If Peachtree City Mayor Bob

Lenox wants serious replies to his communications with Fayette County

commissioners, he should communicate through mail or e-mail, rather than

through the media, commission Chairman Greg Dunn said this week.

"We're in a [situation]

where if he doesn't like anything we do, he creates a media circus for

us," Dunn said of Lenox. "This is the third time in a month

and a half that I've read about [a letter from Lenox] in your paper before

I got it," he complained.

Dunn said he received Lenox's

most recent letter, asking the commission to reconsider its recent approval

of a shopping center on Ga. Highway 74 just south of Peachtree City, well

after an article on the letter appeared in The Peachtree Citizen Review.

In fact, he said, the letter

was postmarked after the paper's publication date.

Lenox said he gave he letter

to a Citizen reporter for use in news coverage, but did not intend for

the entire letter to be printed in the paper.

Plus, he said, although the

postmark may have been later, he always faxes letters to county leaders,

or has them hand-delivered so that news stories don't come out before

the recipient has a chance to see the letters.

"I gave you the letter

because John [Munford] asked me to. I'm pretty open with you guys,"

he said.

"If you try to communicate

with us through the media," Dunn told The Citizen, "then you're

going to have to hunt for answers from us through the media."

"That's OK too,"

responded Lenox. "I'll take a message on a billboard ... anything."

Dunn said he doesn't mind the

letters being given to the media. "It is public information, but

if you have it before we have it, it puts us at a disadvantage,"

he said.

City and county leaders have

exchanged a series of contentious letters concerning tax equity issues

and the county's plans to charge fees to the cities for housing municipal

court prisoners in the county jail, ever since discussions on those issues

broke down into heated arguments during meetings between city and county

officials.

Former commission Chairman

Harold Bost received and responded to two letters, and when Dunn took

over as commission chairman, he took over the task of answering the letters.

But commissioners early in January began to wonder aloud whether answering

some of the missives was necessary.

Dunn said this week that it's

time all parties concerned started acting in a more professional manner.

"The relationship between

the city councils and this commission is more important than me getting

involved in some gamesmanship with Bob," he said. "It would

be a net negative if I was to start a public display with him."

Concerning Lenox's request

that commissioners reconsider the Hwy. 74 rezoning, he said no one on

the board is interested in doing that. Long-term, the group is willing

to consider changes in its approach to zoning in the area south of Peachtree

City, he added.

"Already, before this

[letter] came up, our staff has been directed to look at certain things

that we can accomplish in that area. We have to be sure that we're adhering

to the property rights of the individuals that live in that area,"

he said.

Studying the land use plan

now, after commercial zoning has already been granted in an area in which

the plan calls for low-density residential growth, "is like locking

up the barn door when the horse has disappeared over the horizon,"

said Lenox.

Lenox's suggestions are welcome,

said Dunn, if presented properly. "If his purpose is to clarify and

inform, we're more than happy to deal with him. But if it's to embarrass

and demean, we're not playing," Dunn said.