BET ON WOOD, NOT HIS COUNCIL

Dear Editor,

Once again Mayor Jere Wood has placed Roswell's City Council on the budgetary merry-go-round.  During last Monday's preliminary FY2011 budget session, the Mayor's budget presentation, while appearing to reflect some semblance of a balance between revenues and expenditures, failed to include any funds to repair any roads in Roswell.  Historically, Roswell's DOT has spent approximately $1.8 million annually in road resurfacing projects. 

Mayor Wood, by not budgeting these funds, has put the "onus" squarely on City Council to either make additional cuts or dive more deeply into reserves. 

Anyone taking bets?

Mayor Jere Wood, in conjunction with Mayor Pro-tem Jerry Orlans, who is now responsible for both the Administration and the Finance Departments, has placed the “onus” on Roswell City Council to do what Mr. Orlans’ high priced talent has failed to do and that is to produce a balanced budget.

During the first preliminary FY2011 budget session on March 29th, the Mayor's budget presentation appeared to reflect some semblance of a balance between revenues and expenditures, but that was a ruse.  Mayor Wood’s and Mayor Pro-tem Jerry Orlans’ budget failed to include but a pittance of funds for the preservation of city assets --- assets that are truly owned by the taxpayers of Roswell.

This preliminary budget did not include one penny for road resurfacing which historically averaged $1.8 million annually.  This preliminary budget included but a token  $1.3 million for the upkeep of the entire City of Roswell.  In the last two years similar expenditures to maintain city assets totaled  $7.5 million and  $10.5 million, respectively.

Roswell City Council is now faced with the unenviable task of cutting expenditures or diving more deeply into reserves to the tune of $5 million AT A MINIMUM.

The latter choice will result in a tax increase by the end of  FY2013 in order to protect the city’s AAA bond rating.

Lee Fleck, Roswell

GEORGIA NOT SELECTED AS A PHASE ONE WINNER OF RACE TO THE TOP FUNDS

Dear Editor:

It is unfortunate that Georgia was not named a winner for Race to the Top funds, but I know we are well positioned to be in contention for the next round of funding. We will take the U.S. Department of Education's suggestions and work on perfecting those parts of the application for Phase Two. For seven years, Georgia has been focused on the very issues called for in the Race to the top application. With a third place finish, it is clear that we had a very strong application and I look forward to working with our partners on making our next attempt even better for the students of Georgia.

Kathy Cox, Georgia Superintendent of Schools

A CALL TO ACTION

I will be attending the local Roswell North Fulton & Friends TEA Party rally on the old Roswell Square on Wednesday April 14, 2010.  You may ask why I would do this.  That is a fair question.

My concern for this country centers on the United States Constitution and our federal government governing according to that document.  There was a time in the past when we were required to take a social studies course that included the study of our constitution and how it worked.  That study seems to have disappeared from our schools and has been gone for a very long time. The result is that the general public does not know what is in that important document. I would quote one of the Founding Fathers . . . "Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom." (John Adams)  It the responsibility of each of us, to insure that our children and grandchildren know about that document, its contents and the importance to our way of life and our freedoms.  We should not concede that responsibility to the school system or anyone else. 

My focus these days is on the 1st amendment (freedom of speech), the 2nd (right to keep and bear arms) here again a Founding Father quote . . . "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government" (Thomas Jefferson), and the 10th . . . powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states by the constitution of the United States are reserved to the states or the people . . . "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”(Lord Acton British Historian).

Those three amendments are being ignored or worse - run over by those in Washington.

This country has a long and rich history of open, free and at times raucous debate to resolve our political differences and challenges.  We also have a history of addressing our political differences at the polls by voting.  

These tea party groups are a prime example of a non violent gathering of every day citizens,  speaking their minds and making their voices heard by our elected officials at all levels from local city government to the house and senate in Washington, D.C.

Your call to action is please join me on April 14th, bring a neighbor and see how representative government works in a free and independent republic. OLD ROSWELL CITY SQUARE starting at 11:30 A.M. 

Your obedient servant,

Richard G. Freeman, Alpharetta

Dear Beacon,

I'm sure many of you have seen and heard the news about my position against Governor Perdue's planned lawsuit against the new healthcare reform law.  I would like to take a moment to share with you what has happened and why I made this decision.

The Governor asked me to file suit against the United States to block the new law signed last week by President Obama, asserting his belief that it is unconstitutional.  As is my duty as Attorney General, I reviewed his request and the new law.  I informed the Governor that I saw no constitutional issues with the law and that any lawsuit against it would certainly fail. As such, it would be frivolous and a waste of hard earned taxpayer dollars.

I know there is a diversity of opinion about the new healthcare law, and that it is the subject of vigorous debate here in Georgia and around the nation.  When legislation as momentous as healthcare reform is debated and enacted, that is to be expected, and even encouraged.  I do not believe, however, that our democracy is well served by having high ranking government officials filing suits to invalidate laws they disagree with when they know those lawsuits will fail.

You have likely heard some complaints about my decision, with some Republican members of the Georgia House of Representatives even talking about impeaching me.  As Attorney General, I make decisions based on the Constitutions of the United States and of Georgia, as well as our statutory laws.  This decision is no different, and I stand by it. 

Now that healthcare reform has passed, I plan to play a constructive role in implementing it and improving it as necessary.  I stand ready to do everything I can as Governor to make sure that we do our best to make it work well for Georgians.  I hope my fellow candidates and elected officials - whatever they think about the new law - will join me in that commitment. 

As a member of the General Assembly, I had the opportunity to take a leading role in the passage of our lottery and the HOPE Scholarship program.  I remember those proposals prompted vigorous debate, and strong opposition from those who doubted the wisdom of a lottery and the feasibility of HOPE.  We passed it, and we made adjustments to it as necessary in subsequent years.  The program has been such a smashing success that I like to say I now have a hard time finding a politician from those days who was against it!

Let's work together to make sure that we will be saying the same in coming years about healthcare reform.

Thurbert Baker, Ga Attorney General, Candidate for Governor

PLEASE WEAR YOUR HELMET

I feel so helpless here on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  I am not in the know on politics or how to make a difference with bicycle safety.  My family took spring break vacation in Seagrove Beach this year and met up with half of Roswell and North Fulton on the Beach.  Even our director of transportation was only two streets over from me.  Who knew! But you can imagine the strength it took for me to keep quiet as hundreds to thousands of kids and adult took to the bike paths and sidewalks on their beach cruisers and of course without a helmet.  I was smiling though as I saw what Roswell could do if we had the same paths for kids to ride and walk to school and to the park or dining establishments.  But all this glee was shattered on Tuesday as a 15 yr old boy from John’s Creek was struck by a car and was in critical condition last I heard.  No he wasn’t wearing a helmet.  He was with his mother riding to some destination when the accident occurred.  I can imagine the feeling his mother went through as I too was with my child when he was hit.   I felt so empty knowing I couldn’t change what had happened.  I am still thinking and praying everyday about the boy and his family and hope that this incident has changed a few peoples opinion about wearing a helmet.

I hope as we enter the warmer season and kids get out on their bikes that parents remember Georgia has a helmet law and if you aren’t 16 you must wear a helmet even in your driveway according to the law.  I also hope that our local law enforcement will take this law seriously as they are to protect our citizens and ensure they know the law about wearing a bicycle helmet.  A parent knowingly allowing a child to ride a bike without a helmet could be charged with child endangerment.  Like riding on the trail with your child and neither are wearing a helmet, this is would be one such situation.

I hope parents remember that kids do what they see their parents doing.  So wearing a helmet is a great example to set. Besides helmet hair makes some great facebook pictures for discussion.

Eric Broadwell, VP Bike Roswell