Why does the Fayette County Board of Education want to ask us when we would like school to start? They have never paid any attention to what parents want and this will be no different. Most parents do not want school to start so early in August but each year the BOE keeps setting the start day earlier and earlier. I wish the BOE can prove me wrong this time and set a later start date, even if it is only a week.

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Does [Peachtree City] have a signed scheduling agreement with the First Baptist Church to use their new facility? The answer: negative. The City Council can’t guarantee us, the seniors, anything. What happens if a new pastor or new deacons change their minds about using it? We’ll be over a decade behind. The unbuilt new church facility is a con game helping the mayor and council in shirking their responsibilities to our seniors. To make things worse, the mayor and council gave their initial okay to over 700 new senior homes (an immediate 1,000 to 1,400 person increase in the senior population). We can’t handle the current senior needs now. Even 300 new senior homes would be too many. We ought to take the millions of dollars that the mayor is using to repay the illegal pursuits of the Development [Authority] and use it for our law-abiding seniors. The personal promises of the mayor aren’t worth a dime because he’ll change his mind the next month.

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I hear that city employees were represented well at the budget hearings on June 21. Finally they unite, which is no credit to the police or fire departments. Go, public works! The sad thing is that the director of public works did not even defend his staff or say anything about their benefits or pay being reduced. Believe me, there was a lot of cussing directed towards Tom afterwards. Apparently, Chief of Police Murray and Jane Miller did a good job of representing the employees. Why is the city manager crying budget poor mouth and recommending cuts for employee benefits and pay? This comes from a man who encourages wasteful spending (having the table he uses at the amphitheater built higher than the rest) and lines his pockets with his share of the retirement booty. Rumors have it that he was recently given a substantial raise by the council. I don’t know if this is true, but if it is, the employees should find out. I encourage taxpayers to also find out. You can file an open records request to obtain this information. Wouldn’t it be convenient to cut employee pay and benefits in the same year that Bernie gets a raise and the council and mayor are considering giving each other a salary increase?

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Get real! Levitt and Sons comes to the city council wanting 762 homes on 300 developable acres (nearly three homes per acre) and the proposal gets sent on to city staff. Councilwoman Rutherford clearly stated that kind of density was significantly out of proportion to Peachtree City’s sound land plan. She also said the plan mandated that zoning should be less dense near our borders. So why did she suffer a mental meltdown and vote to send the mega-proposal on? Of course, the mayor – just like his attempt to send our sewer to Coweta County – was doing everything possible to push the high density housing through. At the meeting, it was obvious he wasn’t worried about the citizens’ welfare.

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Levitt and Sons wants to build hundreds of houses next Line Creek and yet they won’t pay for the entire bridge linking the property to Ga. Highway 74. This is the “outstanding” plan the mayor has been working on with the developer for months. We’re going to put our water source in jeopardy from a massive gated development, create tons of traffic and deplete our public services for a partial payment on a bridge. The 150 homes with the county zoning on the same property is a whole lot better.

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It is time for the City Council of Peachtree City to formally begin an ethics investigation of Mayor Harold Logsdon. On many occasions, the mayor has engaged in negotiations related to the government buyout of property owned by one of his largest campaign contributors. They should investigate a violation of Article 3, Section 62 of the city ordinances. The mayor, negotiating the highest price possible for someone who personally contributed to his personal political campaign fund, is failing to exhibiting independent, impartial or responsible behavior. For that reason, the mayor should be excluded as part of the process of land acquisition and planning for the TDK extension. Making backroom deals outside of public meetings on behalf of a campaign contributor is not using the power of his position for the well being of his constituents and it creates an environment of dishonesty. This type of behavior cannot be tolerated and an official investigation should be initiated to restore the public trust.

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Some of the actions of the City Council are ridiculous. The mayor is at it again. He’s trying to hustle this huge annexation by us before we even know what’s happening. The “oh, we didn’t know a thing about that railroad expansion” propaganda isn’t working. The huge yellow dump trucks in February were a dead give-away that something was happening. The newest lie is Peachtree City will be responsible for fire, EMS and police on that property even if we don’t annex it. How brainless is that? We don’t have automatic aid with the county. Are we responsible for public safety in Tyrone and Senoia since they are on our border? Put the cocktails down and respect the families that put you in office.

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You holier-than-thous who accuse everyone who drinks eeevilll alcohol of being an alcoholic need to come down off your high horses; the lack of oxygen way up there is addling your brains. Remember that one of the supposed miracles performed by your Lord was to magically turn water to wine. I guess he’s changed his mind about his choice of beverage since then.

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Now the city is going to increase taxes to hire more officers to patrol the golf cart trails. Since many I know use them to avoid the harassment from driving cars it seems that escape from extortion will now vanish. Probably, we will now have white lines in the middle of the cart trails so we can be given field sobriety test for failure to maintain the lanes on the golf cart trails. To Chief Murray, the residents of this community who pay your wages are not to be viewed as a source of income for your department. The mindset needs to be changed to resident friendly and that starts at the top. We deserve to be treated with nothing less than respect and courtesy, as the police want to be treated.

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I would like to address the drinking and driving on golf carts in this city. I know there are many people in this town that never take a drink. However, for those that have a couple of glasses of wine at one of the local restaurants, or have a few beers watching a football game at an establishment in the city, I would feel a whole lot safer with them on golf carts than on our roads. If someone is involved with a terrible accident on the bike paths, sure, give him a DUI then, but the ones that are driving safely home to stay off the roads, leave them be. If you are living in this town and get offended by seeing someone drink a beer while cutting their grass, move! There is so much strife in the world today that we here in PTC have to worry about such trivial things. I have lived here for 23 years and this town has gotten worse other than better. Our police chief has harassed (or ordered his men to) the teenagers so much that not one child in this town from middle school to high school trust a cop.

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Is it true that Eric Maxwell is paying teenagers $5 per sign to go out and separate his signs from Sam Chapman’s so he can say they are not linked? If he did not want them linked why did he allow it in the first place? Did the editorial last week cause that? Maxwell claims he is in favor of the land use plan, but in a conversation with a group of people at a local restaurant in early June he told a group of public safety folks that the land use plan was good, but could be “adjusted.” If he and Chapman, Horgan, Frady combine forces it looks like they will “adjust” the land use plan out of existence.

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How much has Sam Chapman spent on all those oversized and tacky signs, and ads at the amphitheaters, coupon books and newspaper ads? Is he trying to buy the election with his dad’s money? I worry he will treat the tax money like his dad’s and spend it the same way. My taxes are high enough.

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On one side we have Princess Leia vs. Jabba the Hutt running to take the office held by a grinning Jar Jar Binks. Is this a re-run of Star Wars, you ask? No, it is Georgia’s race for governor. The Farce is with us.

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Kudos to the PTC fire department this weekend at the house fire on Cedar Drive. Shame on the residents parking in the street blocking the fire hydrant. Shame on the residents who can’t seem to park their vehicles in their driveways which would leave room for the emergency vehicles to get down the street. And finally, shame on the city for allowing residents to park on both sides of the street directly across from another vehicle allowing little room for even a normal-size vehicle to pass. I hope the city doesn’t compensate the owner of the vehicle they hit while trying to serve the citizens of this city.

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Shame on the King children for not just donating those papers to the city of Atlanta. Shame on Atlanta for paying so much when the infrastructure is falling apart. Glad I don’t live there.

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Is it just me or has anyone else realized how pharmacies treat those of us who must take painkillers for legitimate reasons? I am so very tired of being leered at or whispered about while waiting to pick up a script each month. Some of these pharmacists and techs need lessons in manners, and to be a little more sympathetic and to keep your mouth shut, especially when you have no clue as to what is going on in that person’s life.

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Has anyone else noticed the increase in graffiti throughout the city? On the few trash barrels that are still on the paths, and on tunnel walls, much of it obscene and gang-related. Not to mention the litter on the paths. If you see any of this, please report it as I have. If you see the perpetrators in action, please call 911. Another item of concern is the irresponsible way in which some people, both teens and adults, are operating their golf carts. Let’s keep PTC great.

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Perhaps Lynn Westmoreland, “Mr. Do-Nothing” is actually “Mr. Know-Nothing.” Next time around, let’s at least vote for someone who has a college degree.

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Never mind the old poser, “Does a falling tree make a sound if no one hears it?” More important to ask if Congress passes laws about illegal immigration and hiring illegal immigrants, but no one enforces them, does Congress really exist?

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Say what? The same agency that can’t keep track of the millions of illegals in our nation is now going to process the millions who will apply for a guest worker status and deport those who don’t qualify. More donkeys fly with every unrealistic promise

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One reason that immigrants of yesteryear learned to speak English is because no one made it easy for them to keep their native language. And they actually thought that becoming “Americanized” was a good thing. Today we bend over backwards and get only complaining contempt. Go figure.

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Some Catholic dioceses refuse to do background check on those who work with children, because it will reveal illegal immigrants who work or volunteer. Hmmmm ... are there no illegal alien perverts? That’s just as good as a neon sign saying, “Perverts hired here.”

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Open to interpretation: George Bush is a conservative and his guest-path-to-citizenship is not an amnesty. One isn’t and the other is, depending on your viewpoint.

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I don’t have a phobia against immigrants (xenophobia), but I do have an aversion to foreign nationals who flout our laws and stomp on our national sovereignty. Ditto for politicians who violate their oaths of office by pandering to scoff-laws.

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Remember the playground chant, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? The end has been changed (no kidding) to “And words can hurt, too.” One chant taught being self-reliant and tough-skinned. The new one teaches over-sensitivity and victimhood. Let me coin a new chant. “Americans can endure sticks, stones and mean words, but group-speak will make us weakling cry babies.” Ooops, did I just say some hurtful mean words? Big sorry!

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