Tyrone taxpayers and voters have been asking Questions like what is the Purpose of the comprehensive plan? I have worked to educate these citizens by explaining the process and summarized purpose of a 20-year plan for the Town to survive and maintain status as a local government entity. Here is specific information.
Tyrone Town council passed the 2007-2027 Comprehensive Plan: Community Agenda August 16,2007. This plan went through Public hearings and other community meetings before being adopted. Well here are excerpts from the Comprehensive plan stating Purpose.

My name is Mickey Edwards, a long-time resident and a Georgia native. My wife, Marie and I have been married for nearly forty years. We have two adult sons, both of whom served in the U.S. Armed Forces. I am active in numerous community services efforts, including holding a membership and board of director position with the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club.

Flood Risk Information Open House

Fayette County in partnership with Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have completed an enhanced Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for Fayette County including the cities of Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Brooks, Tyrone, Woolsey. This FIS includes elevation profiles; charts and a narrative report of local flooding to be used by permit officials for development in the floodplain.

In the October 24th Citizen News Mayor Lee had a letter to the editor asking the voters of Tyrone to challenge their candidates to provide details on what they would do if elected. Without that information the voters can not make an informed decision on November 6th nor hold their elected official accountable. I am willing to provide the voters with my commitments and my plans for implementing their vision of Tyrone.

Peachtree City has continued to evolve from its earliest conceptual plans, which envisioned a targeted build out of 80,000 people, to its present day population of 36,000 and reputation as one of the top ten most desirable places to live.

This is my last chance to clarify any doubts about where I stand and how I would like to see Tyrone evolve in the next four years. 1st – Those of the town's staff that are reappointed by Council will be responsive to any concerns or issues presented. I will be actively seeking qualified replacements for those who are not reappointed. Help with procedures will be made as simple as law allows. 2nd – The majority who responded to the Comprehensive Study stated that they were not willing to pay for expanded sewage. I agree and support that position. 3rd – Overwhelmingly, citizens stated that they desire one acre buildable lots and were against smaller lots or multi-family housing. I fully support this concept and will endeavor to maintain Tyrone's small town atmosphere. 4th – I am very interested in assuring that Tyrone citizens remain safe. To this end, I will continue to fight for a second exit from Shamrock Industrial Park and will work with our surrounding cities and Fayette County to assure that a viable emergency plan is in place. 5th – I will provide the oversight and management required to assure that Tyrone's employees are the very best available and that they have the support and the training required to perform their jobs. 6th – I will provide Tyrone's citizens timely information to allow them to make inputs and/or to express their ideas prior to any changes. 7th – I will work with the State, County and surrounding cities to provide the best possible clean water sources by maintaining our streams and green space. 8th - I will review all of Tyrone's ordinances and guidelines and put them in a logical, dated order that will be available to any who need them. And 9th – I will be working diligently to assure that Tyrone receives their share of Special Option Sales Tax revenue to allow paving and repair of our roads needing improvement
Even though I have had over 40 years of management and administrative experience, this is my first entry into the political arena. I only wish to guide Tyrone towards the best possible environment through decisions that will match the desires of our citizens. It will be with the help of a viable Planning Commission and concerned Council that I will be moving Tyrone forward in the direction Tyrone's citizens' desire. Please vote Nov 6th.

Unfortunately due to a meeting that ran longer than I expected I was 48 minutes late emailing my second essay to the Citizen. Since it will not appear in the printed edition I have posted it below.

A very special thanks to the Senior Adult Council for Sunday's forum that offered a great opportunity to exchange ideas. The wealth of knowledge and experience that is possessed by the seniors of any community and especially ours is a resource that can not be over emphasized.
The concerns raised concerning ongoing and proposed development that moves Peachtree City away from the qualities that makes it a nationally rated top ten city for retirement have solidified my stance on holding the line with developers insuring they meet or exceed all variances as well as ordinances that make our city unique.
It should be the responsibility of our Planning Commision to insure that all requirements are met prior to elevating to City Council for final approval. Exceptions to codes or zoning should be just that,exceptions, not the norm.
Public safety within our city and especially on our golf cart paths need to be addressed now, not when the problems get out of hand. We need to increase the police presence where we know the problems are and not be merely reactive. We are blessed with a fine and most capable police department that I believe has yet to reach its potential.
In closing, I continue to ask for your vote on Novenber 6, so that together we can keep Peachtree City the place we love to call home.
Mike King Candidate for Council Post 2
mkingforcouncil@comcast.net

Fellow Citizens

We must have safety and security on our golf cart paths. All the time we are reading stories in the paper about graffiti, littering, robberies and harassment occurring on our cart paths. I have witnessed cars driving on these paths. These activities must stop and it is up to us to stop them. Reducing cart path crime and crime as a whole is on my agenda.

Last evening's withdrawal of the property abandonment issue relating to the Kohls development demonstrates that our City Council does listen to its citizens. Whether the vote would have been three to two or whatever, resident voices were finally heard and with the writing on the wall, the developer relented.
Make no mistake, however, this property will be developed as it is far too expensive to lay idle. That being said, can the Planning Commission show us a plan that adheres to the city's ordinance on big boxes-certainly. Holding resolute to the standards that are currently in place regarding the size of retail outlets, landscaping standards, and buffer restraints are but only the beginning of this process.

Thank You Citizen News and Tyrone Business Association for the Candidate forum and all the citizens for attending. After the forum I talked with many and those citizens realized we have many qualified candidates. I heard comments that all candidates were in consensus of Sewer need, if old Town Tyrone was to be revitalized as a vibrant town.

Having lived in our great city for more than twenty years, raised three children, and now nearing retirement from a second career, I threw my hat into the ring for the race to be elected to the City Council. I have done this with the knowledge that as as a relative unknown within the arena of local politics, my goal of attaining this seat and serving the citizens of Peachtree City would be an uphill climb.

I have lived in Peachtree City for 15 years. Prior to that, I lived in East Point near the Airport for over 30 years. Up to the late 1970's, East Point was a wonderful place to raise kids - just like Peachtree City is today. I know first hand how things can change.

Continuing from last week, my thoughts on protecting Tyrone's citizens are in order. Today, Tyrone is a bedroom community with a great portion of its taxes coming from our single family, residential base. While this base is somewhat skewed, according to our comprehensive plan, this mix is desired by most of Tyrone's citizens; i.e. one acre buildable lots, and a small town atmosphere with adequate green space through enforcement of environmental regulations.

My candidacy is geared toward the future of Peachtree City. As your councilman one of my priorities will be working to protect and enhance the open space, natural buffers among developments, and the city owned greenbelts. One of the strategies I intend to employ to accomplish this goal is taking a proactive approach to redevelopment. The Council needs to establish policies that preserve the character not only of Peachtree City but of the existing neighborhoods. Additionally I will be strongly encouraging developers to exceed our current standards not merely meeting the minimums. This initial encouragement will be part of a larger goal of setting consistent criteria that defines the character of Peachtree City that will withstand legal challenges.

I appreciate the opportunity to discuss community issues at the candidate forum this past Saturday, Oct. 13.

It looks like we had a good turn out of about 200 residents, and all of the candidates participated, except two.

After my comments on Tom O'Toole having a qualified position on being against sewer extensions outside of PTC, I notice he has edited his website and removed the qualifier regarding exception for environmental impacts. Now it reads '...unless there is a substantial verified benefit to the city.' Same meaning but in a hidden form.

My name is Mickey Edwards, a long-time resident and a Georgia native. My wife, Marie and I have been married for nearly forty years. We have two adult sons, both of whom served in the U.S. Armed Forces. I am active in numerous community services efforts, including holding a membership and board of director position with the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club.

Real leadership considers every idea available before making decisions. A little bit of humility while you’re listening to people beats brash talk any day. I do not know all the answers, but I am determined enough to look for them. Positive decision making in a city demands involvement from the citizens -- how can you serve your community without learning the priorities of the very people you wish to serve?

Tyrone citizens need to be concerned about infrastructure and safety. The old Town definitely has been on peoples mind for very many years. Yes eminent domain is a government’s privilege and should only be used as last resort for government purposes with appropriate compensation to land owner. I do not support eminent domain to bring sewer into the downtown area.
Sewer would be needed in the downtown business district, if we the citizens or the government plan to try a revitalization process. I agree with Don that we do have many shops and business within a 15-minute drive. I have also heard current business owner’s state they are not sure what Tyrone could attract. Residents have mentioned things like a single screen theater showing family movies or a Bowling center. Though in the old town area a movie venue could anchor a small group of shops and Cafés. A Bowling center should maybe be located in a light industrial or commercial area.
Parks and green space is something all citizens would enjoy and a master plan is needed, we already have shamrock park which currently doesn't have a master plan and the revitalization committee has been working on this park's plan for close to 2 years or better. You can read my Essay that will be published Oct 17 in the attachment to this blog.

I see the phrase 'Redevelopment' is becoming of concern, and justly so.

I have not used it because if someone is renovating existing property, that is not redevelopment, that is simply upgrading or replacing existing structures. We have Code and other mechanisms already in place to govern such. The use and neighborhood nature has already been established.

I wish to thank those of The Citizen newspapers for the opportunity to express some of my ideas to improve the life styles of ALL citizens of Tyrone. As many of Tyrone citizens already know, there are many issues separating the town. Foremost is the development that is being thrust upon us. This, seemingly, is without considering that a corresponding level of infrastructure has to be planned to support these visions; i.e. traffic congestion, citizen safety, etc.
Secondly, what can we do to protect the way of life that most citizens moved to Tyrone to achieve, both now and in the future? Paramount are the concerns about overcrowding and citizen safety. Additionally, decisions must be made to meld Tyrone into our surrounding area; i.e. Fayette County, Peachtree City and Fayetteville, and even Coweta County, our neighbor to the immediate west. As surrounding entities struggle to bring the best possible life experiences to their citizens, it is imperative that Tyrone become an active participant. Tyrone cannot be an island to itself! I have the time and desire to interact with our neighbors and represent Tyrone. It is to this end that I will work diligently and provide the best possible government based on the desires and economic well-being of our businesses and residents.
As The Citizen has agreed to provide a forum for all candidates for three consecutive weeks, I will use this space to address a portion of issues each week. This week, I will discuss the issue of what to do with the down-town area. Although well known that business development in the down-town area is desirable, lack of sewer in old Tyrone is a limiting factor. Tyrone has, as do most cities and towns, have the power of eminent domain. Mandating expensive sewer tie-in at each home or business, whether desired or not, seems unrealistic and unfair. Business people were asked about what business or businesses they would build in down-town Tyrone that would be viable enough to earn a living. Answers were sparse. Today, almost any business or service that a Tyrone citizen desires is available within a 15 minute drive or less. Further discussions concerning down-town are necessary.
Next week, I'll address our citizen's public safety and emergency plans, our parks and the need to review our current ordinances and charter to bring these items into readable, easily updated documents.

I believe I have clearly laid out my reason for running for the PTC Council, Post 1, agenda and how to get the job done. In fact far more clearly than my opponents.

I would like to thank The Citizen for this forum.

Don Haddix
Candidate for PTC Council, Post 1
donhaddix.com