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Letters to the Editor

Friends of Farr ignore facts: Questionable actions occurred on his watch

We are living in a day where the decadence of corporate dishonesty and government corruption is almost viewed as an entitlement.

Wall Street, Martha Stewart, Enron and WorldCom all thought that they had a right to make money by falsifying and cheating. Qwest Communications International Inc. was recently forced by the Securities and Exchange Commission to pay a $250 million penalty for artificially boosting revenue.

Top executives at the telecom giant Global Crossing Ltd. recently agreed to pay large civil fines and settled a large class-action lawsuit for $325 million. The former governors of Louisiana, Rhode Island and Connecticut have all gone to jail.

Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, a rising star in the Republican Party, had to confess to a judge that he had lost his way morally and developed "a sense of entitlement and even arrogance."

The Republican Mayor of San Diego, Dick Murphy, resigned in disgrace amid a federal investigation of the city's violated pension fund that was discovered to have a $1.2 billion shortfall.

Even our own Georgia Legislature refused to pass Gov. Perdue's full ethics reform package in 2005 and so distorted the bill that the legislators made it so that the state politicians police themselves.

My job as mayor is to uphold the integrity and best interests of our local government and its citizens. However, the surest way for government to veer off the right path is for our citizens to say and do nothing.

The real question to ask is not who has friends but who is obeying the laws of the state of Georgia?

The recent "rally" to uphold the name of a deceased individual, attended by 40 out of our population of 35,000 residents, is merely a smokescreen to avert attention from those that are significantly tangled within the web of the former Development Authority of Peachtree City (DAPC) deception.

They are politically bankrupt and emotional side show ploys are all that they have left.

As both a former DAPC attorney and former DAPC member, Doug Warner has been working diligently to run the city off track on the DAPC misdeeds, and with good reason.

Mr. Warner is entrenched in the DAPC calamity. You have to remember that Mr. Warner has represented three authorities as their paid legal counsel. He is extremely well versed in state authority law and he cannot claim ignorance and not knowing that a public vote is needed to acquire debt and the like.

Mr. Warner would like to see naive candidates for elected office in Peachtree City commit to paying the unlawful $1.5 million DAPC debt because he knows the lawsuit from the Peachtree National Bank will not succeed.

The only way that the DAPC's unlawful activity can be redeemed is to elect new city council members that are willing to compromise our state laws and yield to paying the bank with our tax dollars.

This matter is far too immense to be about only Tom Farr.

It is a about a former city government (all friends of Tom Farr) that signed an agreement for construction of a multi-million dollar tennis center and kept it away from the citizens by not offering a voter referendum like all the other big recreation projects.

It is about deceiving the public about the venues being self-sufficient and lying about unlawfully borrowed funds being spent on capital building projects that were really being spent on operating expenses and who knows what else because there are virtually no records.

It is about a past city council that failed to demand accountability for tax dollars being poured into a broken, mismanaged authority with no budgets, poor accounting and unlawful behavior.

It is about city officials altering an intergovernmental agreement to favor the development authority after the City Council previously approved a different wording.

This is about a local bank that had absolutely no regard for its shareholders and issued $1.5 million in non-collateralized loans in the form of a balloon note due in 2005 to a development authority that was hemorrhaging red ink and had no way of possibly being able to pay the loans back.

Can you guess who they planned on paying off the debt in 2005? Yes, the PTC taxpayers.

Please remember that the reason the DAPC was given management authority over the tennis center and the amphitheater was because of their business expertise and "so that no taxpayer dollars would be used" to run the facilities. It now appears that we have 1.5 million reasons to never believe them again.

This matter is about a Development Authority that thought that they were above the law and committed unlawful acts even after the city government demanded that they stop.

We are all accountable to the laws found within the Official State Code. It is not the book of Official State "Suggestions."

There is no doubt that Tom Farr will be the central figure in the lawsuit with Peachtree National Bank but this matter is about much more than him. The following facts are certain to be addressed in the ongoing lawsuit.

Tom Farr signed nearly all of the DAPC documents and agreements that have come into question about the authority's past unlawful behavior.

Tom Farr did preside over nearly all of the meetings when no public vote was taken to acquire DAPC loans.

Tom Farr did facilitate, as DAPC chairman and CFO of Peachtree National Bank, nearly all of the $1.5 million worth of non-collateralized loans from the Peachtree National Bank to the DAPC. Neither the general public nor the city government was made aware of the loan transactions until after the fact.

Tom Farr clearly knew that the DAPC operations were in the red annually and that the Peachtree National Bank loans were for operating expenses and that the DAPC did not have the ability to repay the loans.

Tom Farr did know without a doubt that the DAPC had not paid for any of the capital building expenses for the amphitheater or tennis center even though the DAPC had been telling the public otherwise.

Tom Farr did allow a private business staffed with government employees to operate in the tennis center without a single lease payment.

Tom Farr did directly oversee the financial matters related to the tennis center that were cited for poor accounting practices and lack of proper records.

The tennis center is now being run in a professional and self-sustaining manner without the "entitlement programs" and without using a single dime of the hotel/motel tax funding.

No amount of showmanship on Mr. Warner's part is going to keep the truth from coming out. Any political candidate that supports Mr. Warner's "Don't ask, just pay" philosophy will soon learn that committing one illegal action (paying the debt) to do away with another will get you into hot water.

Before a candidate decides to follow Mr. Warner's advice, you should probably obtain an answer as to why he turned a blind eye to the unlawful behavior of the DAPC.

Your current City Council will not violate state law and will not pay back anyone's unlawful debts for their frivolous expenses.

Steve Brown, mayor

Peachtree City, Ga.

Simmons is good officer; rehire him

[To Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele and City Manager Joe Morton:] We are the self-contained special education teachers of Fayette Middle School. Our three classes consist of students with disabilities ranging from moderate to severe intellectual mental retardation, emotional behavior disorder, and autism.

We are shocked and appalled to hear the news that Officer Harold Simmons has been terminated from the Fayetteville Police Department.

Officer Simmons has been a blessing to our school and in particular to these special needs children.

He has been a daily visitor to our wing and has not only endeared himself to all of our students, but has the highest esteem of us teachers. He has gone out of his way to ensure their safety and well-being, and has assisted greatly in their education.

We implore you to reconsider this decision and return him to duty here at Fayette Middle School. We owe our children no less.

Rob Griffin, Patti Nelson, Linda A. Olmstead, Janet Murphy and other school staff members

Fayetteville, Ga.

Gov.'s signing will save many lives

Congratulations to all the citizens and news media in Fayette County that supported the second-hand smoke ban signed on Monday afternoon by Governor Perdue.

This legislation will help guarantee that most business establishments, to include the vast majority of restaurants, in the state will now offer their workers and customers a healthy, smoke-free environment.

The fact that smoke-free air will now be required statewide will level the playing field throughout the state for all businesses. This is truly a great day for the citizens of Georgia.

Kathie and Kevin Cheney

Peachtree City, Ga.

Dirt bikers' rights end at neighbors' fence

There have been a couple of articles in the newspaper and some letters to the editor concerning the revised Fayette County Noise Ordinance. I'd like to correct some misunderstandings or misstatements before they become fixed in people's minds.

First, the noise ordinance does not restrict anyone from anything. That includes dirt biking.

If we use the example of dirt bikes, we can understand the necessity for the ordinance and we can understand what the ordinance says.

I was first contacted by Fayette County citizens who had a dirt track in their neighborhood. Later, I was contacted by others who had tracks in their neighborhoods. These people had major issues with noise from these tracks. How much noise?

Imagine a vacuum cleaner, 70 decibels (dB); a mixer, 70dB; alarm clock, 80dB, noisy restaurant, 80dB, screaming child, 90dB; subway train or jackhammer, 100dB.

Now imagine noise coming from your neighbor that is producing levels of 80dB inside your home with the windows closed and as high as 99dB outside.

If this was at your home, you could not hear your screaming child or alarm clock or vacuum. The racket from your neighbors would drown them out. And this would go on for hours, day after day.

Could you enjoy YOUR property under these conditions? Is this fair? Is this right? Is this "Republican"? I say not.

It was not fair and it was not right. And as soon as the noise got great enough to destroy the peace and quiet and neighbors' rights and enjoyment of THEIR property, it became "UN-Republican" for me.

I was on the phone a couple of times with some of the people who were being assaulted.

I could not hear what they were saying on the telephone over the noise of these motorcycles. The people I was speaking to were INSIDE their own home! Wouldn't you say that THEIR rights were the ones being violated? I sure did and do.

Does the revised ordinance ban dirt bikes or anything else? No, it does not. If you can ride your dirt bike without destroying your neighbors' peace, have at it.

Perhaps there are mufflers that can cut the noise. Perhaps you have a large enough piece of property that the noise won't bother anyone. Perhaps your neighbors are not bothered by sound. Then, it's none of anyone else's business.

But if people intrude on their neighbors, then it is our business and we have to stop that.

Let's also talk for a minute about property size. I have heard people say, "I have X number of acres, I should be able to ride." Well, that may be true.

But, every track I have seen is not in the middle of this acreage, it is located on, and it some cases over, the property line. It is usually located as far as it can be from the residence that permits it.

If you are going to locate a noise-producing track on your property line, next to your neighbor, then it doesn't matter if the rest of your property is 10 acres, 100 acres or 10,000 acres, does it?

If you think you might be involved, read the noise ordinance yourself. It is long because it is detailed. It is detailed so that it is not subject to an individual's interpretation, which the old ordinance was. It is objective, not subjective. It is detailed so that anyone who reads it can understand precisely what it says without hiring an attorney.

If you read it, you will notice that it does NOT say anything about "44 decibels" as noted in the newspaper. The lowest value is 55 dB from one residential property to another. This is a reasonable level. It allows the lowest levels in residential areas and the highest levels in manufacturing/industrial areas.

The ordinance exempts activities necessary for construction and maintenance of property. It exempts sports activities at recognized locations such as play grounds and schools. It exempts shooting for law enforcement and sports. It exempts aircraft and trains. It exempts emergency equipment.

The ordinance exempts farming and agricultural activity. I gave a copy of the draft to the Farm Bureau to allow them to review it to make sure that it would allow them to function and keep animals in a farm setting.

The new ordinance was written to be fair to everyone. It's written to allow the normal activities of life and to penalize the abnormal activities.

We had a few people who thought it was okay for them to violate the rights of many people. I think that one of the jobs of government, especially local government, is to address issues like this and to put a stop to it when necessary.

I can't speak for the other commissioners but I think that's what we did.

Peter Pfeifer

County Commission, Post 3

Peachtree City, Ga.

Piedmont Fayette Hospital pays tribute to dedicated healthcare team

Piedmont Fayette Hospital wouldn't be a 100 Top Hospital without its dedicated team of physicians, nurses, clinical and support staff and volunteers.

May 6 marks the start of National Nurses Week with the 2005 theme, "Nurses: Many Roles One Profession," indicating the many directions that a nurse's career may take.

Nurses have a tradition of providing hands-on patient care that will continue, but today's nurses are also involved in health education, research business and public policy.

Sunday, May 8 launches National Hospital Week with the inspirational theme, "A Calling to Care," recognizing the many faces that take our hospital to new heights of excellent care for our community.

From the most remarkable medical breakthrough to the simplest act of compassion, the people in healthcare are changing the world around them beginning right here in our own community.

We're taking a few days to say "thank you" to our nurses and healthcare staff. Without their dedicated and outstanding service, Piedmont Fayette Hospital could not deliver the quality of care that has distinguished us as one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals for two consecutive years. Even in the most challenging situations, our healthcare team brings help and hope to those in need.

We celebrate the care and compassion that our nurses and healthcare team provide to our patients and the Fayette County community 365 days a year, and we proudly salute this very special group of individuals for a job well done.

Darrell Cutts

President & CEO

Piedmont Fayette Hospital

Fayetteville, Ga.

Thanks to all who made Tour de Georgia success

On behalf of the Dodge Tour de Georgia Local Organizing Committee (LOC), I want to sincerely thank you for your support of this year's race. This was the biggest event to take place in Fayette County since the Olympic torch run in 1996, and I was overwhelmed by the community involvement and participation.

Without your support, we truly would not have been so successful. Early reports estimate that 10,000 people watched the race in Fayette County, with over 2,500 fans participating at the start line in downtown Fayetteville. Our committee will soon begin plans for securing a stage of this race in 2006, and we hope you'll be a part of it again next year.

As you know, we hosted Stage 2 of the Dodge Tour de Georgia, which began in Fayetteville and ended in Rome. Peter Wrolich of Team Gerolsteiner won this stage, with fan favorite Lance Armstrong finishing a strong third. Overall, the Armstrong-led Team Discovery Channel won the 650-mile, six-stage race, with teammate Tom Danielson taking the individual title. Many say that Danielson is the next great American cyclist.

In summary, this world-class event was a tremendous day for everyone. And don't forget that the real winner was the Georgia Cancer Coalition. Proceeds from this race will be used to expand and improve cancer research, awareness and education. Our LOC will soon give to this great cause from the money contributed by the many generous businesses in our area.

Again, thank you for your support!

Brian Cardoza

President/CEO, Fayette County Development Authority

LOC Chairman

2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia

Open letter to 'runaway bride'

An open letter for Jennifer Wilbanks:

Dear Jennifer, I can't begin to imagine why you might have attempted to "run away from yourself" recently, and to put your lovely wedding plans on hold. However, I can say that I know what running away from oneself means because I have been in that state of mind. If more people were honest with themselves, they would say the same thing.

In order to come to that point, you must have felt enormous pressure and isolation. Perhaps no one else in the world was even aware of it.

Sometimes, that's the way life is. We live in our bodies, in our external world, yet deep inside we long to be someone or somewhere else, if even just for a while.

We see this in the extreme in people who have been abused or traumatized learning to literally become another person, an "alter," to escape from themselves and their painful world.

I'm glad you plan to seek help for the "issues" you face, whatever they are. Do not be embarrassed about that. You don't have to live up to anyone's expectations but your own.

My prayer is that your family is receiving you back with open arms, much as the biblical father welcomed his prodigal son. Who among us has not been that prodigal at some time in our lives?

If you and your finance, John, truly love each other and love God, then your impending marriage will be as a "cord of three stands" and not easily severed.

As for all the angry people who feel they have a right to judge you and who seek some kind of retribution, let them remember that there is only One who knows you fully and is entitled to judge. May He keep you and your future family under His protection always.

Debbie Thurman

Family Mental Health Advocacy

Monroe, Va.

In rezoning defeat, mayor's intentions for PTC's future are worrisome

The issue of rezoning the Lutheran Church property in Peachtree City has run its current course and I had the pleasure of being in attendance at a marathon City Council meeting last Thursday night.

I really need to attend more often, but the gravity of the potential Walgreens takeover of our nearby corner made attendance imperative.

I took my seat at 6:30 p.m. and rose to leave at 1:05 a.m. with some business still to be addressed by the council. Wow! That was an experience.