Peachtree City is not the city it should be, and a major reason is because our City Council has strayed from our land use plan and supported excessive retail growth, which is why I have decided to run for the Peachtree City Council.

I moved here 10 years ago, and believe that Peachtree City has grown in some disappointing ways. I will be a strong proponent for supporting the plan for our city’s growth, and I will bring to this office a set of experiences that will help me in my responsibilities on the city council.

I have lived over 30 years in Georgia, and am a product of Georgia public schools (Baker High, Columbus). I graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served six years in the Army, including three at Ft. Benning. I have worked for Milliken & Co. in LaGrange since 1981, and am currently market manager there for automotive airbags.

I will be running for Post 3 with Mr. Steve Boone as the incumbent council member, and I want to thank him for the time he has taken to serve Peachtree City and the City Council.

Although he has backed policies that he believes promote growth and prosperity, I feel that much of what he has supported has resulted in an unacceptable tradeoff for the quality of life that has made our city so special.

As a member of your council, I will always put quality of life for our citizens ahead of growth. I would not support the Callula Hill development, which is counter to our land use plan.

Mr. Boone voted in favor of abandoning Line Creek Drive so that Capital City Development could build a larger retail center than otherwise would be possible. I would have voted against this. This vote led to the request for yet another traffic light on Ga. Highway 54.

Mr. Boone voted in favor of requesting this light (graded “F” by the DOT for traffic improvement). I would have voted against it.

The positions I do support will insure that our community center, tennis center, BMX track, amphitheater, and, of course, our golf cart paths continue to function in support of our very special city. These will require rigorous stewardship of our tax dollars, and support for businesses that add to our community.

We currently have many vacant retail spaces, and also available industrial facilities and sites. Attracting businesses to these makes more sense than supporting more rezoning to push for construction that alters the special character of Peachtree City.

I know the benefits of our excellent school system, not only for our youths, but also for the reputation of Peachtree City. I know that industry brings diversity of opportunities and strength to a community. I know that planned growth can be good, but that shoehorning the wrong businesses into the wrong site can be detrimental.

In the coming months, I will provide you with more details on what I stand for, so that you can judge whether my vision for Peachtree City matches yours. I look forward to the future of Peachtree City, and I ask for your support and vote in the election this November.

Robert Walsh

bobwalsh.ptcga@yahoo.com

Peachtree City, Ga.

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