I don't

proclaim to be an active member of the community, nor do

I completely understand the inner workings of the local

political hierarchy, but I do recognize when someone's

been wronged, and this whole fiasco reeks of power

mongering, political posturing, and the pursuit of

personal agendas.

First, a

comment about Steve Brown. I don't know him. I couldn't

even pick him out of a lineup. But I do read his letters

in this newspaper, and am impressed with his dedication

to the community and, more specifically, his informed

opinions. Few people are willing to go to the extent Mr.

Brown does to investigate a matter and present a

knowledgeable and relatively objective picture for those

willing to pay attention. If Peachtree City were full of

individuals with Steve Brown's commitment and desire to

know the facts, we'd have the most politically

responsible populace in Georgia.

On the flip

side, we have Mayor Lenox, who in recent months has

boisterously proclaimed, among other things, that people

who don't vote, don't count, and his meetings are run the

way he sees fit.

I don't

doubt that the mayor thought he had good intentions when

making these claims, but my perception - which may

be shared by the silent majority in this town - is

that our esteemed mayor has gone too far this time.

It defies

our democratic process that an elected official would

consciously and intentionally deny a citizen (Mr. Brown)

the opportunity to speak at a public forum, particularly

when it is within the citizen's right to do so. Maybe

there is a proper procedure to follow when a citizen

wants to speak at a public meeting, but I feel Mayor

Lenox has given new meaning to the practice of

"Robert's" Rules of Order.

Which

brings me to another point of contention: the libel

lawsuit filed by Webb, Stuckey and Lindsey against Mr.

Brown. If I understand this correctly, Mr. Brown made

informed opinions in this newspaper that the city's

interests may be in conflict with the city attorney's

position on a local bank's board of directors.

I think

it's commendable that a citizen speak out for the benefit

of other citizens, particularly in light of potential

conflicts of interest. I know that I've read and seen too

often how some elected and appointed officials at all

levels of government, in connection with private and

special interests, ignore ethical implications of their

decisions to further their own political and professional

agendas. What confuses me most about this case is that

the law firm has turned seemingly innocuous comments by a

concerned citizen into a libel lawsuit.

I'm no

attorney and therefore can't present a legal definition

of "libel," but Mr. Webster defines it as,

"a written, printed, or pictorial statement that

unjustly damages a person's reputation." Time will

tell whether the case presented by Webb, Stuckey, and

Lindsey attorneys will meet the legal burden of proof

necessary to convict Mr. Brown, but I can't help but feel

that this is an unjust lawsuit intended to save face for

the firm and inflict a little harm in Mr. Brown's

pocketbook for bringing the matter to the community's

attention.

Councilman

Dan Tennant should be commended for standing up for Mr.

Brown's, and hence every community member's, right to

express and defend himself. Few politicians are willing

to stand up for the interests of the common citizen when

it's not convenient to do so, and Councilman Tennant is

standing by his campaign promise to be a representative

of the people.

Some of Mr.

Tennant's city council colleagues want to investigate him

for sending e-mails to others about the matter, in

violation of open meeting laws, but his is another

example of how splitting political hairs serves to

protect the interests of those in power at the expense of

those who try to do the right thing.

Our

political system is marked by a series of checks and

balances to ensure that government works efficiently

without tipping the scales to one branch or another. What

frequently, and unfortunately, is lost is the interests

of the common citizen, who, granted, is not as involved

or informed as in years past, but is nevertheless the

"stockholder" of our system of government.

When a

concerned citizen takes the risk to put himself at center

stage and dares to make known the controversial and often

self-serving actions of those who are supposed to act on

our behalf, what results is the power structure circles

their collective wagons and aims its guns at those it is

supposed to represent.

I feel

sorry for Mr. Brown for the financial burden that those

who are attacking him have promised he will bear. I feel

sorry for the mayor I voted for, whose unjustified and

sanctimonious actions warrant serious scrutiny. I feel

sorry for Webb, Stuckey and Lindsey, who mysteriously

feel threatened enough by the opinion of one citizen to

waste our judicial system's time with a lawsuit.

I don't

know whether what Mr. Brown said is libelous. I don't

know whether the city attorney's board position

constitutes a conflict of interest. But I do know that

I'm embarrassed to live in a community where public trust

is abused, and my ability to question those who govern me

- a right given to me in my nation's constitution

- is threatened.

It is

unfortunate that even I have thought about not writing

this letter for fear of getting a call from someone who

doesn't like what I have to say and is willing to take me

to court as punishment. I've even edited a few comments

from this text for concerns that they are too accusatory

and "libelous." But I won't let my opinion go

unheard, and I hope that you, the reader, won't either.

Stand up

now for what is right and just, and let your elected

officials know about it. If nothing else, write a letter

to the editor and make known your thoughts on the matter.

Then take

your phone off the hook.

Jeff

Martindale

Peachtree City