Mr. Steve Allen made a passionate plea at the July 11th Peachtree City budget workshop asking that the city look for ways to increase revenues. His call was for our government to spend as much time looking for revenue increases as it does cost reductions. He does have a point and it is worthy of consideration.
It is unfortunate that his letter of introduction to the voters was generally so negative and also filled with inaccuracies and half-truths. If I were to address each one, this letter would be as long as his and would put you to sleep.
Let’s address only one. From his comments regarding the July 11th budget meeting, it seems apparent that Mr. Allen believes that the mayor was right about council not needing to look at the five-year budget plan. During that meeting there was a charged debate about Mayor Haddix trying to restrict the discussion to only the 2012 budget.
As anyone who watched this debate can testify, Council Member Imker warned of the dangers of tunnel vision by not looking at how today’s decisions affect future budgets, our taxes, and quality of life tomorrow.
It is clear Mr. Imker is passionate about the budget and obviously understands it more than anyone on council, especially the mayor. We voted Imker in to raise heck with the budget. We didn’t elect him to sit there like so many previous stooges and simply rubber stamp the staff’s budget request. He’s done exactly what we put him there for, despite the obvious shortcomings and lack of comprehension by the mayor.
Understandably Mr. Imker had to also be frustrated working with a mayor who demonstrates such a lack of management or leadership skills. If you attended that budget workshop you would have heard the mayor say that the council does not make the five-year plan.
Wow, Peachtree City is supposed to be a “planned” community and the mayor does not want to plan. The mayor has repeatedly stated council does not approve the five-year plan. So why then was there a motion made last year to approve the revised five-year plan as presented at the meeting? Everyone except Mayor Haddix and his shadow Councilman Sturbaum voted to approve. Even after having gone through it last year, the mayor still couldn’t understand the importance of having a five-year plan in a city that labels itself as a planned community.
It appears Mr. Allen has already aligned himself with the mayor, his beliefs, his understanding of the budget and will unfortunately wind up being another Sturbaum. I certainly hope not, but by his letter last week one could not tell where the mayor stopped writing and Mr. Allen started.
By the way, Mr. Allen, if you were paying attention, several months ago Mr. Imker initiated the idea that will increase revenue by the stroke of a pen. He motioned and got passed a change in budget policy regarding city cash reserve investment to earn the city more interest on its $6 million sitting in the bank. This is just one example that never would have happened without Mr. Imker.
Mr. Allen, I hope you begin to get your facts straight; something the mayor has a hard time doing. And please make a turn from such negative posturing to positive contributions. We need healthy debate in the democratic process. But it should be truthful and positive.
Time to reboot, Mr. Allen.
Randy Boyett
Braelinn Village
Peachtree City, Ga.
