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Letters to the Editor

Paper was duped on 'Mars closer' story

Thank you for writing an astronomy-based article in our local paper. As an amateur astronomer I often scour the paper for notes on upcoming stellar events. In this case, however you have been duped by a hoax that resurfaced in early August.

I won't try to explain how many miles the planet Mars would need to move or the speed it would have taken to launch it the distance this hoax implies. The experts at NASA have explained this hoax far better than I ever could and with much more knowledge on the subject.

Steve Bryant

Peachtree City, Ga.

Hoax . . .

The story on Mars is a hoax. Please refer to this article from NASA for further details: science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/07jul_marshoax.htm

Joe E. Stell

Fayetteville, Ga.

Myth . . .

Some of the information in your article in yesterday's Citizen is "an example of an item that was once true but is now being circulated again, long after the events it describes have come to pass", according to Internet myth-debunking service Snopes (see https://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp ).

Mars had a historic close encounter in August of 2003, not 2005.

Other information was never true in the first place: due to the respective sizes of Mars and the Moon, their relative distances from Earth, and the laws of celestial mechanics, Mars is never going to look "as large as the full moon to the naked eye," as claimed in your article, at least not until a major cataclysm throws the planets out of their orbits.

I hope none of your readers will get disappointed looking for a Moon-size Mars on Saturday night.

There will be an actual closer approach of Mars in October 2005 (see https://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/27may_approachingmars.htm ).

I will be glad to direct you to other viable "Internet sources" that can provide you with accurate, current information on matters of astronomy and space flight.

Dr. Jan Osburg

Research Engineer II

Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA 30332-0150, USA

[email protected]

Check the facts . . .

The Cary story about Mars is NOT true. Your writer picked up on an old story, two years old. Mars will not do all the wonderful things she says it will do. Check the facts, check the facts, check the facts.

Mike Smith

Sydney, Australia

E-mail fooled many ...

Your story, "Mars gets closer," is based on a hoax e-mail that has been circulating the Internet and has had a lot of people fooled.

This has been published as a hoax for well over a month now on reputable astronomy sites. The story states it is based on various Internet sources.

Can I suggest if you are interested in publishing astronomy stories, especially ones with such hefty claims, that you include professional sources such as universetoday.com or space.com on your list of places to check first?

A. W. Ford

flooredmusic (at) gmail.com

2 years too late . . .

The story about Mars getting closer than ever, Aug. 24 paper, is about two years too late.

This year's closest approach will be Oct. 29, and although it will be spectacular, it is not a record breaker.

An avid reader and star gazer,

Joan Fecteau

RFecteau (at) JoiMail.com

Tyrone speed limits: Facts don't mislead

At the last council meeting for Tyrone, I had the misfortune to witness the town council complain to The Citizen's reporter about her article on Tyrone's new speed limits. In so many words, they stated it was misleading and making them look bad.

I was at the same budget meeting as Steve Chontos and the writer in question. We all heard Barry Amos mention that there wasn't enough revenue coming from the police department.

I was startled because I believed police wrote tickets when you did something wrong and not to drum up revenue.

The look on the police chief's face, who was also present, made me feel he thought the same thing.

Next thing we knew, Barry Amos was at the next town council meeting with the police chief in tow, announcing speed limit changes.

Council, it was not the reporter that made you look bad reporting the facts. It was the facts themselves.

Gail Onesi

Tyrone, Ga.

At-large voting aims at getting minority elected

In last week's letter to the editor, Mr. Jones' statement, "In the South, it is common and traditionally undesirable for those in the majority to voluntarily do anything to help those in the minority have a better chance to participate in the affairs of government," insinuates that the majority of Fayette County residents and the county commissioners are racists.

I believe that our commissioners and our voting process to elect them is best for ALL citizens of Fayette County, regardless of their race.

Mr. Jones and [state Representative Virgil] Fludd seem only to be interested in getting a minority into office, regardless of how qualified they are, while the majority of the citizens of Fayette County are interested in electing the best qualified person for the office who will represent the entire community.

We do not wish our fine community to endure the dysfunctional cesspool that exists in Clayton and Fulton County governments.

Tell me, Mr. Jones, if Fayette County changes to district voting, and a black person gets voted into office in your district, who will represent the minority white, Asian, and Hispanic people in that district? By your reasoning, no one will represent them because a black person will only represent black constituents.

Mr. Jones, the civil rights struggle is over and won and has been for decades. No one is being denied their right to vote or to participate in the affairs of government. Everyone can now fully participate in the political process as a result of the Voting Rights Act. Why do you continue to fight a battle that has already been won?

Matthew Washburn

Fayetteville, Ga.

Direct PAC questions candidates: What's next for DAPC?

The Development Authority of Peachtree City (DAPC) has been a part of Peachtree City for more than 30 years. Early DAPC efforts focused on attracting industry from Japan, the results of which are evident when one drives along Ga. Highway 74.

For most residents, though, the amphitheater, built in 1976, is a more familiar artifact of the efforts of early Development Authority members.

Another tangible output of DAPC activity is the tennis center, which was built in 1995, partially from funds borrowed from Peachtree National Bank.

The authority managed both venues because of a decision that community amenities such as the tennis center and amphitheater would enhance the appeal of Peachtree City as a destination for expanding or relocating businesses.

Candidates for the authority are typically self-selected, applying at City Hall for available openings and interviewing with the mayor, city manager, and one or more council members. The interview panel recommends and city council and mayor vote on applicants.

The DAPC played a quiet role in Peachtree City until 2003. That year saw repeated accusations of malfeasance, mismanagement, and fraud, followed by cessation of funding from tax revenues, precipitating a financial crisis when the DAPC could no longer meet obligations to its creditors.

Shabby planning that debilitated the DAPC without an operational alternative left many officials at local and state levels scrambling through the first half of 2003 to restructure the authority to allow it to continue its mission of economic development and management of the amphitheater and tennis center.

In September of the year, Scott Bradshaw resigned from DAPC with a blistering criticism of the authority's financial management. In October the authority resigned from its management contract of the city's venues.

Later in October, Mayor Brown ordered the Peachtree City Police Department to investigate the authority for fraud. Citing lack of expertise, the city's chief of police took the case to the forensic accounting division of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The accountants at the Bureau found no fraud.

In February of 2004, the city received a letter from the attorney for Regions Bank, from which the authority had borrowed money, notifying the city "of a potential claim against the Development Authority of Peachtree City, the city of Peachtree City and the Peachtree City Tourism Association, Inc."

The attorney's letter states that "Regions Bank declared the loan to be in default for non-payment. The loan is secured by collateral located at the Peachtree City Tennis Center."

Mayor Brown responded to the letter: "Your customers, the citizens of Peachtree City and the elected officials of Peachtree City, had absolutely nothing to do with your loan to the Development Authority of Peachtree City ... To the best of my knowledge, no officials from the city of Peachtree City have signed as an obligor or guarantor of the loan in question ... I have personally recommended to the City Council that the city should not interfere and allow the DAPC loans to go into foreclosure ... I will never consent to pay off the unlawful and unaccountable actions of the former DAPC Members with the hard-earned tax dollars of my citizens. The grip of the powerful few on our city has almost vanished ... if you decide to continue and pursue legal action against the people of Peachtree City, the people are prepared for the challenge."

The people are now paying for the challenge. Legal meters are running on both sides of the dispute as Peachtree National Bank and Regions Bank attempt to collect the money they loaned, Group VI Corporation attempts to collect for construction of the tennis center, and Foley Design Associates attempts to collect for architectural design of the tennis center.

The DAPC is an emasculated organization with no funds and less direction. The city is running the amphitheater and tennis center under the guise of a Tourism Association whose members are the city manager, mayor, recreation director, and councilmen. Tourism Association activity is funded by hotel/motel tax revenue.

Where do we go from here?

This is the first in a series of four major issues that will be presented by Direct PAC prior to the November 2005 election in Peachtree City for mayor and two city council positions.

Direct PAC will solicit responses from all candidates on each of the four issues and post the candidates responses on the Web site at www.directpac.org and also submit all responses to the newspaper during October. The purpose of this is to allow the voters to analyze each candidate's response to serious issues before making a selection from among the candidates in November.

Rex Green

For the Executive Committee of Direct PAC

Peachtree City, Ga.

Under Brown, PTC taxes up, quality of life down

We will soon have the opportunity to vote in the upcoming election for mayor of Peachtree City. It is a critical election because it allows you to address quality of life issues.

The current administration headed by Mayor Steve Brown has caused the quality of life in our fair city to deteriorate significantly and you will end up paying at least 35 percent more in property tax for 2005.

What then are the quality of life issues?

- The expenditure of at least $1.3 million for a bridge over Ga. Highway 54 West. Ask yourself how many people will travel from Line Creek to Wynnmeade and vice versa. We already have a bridge over Ga. Highway 74 that services that area of the city.

- The lack of cart path maintenance throughout the city is scandalous.

- The levying of another tax in requiring cart owners to re-register their golf carts and then every three years thereafter. All because of the misdeeds of a few.

- The failure of the city to honor a moral debt that the Development Authority contracted with a local bank.

- The miserable talent lineup at The Fred that resulted in loss of renewals for season tickets and many empty seats. Then to add insult to injury they now want you to pay more for your tickets through Ticketmaster.

- The loss of membership at the taxpayer-funded Tennis Center due to mismanagement.

- Increased property taxes with no increase in the quality of life.

Richard Downing

Peachtree City, Ga.

Brown administration: Multiple unethical actions

Mayor Steve Brown likes to use the word illegal liberally without presenting facts to back up his statements, but let's review his administration.

One of the first actions Steve Brown and "His Council," Steve Rapson and Murray Weed, took was to enact a building moratorium. A judge ruled that moratorium illegal. So much for Murray Weed following the canons of law and not voting for anything illegal.

Steve Rapson was found guilty of an ethics violation within seven months of being elected to office for intentionally voting on an action concerning the Development Authority of Peachtree City he knew he should not participate in.

Steve Brown was found guilty of an ethics violation within a year of taking office for having city staff babysit his children while he did city business.

Council authorized Steve Brown to sign an amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement with the Development Authority. Brown refused to sign the agreement. Steve Rapson and Murray Weed have done nothing to follow the law by either forcing Brown to sign the agreement or offering a motion to reconsider and rescind the action.

The Intergovernmental Agreement is a contract between the city and the Development Authority. It requires the city to provide hotel/motel tax revenues to the authority. Steve Brown stopped those payments without any action by council.

The agreement is still in force, and Steve Rapson and Murray Weed did nothing to force the city's compliance with the agreement or terminate it. The Development Authority had to take action to terminate the agreement.

One can conclude with these few facts that Steve Brown, with his cohorts Steve Rapson and Murray Weed, presides over the most corrupt and unethical administration in the city's history.

John Dufresne

Peachtree City, Ga.

Father Epps, welcome