Barry Babb’s demotion: exactly what about Mr. Babb’s performance went undiscovered by Randall Johnson and Bruce Jordan for 10 years that Wayne Hannah remarkably realized in 10 days?

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And there you have it. Your newly elected sheriff, His Majesty Wayne Hannah, has exacted his revenge on his biggest competitor in November’s sheriff election. Hannah, a 35-year veteran, demoted Captain Barry Babb, himself a 20-year veteran, from captain to deputy. This demotion falls from captain through lieutenant through sergeant through corporal to deputy. And assigned him to the jail, no less. Deputies assigned to the jail are almost always the new hires. Hannah stopped just short of firing Babb. Guess he preferred to totally humiliate Babb AND destroy his career. Hannah did say that, his other “in-house” competitor, Thomas Mindar, will stay at his present position. Mighty big of you, Sheriff. Thomas Mindar is a deputy, so I guess there was nothing else Hannah could do to him, short of firing him. Hannah said that Mindar “has continued his hard-working ways since coming back on board after the campaign.” First of all, didn’t know that Mindar or Babb “left” during the campaign. Secondly, Mindar receiving only single-digit vote totals and being only a deputy is probably not seen as a threat to the sheriff. Thirdly, Hannah’s “backhanded” compliment of Mindar “continuing his hard-working ways” is perceived as an insinuation that Babb did not “return” as a “team player.” Hannah goes on to say the demotion of Babb and others was a result of the “command staff’s decision.” Know who comprises the “command staff”? Staff is a total of five people: three of Sheriff Hannah’s cronies, Sheriff Hannah’s wife, Captain Deborah Hannah, AND the High Sheriff himself. Guess Babb and the others got their due process, huh? You have to look north to see a similar situation a few years ago. Remember when newly-elected Clayton County Sheriff Victor “walking small” Hill took office? He fired or demoted all his “perceived” enemies and promoted his cronies. Worked out real well, wouldn’t you say? This is some real heavy-handed stuff here. And the probable reason Hannah won? The day before the election, then-Sheriff Johnson came out and endorsed Hannah. Don’t know if you knew the “real” Hannah or not, but you gotta be real proud of that endorsement about now. Do you believe that Babb being demoted and him almost winning the sheriff’s post are coincidences? I don’t, and don’t believe you probably do either. Hannah is almost certainly punishing Babb for the here and now, and for the next sheriff’s race in four years. I do know how politics work, so, for now, I prefer to remain anonymous. Don’t want too many “special” visits from the S.O.

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What mental giant put the bicycle rack at the Tyrone library in the middle of a landscape island in the middle of the parking lot? Anyone with a lick of sense knows that children should not be directed into the middle of a parking lot and putting a large metal bike rack on landscaping will kill the plants. And they want to close the library — give me a break.

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I see that the Tyrone Council voted to support Grace Caldwell’s proposal to move money from the sanitation account to fix roads. Sanitation funds are only to be used for sanitation expenses, not road repair (somewhat illegal, I think). But by the time the next audit rolls around and it is brought to their attention, Grace, Chris and Gloria won’t be around and the three stooges (Eric, Tracy and Don) will be left holding the bag.

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I was at the Fayette Hospital last week and took a walk around the beautiful lake. The problem is that all of the garbage cans in the parking lot and near the lake are stuffed and overflowing. The result is the trash blows into the lake and nearby woods. The grounds crew needs to do their jobs and the grounds supervisor needs to take a walk around once in a while.

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Bush had some bad advisers and now it’s looking like Obama does too. He has nominated a guy named Timothy Geithner to be treasury secretary. The treasury secretary oversees the Internal Revenue Department, but it seems that Mr. Geithner tried to get away with cheating on his tax return to the tune of $34k. He also chose Bill Richardson to serve in his cabinet until it surfaced that Richardson was under a corruption probe back in his home state of New Mexico. Then he picked Eric Holder to run the Justice Department. Holder had been second-in-command at the Justice Department when Bill Clinton was president. It seems that Mr. Holder was the guy that smudged his character and reputation back then when he connived to recommend that Clinton pardon a dude named Marc Rich who was on the run from federal authorities. It just so happens that Rich’s wife was a close friend of Clinton and had donated a ton of money to his political campaign. Next Obama’s inaugural committee set up a big gala at the Lincoln Memorial and sold the exclusive rights to broadcast the event from property owned by the people to HBO. Kind of smells like selling the Lincoln Bedroom, only this time it’s the Memorial. It seems that Obama is quickly using up his honeymoon. Love the change.