Commissioner Frady thinks the public comment portion of the commissioners meetings should be moved to the end of the meeting. He claims the people are boisterous and that Boy Scouts sometimes are in attendance. He has got to be kidding.
The only person that is boisterous is the man yelling and slamming the gavel when Steve Brown is making a point. There is audio and video of all these meetings that will prove this point.
The real problem is Mr. Frady has a very strong dislike for Mr. Brown and has a big problem concealing this emotion. [Since he’s] the oldest member of the commission, I would expect a more professional demeanor.
Mr. Horgan thinks that a thick skin is required to listen, when the public speaks. Are you kidding me? The county voted last November; Mr. Horgan did not hear the message.
Mr. Frady has commented that in previous years that only five or ten people would come to these meetings. This year a minimum crowd is 40 and many nights the house was packed. The three commissioners’ eyes and ears missed that message.
The revelations of conflict of interest concerning Mr. Hearn and possible ethical issues does not seem to have caught your attention either. The people have spoken over and over but your audio seems to be off. A thick skin may be necessary but a thick head plays a leading role with this commission.
Three members of the commissioners are in their third year of serving the people. They have never held a town hall meeting to discuss anything. They are seldom if ever in their county office. Their county phone just rings because no one is there to answer. I guess if we want to talk to them we have to go to their house. So they hear from the public at their open meeting.
This group has voted on items that do not appear on meeting agendas. Important things, like pay raises for county employees. The public learns of these things after the items are already completed. Very little this group has done would be considered fair and transparent government.
The West Fayetteville Bypass has been handled in the same manner. The road goes nowhere, no traffic studies done and no one has appeared in front of the commission stating it is a great idea. We know the developers are in favor because they are the largest owners of property on the bypass route. It seems like the bypass is like a box of Cracker Jacks and the three commissioners will find a prize when it gets done.
If this project was stopped as it should be, money could be diverted to pay county debt as well giving money to the cities of the county for the same purpose. If that is not done there will be a tax increase.
The public has spoken in many ways but this board does not hear. Now they want to make it more difficult. This group knows what they are doing and why, but the public is not privy to that information.
Come to the meeting of commissioners on June 9 at 7 p.m. and try to deliver the message that the public is speaking, please listen.
Ray Watt
Peachtree City, Ga.
