A Personal Letter To Steve Brown

This article is different from what I usually write. Up until now, my column has been for anyone who wants to read them. But not this one. This one is only for a single reader — mayoral candidate Steve Brown.

What follows is a personal letter for his eyes only.

For everyone else, I’ll be back soon with a regular column about Post 4 candidate Michael Polacek and his platform.

But unless your name is Steve Brown, please stop reading here.

Seriously. Don’t scroll any further.

Thanks for your cooperation.

A Personal Letter To Steve Brown

Hi Steve,

I hope this message finds you well!

I want to begin by thanking you for being a loyal reader of my articles. I always appreciate anyone who takes the time to read what I have to share, but you are a special case. You could have decided to no longer read The Citizen once your time as a columnist ended last year, but you’ve remained engaged.

If memory serves me right, we’ve only seen each other in-person a couple of times over the years. The last time I saw you, you came to a Unified Development Ordinance meeting not to discuss city business, but to complain about my articles. Three days later, you then went in front of city council and accused Mayor Kim Learnard of being responsible for my articles. That charge against Mayor Learnard was baseless, but I understand where you were coming from. You didn’t have your column, and you wanted to lash out.

After that city council incident, I encouraged you to rethink your behavior and be more grounded in reality. You sadly didn’t take my advice because, when you announced your latest campaign for mayor, you released an alarmist, factually-challenged platform with your Post 4 running mate James Clifton.

As a reminder, here are some of the things I called out about that platform:

• It claimed citizens were being silenced at council meetings, but you ignored the comment ordinance was updated last year to expand input from the public.
• It warned of “bloated budgets” and “record tax increases,” yet the city invests most of its budget on core services (particularly public safety) and actually decreased its millage rate to be lower than Tyrone and Fayetteville.
• It said the city was advancing a $150 million recreation plan — a number that doesn’t exist outside of your claim.
• It blamed the 2022 Comprehensive Plan for “unchecked growth,” even though it reaffirmed our Village Concept and the population increases you claim haven’t happened.

Since then, you and Clifton have expanded your platform to include 21 new grievances you call “Core Election Goals.” I’m not going to go through your new points individually, but you’ve clearly doubled down on exaggeration and ignoring the realities of our community. Here are some highlights:

• You accuse the mayor of “rigging” SPLOST lists and “sneaking” millions into budgets, as if she was the head of some criminal enterprise. (The entire council reviewed and approved SPLOST’s projects.)
• You claim council retreats are held out of town to “evade citizens,” when in reality they’re a common practice among municipalities meant for strategic, focused work sessions with no ill intent. (Fayetteville held their 2023 meeting at Trillith, just like Peachtree City did last February, which it live streamed and recorded.)
• You call the city’s informational video series “taxpayer-funded propaganda” like you’re fighting state-run media instead of a YouTube channel with a few hundred views.
• You spin staff turnover into a grand conspiracy, painting routine personnel changes as evidence of systemic collapse.
• You frame a splash pad and a few park upgrades as evidence of some giant scheme to “rig” the budget, when they’re transparent line items debated in public like every other project.
• You top it off with the sweeping claim that Peachtree City is becoming “urbanized like Fulton County,” as if we’re on the brink of turning into an urban hellscape overnight.

I could go on, but I think you get it.

When you make exaggerated, unsourced claims, a lot of people may wonder: Why is he doing this? You’re clearly a smart guy. You could be an amazing asset for Peachtree City. But over the past two decades, your name has become less associated with vision or leadership and more with anger. That’s how people talk about you in this community — not with respect, but with exhaustion over your constant outrage.

Your anger has even gotten to the point where it undermines the very principles you claim to defend.

Last week, I wrote about how current Councilmember Suzanne Brown attempted to retaliate against me because she doesn’t like the things I say. In reaction to that article, you publicly made this comment on Facebook:

First off, it is bold for you to accuse me of “making stuff up” given that your own platform is built on hysteria and falsehoods.

Your comment is especially galling given how you’ve branded yourself as a defender of free speech. Just last year, you published an entire column championing the sanctity of the First Amendment. In it, you thundered that “Government agencies and officials are forbidden from regulating or restricting speech or other expression based on its content or viewpoint.” You praised criticism as the only way to keep leaders honest, and you warned that government officials and leaders must never intimidate citizens into silence.

Your words painted you as Fayette County’s First Amendment champion. But the moment you were faced with speech you didn’t like — mine — you dropped those principles. Instead of standing up for the open dialogue you claim to cherish, you tried to discredit me. And when Suzanne Brown attempted to retaliate against me for exercising the same free speech you say you defend, you stood by her side.

You can’t be the self-styled guardian of free speech while trying to silence the people you don’t like. That’s not principle. That’s hypocrisy.

That’s where your anger reveals itself most clearly. You don’t simply disagree — you seethe. The very principles you once championed become weapons wielded against anyone who dares question you. Combine that with your tendency to reframe routine governance as conspiracy, opponents as villains, and critics as enemies, and it all points to the same underlying truth.

Anger is your defining trait.

But here’s the thing. Despite your animosity towards me, I’d like to offer you something constructive.

By clicking right here, you can get a free trial to Calm, a meditation platform that may reduce your anger and stress. The trial I’m providing won’t quite get you through November’s election, so you’ll need to pay if you want to keep going. 

I know you’ll probably take this as condescending, but guided meditation may do you some good. So close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let Calm—available on iOS or Android—help you find some peace.

And that’s where I’ll end this letter—on a positive note and maybe a little bit of reconciliation.

Take care of yourself, Steve. The city will be better for it.

— Kenneth Hamner