There are a lot of things on our plate when it comes to the primary election on July 31. We will be voting in a crucial time for Fayette County. I hope that I can count on your support in my run for county commissioner.
I went to the debate on the Transportation Investment Act or T-SPLOST in Fayetteville. After the debate, only a handful of people stood up when they asked who would vote for the T-SPLOST. As one of the debaters, Bob Ross said, “It’s not what you’re getting out of the T-SPLOST, but it’s really about what we’re getting into.”
The T-SPLOST spends 52 percent of the region-wide funds on mass transit which would formally be the introduction of a new regional transit system. MARTA’s own numbers show that their ridership is declining even with rising gas prices and a growing population.
The Fayette County chairman at the time, Jack Smith, voted in favor of the mass transit heavy list in 2010. He also voted in favor of several mass transit projects in Fayette County through the regional Concept 3 mass transit plan.
We have learned to be distrustful of these slippery T-SPLOST proposals. The county Board of Commissioners created one in 2009 that was full of special interest developer pork. Fortunately, the word got out quickly about what was really in the project list.
The chairman at the time was Jack Smith. Smith and the others simply couldn’t defend the 2009 T-SPLOST and Commissioner Lee Hearn had to admit they hadn’t even laid eyes on the road project part of the list until the evening they approved it to go to referendum.
That 2009 T-SPLOST was slaughtered by a 3 to 1 vote. The author of that 2009 T-SPLOST, Jack Smith, has decided to run against me.
You have a definite choice when it comes to mass transit buses and trains in Fayette County. I will not support that kind of intrusion in Fayette County while my opponent Jack Smith has a record of consistently voting in favor of it.
I will always support keeping the rural character of Fayette County. Anyone who wants big transit buses or trains can move to Atlanta.
David Barlow
Candidate, Fayette Board of Commissioners
Tyrone, Ga.
