Recently, there has been a lot of hullabaloo about the possibility of former County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn and former commissioner and state legislator Rick Price staging their own version of a local coup d’tat over our county government. Personally, I think it is a lot more than a possibility.
Former County Commissioner Peter Pfeifer has been working feverishly on creating battle plans to bring Dunn back to political dominance. You could tell Pfeifer was more than a little annoyed when a Fayetteville woman wrote that Dunn was quoted as being imperious in the local newspaper. Indeed, when I held elected office in Peachtree City we referred to Dunn as The Emperor.
It was always Dunn’s way or no way at all.
The senior citizen from Fayetteville also listed a quote saying Dunn rubs a lot of people the wrong way with his brisk manner. Most people will tell you the statement is absolutely true.
To say Greg Dunn is combative is an understatement. His dictatorial attitude had him locking horns with nearly every elected leader in Fayette County. Simply put, Dunn is neither cooperative nor collaborative.
Dunn’s bull in the china shop style drove wedges between the county government and long-time Sheriff Randall Johnson who Dunn sued twice (never victorious). Likewise, his inability to carry on polite exchanges and navigate through difficult scenarios resulted in his blunt legal actions against the city of Fayetteville (Dunn never won).
Dunn refused to have a dialogue with the town of Tyrone in an attempt to work through a difficult situation, electing to pummel them with a lawsuit (not victorious).
Later, Dunn refused to accept the fact that the county’s sign ordinance, restricting political speech, was unconstitutional and stubbornly entered into a litigation war and lost in court again. His headstrong recklessness, refusing to make the necessary changes to our ordinance, cost the county with legal fees and a court ruling to force several billboards along major thoroughfares in our county.
Dunn’s fits of obduracy during his chairmanship caused the county’s legal fees to double.
In 2003, as mayor of Peachtree City, I had to endure the sneers and jeers of then-Chairman Dunn because I refused to the support the West Fayetteville Bypass and the 2004 Fayette TSPLOST that short-changed Fayette’s cities and towns. Since then, the West Fayetteville Bypass, a project Dunn enthusiastically supported, has proved to be one of the largest financial boondoggles in Fayette County history.
Dunn also led the charge to create a county-wide recreation plan (note: everyone in the county pays taxes for recreation in the county’s general fund) that totally neglected Peachtree City and Tyrone. Even Dunn’s maharishi of spin, then-Commissioner Peter Pfeifer, confessed that he could not force himself to vote for such a malicious plan that abandoned half the county’s population.
Greg Dunn lost his last two attempts at regaining his dominance over the county’s Board of Commissioners because he has burned so many bridges with so many concerned and active citizens.
I had the utmost respect for Harold Bost as the leader of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. However, when Greg Dunn took over the reins, he created an apple too bitter to swallow and many Republicans, local TEA Party advocates and concerned citizens will never be able to support his candidacy and the brutal and cruel attitude.
We need a caring person who lives in the northeastern part of the county to run against incumbent Robert Horgan, possessing a good heart and a love for the people in our county.
If you live in that area and are interested in serving your fellow citizens, please contact me and I will be more than happy to lend my assistance.
Steve Brown
Fayette County Commissioner, Post 4
Peachtree City, Ga.
