Success isn’t gauged upon the size of your campaign signs. My opponents cannot find much wrong with my record. Our council produced some significant results. Their chief complaint against me is that I spend too much time meeting with the citizens. I would be lying if I failed to say that I rely on God to show me the way. Benjamin Franklin, a prominent letter to the editor writer, said, “An honest man will receive neither money nor praise, that is not his due.” If I pray to a God and do not give Him the credit for our successes, then I am a fraud.

All of our attorneys tell us that it’s illegal to repay the Development Authority’s debt. Only $300,000 of the $1.5 million can be traced to actual capital building expenses. At the Rotary Forum, my opponents literally said that the city should “look past the legal issues” and repay the illegal debt. Beware when they say we have a “moral obligation” to defy state law.

In his last essay, Dar Thompson said, “Candidates that have stated they can cut the budget up to $1.5 million. However when asked, they can’t tell you where they will cut or how they will cut. They don’t have the first idea.” I agree some are telling the voters anything they want to hear. We had four public hearings on the 2006 budget and their only remarks were that we shouldn’t replace two aging dump trucks and they did not like a roundabout project in the 2008 budget, pretty slim. They couldn’t find any potential cuts, yet they had access to all of our data.

I can endure the vituperative comments in the newspaper because my intentions are genuine. They didn’t cheer for Rosa Parks when she demanded justice. They dragged her out of the bus and threw her in jail; there is a price to pay taking a stand. It is said that a man’s character is determined by how hard he fights for what he believes in. I have defended my citizens whether they are Black or White, Democrat or Republican. Although not everyone agrees with me on every issue, most all admit that our process is exceptionally fair and everyone’s opinion is respected. Our quality of life and recent successes are based upon principled leadership. Read about the issues on my website, www.MayorSteve.com. Vote.

Steve Brown
Your Mayor