According to an article written by John Munford with reference to Phase II of the West Fayetteville Bypass, Commission Chairman Jack Smith said, “County staff has indicated about 42 parcels will need to be acquired for the road, and most of the major landowners ‘have pretty much agreed’ to donate the necessary property for the project.”
Chairman Smith and John Munford failed to say that “most of the major landowners” are wealthy developers. Of course, they would be amenable to donating “the necessary property for the project.”
In exchange for their donation, they will receive a goodly portion of the $50 million road. They will receive “ingress and egress” for their developments.
In fact, one of those “major landowners,” Ed Wyatt, will receive almost three-quarters of a mile of free road frontage. Ed Wyatt was a major supporter of Jack Smith and Eric Maxwell’s campaigns. Chairman Smith failed to disclose those facts.
Munford’s article further stated, “Some other parcels will need to be purchased by the county, but so far no property owners have indicated they will refuse to sell their property, necessitating a potential condemnation action by the county.”
Here again, the facts have been distorted and manipulated. As some of the 42 “property owners” along the route of the WFB Phase II.
Obviously, if the “property owners” have not been contacted by the county, with reference to the purchase of their land for the WFB, there would have been no reason for the “property owners” to refuse to sell their property to the county. Chairman Smith has, once again, distorted and manipulated the facts to suit his purpose.
Chairman Smith’s purpose in distorting and manipulating those circumstances is obviously to intimidate the smaller “property owners.” He ended those comments with, “necessitating a potential condemnation action by the county.” That last comment was pure intimidation.
John Munford’s article was based upon the Fayette County Commission meeting of Sept. 9, 2010. It was during that commission meeting the commissioners retired into a lengthy and late executive session.
The executive session commenced at 8:34 p.m. Upon returning to official session at 9:22 p.m., Chairman Smith sealed his intimidation by signing a resolution to acquire or condemn land for the WFB Phase II. The meeting was adjourned at 9:36 p.m.
Martha Devine
Fayetteville, Ga.
