After so many accomplishments by the 2013 County Commission, I was appalled at Commissioner Barlow’s irresponsible comments about the commission chairman in last week’s paper.
Citing a lack of leadership by the chairman is awfully rich coming from Mr. Barlow, who in my recollection hasn’t initiated, coordinated, and completed a single action of significance to Fayette County’s citizens.
He certainly didn’t press for balancing the budget in the current commission’s first year, take the lead on sorting out the foul water problem and installing a competent director and engineering partner.
Did he lead the way to find a zoning solution that accommodated Pinewood Atlanta’s presence here? Did he make any contribution of note toward that deal other than voting “aye”?
What role did Mr. Barlow play in working with other counties, the ARC, our legislative delegation, and the GA Department of Transportation to fix the jammed intersection at Ga. Highway 74 and I-85?
Then he has the temerity to cite some real or imagined “unnamed sources” at the Atlanta Regional Commission who purportedly “despise” Commissioner Brown. Were they backroom analysts who saw their work go up in smoke when Steve Brown publicly opposed the 10-year region-wide transportation tax? Any special interests with ARC ties (they certainly could despise Mr. Brown!)?
Who knows? Mr. Barlow just wants you to take his word for it.
Apparently, Commissioner Barlow is looking for kumbaya in government, which works well in stagnant institutions that never innovate. He ought to go see the movie “Jobs” to see what it took to achieve real change other than the only accomplishments he’s really done of just cutting ribbons.
Dennis D. Benson
Peachtree City, Ga.
