During a 2008 presidential debate, a voter called in with a question, “How do we know you’ll do what you say you will?”
One of the candidates replied, “Don’t believe anything we say; look at our record.”
Great advice, and we’d be smart to do the same with our county commission run off candidates.
Whether you agree with him or not, David Barlow’s record on key Fayette County issues is very clear. His public comments at Board of Commission meetings, letters to the editor, and remarks at citizen groups and County Republican Party meetings provide a record that clearly confirms his active opposition of:
-The wasteful West Fayetteville Bypass “Road to nowhere”
-$500k employee bonus that did not appear on a public agenda
-$100k for paving a rural dead-end that serves only two drive ways
-No-bid contracts on major outsourced deals
-Any plans for mass transit in Fayette County
-The recently defeated TSPLOST
During debates last month, candidate Sheila Huddleston laid verbal claim to some of these positions, but as the old lady in the burger commercial used to ask, “Where’s the beef?”While I haven’t been to every commission meeting and workshop, I’ve never seen her there once, and haven’t seen or heard her voice during the public opinion sessions on any critical issues.
I also haven’t seen her “put herself out there” with position papers in our county newspapers, nor seen her weigh in on their web versions.
What are Huddleston’s values, positions, and capabilities to analyze, comprehend, and decide public issues?
The only thing we really know about Sheila Huddleston is we don’t know much about her at all. I’m not keen on getting stuck with another Jack Smith or Robert Horgan. If you’ll remember, we didn’t know a whole lot about them before they were elected either.
David Barlow has been speaking out at the commission meetings and keeping us informed in the newspapers.We do know he’s a neighbor with a record of action on issues that are important to us. I’m supporting Barlow again in the all-important run off.
Dennis Benson
Peachtree City, Ga.
