Imker’s responses to earlier political criticisms

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 2:45pm
By: Letters to the ...

I’d like to address some of the comments over the last few weeks/months trying to indicate that I am not a serious candidate. They include:

1. Won’t campaign, first response. Some very poor assumptions were made by a few readers of my recent articles. Did you see me in the 4th of July parade? I was #145 near the end. At different points during the parade I was literally “running” and enjoying the opportunity to say to people I was “running for office.” Many smiles. Thanks.

2. Won’t campaign, second response. I have organized “Meet the Candidate” events periodically from now to the election. They will be opportunities for you to come see me in person and discuss issues. You will learn exactly how I’ll be voting and you may even change my mind on a few issues.

The first of these “Meet the Candidate” events will be Thursday, July 9, 10 a.m. to 12 noon outside the city library. The second event will be Tuesday, July 14, 10 a.m. to 12 noon outside the Gathering Place.

As a courtesy I’ll be informing City Hall of my intentions beforehand so they’ll know these are not some kind of political protest type events.

Many more of these “Meet the Candidate” opportunities will be scheduled at various times and locations. I am prepared to do them as often as necessary until the election.

See my website, www.ReturnToTheVision.com, for future scheduled events. These should be lots of fun. I hope to hear from advocates and nay-sayers alike. It will give me an excellent jump start on understanding public concerns (many are obvious) before sitting at the Post 1 chair during council meetings.

3. Robert’s Rules: Read them, know them and published a six-page outline of them on my website. Issue closed.

4. Yard signs: I still don’t want them being an eyesore in our neighborhoods. But there will be signs at street intersections; lots of them. But let’s get real. Signs four months before the election is just plain disrespectful of every citizen in our city. I will have street signs out beginning in October before the election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

My website has downloadable signs, bumper stickers, business cards, etc., for you to show your support. By the way, I have already encouraged folks who assist me to make sure the signs are down by Nov. 4 after the election. I really respect your concerns about keeping Peachtree City beautiful.

5. “Twisting facts or tossing about innuendo”: This one was on the city taxing businesses last year for a certain number of employees. The essence of the argument is it demonstrates to future potential businesses our city council has “learned” how easy it is to tax them and city council is not afraid to do it again. If I were a business I’d think twice about setting up shop here. Wouldn’t you?

Now if they had lowered taxes, it would be a 100 percent turnaround. I know our city is serious about understanding business concerns and is trying to help, but this tax was needless and counterproductive. Encouraging businesses instead of discouraging them would increase sales and would more than offset any revenue this penny-ante tax generated. Not only did council levy this tax, they did it right as the economic downturn was beginning. Bad, bad decision making.

6. City council and mayor pay raises: I stick by my opinion that we don’t need to give 100 percent salary increases to the five part-time people making government decisions. Some argue the mayor’s salary is too low to enable “good quality” candidates to run for office. My counter argument may be in your face but here it goes: I’d rather have a successful individual in life who has made the right decisions in the past and has clearly shown the ability to continue with smart, uninfluenced decision-making. I’d be more comfortable knowing a successful person will be making the decisions that impact all of us rather than someone who has not been successful. Anyone running for office should not be considering a political job’s salary a criteria for the job. I clearly don’t. We can debate this further in person at my “Meet the Candidate” forums.

7. This next issue is listed just because it irritates me so much. Ga. Highway 54 West is getting another traffic light: Oh, joy! Who do we have to thank for this gem? Yep, your current “concerned” city council members (Logsdon, Boone and Plunkett) who voted to sell a couple streets to enable another big box store across from Walmart and then, to add insult to injury, voted to allow another traffic light in the area.

I respect Councilmen Don Haddix and Doug Sturbaum for not being bullied into voting for this poor decision. We’ll be thinking of the others who did vote for this every time we have to stop at this new traffic light.

8. Register to vote. You must be registered to vote by Oct. 5. I don’t care if you vote against me, just vote. City Hall can steer you in the right direction. There are websites galore. My website has easy links for registering. No excuses.

Come see me at one of these future “Meet the Candidate” opportunities and let’s talk. Don’t forget to checkout my website or just Google “returntothevision.” The first result is my website home page. It has information about me, my calendar and other interesting information.

Eric Imker

Candidate for City Council Post 1

www.ReturnToTheVision.com

Peachtree City, Ga.

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Submitted by Imker on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 3:48pm.

A recent blog asks several great questions. The space requirement in a reply comment herein will not fit. But I'll include the reply in next week's letter to the editor. Some of the Qs were:
1 - How do you propose to balance the budget?
2 - Since most of PTC is already built out, the developers are not the problem. Some candidates keep talking about the developers like it’s some massive conspiracy but we are built out! Having a disfunctional city council might be the real problem..how do you plan on fixing that?
Imker - This will be an easy one to answer!!!
3 - What other issues are important to you?
4 - What do you think should be done to move unsold houses in town and fill the empty shopping centers? Is that even an issue for you?

Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 5:03am.

Can't wait to see the answer to #4 - moving unsold houses and filling empty shopping centers.

Wow, government (or perhaps just one yet to be elected politician) fixing the entire real estate market with some magic. Please don't keep us waiting. Tell us now.

The correct answer is that it should not be an issue for you or anyone in government to meddle in private ownership of property. Must I refer again to the Community Reinvestment Act (from the Carter era) that was put on steroids by Clinton, Dodd and Franks in the late 1990's? Government meddling caused the current recession - no room for any doubt.


Submitted by GAltant on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 6:31am.

Dear Mr. Morgan:
There is alot a city council can do to.

Let's start with, what is PTC doing to make sure we we get as many of the 400 Northwest employees moving to the Atlanta area. Has anyone spoke with the PTC Deveopment Authority about this. Have we made contact with the Delta HR department, arranged transportation for these employees to look when they arrive, provided information packets and and seminars?

What other steps are we taking to promote PTC as a place to live?

As for the the empty storefronts,the same applies. Are we attending trade shows are promoting our city for business? what about attracting retailers on the Northside and seeing if it makes sense to expand to Peachtree City. Let's attract the businesses and services we want and need, not more big boxes, or drug chains. How about contacting the Georgia Tech start up fund to see if we can attract new companies that they are financing.

How about tax incentives, re-development programs...the list goes on.
Here in PTC we talk about traffic lights and walking signs..SAD
There is so much a smart council can do! and none of them have anything to do with interferring with private property.

It's time for citizens of PTC to see what an effective government can do!

I want to vote for a candidate that takes about the future and has a real plan, not talk of traffic lights!

Don Haddix's picture
Submitted by Don Haddix on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 10:27am.

DAPC has been working on the Northwest issues, empty store fronts, training, trade shows, has an ongoing relationship with GT, government agencies and a lot more since last year when I got them off the self where they had been kept by some on Council. Go to a DAPC meeting and talk to them about all of it, including incentive development.

You are right on no more Big Boxes. We have too many empty stores now and over 300,000 more sq' approved by the majority on Council yet to be built with an annexation request on the Agenda Thursday for adding even more. Just waiting for more such developments to come to us and not being out there pursuing good job producers has hurt us for years.

FCDA only handles the big new stuff. They do not do small or redevelopment. DAPC is critical to our future.

While some on Council were pursuing 'traffic lights,' as you put it. two of us were resisting 'traffic lights' and pushing DAPC to get fully up and working. They are now doing both at once while also bringing together the other authorities, commissions etc to pool data and develop joint efforts for the benefit of all.

There are candidates running who want to do what you are seeking. Go talk to them. There are those who still believe 'traffic lights' are good.

The future is in bringing good paying jobs here, preserving and restoring the Village Concept. Smart Growth says do good growth, not any growth.

The idea of shutting down development is not good. But neither is the idea the developers have the right to build anything they want anywhere. It has to be regulated growth, meaning what we need where we need it as much as possible and within reason.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com


Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 7:48am.

except possibly tax incentives, but PTC taxes are such a small meaningless part of the overall tax picture it would have no effect. It takes county cooperation and even the state to make an impression upon a business considering relocation.

Empty storefronts are filled with Mom and Pop businesses or franchises which are locally-owned and that's not going to happen soon no matter who does what.

The only thing council can really do is to empower and fund the Development Authority and get them focused on working with the state and county and private industry (yes, the evil developers who own land - even Pathways) and force everyone to cooperate - just like it was when Boothby was here and Brown (the real one) and Lenox were mayors. Economic Development lost its soul when they left and at about the same time Pathways lost its sugar daddy Equitable who pretty much forced economic development cooperation.

A return to an efficient and committed economic development team requires real leadership. A mayor who can strongly lead council and gain the respect of county and state government. The other Brown set us back years in that department and Logsdon is only marginally better. And the constant sniping at him about being a developer's lackey doesn't help either. I don't see that kind of leadership coming out of the next election - do you?

The reason we talk about traffic lights and walking signs is that city government is reactive instead of proactive. Limited in their creative thinking ability as well. There has to be an element of the private sector in partnership with government to make all you suggest happen. Having a truly talented quasi-government employee like Boothby certainly helps, but there are not many of them around.


Submitted by GAltant on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 10:10am.

So you agree that a "real leader" could direct an effort to an efficient and committed economic development plan?

If so, who is running for mayor or council that you believe can do that? Personally, no one is impressing me and when you ask these questions you get back "traffic light" responses....lot's of finger pointing to the past. Frankly I am tired of hearing about the 3 to 2 vote. I want a leader who can build consensus and a team to get things done and that hard with the current council members.

I'm not happy with current council or those who are running for office...some of them are already playing "dirty"...The game seems to be
"if you agree with me you are ok"...if not I am going to whine, cry and point fingers - hence the 3 to 2 syndrome.

I want more! I want a real leader!

Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 6:25am.

A true leader would have put a muzzle on all this 3-2 stuff and kept a lid on the personal sniping. A real leader would not have allowed a councilman to get away with running for mayor 6 months early and disrupting city business by doing so. A real leader would have told Doug McMurrain to go away when he started with the traffic lights and buying streets from the city. And a real leader in Peachtree City would carry around a minature version of the land use plan as if it were The Constitution or the Bible and treat is as such.

No real leaders in this town since Fred Brown or Bob Lenox and none that are emerging now. BTW, you don't have to agree with a leader's position on everything to recognize that he or she is indeed an effective leader. Treating people respectfully and earning their trust while building consensus for the common good is how you define a leader. Democratic, Republican, pro-life, baby-killer, liberal, conservative, none of it matters. Leaders emerge from different groups and have different beliefs.

But why should Peachtree City be any different that anywhere else? Look at what we have in Washington for a President and our very own representative in the House - both empty suits. Senator Isakson is the only one I actually respect - the rest are all bozos. Same is true at the state level. No leadership anywhere - just finger-pointing and the blame game.

So don't think the next PTC election is going to get us anything than a couple of new faces and some chair shifting.


Submitted by GAltant on Sun, 07/19/2009 - 8:25am.

Mr Morgan:
Thanks, we agree....so what's next! Where can we find a true leader?
Is Haddix the right choice or Plunkett?

What about the city council?

We are faced with so many issues and these candidates speak nonsense.

They need to speak about the issues, unfortunately the only noise you hear is Haddix bashing the others...not real leadership skills!

Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 6:25am.

A true leader would have put a muzzle on all this 3-2 stuff and kept a lid on the personal sniping. A real leader would not have allowed a councilman to get away with running for mayor 6 months early and disrupting city business by doing so. A real leader would have told Doug McMurrain to go away when he started with the traffic lights and buying streets from the city. And a real leader in Peachtree City would carry around a minature version of the land use plan as if it were The Constitution or the Bible and treat is as such.

No real leaders in this town since Fred Brown or Bob Lenox and none that are emerging now. BTW, you don't have to agree with a leader's position on everything to recognize that he or she is indeed an effective leader. Treating people respectfully and earning their trust while building consensus for the common good is how you define a leader. Democratic, Republican, pro-life, baby-killer, liberal, conservative, none of it matters. Leaders emerge from different groups and have different beliefs.

But why should Peachtree City be any different that anywhere else? Look at what we have in Washington for a President and our very own representative in the House - both empty suits. Senator Isakson is the only one I actually respect - the rest are all bozos. Same is true at the state level. No leadership anywhere - just finger-pointing and the blame game.

So don't think the next PTC election is going to get us anything than a couple of new faces and some chair shifting.


Submitted by Imker on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 2:24pm.

Hope my letter gets in this week. Let me know if you like my response. My very first sentence in answering this one was, "I have no control over the market place." But then I go into what I/polictians do have control over. It's a rather long letter this week. I realize most won't get to this part of the letter. But my debate skills have been sharpened. I certainly won't be making comments implying we can insure the city remains insulated from economic problems facing the country.

Submitted by MYTMITE on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 2:43pm.

When you have to write a blog to explain a letter that has not even been published, it makes you wonder. What are you grading yourself on? I would think it would be up to prospective voters to decide how you should be graded. I think this city deserves someone who thinks before they speak or write. We have had enough with Logsdon making statements he can't back up. I think you just may be way out of your element and should consider some other way to spend your retirement.

Submitted by Imker on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 10:16pm.

Hello MYTMITE,
I was replying to Mr. Morgan and his "test" question in which my answer was pretty near what he was suggesting. Before you write me off, please understand I prefaced my comment indicating my letter was rather long and hoped it would be published. To alleviate concern as to an unpublished letter, I have included it on my web site. Go to www.ReturnToTheVision.com.
I was ready to send it to you at your email address in these blogs but you've blocked yourself from receiving emails.

Perhaps you can see me in person at a future Meet the Candidate opportunity. Being retired doesn't mean going out to pasture. Taking a couple years off after 30 years of work has recharged me.
And please, never include my name with Logsdon unless it’s demonstrating our different approaches to uninfluenced leadership. Just check his campaign contributions for June 30, 2009 and you'll not be surprised at who is giving him money.

Submitted by Bonkers on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 5:32am.

Something done 15-20 years ago is the cause of crooked banks, crooked people, false assets, two wars, and waterboarding!!!

Yeah, right!The liberals are very thankful for people like you, Bill, Rush, and Sean, Ingraham, and the other skinny fake blonde.

Now Palin is going to make her fortune by saying crappy stuff that she doesn't even think works.

Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 6:27am.

Waterboarding, talk radio, Palin??? What's that have to do with anything?

And yes actions have consequences whether they were 33 years ago (Community Reinvestment Act of 1976) or 12 years ago when Clinton's Treasury Secretary threatened to fine the banks if they didn't get with the program, meaning the aforementioned Community Reinvestment Act which forced lenders to lend in risky - aka "formerly red-lined" areas to borrowers who could not repay. That allowed the rise of the greedy mortgage brokers and even lenders who could generate front-end fees off of questionable loans and the sell them to unsuspecting investors - with the help of Freddi and Fannie. Followed by the house of cards falling down and a deep recession which we are not even halfway through.

Don't you read history and learn from it, Bonkers?


della's picture
Submitted by della on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 4:34pm.

What? A politican is going to tell us what they'd do.
I'll believe it when I see it.


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