Four mayoral

and five council candidates for posts in Peachtree City turned out last

week for a question and answer period, hosted by the Peachtree City Youth

Advisory Board.

The Floy Farr

room at the Peachtree City Public Library was filled to capacity with

state Rep. Kathy Cox serving as moderator. Cox teaches government at McIntosh

High School and has been working with her students to educate them on

the current issues of the election set for Nov. 6.

The students

wrote and asked the various questions, covering subjects from big box

stores to crime and traffic.

Mayoral candidates

include Gary Rower, Frank Murphy, Dan Lakly and Steve Brown. Attuned to

the same wave length, each felt that millions of dollars were saved by

allowing the big box stores to build on land that had been commercial

for the past 30 years. Though they were generally agreed that big box

stores were not needed in Peachtree City, the candidates said the large

stores will now be a fact and the city should move on.

Council candidates

include two incumbents, Carol Fritz and Steve Rapson, along with Nancy

Faulkner, Alison Chambers and Murray Weed. Each had a different take on

the subject.

Chambers said

that traffic concerns are more important than concern over big box stores;

Faulkner said the community has not been kept informed on the matter,

and Weed felt that a police substation at the Wal-Mart and Home Depot

sites will be necessary.

Traffic problems

at the intersection of Ga. highways 54 and 74 also drew different responses.

Weed felt that waiting for the Georgia Department of Transportation will

take too long and the matter needs to be dealt with now. Fritz pointed

out the traffic from businesses and shopping centers in Coweta County

is increasing almost daily.

Rower said

he would talk with the businesses along the highways and try to get them

to agree on adjusting shift hours.

When asked

if enough is being done in Peachtree City to preserve environment, Faulkner

said that more environmental classes for both staff and office workers

would be important.

Other examples

of preservation offered by the candidates are the 80 miles of cart paths,

which play a big role in preserving environment, and using treated recycled

water at Planterra Ridge.

Asked what

kind of relationship they would have with the city manager, Weed replied

that the city manager and staff are the engine that drives down the route

set by the council, and Faulkner commented that while it would be a role

reversal, she felt the current manager is a good one.

Until recently,

Faulkner worked as city clerk, reporting to City Manager Jim Basinger.

When asked

if they would repeal any current ordinances, Weed said that an ordinance

is just like a bush ... it is a living, breathing thing, and each must

be trimmed back from time to time. Murphy felt there should be a format

for more citizen input so the council would have a good feel for what

the city needs. Brown said that any annexation should be voted on the

One of the

questions included comments on whether teens have a legitimate complaint

of overzealous city policemen.

Replies included

information that Chief Jim Murray has an open door policy if parents and

students want to talk about any particular incident. When teens are stopped

both video and audio tapes are made and review of these tapes is available.

In closing

statements, candidates urged residents to get out and vote, adding that

each voter should get to know each elected official, whether by phone

or personal interview. Everyone, including teens, should be involved in

the community in one way or another, candidates said, urging teens not

to be afraid to speak up and to push to bring about their ideas.