OPINION — Peachtree City Council candidates Tamara Moore and Vic Painter declined to answer emailed questions about legitimate issues facing the city in coming months.
Well, not really. Their refusal to respond to the thousands of our readers spoke louder than any written words.
So, let me take the liberty of translating their silence into their real answers to the voters.
1. What skill sets do you bring to the office?
An elevated sense of entitlement, and a firm belief that most Peachtree City voters simply don’t deserve to know how we will vote on these controversial issues.
2. Specifically, what differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
We’re not only better than the other candidates, but we’re better than most Peachtree City voters. We know what’s best for this city, and we don’t need any of your stinking questions.
3. List the top three problems facing Peachtree City and define exactly what you will do to solve those three problems.
The city’s top problem is that we are not voting members of council already. Any other problems we will let you know about at the time and place of our choosing. This could easily be solved if the election were simply called off and we were elected by unanimous acclamation. No negative votes allowed.
4. The council has three holdover members: Mayor Kim Learnard, and council members Frank Destadio and Clint Holland. Based on your knowledge of the council, who will you likely be voting with most often in split votes? Whose side will you take on the issues noted below?
We love Kim, don’t you? The others are just jerks taking up valuable space.
5. What is your exact position on allowing new multi-story mixed-use developments to be built or reconstructed in Peachtree City?
You’ll find out when we vote for them.
6. Does your definition of redevelopment of existing village centers include new multi-family apartments, or townhouses, or condominiums? If yes, where?
You’ll find out when we vote for them.
7. Please name the village centers in Peachtree City and what you think should happen in each of those places.
They are whatever the city’s planning director wants them to be. And Kim, too, by the way.
8. The city is nearly built out within its current borders: the Industrial Park has no big tracts left to develop, and residential areas are at or near their zoned limits. What is your plan for what’s next?
We’ll let you know after we are elected.
9. Make your case for why you would support or oppose any annexations, and why citizens should welcome or oppose them.
Why are citizens even mentioned in this question? Leave it to us — and Kim.
10. Place yourself on the political spectrum with 10 being far right, 1 being far left and 5 being the exact center. Yes, the office is officially nonpartisan, but every official ever elected to office occupies a spot on that ideological spectrum, whether the official admits it or not. We want to know where you actually are on that spectrum.
That’s none of your business. You’ll find out when we cast our first votes on council.
11. What else would you like to tell the voters of Peachtree City?
Vote for Tamara Moore and Vic Painter. And otherwise shut up.
[Cal Beverly is editor and publisher of the Citizen.]
8/19/2019 redux. It’s time for a Peachtree City (PTC) perimeter highway system around its gridlock. From Georgia highways 34/54 in Coweta County to the intersection of highway 54/74 in PTC there is a chokehold on travel and commerce. Traffic congestion will be exacerbated with the addition of Costco and Fischer Marketplace across from Sam’s. Traffic will also worsen with the multiple residential developments along McDuff Parkway in PTC. Improvements are coming with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) plan for a “Displaced Left-turn Intersection” that will remake the 54/74 intersection but not until 2023. To make matters worse, in April, the PTC City Council vetoed the needed TDK extension. This would have connected Coweta County and PTC with a new bridge over Line Creek in the south. Also urgently needed is a northern trans county connection.
Collaboration is needed with state leaders, regional partners, county commissions and city governments to create a viable traffic plan that will enhance our quality of life. It’s time for GDOT to provide leadership to bring these multiple parties to the table to solve this Newnan to PTC grid lock.
Steve Houlder
These questions were not slanted. For many people this will be their only source to know where the candidates stand on the issues. There are many people that do not want PTC turning into a typical Atlanta suburb. PTC does not want the crowds, more traffic, and along with that comes more crime. If you like the way of life of other suburbs then move there. Everyone has their opinions, it’s just that a lot of the citizens of PTC don’t want people moving in and changing it all, they moved here because they liked the way it is. It makes me think of how all these people come to America because it is/was such a wonderful country but then they want to change it to be like the country they came from, and the change is for the worse.
Thank you Cal for the article. As for Steven Brown, I enjoy his comments and hope he will continue to be a contributor to this paper.
“Be informed – not misled” writes Tamara Moore on a recent Facebook post thanking the Fayette County News for “giving (her) the headline.” Either she doesn’t know her campaign had to pay $$ for a front page advertisement or… she is misleading you.
I had a face to face conversation with Vic Painter of my concerns about the future of PTC. He was very ambiguous and evasive with his answers to my concerns. I’m concerned that his allegiance to his employer Wells Fargo, and their funding of projects in PTC will sway him to vote in favor of projects that will financially benefit his employer. I did a lot of thinking after our conversation and he seems too slick. Therefore “Slick Vic” will not get my vote.
Face it Cal, you have had a shill spewing nonsense about the City for months…supporting one candidate..I don’t them for not participating in your charade.
Cal Beverly and “The Citizen” have been around practically forever. While deployed in the 90’s and later, I read my hometown news when I could get a few minutes and internet access. They made a difference to me then, and now. Yes, there is vitriol in the “blog” and in some letters. There is the same in life, wherever we find people. Sometimes it gets messy. I expect candidates to get their boots muddy and meet the people, wherever they are.
I was impressed that Tamara wants to name our library after her mother. Definitely a citizens first focus. Really disappointed in both and will be staying away from the magical dragon candidates.
Initially I was disappointed too that they did not answer the questions. However, I heard what they had to say at the Rotary event and was very impressed with both candidates. This “opinion” piece is full of nastiness and incorrect information and just proves Mrs. Moore’s point (in my opinion). If you weren’t at the Rotary event, let me clear something up… Despite Mr. Beverly’s fear mongering, there isn’t a single candidate in this election promoting the building of apartments – period. “Mixed use” does not always mean tons of apartments. Also we ALL really live in mixed use whether you know it or not. Did you know our city allows people to run businesses from their homes??? I thought I was moving into a quiet cul de sac only to learn that my next door neighbors are running an art school out of their basement, my neighbors across the street are running a daycare in their home, and a lady down the street is running a full-blown hair salon in her basement. This could happen to you too. For me, I would rather these businesses be in our Village centers rather than causing traffic and noise in my neighborhood. I would like to see the village centers revitalized to allow more small businesses like these and others to operate in them. Anyway, like another commenter said, I believe both of these candidates have websites where you can find the answers to these types of questions. After reading this, I don’t blame them at all for not answering.
Leilydle-You are 100% on target. Cal post questions that are slanted to fit his own agenda.
You may want to ask Cal why he had copies of an Federal Order from Federal Judge Timothy Batten of election interference from a previous mayor. Maybe the biggest story in PTC’s history but refused to inform the public because it didn’t fit his agenda.
The people in this city need to wake up and see what is really happening. Niche, a publication that this city uses on their official web-site has PTC ranked as the 13th best suburb in the metro Atlanta area. Digest that for a minute, 13th. Tyrone ranked 14th. PTC is not even ranked in the top 25 places to live in Georgia. Numbers determine everything. Maybe people are happy sticking to a 40 year old model that continues to place our city in decline. All the numbers prove it. A home in Senoia is the same price per SF as PTC and they have Coweta County School System. Trilith, 3 times as much per SF. The average home in Roswell is more than $200,000 than that of PTC. If the model was working wouldn’t those numbers be the other way around.
Recreation facilities on the north side make us look like a 3rd world country. It’s embarrassing.
If we get this election wrong, you can kiss this city goodbye. As for those of us who understand all the important numbers/indicators that predict the future, well let me say, it ain’t good.
People move to a metro-Atlanta County? City and then complain that it’s attempts to meet the demands of a metro Atlanta County.
PTC is not even in the top 25 because it is not a welcoming community. You call it a bubble for a reason. It is a cliquey community with older housing, terrible traffic and over priced goods. it’s not an attractive place to live when you have newer more welcoming communities so close by.
You don’t live where I live..I really enjoy my neighborhood and neighbors. The golf cart lifestyle can’t be beat.
I agree with Dar about this election..be careful with your vote. I support Moore and Painter.
I agree – PTC is awesome and LOVE the golf carts. I really love my neighborhood and my neighbors including those who have these commercial businesses in their homes. I was more addressing the people stomping their feet about “mixed use” because the city does allow commercial businesses to operate in residential areas within people’s homes. It is disconcerting to be backing out of your driveway and almost hit a child who is walking up your driveway to go to art class. It is also bothersome to be trying to leave your home but you can’t because your driveway is blocked by cars dropping off their kids at one of these home based businesses. Fortunately after pointing these things out to neighbors they have adjusted and made these things better because they are nice neighbors. I was just pointing out that having mixed use in places that already have commercial businesses isn’t the end of the world as technically “mixed use” could happen in anyone’s neighborhood. That said, I am not in favor of apartments or tall buildings in our villages and none of the candidates are for those things either! So I just wish certain people would stop perpetuating that misinformation.
Hi Dar
Having supported you in your run for Mayor, I agree you have some good perspective. However, which questions did you think were slanted? Cal promised that he would publish as provided. Unfortunately Moore and Painter declined to “Have their say”, which says a lot about their view of the voters.
Hi Neal-Hope you and the family are doing well.
First of all let’s be honest. This article alone tells you everything you need to know about Cal’s agenda. If Suzanne Brown or Eric Imker did not respond he would not have written this article. Cal had the copy of a Federal Judges “Order” against a sitting mayor and purposely kept it from the citizen’s of PTC.
6. Does your definition of redevelopment of existing village centers include new multi-family apartments, or townhouses, or condominiums? If yes, where?
If yes, where. The government doesn’t control people’s property rights. You listen to proposals and upon reviewing information make a decision. This question is framed as if government officials seek out developers, and/or the private sector to follow the government’s whims.
There are more, but you are dealing with voter group who doesn’t live and breath or is obsessed with truly understanding the layers of complicated decisions.
Citizens want traffic fixed but they don’t like the fix. Citizen’s want to pay lower taxes but don’t like the answer to achieve the goal.
Let me put it to you this way. Jack Smith was voted out of office because he made sure the West F’ville Bypass got built. Steve Brown said it was a waste of money and a road to nowhere as well as many citizens. Jack Smith got voted out of office for creating the best thing that has ever happened to Fayette County. What more do you need to know.
Mention the word annexation and voters lose their mind. The truth of the matter is they have no concept of the value and multiple layers involved and Cal wants candidates to state their position when 99% of the population doesn’t even understand the potential value.
In closing, I guess Painter and Moore could have responded over and over, I’m going to do what is best for the city.
The Citizen allows Steve Brown misrepresent facts time and time again and does nothing.
Trust me after some of the answers that were given by the candidates who answered the questions, well let’s just say they would have been better off not responding as well. All you have to do is read them. Suzanne Brown thinks that residential real-estate is more profitable to a developer than commercial real-estate. My 12 year old knows better. Laura clearly doesn’t have the first clue about real-estate. Furthermore, it’s clear she doesn’t mind wasting taxpayers dollars, and if I were her I would be concerned and hoping that I wouldn’t be getting sued by representing that a hotel is in “receivership” when it is not. She doesn’t even have the ownership correct. These are the people may potentially be running your city.
Maybe Painter and Moore were smart enough to present at debate and post their position on their web-site. Maybe they were smart enough to truly understand to let the other candidates bury themselves by actually answering the questions.
Basically these candidates have no clue as to how annexation works. Furthermore, just look at Trilith and what it has done for Fayetteville by being annexed in. All the candidates that replied would have never approved of that annexation. Fischer Crossing should have been annexed in to PTC…none of these candidates would think that would have been a good idea.
To answer your question and being more specific:
4. The council has three holdover members: Mayor Kim Learnard, and council members Frank Destadio and Clint Holland. Based on your knowledge of the council, who will you likely be voting with most often in split votes? Whose side will you take on the issues noted below?
Please explain to me how anyone with half a brain would answer this question. We currently have Republicans in office that are of the opinion “we are the government and we know more than you and we are going to tell you how to run your life. The only Democrat on council is acting more like a Republican than some of the Republicans on council. These people are acting more like an HOA than a government representing the people.
Vic Painter and Tamara Moore have websites and social media accounts to promote their platforms. They attended the Rotary forum and answered questions live about PTC. They have held meet and greets to meet PTC citizens.