A surprise

"compromise" proposed by Mayor Steve Brown to fill a vacancy

on the Development Authority of Peachtree City turned into an ugly, angry

shouting match last week, with the nominee in question eventually walking

out of City Hall in disgust.

In the end,

an alternate was appointed to fill the seat.

Brown, working

with City Manager Bernard McMullen, Councilman Murray Weed and Scott Bradshaw

of the authority, crafted a deal to expand the committee by one, from

seven to eight members, by adding local builder Todd Strickland and Cooper

Lighting exective Michael Morgan.

City Attorney

Ted Meeker said state law allows the authority to have up to nine members.

Ten were interviewed for the positions.

But Strickland

has long been Brown's first choice to fill the vacancy. Councilmembers

Dan Tennant and Annie McMenamin have supported anyone more closely connected

to the city's industrial community, such as Morgan or fellow Cooper Lighting

executive Jim Maniatis.

A vote to nominate

Strickland earlier this year ended in a 2-2 stalemate. Councilman Steve

Rapson abstains from matters regarding the development authority because

of a lawsuit his wife has filed against the authority.

A reverse motion

at that same meeting to nominate Maniatis also ended in a 2-2 tie, and

Brown started the search process all over again.

The result,

said Tennant, is not a "compromise."

"I don't

think we should change the makeup of the body just to appease a few individuals,"

said Tennant. "Plus, eight members has the potential for lots of

4-4 ties."

That's unlikely,

Brown suggested, adding that any issue that comes to a tie probably needs

revisiting anyway.

"We're

trying to promote a sense of harmony here," he said.

Tennant insisted

that Brown's allegiance to Strickland was based on politics, not what

was best for the city. "The well of human capital is so deep in this

town, you've got so many talented people applying for these jobs."

McMenamin said

she spoke with individual members of the authority, and "they say

there's no justification for the extra appointment."

Bradshaw, standing

to the side of the room, was asked to verify that.

"I said

I supported (the dual nominees) as a compromise for the benefit of the

city," he replied.

Said McMenamin,

addressing Brown, "You didn't dismiss your candidate, you created

a new position for him and that is not in the spirit of compromise."

She made a

motion to award the position to the alternate, Bill Bexley, but it failed.

Brown has supported

plans to annex and develop the piece of land south of Rockaway Road known

as the Stephens tract. Strickland, says Tennant, has ties to the project.

A clearly flustered

Strickland eventually took the floor, telling the crowd he's lived in

Peachtree City since he was 5 years old and that he has allegiances to

no one, including Brown.

"The quality

of life is very important to me," he said. "That's why I volunteered

for the Development Authority, and you've fueled it with political rumors."

He added, "If

you can't come to a decision tonight that benefits the city I love, then

I withdraw my name from consideration."

Strickland

walked out of the room to cheers and applause from the crowd. A stunned

city council pondered the next move, and then Tennant made a motion to

just elect Morgan. The vote, again, was 2-2. He made a second motion to

appoint Bexley. That passed, 3-1.