Haddix: Steele and Frady did PTC no favors in road funds

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Scott Hollowell supports transit, TSPLOST, regionalism, the TDK Extension, Jack Smith, Ken Steele and more. He is a Chamber of Commerce member.

In his letter, Hollowell says, “Haddix takes credit where none is due to him.”

The Citizen did not accurately quote me, even with a copy of my speech provided. I said:

“I successfully persuaded GDOT Director Todd Long to add five projects to the constrained list, of which three were approved in the final list. As well, headed the contingent that brought back the BSC light and sign which had so long been denied. Yet I was accused of being negative and unable to work with GDOT. The facts speak for themselves, the accusation was false.”

Chairman Frady and Mayor Steele did not, nor ever claimed, to get MacDuff added to the constrained list. Director Long was the only one who could. But he could not place anything on the final List. The Roundtable had to select the final list from his constrained list. So the flow was Director Long develops the constrained list and gives it to the Roundtable. The Roundtable picks from that list the final list to put before the voters.

Nor did Chairman Frady or Mayor Steele push to get MacDuff onto the final list initially. I pushed them to do so because no road projects existed for Peachtree City. All their projects were part of the the huge development corridor and annexation that had been planned since 2008. Nor did they fully fund MacDuff.

The other two projects were paths, not roads, thus they never competed with the road projects.

If the TSPLOST is passed, Peachtree City pays about $60 million of the approximate $180 million Fayette total. Saying they watched out for Peachtree City by partially funding one project for about $7 million with two other projects completely removed is a stretch at best.

Yes, I didn’t want to fund MacDuff. I wanted to fund the other two projects that were dropped and let the developers fund MacDuff. That would have been about a $16 million better outcome for Peachtree City. Hood [Avenue in Fayetteville] is still covered while our other two projects [in Peachtree City] remain unfunded.

Do I need to remind everyone with the annexation upheld we now stand to lose the $7 million as well?

On another letter, you cannot find nor did anyone hear “Imker” during my State of the City address. The censure portion was less than one half page of an over six-page speech, not half the speech. After the speech I was complimented by many for the speech in general and the censure portion in specific.

It is time to examine those doing the accusing and efforts to silence those who disagree with them. Their actions make it clear they cannot defend their agendas so they try to tear down any opposition using false accusations and name-calling.

Anyone can throw accusations out, but the time comes when the facts catch up to them. The facts here are all on my side.

A sad reality is there are those who feel the ends justify the means. It leave people like me the choice to either fight for what is right or roll over, shut up and go away, letting them win. Rolling over is not an option.

Don Haddix, mayor

Peachtree City, Ga.