"I

don't recall any other candidate saying that he or she is

totally willing to vote according to the citizens'

desires," he added.

Although

this is considered by some an "off-year"

election, Ewing believes that there are a number of

critical issues to be faced right now, such as fiscal

responsibility.

"The

citizens don't want any more taxes," he said, citing

the recent council decision to form the land acquisition

fund with surplus budget money as a squandered

opportunity to give some back to the taxpayers.

"The

city had an opportunity to reduce taxes and failed to do

so because they came up with another special

project," said Ewing. "They had a $161,000

surplus that they could have given back to the property

owners."

He also

pointed out that Annie McMenamin, his opponent in this

race, initiated the establishment of that fund.

"I

know that people want to reduce taxes," Ewing said.

"You just need to limit government. Anytime you

throw money to City Hall, you wreak havoc trying to get

it back."

The council

contingency fund, about $850,000, was another target,

consisting of what Ewing termed "ambiguous,

unappropriated dollars." He said there is no reason

for such a large appropriation.

"If

you've got projects, we've got a budget, let's live by

that," he said, adding that the city should come up

with specific things for where all of that money would be

going.

Ewing said

that he knows people are not satisfied with the city's

record on controlling growth, and the upcoming annexation

moratorium discussions are nothing but a Band-Aid.

McMenamin said at the last council meeting that it should

be discussed at next week's meeting, a development that

Ewing thinks is suspect, timing-wise.

"The

city needs to be proactive rather than reactive," he

said, pointing out that the traffic problem that has been

brought to the fore in recent months has been with the

city for quite some time. "It didn't occur

overnight," he said.

Citing his

experience and training as a civil engineer, he said that

the city needs someone with his background when dealing

with development and traffic issues. Those two items,

along with annexation, the environment and budget

concerns are what he feels to be the most important

issues in this campaign.

"It's

been speculated that my opponent wants to run for mayor

in two years," Ewing said. "The people need to

take into consideration, if she abandons her post in two

years, her position will be appointed. Does the city want

an appointed councilperson when it's facing such critical

issues in the near future?"

- Chuck Lehman

A retired

business executive and part-time college instructor,

Lehman is in his first political race ever, although he

has considered it before, starting back when he lived in

Wisconsin.

He also

thought about entering the 1995 race, but he thought he

was too busy to give the campaign and the council

position the attention it deserves.

He has

often emphasized during his campaign the fact that, if

elected, he would be a full-time councilman. The city has

grown to the point that it needs that, he says.

In 18 years

as a Peachtree City resident, Lehman has participated in

a number of major projects, spending nearly all of that

time working to resolve the development problems at the

corner of Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road, which is

literally in his backyard. He served on the mayor's

special task force in that regard.

A frequent

audience member at various council, commission and

authority meetings, Lehman said that he has tried to

contribute a great deal as a concerned citizen on issues

such as the land-use plan update a few years ago.

"I am

not backed by any interest group or developer, nor have I

asked for any money from anyone," he says of his

campaign finances and support. Rumors that he is backed

He admits

to a contribution from developer Bob Adams, but says it

was not solicited. Adams offered to donate to the

campaign without any prodding from Lehman, who worked

with Adams a great deal on the Walt Banks project, glad

he's developing it. Lehman is glad Adams has control of

that corner, saying that he will do a good job there.

He has also

mentioned publicly that he is concerned about the city's

police force possibly losing too many good, young

officers to better-paying jobs in other municipalities.

While he's not sure of the exact numbers, he wants to

keep the turnover rate low, saying that the city must be

competitive to keep its best people.

Lehman

figures the race in Post 2 will be tight, probably

resulting in a runoff. "Everybody expects it,"

he said.

- Annie McMenamin

If you want

to nail down McMenamin's profession, "full-time

grandmother" would probably be the most accurate

description.

The only

incumbent in either race, she has been on the council for

most of this decade. A win Tuesday would mean the start

of her final council term, since term limits prohibit her

from running again.

"I

just appreciate the city," she said. "My

accountability is a matter of public record. It's all

about serving in the best interest of the city and being

held accountable."

She has

spoken out on traffic and annexation in recent months,

intiating council discussions that led to the recently

adopted traffic impact ordinance. She has also asked for

a proposed annexation moratorium relating to the West

Village to be placed on next Thursday's agenda.

A citywide

moratorium currently exists for the rest of the city, she

said, but it was lifted temporarily for the west side

because some property owners there wanted to know the

parameters for annextion.

If the

proposed ordinance is approved, she said, there can be no

annexation in the West Village or anywhere else unless

the ordinance itself is lifted. While she admits that a

council could do that anytime it wants to, she doesn't

see that happening.

"It

[annexation] has to be philosophy of whatever council is

in," she said. "The current city position is

that the West Village would be considered only if

master-planned and pre-zoned.

"But I

don't see the current mayor and council allowing any

annexation until these traffic problems are resolved. The

one thing a governing body does not have to consider is

annexation."

After

nearly a decade on the City Council, McMenamin is still

dogged by talk of her alleged desire to eventually run

for mayor. She says that is not on her mind at all right

now.

"I'm

focused totally on serving my community," she said.

"Two years is a long, long time. It's not about

being mayor, but about protecting the city and the best

interests of the citizens."

-

Bruce Perlman

A doctor

practicing in Peachtree City, Perlman declined to be

interviewed for this article. His latest statement on the

campaign can be seen on Page 1B.

- Dan

Tennant

A casual

visit to City Hall in mid-October of 1995 led to

Tennant's first involvement in Peachtree City politics.

A national

accounts manager for a large corporation, he says he

discovered only a few weeks before that election that Jim

Pace was unopposed for the Post 2 seat. Since it was too

late to qualify, he ran as a write-in candidate and

picked up 42 percent of the vote.

"I

strongly believe I am the only candidate completely and

totally against annexation and higher density," he

said, citing what he thinks is the top issue in this

year's race. He believes that he is one who has brought

it to the fore, while his opponents have hedged in saying

that they might allow annexation in certain instances.

"I

believe annexation and higher density benefit a few

people to the detriment of many, with infrastructure

problems, increased traffic and other things," he

said.

Tennant

claims that he has not collected one penny from a

"person of influence" such as a developer or

other business owner or individual who might be construed

as having extraordinary clout. [For more on Tennant's

contributions, see a related story on Page 1A.]

He also has

been heard addressing the need for proper staffing in the

police department. saying that the city needs to close

salary gap with other municipalities to keep and attract

the best-qualified officers.

Seemingly

unlimited financial resources by some candidates for a

campaign this size are a problem for Tennant, who said he

believes a candidate should only be allowed to raise an

amount equal to what the job pays in a year - in

this case, $6,000. "It [the current system]

discourages ordinary people from getting involved,"

he said.

Tennant's

top goal is to get into a runoff next week, and then he

wants to win later in November.