Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
Imker’s responses to earlier political criticismsTue, 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. login to post comments
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
