We had the dubious pleasure of attending the Peachtree City Council meeting last Thursday evening, where once again we saw the tyranny of the hysterical minority win over the rights of our citizens to enjoy the privileges they have held here for years.
The Citizen reporter present at the meeting has misrepresented the actual content of the discussion and did not even mention that there were a lot of Peachtree City citizens who had voiced opposition to the proposed new leash law.
Lest anyone be under the misapprehension that the new law banning voice control is based on actual evidence of a safety problem, let me assure you that it was not.
During the discussion of this issue, even the police chief of Peachtree City admitted there were fewer than nine reported dog “incidents” over the past year, and more than half of those occurred in private residences.
There was mention by the council of a cursory survey done of other municipalities to serve as some type of guide — towns like College Park, Douglasville and Riverdale. Even Councilwoman Kim Learnard expressed her concern about possibly imposing a solution on a problem that doesn’t exist.
This ban on voice control is based on a vocal few minority, mean-spirited whiners who complain of being “accosted” on the cart paths.
What is the legal definition of accosted? Were these people attacked, growled at, bitten, barked at or were they just made uncomfortable by the fact that an unleashed dog was in their vicinity?
If you think logically about the large number of Peachtree City dog owners who have been walking their dogs here under voice control for years with almost no incidents reported, it becomes clear that this new leash law is another example of an abuse of power on the part of the City Council.
This decision has been based on no real evidence, in response to a few bullying complainers who insist on getting their way, no matter what the effect on the rest of us.
I would invite everyone in Peachtree City to attend every City Council meeting so you can see for yourselves how casually laws imposing fines and stripping us of long-held rights are passed.
John and Gail Bateman
Peachtree City, Ga.
