Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Tennant's financial history includes filing bankruptcy

I attended the Sept. 4 Peachtree City Council meeting at which the FY 2004 city budget was voted on. Council member Dan Tennant voted against it, then read a prepared statement explaining his reasoning. His attempt was to convince us he isn't playing politics and is fiscally responsible. That's just not the case.

Tennant's "no" vote was a safe and meaningless vote. He realizes it has no effect on the budget passing. We get the new budget, and he gets to grandstand with his statement about integrity and keeping his promise.

Tennant has been on the council for 3-and-a-half years; he is just as responsible for the current deficit as any of the others. He made a promise he couldn't keep, raising our taxes. Our taxes will still go up.

He says he proposed three separate budget options to the council that would prevent that. These proposals were either too radical for the council (cutting city staff and services), or he is ineffective as a leader and couldn't sell them. I think both are the case.

He is a member of five, a council, not the city's budget guru by any means. He now sees the unpopularity of the administration and the new budget, and realizing his reelection desires, is washing his hands of them. These are council members that he supported and campaigned for.

Dan Tennant stated that the city's budget was like that of a family. He can't run the city's like his family's, because then he would declare bankruptcy.

Less than 10 years ago, Dan Tennant declared personal bankruptcy, bilking the consumers out of over $43,000. (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ga., Case No. N95-10085D). That is more than a lot of families make in a year.

He had a condo foreclosed, and a boat repossessed. Our credit card and bank fees pay for his mismanagement. How can he make these proposals and statements with a straight face?

I don't believe Dan Tennant cares one way or another about our taxes; he just likes being a city councilman. He stated he doesn't want our taxes raised; they are still going up. He promised to pay back money; he couldn't; it was left it up to other consumers. He wants to be on the city council for at least two more years, then probably run for mayor. I don't want that, and I don't think Peachtree City can handle that.

Paul Schwanitz

Peachtree City, Ga.