Historically, in Peachtree City there is a light turnout, less than 20 percent of registered voters, for the election of city leaders.
In the upcoming election it may be even smaller than that because we only have one contested seat on the City Council. In these financially tight times, don’t give up your opportunity to select a representative that will preserve the quality of life we currently enjoy in the most cost effective manner possible. To do that I recommend that you vote for Eric Imker for City Council Post 1.
Eric is the incumbent for Post 1, and that is a good thing. He is the person on City Council who has shown us he has the knowledge and experience to understand the city budget, the leadership skills to question staff assumptions, and the willingness to interact with citizens to further our understanding.
He identifies a financial problem and then he tries to find the best technical and practical solution to the problem without creating a solution designed to enhance his own political status.
On numerous occasions he held open forums to discuss in detail what he saw in the budget, his concerns, and what he would do to address budget challenges. He has worked with the city staff and other council members to implement a budget for the upcoming year that will not reduce services and will not increase taxes.
Eric boldly told us all last year that council was not leaving the 2011 budget process without a long-term solution in place to bring our city back to financial stability. He did not give in to tempting short-term nearsightedness and followed through.
He knew once his reduction recommendations were defeated, the only solution was a tax increase. He knew at the time future political attacks would come his way because the unenlightened would try to take advantage of any vote for a tax increase.
These people attacking Eric should be the ones supporting him. He was the only council member who actually proposed and voted on reductions that would avoid a tax increase without cutting services.
I really don’t understand their thinking. As it has turned out, Eric’s careful budget awareness has brought us a shot in the arm with the recent S&P credit rating of AAA (the best possible.) I truly believe this would not have happened without Eric’s professional experience and knowledge of budgets. We need to reelect him to his council post so that he can continue his work to improve the city’s “Long-Term Budget Plan.”
Eric Imker has had only 22 months of experience on our City Council. That’s less than half of one full normal term, yet some attacking Eric are trying to label him as a career politician. Wow, unbelievable.
He has proven himself to be more than capable at solving city budget problems and effective in working with other members of the City Council on all other issues.
His opponent lacks his experience and has chiefly attacked Eric rather than make positive suggestions of what he would do. I plan to vote for Eric Imker and I hope you will too.
Please take time to either vote early at the front entrance of the library at City Hall between Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4 (no lines) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or on formal election day, Tuesday, Nov. 8 at your normal polling location, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bonnie Mullikin
Peachtree City, Ga.
