Part of the reason for this

may be the confusing statements made by Commission Chairman Greg Dunn

about what's really going on.

In the fall Chairman Dunn sent

a letter to Sheriff Randall Johnson, on county letterhead, plainly stating

that the marshals were actually a county police department.

In the last few weeks he has

said in numerous articles that he has no intention of them becoming county

police.

How can the citizens be clear

on the marshals' role in our local government when the chairman is

so unclear? Even the most seemingly educated voter is left scratching

their head wondering where the truth lies in all of this.

The truth is this. If the county

commissioners want to start a county police department, they have, by

law, every right to do so and the sheriff would have no say about it.

All they would have to do is let the taxpayers vote on it. This is what

they are trying to avoid, and this is what we should all be enraged about.

To keep us from having a say

in how our public funds are spent, the county commissioners (or at least

three of them) are trying to redefine the intention of commissioners 15

years ago when the marshals were created.

If they can convince a court

somewhere that in 1989 the commissioners intended to create a police department

when they created the marshals, then they will be able to use our money

to pay for one. If they succeed they can do it without any input from

you and me.

The outrageous part of that

is none of them were on the board of commissioners at the time. The commissioners

that were on the board at the time are saying starting a police department

was never their intention. They had no way of knowing that 15 years down

the road another board would change the focus of the department they created

just to keep the public from having a vote on the matter.

What is going on is wrong.

If they want a new government agency, they should allow the voters to

have a say in its creation (or redefinition). They are, after all, Republicans

who by declaring so, are supposed to be seeking less government.

In a county with some of the

best law enforcement in metro Atlanta, these politicians want to force

upon us a police agency without our say. Why? Probably to generate more

revenue which these same politicians can spend on their own pet projects.

The harassment we will suffer while they generate those revenues will

be intrusive and unnecessary.

Our sheriff is trying to force

them to let us have a say in the matter by our vote. We should all be

rallying behind his efforts to preserve our right to have a say in how

OUR money is spent.

Thomas Williams

Fayetteville, Ga.