On June 26, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a front page article on the “fast graying” population of Fayette County with a subhead that millennials are needed to help ensure our future. It seems that Fayette County has the highest percentage of population 65 and older in the entire metro Atlanta area and the county population is continuing to age ahead of all other surrounding counties.
What made the article even worse was that on the same front page was a quote (with picture) from the ex-Peachtree City mayor and former Fayette County commissioner, Steve Brown, saying that Fayette County needed millennials with families and not more “clubs and bars.”
I have never seen a better example of “open mouth and put your foot in it.” It is that kind of thinking and leadership which has put us on the path of not attracting younger people to the county.
About 80 percent of millennials are single (marketingcharts.com). So here we have a former leader of this county coming out and saying that Fayette County is not interested in attracting 80 percent of the millennial population.
As far as the county not needing “more clubs and bars”? I am not sure what county Mr. Brown is living in but he can’t be talking about Fayette County, which now rolls up its sidewalks at 9 p.m. or so. There are no establishments in the county that can be classified as clubs, according to Fayette County zoning, city of Fayetteville zoning or the city clerk of Peachtree City, other than a couple of country clubs.
And too many bars? There are bars co-located in restaurants and some sports bars, but for Mr. Brown to peddle the image that we are overrun by clubs and bars and that we don’t need any “more” is a totally false picture of the county.
I am glad that we can put an “ex” in front of Mr. Brown’s titles, but unfortunately he can still do damage to the county’s image with his misrepresentation of what kind of people we are trying to attract and by painting the county as some kind of Sodom and Gomorrah having too many clubs and bars.
I hope that the current leadership of Fayette County can repudiate Mr. Brown’s misguided and incorrect description and goals of Fayette County and present a more welcoming image.
Peter T. Pearse
Fayetteville, Ga.
He’s like a bad penny. He just keeps turning up.
Mr Brown has spent his entire public career with his foot in his mouth. He’s so used to it that I doubt that he can function otherwise.
He used to be willing to listen to others input, but then made it plain that he was the smartest person in the room and that input was irrelevant.
Remember when he ran and EVERY LIVING ex-mayor took out a full page ad asking people not to vote for him?
His leaving politics is a blessing to us all.
He is just trying to call attention to himself Peter. Facts don’t actually matter.
This started back in 1999 with the Photocircuits chemical leak after which he whipped up the Planterra folks into a “I didn’t know there was an industrial park in my back yard” frenzy and then parlayed that into a bid for mayor.
He actually won because he had an airline pilot as an opponent and an inattentive bunch of voters who just assumed that everything would take care of itself without them voting – the planned community apathy syndrome.
Then he had the support of Tennant (for a while) and Rapson and Weed. Remember that? They called it BRAWN and dressed up in their best suits and declared war against the establishment.
First meeting – a development moratorium. After that dismantle the PTC Development Authority. After that insult Founding Father Floy Farr by accusing his recently deceased son of questionable banking decisions. Enter DirectPac and exit Brown after drawing 6 opponents in his bid for a second term.
He thought for a while that he would go to Washington as US Rep Lynn Westmoreland’s replacement. Imagine that. Fortunately he backed off running again for county commission because now he would have to run in a PTC district filled with people who remember him as our worst mayor ever (well it might be a tie with Haddix -another one-termer).
So sure he’s seeking attention – that’s what people like him and Alexandria OC whatever her name is do.