For the record, I want to say that County Commissioner Jack Smith’s bullet point in his newspaper piece about Steve Brown not being active in any civic efforts to better our community or metro Atlanta is not true. Anyone who knows Steve will tell you the same thing.
I personally work with Steve on the Peachtree City Dog Park Association board where he is the president. Steve works his tail off at the park absolutely free of charge. He not only manages the park by creating a system where all the park expenses are paid without a dime of taxpayer money, but he also puts in plenty of sweat equity as well.
Steve has helped turn the Dog Park into the finest park of its kind in Georgia. Any member of the Dog Park Association will agree.
I’m not sure if Commissioner Smith wrote the points for his piece in the paper or whether it was the work of an irresponsible campaign worker, but printing those kinds of misleading statements, I think, will come back to haunt him.
If Commissioner Smith’s people were really interested in the facts, and it looks like they weren’t, all they had to is ask Steve Brown. I asked Steve, and here are a few of the things he s doing in our community.
He works with his church to minister to the elderly in our community. He leads a team to help the residents of Southland Nursing Home.
Steve is the chairman of the Georgia Regional Emergency Management Agency’s Citizens Corps Advisory Council. He and the council develop ways to ensure that state government, local governments, civic groups and faith-based organizations work together and share resources when either man-made or natural disasters occur. He developed a program called Disaster Ready that motivates local governments to prepare families on what to do in the event of a disaster.
He is on Disaster Response Advisory Committee for the United Way of Atlanta. Steve participated in the daily briefings on the flooding in and around Atlanta on Sept. 21, 2009, where he helped coordinate faith-based partners to support the community’s first-responders and plan for the short- and long-term recovery of those that were affected.
Steve is the secretary of Fayette County’s Local Emergency Planning Committee where all of the county’s first-responders have combined forces to plan for and prevent hazmat disasters and to work effectively together if disaster strikes.
He was the president of the School Council for J.C. Booth Middle School last year where he worked on school policy issues and creating a better learning environment for the faculty and students.
Next year, Steve will be the president of the PTO for J. C. Booth Middle School.
He has helped local Eagle Scout candidates with their Eagle Scout projects.
As most of you know, Steve spends many hours researching and reporting on local government corruption so we as citizens can make informed decisions.
I can tell you his time working at the Dog Park can be measured in “weeks” rather than “hours.”
Smith’s piece in the paper said Steve Brown “isn’t/hasn’t been active in any civic group to better our community or metro Atlanta” since his “ill-fated mayoral reign.” Not only is Smith’s comment in very poor taste, it’s also dead wrong.
I expect much better from someone who is a representative of our entire county. Commissioner Smith’s smug attitude and his propensity for not telling the truth means he’s another incumbent politician that needs to be shown the exit.
Tom Townsend
Peachtree City, Ga.
