Jim Richter has written recently wondering about how Fayette County ended up with a Defined Benefit Plan.
Hear hear, Jim. You are exactly correct about the Defined Benefit Plan. I see you say that “others and I have been harping on for the last three years”. Well, Jim, better late than never. But, your lateness to the fight isn’t what I hold against you. It’s your attitude that even though you came late, that now it’s your party.
Not your history, but the real history of the DB Plan goes back to when it was initiated by Smith, Frady, Maxwell and Horgan. Opposed by me. You see Jim; this conflict has been going on since at least 2006. That’s when Maxwell and Smith defeated Dunn and Wells. I don’t recall seeing you around for those campaigns, Jim.
After they took over the Commission and began to put a Defined Benefit Plan into place, I don’t remember seeing you then either. I do remember seeing Rick Price criticize a DB Plan during Public Comment. I remember Greg Dunn and Bob Ross and Pat Hinchey speaking up about it too. But I don’t remember you. Maybe you were around but didn’t leave an impression.
Jim, one of the reasons that Lee Hearn ran against me in 2008 was because of my very vocal opposition to a Defined Benefit Plan. That was also one of the reasons that Greg Dunn ran against Horgan. And, Bob Furman ran against Herb. Were you involved in any of those campaigns Jim? I don’t remember seeing you.
There was a forum in 2008 that featured a lot of discussion about a DB Plan. If you didn’t make it to that forum, you could look on the internet. Look for the YouTube video of a debate/forum from that election. And no Jim, David Barlow didn’t video and post that forum. It was Janet Dunn who did that. It was before David got involved too.
And, Jim, I don’t remember you “harping” about the DB Plan then. But, you see Jim, if you had and if you and the many others who are finally involved now, had been involved then and helped us to defeat Smith, Maxwell, Horgan, Frady and Hearn; we wouldn’t have a DB Plan for you to have “been harping on”.
We also wouldn’t have the West Fayetteville Bypass; we wouldn’t have had the no-bid contracts, the items off the agenda, the lack of trust or any of the other items you are so recently upset about. There wouldn’t have been a 4-1 majority in my last two years, a 5-0 for the next two years and there wouldn’t have been the 3-2 majority we had these last two years.
And, Jim, I don’t remember Steve Brown taking part in the debates over those issues when they could have been stopped or never started.
But, now you say; “Why did we let this happen? Who is responsible?” Why Jim, it’s you who’s responsible. Why did you let this happen?
Welcome to both of you Jim and Steve, even though you came too late to prevent these things by helping those of us who had been fighting for years on these issues.
Vote for Sheila Huddleston.
Peter Pfeifer
Peachtree City, Ga.
