An article

that ran a few weeks ago led with the headline "North pols decline

to fight airport."

What the headline

should have read, if accuracy was the most important feature of a newspaper

headline, is "Northern pols fight airport intelligently."

On May 16,

Commissioner Bill Edwards sponsored a resolution against the airport runway

extension. The resolution failed to receive the four votes needed to pass.

What, you might ask, would this resolution have accomplished if it had

passed?

Absolutely

nothing ­ there was nothing in Commissioner Edwards' resolution that

would have done anything to make the people of South Fulton lives better.

There was nothing in the resolution that would have done anything to relieve

any of the burdens of the fifth runway expansion.

To characterize

my vote ­ and other commissioners' votes ­ against the resolution

as 'a slap in the face' or a 'sellout' is ridiculous. The bottom line

is that the resolution was meaningless and the people of South Fulton

County deserve more than that. The people of South Fulton deserve something

more than political grandstanding. The people of South Fulton deserve

leadership and results.

That's why

I brought forward a resolution (which passed with the support of all of

the other commissioners, except Commissioner Edwards) that develops a

plan to address the expansion of the airport. Specifically, I'm working

on county staff to develop noise level standards that are greater than

those that are currently required. I'm working on finding ways to mitigate

the noise for those who live in the neighborhoods closest to the airport.

I'm working to develop alternative transportation plans to ensure that

your communities are not turned upside down by construction trucks and

re-routed traffic. In conclusion I'm working to address many of the concerns

that were brought to my attention over the past several months.

What does this

mean to the people of South Fulton? It means that for the first time Fulton

County will have developed a mitigation plan in coping with the expansion

of the airport. It means that many of the citizens' concerns have been

heard and are going to be addressed. It means that for the first time

Fulton County will ask the airport to accept our plan and standards before

expansion begins. It also means that for the first time ever Fulton County

(I) will ask the airport for a written commitment against the development

of a sixth runway.

I will be meeting

with representatives of the airport to achieve these goals. If the airport

refuses to negotiate with us on these matters I am more than willing to

stand up with Commissioner Edwards and anyone else to denounce the airport.

But, I'm not going to without trying to do what is right for the people

of South Fulton. You deserve something more than empty rhetoric and that's

what I hope to give you.