A feud that

had been festering since the election in November exploded in broad daylight

Tuesday at the Coweta County Commission meeting.

Commissioner

Vernon "Mutt" Hunter and Commissioner Leigh Schlumper tangled

over the Commission's plan to publish its water plan in a local paper

to get the message out that the county is ready to serve a growing population's

water needs.

The issue arose

after the commissioners took exception to a letter to the editor in the

Newnan Times Herald that criticized the county's water plan.

The Commission

decided to run a paid ad in the paper to get the message out, but Schlumper

disagreed and said the county did not need to use that money on responding

to personal issues.

Hunter told

Schlumper to leave him alone, and the commission took a brief recess.

In the commission's break room, Hunter and Schlumper went after each other.

Schlumper yelled

at Hunter that she had every right to disagree with him, while Hunter

said she was sticking up for the letter writer because she was a friend

of Schlumper's.

After the recess,

Schlumper was visibly upset and went outside the chambers. When she returned,

she was clutching a Kleenex and had red eyes.

The dispute

was the first since the divisive election that pitted Newnan Utilities

versus the county. Schlumper works for the utilities company and the county

and the company have been arguing about water for the last few years.