Big promises, high hopes...

Newly elected Fayette County Commissioner's Allen McCarty and Steve Brown were sworn in Monday morning. Brown brought a 10-point list of promises to constituents and McCarty spoke of changes that would be made when the pair were sworn into office.

It all sounded good, especially to the crowd attending the early morning ceremony.

However, all one had to do was take a look at the faces of Commissioner Herb Frady and County Manager Jack Krakeel as they watched to see how difficult it is going to be for the two new commissioners to keep some of their promises.

The two new commissioners are going to be in the minority. If the other three commissioners stick together, as is expected, the West Fayetteville Bypass will continue to move ahead. With Frady as the new Commission Chairman, as is expected, much will be hidden and more deals will be cut behind closed doors.

The one wild card I see in the mix over the next two years is that at least two of the Commissioners will be running for re-election in 2012. Speculation is that Frady will have achieved his goal to be Chairman and, given his age, will decide not to run again. Robert Horgan has expressed a desire to run for re-election despite ethics problems resulting from his arrest for marijuana possession and use. Lee Hearn, who is recovering from a fairly serious operation that turned out to be not as serious as it could have been (thank goodness) will also probably run again.

The public is adamant that what is most often called the 'bypass to nowhere' should go nowhere. They want it stopped. The three remaining commissioners from the 'old batch' have consistently voted to move it forward.

Jack Smith, Eric Maxwell, Hearn, Frady and Horgan made the decision during their tenure to stop building the East Fayetteville Bypass (one of the projects included in the SPLOST), wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars, and chose to start work on the three-phase West Fayetteville Bypass. Phase one was a high priority, taking traffic around the hospital. Phase two and three were low priorities. They bypassed much needed road projects in the SPLOST and opted to move forward on the last two phases of the Bypass. Per those who included the bypass in the SPLOST, the last two phases of the road shouldn't have been considered for many years to come, and then ONLY if conditions in the county changed substantially.

Smith, Maxwell and the remaining trio on the Commission have said all along that they were forced to do it because we voted for it in the SPLOST... yet they chose not to do other projects on that same list, and, as said earlier, chose to stop another project already in progress. Make sense to anyone? It sure gives rise to head scratching as to why.

If Horgan and Hearn stick with the project it's a sure thing they'll go down in flames when they run for re-election. The crowd that attended the swearing in was larger than any in past ceremonies. These folks are active and they are working to make some changes on the Board. It's part of the movement that has been sweeping across the country - people are paying attention and they want accountability. Those who worked locally to unseat Maxwell and Smith will not go away and are already working on the next election.

Over the next two years, well four since that's the term of elections, we're going to be hearing about everything that happens during commission meetings. Any secret deals will be made public --- Steve Brown is known for speaking his mind and sharing with the public, so that one is a given. McCarty comes across as a quiet, thoughtful person, but I gather he is not shy when it comes to issues he feels strongly about. No matter what, like the votes or not, we will know what is going on.

McCarty and Brown may not be able to do anything other than shout from the rooftops if the other three vote in lock-step though.

My expectation is that sometimes one or more of the others will break ranks and vote with McCarty and Brown, but not on issues of any importance. I expect the other three to conspire to shut them out. I expect the three remaining commissioners to continue to vote in ways that irk the majority of voters on projects favorable to developers. Frady has a reputation for being fairly crafty when it comes to determining public opinion. I expect he'll throw the public some bones to make us think he's listening, do some things that'll garner some nice headlines and have a chunk of voters saying "awww, that's a good vote". But when it comes to substance and the direction they're taking the county, we'll be reeling for years to come.

I  hope I'm wrong. I hope that ALL of the commissioners will be able to put aside their own personal quirks, desires, and friendships to vote for what is best for the county. The problem with voting on what is best for the county is that I'm pretty sure Jack Smith was voting in ways that he felt were best for the county. Most of us have a different vision of the future than he seems to have. I suppose I should amend the sentiment in that first sentence to say I hope they'll vote for what the majority of us feel is best for the county.

It's going to be an interesting next few years!

More on Defined Benefits for Fayette County, GA

If you're not from Fayette County, GA you probably won't want to read this (unless defined benefits retirement plans are a hot button for you).

Last night the committee the County Commission selected to study implementing a Defined Benefits Retirement Plan for county employees asked for more time (Vote on Defined Benefit Plan Vendor Choice Postponed at County Commission Meeting). Since asking for bids in September the group has been reviewing the many, many plans submitted by various companies hoping to get the County's business.

It's big business. It's a carrot with a short stick and a lot of companies are vying to be the ones to chomp down on that juicy veggie. (Hey, I'm the queen of bad metaphors... I'm sure before I finish I'll have you rolling your eyes to the heavens.)

While writing the "official" article for the Fayette Front Page, I went back and reviewed all the times the DB issue has come before the County Commission. They've been looking at it for over a year now. I've been at most of the meetings where it was discussed, or have a tape recording of the meeting. It's boring stuff to listen to and, if you're not in on the committee meetings, it makes not a whole lot of sense without documentation or background details.

However, I've muddled through.

One thing I had thought, but hadn't really researched, was that all the meetings regarding the DB plan were held during business hours. I was right. While there have been a number of presentations to and discussions by the County Commissioners, the public would have had a hard time being at any of the meetings if they weren't willing to take time off from work.

Not only would it be difficult for any member of the public to keep up with all the happenings in regards to the County's DB plan, it's not easy to find out when they're going to discuss it. It's on the agenda, but how many of you go check to see what's on the upcoming agenda? Especially the daytime Workshop agenda?

A lot of people don't even know that it's already a done deal. The Commission voted 4-1 to implement the plan back in December 2007. Commissioner Peter Pfeifer was the ONLY Commissioner to vote no.

During the election Commissioner Herb Frady started saying he had always been opposed to implementing the plan but he voted FOR it... and he said he was for anything that was good for the employees (or something to that affect, I'd have to go back and listen to the tape of the meeting again to give you the EXACT quote, but that's almost exact if not exact). If you go read my story on the Fayette Front Page and wander though the links at the end you'll see a video of Peter Pfeifer and Herb Frady discussing it during the election, the quote is on there.

All that is happening now is that the Committee appointed by the Commission to look into the Plans is trying to decide which company gets the business. Now there is a slim, slim possibility that the Committee will come back and say no, don't do it, but it is so slim you couldn't catch a minnow on the line.

However, while I say it is a slim, slim possibility, it's still possible. There's a group of citizens who've formed a PAC, Fayette Citizens for Open Government (FayCOG), who are fighting implementing the Plan. They don't feel that there have been enough open meetings and public input. They're asking for hearings and citizen involvement. You can get involved with FayCOG, or you can send your own emails and letters. You can come to the next meeting and voice your concerns.

Why, you might ask, should this involve the citizens of this county? Well, I might answer, it's going to cost the taxpayers a bundle in a few years. Your taxes are going to rise and / or some things aren't going to happen that should just to pay for benefits for employees.

The employees have a great retirement plan already. It's one that isn't going to drain the bank and it's not risky.

We're watching the auto bailout fiasco going on right now. A huge part of their financial woes are related to the dream benefits the employees have at the once-big 3. Everyone is running away from DB retirement plans because they are financially back-breaking. Yet here in our county we're embracing the failed plan and going in the opposite direction.

The bill is going to come due at some point. For the first few years things will run smoothly, then it's going to become a growing bubble that will burst when least expected.

I've been writing about this for over a year. It's bad news for the future of our county and it seems that not many are paying attention. At the very least, the County Commission should hold off with this taxpayer hold-up until after the financial crisis passes.

----

Vote on Defined Benefit Plan Vendor Choice Postponed at County Commission Meeting
12/12/08 It appeared that County Commissioners were surprised when the newly appointed Fire and Emergency Director, Allen McCullough made his presentation regarding Defined Benefits. McCullough heads up the committee which is studying which company to select to provide and manage the Defined Benefit plan the County voted to implement last year (Dec. 5th, 2007; approved 4 – 1 with Commissioner Peter Pfeifer voting in opposition)... More

Pension Problems

Across the country businesses are failing. In some cases the straw that broke, or is breaking, the proverbial camel's financial back is their defined benefit pension plan. Do a Google search and see how many references pop up regarding pension plans and company failures.

I've written about Fayette County's vote to enact a defined benefit plan for their 600 plus employees before and most are aware of the problems the county is dropping into our laps. At a time when everyone else in the country is scrambling to try and fix their nightmare plans, at a time when tax revenues are down and everyone is trying to figure out how to afford to buy groceries, our "leaders" are giving away our future.

Sure, it'll start out fine, but the guys who are mortgaging the future of our county will have moved on by the time the fiasco hits our pocketbooks. The employees who sat on the committee that studied the feasibility of implementing a defined benefit plan will be retired and living off our tax dollars.

Every time I mention a DB plan to a financial planner and even to those who sell the product, they are horrified that our county will soon have that type plan. When I show them the comments made by Interim (still?) County Manager Jack Krakeel and Commissioner Jack Smith, they laugh. Everyone says exactly the same things they've said and everyone of the plans ultimately causes a huge financial burden on those paying for the plan.

The County has a wonderful plan in place that takes good care of the employees, especially those who are wise with their planning.

Why am I ranting about this one again? Well, the County is getting ready to finalize which plan they'll put into place AND I just received the following communication:

Isakson, Chambliss Urge Delta Air Lines, Pilots’ Union to Reconsider Termination of Retired Pilots’ Pensions

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today sent
a letter to Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson and Captain Lee Moak, Chairman
of the Delta Air Lines Master Executive Council, urging them to reconsider a
proposal to make a voluntary contribution to the Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corporation for the benefit of retired Delta pilots and to work toward finding a
solution that protects the earned benefits of employees and retirees alike.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr.
Anderson and Captain Moak:

As you know, we worked tirelessly on behalf of the Delta employees, retirees, and their families to pass into law provisions allowing airlines to spread their pension plan funding over a more manageable schedule. We did this to protect the 91,000 Delta Air Lines pensioners and family members in Georgia from losing their pensions and to help protect American taxpayers from having to pay for those airline pensions.

We understand that over 5,500 retired Delta pilots have had their retirement plan terminated and turned over to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Our understanding is that a majority of retired Delta pilots receive only a small percentage of the monthly retirement benefit they earned while employees of Delta. We are also told that a number of retired pilots receive zero benefit from the PBGC, and many more get a monthly PBGC payment that equals half or less than half of their Social Security benefit check. Finally, we are told that Delta will be assuming the pension liabilities for over 30,000 Northwest employees and retirees.

A group representing thousands of retired pilots recently sent a proposal to you, Mr. Anderson, asking Delta to make a voluntary contribution to the PBGC that would partially correct this issue. They also raised the issue at the September 25, 2008 shareholders meeting. As proponents of legislation designed to save these pensions, we were disappointed to hear that the response from Delta at that meeting was that this was considered a closed issue.

We urge you both to reconsider your positions, and to work towards finding a solution that protects the earned benefits of all employees and retirees. We appreciate your attention to this matter, stand ready to assist you in any way possible, and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson

United States Senator
Saxby Chambliss
United States Senator

Correction to last post, billboards, grants & more

I've corrected my last post regarding the millage rate, tax increase, etc. In that post I said the County Commission had held their three meetings regarding the millage rate. Not so this year. Last year they didn't offset the millage rate (tax hike) and earlier this year had said they weren't going to be able to offset the millage rate. I missed a number of meetings during the campaign season and somehow confused the budget hearings with the millage rate hearings. So sorry, mud on my face and all that other gunk to go with it!

The rest of the info is correct re: Fayetteville, Peachtree City and School Board.

I was at the County Commission meeting tonight and realized they had not had the hearings. In fact, it looks like they're going to offset the millage rate (not sure if it will be the full amount, but an offset is an offset and better than none!). Glad they're doing that. Especially in light of the salary increases they've handed out, and the upcoming bills we'll be seeing if they institute the defined benefit plan like they voted to do...

I heard a few different numbers during the campaign from Herb Frady and Robert Horgan, but the county has frozen or not hired up to 27 positions (depending on which forum and who was speaking). That's quite a savings though one has to wonder if they needed the 27 positions if they can do without them...

I am glad to see what the millage rate offset.

One thing tonight did concern me though. Senator Ronnie Chance was successful in getting the County $200,000 for the Emergency Center Interim County Manager Jack Krakeel has been wanting to build. It was originally in the plan to be built way down the road years out but when Krakeel became the Interim it was moved forward and in the budget. It's one of the items that was pulled and pushed back this year when they started looking for ways to pay for other items.

Once caveat with the $200,000 grant is that it has to be used within 12 months. Guess what that means? We're going to see the multi-million dollar Emergency Center back on the drawing board sometime in the fairly near future I'd guess.

Oh, did I mention they voted to settle the lawsuit regarding the billboards? Yep. It was an interesting piece of sophistry that made it all sound well and good that they were nobly going to settle the law suits. I loved the part where they determined that the case had been LOST twice before as justification for not going forward. It hadn't been lost, it had been remanded or returned for tweaking. I'll get the facts for you, know enough at this point to be dangerous but not necessarily completely factual! I learned my lesson on that last post... I usually pride myself on making sure I check and double-check the facts. I do not like to mislead!

Another little factoid --- Peter Pfeifer was the lone Commissioner to vote against settling the billboard case.

Some food for thought... once the door has been opened by the settling of the case, there are going to be others lined up to put up more billboards. Today it's two new billboards, tomorrow it's two more, ten more and pretty soon we've lost another part of Fayette County that made us special.

And, one more little bit on that one. The billboard company sued for eight signs, they settled for two. They also didn't want all their legal fees, asked for roughly half. Why would anyone who could win eight signs be willing to settle for only two? Why would they give away half their legal fees? Why not go forward and get what they supposedly wanted all along? Could it be they only wanted two to begin with? Could it be they know they'll be able to get more down the road? Why in the world would these guys settle for a quarter of what they wanted? They're throwing a lot of money down the drain.... Why?

Back to my original error re: the millage rate... Luckily, this is a blog, an opinion, not meant to be literal news reporting... but it still doesn't make me feel any better. Wrong is wrong! Apologies.

If a tree falls in the forest…

The County Commission held a number of meetings where they discussed the switch to a defined benefit (db) retirement program for county employees. Unfortunately for taxpayers, they held every single discussion during their daytime Wednesday “workshop” meetings. No public comment is allowed during those meeting. And, it is impossible for 99.999% of the public to attend. They may as well have been standing in a forest with no one around.

In addition to my formerly expressed concerns regarding the certain tax increases down the road to pay for the db program, I’m very concerned about the process used to arrive at the switch. I mentioned two concerns in my opening paragraph. Here are a few more:

Unbiased Committee?
A committee was appointed by the Commissioners comprised of county employees and one citizen. The lone citizen was an attorney who is friends with and/or has done business with some of the Commissioners and/or Interim County Manager.

Wouldn’t it have been advisable to have a committee that had a few people with expertise in the area being studied? All but one person on the committee stands to benefit when the db plan is implemented. I know all of the folks on the committee, they’re good people overall. I don’t doubt for a minute that most of them went in trying to be objective and they all did their best. But if the commissioners intended to study the issue fairly they could easily have found a few in the community in the insurance and/or financial arena willing to serve on the committee.

Fair Study?
The “retirement study committee” looked at one thing: defined benefit retirement. They didn’t consider any other options. They didn’t study the current system to see if it could be tweaked. If they did look at any of the other options it certainly wasn’t what they were tasked with looking at and they didn’t report on it during the daytime workshop meetings that I attended or taped in absence.

Additionally, unless I missed something, they didn’t invite a variety of experts to advise them on the study. They used so-called experts who could very well end up getting the county’s db program business. Seems kind of like getting a used car salesman to advise you on which car to buy. What are the chances the salesman is going to steer you to a car on another lot? Chances are he’ll point you to the one where he makes the highest commission. Duh.

If you truly want a fair, objective study, you look at all sides. Governments across the country are squirming as they try to find ways to get out of db programs. I wonder if anyone from Henry County (db in the hole), Peachtree City (db in the hole), Atlanta (already moved away from the db program where possible, but in the hole with those that are left)… GM, Delta Air Lines, the list goes on and on and on, stopped by to share their concerns with the study group?

Public Input
I went back and looked at how the defined benefit issue was listed on the agenda. The September 5th daytime meeting lists it as a report from the “Retirement Study Committee.” I doubt that would hit anyone’s radar screen as a topic of critical importance.

On the October 3rd daytime workshop meeting agenda it was listed in this manner, “Steve Vaughn of Government Employee Benefits Corporation of Georgia (GEBCorp) will present the Board with Additional Information regarding the findings of the Retirement Study Group.”

A “Retirement Study Group.” How’s the average citizen to know what that entails by going on-line and looking at agendas? And, even if they do figure it out, are they then expected to take time off from work to come to a meeting? One where they can’t even voice their opinions?

They voted to go forward with the db program in this Wednesday's workshop meeting. How was it listed on the agenda? Try this and see if you thought there would be a vote on the issue: "Further discussion of the retirement study committee decision tree and critical elements for the Board's decision making process with respect to a retirement plan. This items has been addressed at the September 5, 2007 Workshop Meeting, the October 2, 2007 Workshop Meeting and the November 7, 2007 Workshop Meeting."

Anything in that lead you to believe they were going to do anything other than discuss it again?

Lest you waste time scratching your head over that question, here's how it was listed on the Nov. 7th agenda (where it was simply discussed and not voted on): "Presentation of retirement study committee decision tree and critical elements for the Board’s decision making process with respect to a retirement plan. This item has been addressed both at the September 5, 2007 Workshop Meeting and at the October 3, 2007 Workshop Meeting."

An evening meeting with public comment would have gone a long way toward making the process seem open. However, without any of the documentation or access to the findings of the “study committee” there’s not much anyone could say of substance. One former County Commission Chairman went before the Board with questions. He was ignored, then disparaged at this Wednesday’s meeting for not being at previous meetings. You know, the meetings held during business hours where public comment isn’t allowed?

Unbeknownst to the Commissioners, he did have access to some of the material. The Fayette Front Page films and/or audio records meetings and provides it either on-line or will give a copy to anyone requesting it for a nominal fee. He was aware of at least some of the rosy-scenario information provided by the “study committee” and the GEBCorp “consultants”. He asked legitimate questions that taxpayers should have answered since they are, for all practical purposes, being shut out of the process and will be footing the bill.

A lot of things get done in the meetings being held during normal business hours. A lot of critical decisions are made in those daytime meetings --- without the ability for public input and often times without public knowledge until after the fact.

The original intent of a daytime meeting was to allow those who couldn’t make an evening meeting the opportunity to be able to address the Board and to have access to their Commissioners. By mutual consent, past Board’s have avoided making any high priority decisions or discussing controversial issues during the daytime meetings because they WANTED public input. They wanted open government.

Unfortunately, things have changed. The switch was the brainchild of Commissioner Herb Frady. He made it sound good. It’s a workshop, not called a meeting. At the same time they changed the intent of the Wednesday meeting, the commissioners made a few token changes regarding public input during the evening meetings. Then they started making key decisions without listing the item on the agenda. Then they started making decisions during the Wednesday meetings. Then they started setting up handpicked committees which meet behind closed doors, shutting out the press and the public.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears, does it make a sound? Our Commissioners are meeting at times when no one can hear. And yes, they are making a huge sound. Unfortunately, it’s a sound that will reverberate for years to come as we dig into our pockets to pay for the decisions they’re making.

Christmas for some, coal for the taxpayers...

Last night’s County Commission meeting was jam-packed with headline making happenings. Unfortunately (or fortunately….) I was off making money selling my pottery and had to miss the meeting. However, I do have audio from the meeting and have talked to a number of folks who were there, and I asked for and received copies of some of the statements made by concerned citizens.

Three topics caught my attention in particular. Defined benefits, the increased cost of the emergency “bunker” (as it’s been nicknamed) and the Sheriff’s proposed purchase of new guns.

In this blog, I’m going to focus on the defined benefit (db) program and on one of the speakers who addressed the Board last night. It’s Christmas, I don’t want to tax you with a long blog. You’re gonna be taxed enough as it is with all your Christmas shopping, the increase in taxes the current Board dropped on you and the increase in taxes you’ll see once they implement the db program…

Former Senator Rick Price (who’s also a past County Commission Chairman) spoke against the proposed db program at last night’s meeting. He presented a list of ten questions regarding the program. Just as a bit of background on the Senator, he is a financial planner. He knows his stuff. Thus he has the benefit of looking at the idea of the db program from multiple sides. He’s been in the hot seat on the Commission, he’s been in politics at the state level and he has an intimate knowledge of the financial world.

Currently county employees have an award-winning defined contribution retirement program. Some of the Commissioners and the Interim County Manager are pushing hard to switch to a db program. They put together a handpicked committee of employees and an attorney (who doesn’t deal at all with db programs or anything related) to “study” the feasibility of switching to a db program. The committee worked with the group that will get the county’s business if they’re successful in selling the program to enough of the Board to “study” the issue… sure, right, sounds good to me, too.

From what we’ve seen thus far, the program is a shoe in and county employees are going to get a really nice Christmas present. The taxpayers are the ones who’ll be left holding the proverbial stocking full of coal, one we won’t deserve to have foisted on us.

Here are Senator Price’s ten questions. What do you want to bet that we never see a response to them? Or, if we do, they’re answered in rosy gloss-over-the-fact prose by the guys who set the program up for Henry County (huge unfunded liabilities to the tune of millions and millions) who’re now trying to sell the program to the Fayette County commissioners?

Here are his questions:

As a taxpayer of Fayette County, I am requesting the Board to respond to my written questions below as individual Commissioners and/or as a group BEFORE a vote is taken on implementing a Defined Benefit Retirement Plan.

1. Is the board going to vote to implement a benefit plan change of any type before the end of 2007?

2. Will you vote to implement a Defined Benefit Retirement Plan WITHOUT a series of PUBLIC MEETINGS once the board has made a decision to implement a Defined Benefit plan?

3. Can you explain why this Board has not hired an independent pension consultant?
(NOTE: When the Board enhanced the existing Defined Contribution Retirement Plan in 1995, the Board hired an independent consultant to evaluate options for plan design, cost and eventual coordination of the bidding process and finally, the selection of a new Defined Contribution Plan company.)

4. Please explain why this Board has as their stated goal that Fayette County Employees retire with 100% of an employee’s pre-retirement salary. Please name any major private sector employer who has as their stated goal that their employees retire with 100% of their pre-retirement salary.

5. Please explain why this particular board is willing to commit future boards and taxpayers to the unfunded liabilities that are prevalent in most government defined benefit programs. See attached.

6. Is the Board aware that constitutional officers, (Sheriff, Tax Commissioners), firefighters/EMTs and other certain public safety employees have Defined Benefit Plans also have available to participate in, i.e., the Georgia Firefighter’s Pension Fund and the Peace Officers’ Annuity & Benefit Fund of Georgia? These additional pensions are funded by additional surcharges to fines and fees that taxpayers pay. Some are voluntary and some are mandated by the state legislature.

7. In your research, are you aware of Henry County’s Defined Benefit Plan shortfall? Are you aware that Henry County implemented their Defined Benefit Plan 4 years ago and now has a $25 million dollar “unfunded liability” that falls on the Henry County taxpayers? See attachment.

8. Can the Board explain why most major corporations in general, and Delta Airlines in particular, have frozen or cancelled their Defined Benefit Retirement Plans but Fayette County is reversing this trend by planning to add a Defined Benefit Retirement Plan?

9. Is the board aware of the possible negative exposure a county employees spouse or beneficiaries may have by participation in a Defined Benefit Plan versus the current plan?

10. Please review the attachments that show three local governments whose audits show that even though the are funding their annual dollars (at 100%) that actuaries advised, they all have shortfalls that will have to be paid by the taxpayers. Will this board show the true cost of a defined benefit plan?

Respectfully,
Rick Price

I can’t keep up…

You’re probably wondering why so many of my blogs are focusing on the Fayette County Commission… or maybe you’re just reading and not thinking that at all! Either way I’m gonna ‘splain…

My number one focus when working on the Fayette Front Page is to try to do my small part to make our wonderful county just a little bit better. Or at least try to help keep it the way it is. I love this county. I want to stay here, retire here, spend my last days here.

I’m a Georgia native. However, we were military (Air Force) and a few months after birth we moved to California, then England, then back to the states. I lived in Savannah, then moved to East Point and then to Morrow where I graduated from High School. I watched what happened to East Point. I watched what happened to Morrow. My grandparents moved from Ben Hill to Tyrone. I saw what happened to their old neighborhood and county.

I married, moved to North Carolina and then New York. When I divorced, I came home to Morrow. Long story, but around 25 years ago I moved to Fayette County. My son went to grade school, middle school and high school here. I drove Highway 74 to Atlanta when it was a two lane, and later a four lane. I used to hate getting stuck behind the guy on the tractor who’d chug along most mornings with a long line of cars behind him. On more than one occasion I sat waiting not so very patiently in the car while someone tried to figure out how to get the escaped cow to get up from the middle of the road so the growing backup of vehicles could get moving.

I’ve watched as Hwy. 74 changed and changes in almost the same way as Old National changed many years back.

I’ve watched the county change over the years. Many good changes. Some not so good. We’ve been very, very lucky to have, for the most part, Commissioners in office who have given much of their talents to keeping the county on the right track. I told my husband many times that I felt like he and his fellow commissioners were like the little Dutch boy who put his finger in the dyke to hold back the water. Keeping the land use plan intact and making sure not to give an inch so developers wouldn’t take a mile. Having a strong sign ordinance that allowed businesses to advertise yet kept us from looking like some of the other sign-heavy counties. Planning for the future, putting money aside, building water reservoirs and so on and so on.

Lots of strong fingers are needed to keep the water from rushing through many holes. It takes a lot more than most think to protect the treasure that is Fayette County.

Being a Commissioner is often being like Solomon in the Bible. Hard choices, some right on both sides in many cases and sometimes some wrong on both sides. The one thing that should always, always be in the forefront of a Commissioner’s mind with every decision they make is the wellbeing of the taxpayers and citizens of the county they are serving.

Their purpose is not to compromise their values to accommodate other commissioners or constitutional officers. Their purpose is not to take care of their own political future. Their job is not to take care of their buddies. Sometimes their job is not to push the agenda they like at the expense of what is right for the county. Their job is not to act out personal vendettas. Their job is not to feather their own nest or that of their friends.

Their job is to safeguard the future of the county and to take care of the citizens (all of them, not just a select few). They need to be able to see the big picture and to see what the repercussions of their current actions will be 5, 10 and fifty years in the future. They need to be able to set aside the influence of their friends.

This Commission is raising taxes. This Commission is making what I feel are some serious, serious mistakes that are and will detrimentally affect the future of the county. This Commission is on the verge of messing up so badly a new group of Commissioner won’t be able to fix the mess. I’m seeing shades of East Point, Clayton County, and Ben Hill.

I tried to cut them some slack. They were new for the most part. Even though I wasn’t thrilled with the election results (to say the least!), I still felt like there was a good chance this Commission would act in the best interests of the citizens. I knew up front they were going to make a few decisions I wouldn’t like. However, after sitting through meeting after meeting and seeing the Commissions in action it’s clear I was wrong.

I’ve had a problem from day one with the way the Commissioners aren’t disclosing things to the public that should be disclosed. I don’t like sneaky. You don’t hide in the dark if you’re doing what is right. Not putting issues on the agenda, voting on things when not all of the Commissioners have been informed, popping up with issues without public notification are not just wrong, they are horribly wrong. It’s shady, sneaky and deceitful. It’s breaking the public trust.

You can go back and read some of my blogs and read some of the articles on the Fayette Front Page for a limited chronicle of votes. Very limited. I could write all day, every day and not keep up with all the things that the public, that you the taxpayer, need to know about the actions of this County Commission. You need to be watching. You need to get involved. It’s your future, it’s your county. It’s worth an hour or two a month to safeguard your home.

“A shocking crime was committed on the unscrupulous initiative of few individuals, with the blessing of more, and amid the passive acquiescence of all.” - Tacitus