Steve Brown: Fayette's comeback kid

The election results are in. Everybody at the office is talking about the man who picked himself up from past political defeat and won a convincing victory Tuesday.

And no, we're not discussing Roy Barnes.

Steve Brown is Fayette's version of the comeback kid. Just a few years after voters swept him out of the office of mayor of Peachtree City and then blocked his attempt to represent the county in the Georgia General Assembly, Brown has managed to unseat once popular Commission Chairman Jack Smith on Fayette's most powerful local governing authority.

Turnout was fairly low, as expected, but Brown bested the incumbent by nearly 1,000 votes.

So how did Brown do it? I don't claim to have all of the answers, but I will offer a few theories. First off, it's been several years since Brown held office. In this race, Smith was the clear incumbent / establishment candidate. Usually incumbency is a great asset, but in the era of the Tea Party, it has grown into a burden -- just ask Cyndi Plunkett and Steve Boone over in Peachtree City.

Secondly, Brown successfully attached Smith to the most unpopular local public works project in recent memory. The West Fayetteville Bypass was not Smith's brainchild. He did not divert funds from elsewhere to build it. But he did not stop its construction and that probably hurt him with some voters.

The overwhelming rejection of the SPLOST renewal in 2009 was as close to a referendum on the bypass as we're going to see. Tuesday's vote was in some ways round two of the bypass referendum.

Another factor that may have helped Brown was his decision to go negative early and often. As a regular columnist on the 'anything goes' editorial pages and blogs of Fayette's other newspaper, Brown attacked the bypass project for months before he jumped into the race. He railed against public transportation coming to Fayette -- managing to link that concept with Smith's work on the Atlanta Regional Commission. And he attacked Smith for being a board member of a local bank.

The repetition may have worked, but the key was Brown's choice of angles of attack. He went after an extremely unpopular road project, banks (think Wall Street) and MARTA.

Can you think of three things the average Fayette voter dislikes more than the West Fayetteville Bypass, Wall Street bailouts and the idea of having a MARTA bus terminal in Peachtree City?

By choosing the right buttons to push, Brown had people agreeing with him. It then became easier for folks to forget about the reasons why they voted against him in the past.

And it also helped that Smith is not comfortable as a campaigner. He hesitated to respond to Brown's attacks. He kept his advertisements positive. When he finally did come out swinging to defend himself, it may have been too late.

Smith failed to fully embrace the bypass. I can't say if that was a good move or not.

I, for one, see a need for the road. Fayette must establish a conduit for new growth. Without some steady, controlled residential growth, we're going to turn into a high-tax retirement community. But, Smith never described the bypass as a 'Central Parkway for future growth' as Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele has called it. (Brown also uses the term 'Central Parkway'. He has said he sees no problem with the road being built, but he does not want taxpayer money funding it. He believes it should be modeled after Peachtree Parkway, wherein subdivision developers pay for the road once the economy picks up).

Smith was very popular two years ago. In 2008, voters gave his team a stamp of approval by electing three commissioners with similar ideas and platforms.

Just two years ago, the Harold Bost / Greg Dunn / Peter Pfieffer branch of the local Republican Party looked like it had been supplanted for good.

But then the Tea Parties and their anti-incumbent fervor took hold in Fayette. Construction began on the bypass. A County Commissioner was arrested for possession of marijuana and remained on the board.

Suddenly, it became much harder to get credit for navigating the county through a painful recession without raising taxes or drastically cutting services.

Brown took advantage of the right situation and played his cards superbly. Voters have awarded him with another chance -- something that seemed very unlikely just a few years ago.

I look forward to working with Steve Brown, and I hope he excels in his new role.

At the same time, I have really enjoyed working with Jack Smith and I'm thankful for his years of service. Like both Brown and Smith, I just want what's best for Fayette County. Let's see where things go from here...

We can’t put it off any longer... time to vote

Where oh where have all the voters gone? According to the county elections office, only 1,125 Fayette residents cast ballots during the first five weeks of early voting for the July 20 primaries.
As elections superintendent Tom Sawyer put it, “That’s the number we usually see in a day in some of our busy election years.”

Fayette typically boasts a turnout rate far above the state average. So what is keeping us from the polls this cycle?

There are several theories floating around the office here at Fayette Newspapers. One is that folks just aren’t used to voting in the summer. People are on vacation and so are their minds. Congress and the Supreme Court are both in recess. The Tea Parties have simmered down a bit and many typical voters just aren’t that interested.

Another theory has to do with the length of the ballot itself. With a huge slate of statewide offices up for grabs and not a lot of familiar incumbents running for re-election, voters are feeling overwhelmed. For instance, those of us taking Republican ballots this time around have to choose one of nine candidates for Insurance Commissioner, and that’s just one of many crowded down-ballot races.

And finally, the television presence has been subdued -- at least until this week. With fundraising down across the board, many campaigns have been saving their precious few TV. ad dollars for the home stretch. Maybe now that we’re being bombarded with ads, we’ll actually get out and vote.
I think there’s some truth to all three of those explanations.

However, it also does not help that at the top of the tickets, neither side boasts a particularly energizing figure. While Roy Barnes has name recognition as a former governor, he has excited Democrats not because he’s bringing great new ideas to the table. Folks are reluctantly getting back onboard the old Roy train because he looks like he has a decent shot at winning -- especially when compared to the seven Republican challengers who are currently pummelling each other to face him.

The governor candidates on the GOP side leave a whole lot to be desired.
A year and a half ago, it looked like the Republican primary for governor would be the heavyweight title bout for the keys to the Mansion on West Paces Ferry.

But then our popular Congressman Lynn Westmoreland decided not to run. Shortly after, Georgia’s powerful Lt. Governor Casey Cagle dropped out of the race.

None of the remaining frontrunners -- Former Sec. of State Karen Handel, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, Former State Senator Eric Johnson and Former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal -- have managed to pull away from the pack.

All four have battled ethics problems on the campaign trail and three of the four have gone decidedly negative with their campaign ads.

I’ll give Eric Johnson credit for doing his best to remain above the childish mud-slinging, but it’s awfully hard for me to get excited about a candidate who once staked his political future on the terribly short-sighted education “solution” of school vouchers. Johnson also gave disgraced former House Speaker Glen Richardson a free pass as head of the Joint House and Senate Ethics Committee.

The polls close Tuesday at 7 p.m. It’s time to hold my nose and choose one of the four frontrunners, or go with one of the dark horses.

Of the three also-rans, State Rep. Jeff Chapman has the best shot at pulling off an upset. I don’t necessarily agree with everything the earnest Brunswick native has said on the campaign trail, but he is the one true competent, ethics-championing outsider in this race.
I’m leaning toward Chapman today, but I haven’t completely made up my mind.

And for those completely disgusted with the field of candidates the Republicans have lined up for the state’s top office, there’s always Otis Putnam. Also a native of Brunswick, Mr. Putnam listed his job as “Walmart” on his qualifying papers. An everyman outsider with little support outside of his own extended family, Putnam is improbably still in this race. Even if he pulls in just a couple thousand votes, the party leaders in this state should get the message. Putnam is this cycle’s protest vote.

Still, the key is to get out and actually vote. Who we choose next week will directly impact our lives -- especially when it comes to the local offices.

I don’t think it is all that widely known that three important local positions will be decided in this Republican Primary. July 20 will be our only chance to vote for two county commission seats and one school board post. None of those three races have Democratic challengers in the fall. Even if you leave all of the other fields blank, ask for a Republican primary ballot Tueday and help decide who will lead our county for the next four years.

This election should be about planning for Fayette’s future

The polls are open from now until July 20 and Fayette has some important decisions to make. Two county commission posts and one school board position are up for grabs.

The county is staring down a host of major challenges, many of which have barely been mentioned in all of the campaign rhetoric about ‘roads to nowhere’ and ‘who voted for TDK when’ and ‘so-and-so just loves MARTA and/or kudzu-munching goats.’

The big, very gray elephant in the room is the demographics of the county itself. According to the 2009 Census estimate, Fayette’s once steady growth has ground to a halt. And the people here are getting older at a rapid rate.

Our quality of life, schools and public safety remain superb, but the demand for Fayette exceptionalism seems to be dwindling. The out-of-control prices of the pre-recession real estate bubble pushed young families out to more affordable growing communities like Coweta -- the same types of young families who had been settling in Fayette during the early to mid-‘90s.

The school board planned for continued growth, but the nearly empty Rivers Elementary School and the dozens of empty classrooms throughout the district stand out as very physical reminders of what the future potentially holds.

In metro Atlanta, only Clayton County’s growth rate is now slower than Fayette’s. That may seem like a blessing for those of us who enjoy the county’s rural feel, but it presents a host of unique challenges.

Without demand for housing, property values will continue to slide -- even after the recession’s affects fade. With a booming senior population, Fayette will see more and more households graduate to fixed retirement incomes. This will obviously change the nature of Fayette’s business community. If current trends continue, sales taxes will keep shrinking in over-retailed Fayetteville. Coweta’s growth in the Senoia and Thomas Crossroads areas will suck taxes and investment out of the county on the other end (i.e: the new Sam’s Club going in a stone’s throw from the county line).

As sales go down, stores will close. As tax receipts slide, services will either be cut or property taxes will need to be raised. We’re seeing that this year in Peachtree City, where city staff has made it clear that the dire five year budget outlook has more to do with the city approaching build-out than it does with the economic downturn.

Restoring a healthy level of growth is not a cure-all for Fayette’s challenges, but growth does provide a margin of error.

With a constantly increasing tax base, it is relatively easy to provide the infrastructure and services to accommodate new residents. Once the growth goes away, the taxpayers are still paying for that infrastructure, but resources are suddenly very limited.

The school board and county commission candidates who will be receiving my vote this summer are the ones who have solid plans to both restore modest levels of growth and simultaneously confront the challenge of transitioning Fayette to a mature, sustainable community capable of thriving with a large senior population.

The six locals in the contested primary races have until July 20 to convince me and others that they are the right leaders for this difficult time.

The age of the bedroom scandal

Here's a quick trivia question: Aside from being famous American politicians, what do Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton have in common?

They were all well known for having relationships with women other than their wives. The fact that only the last name on the list faced real public scrutiny for his indiscretions says a lot about how our society and media have changed over the past few decades.

Once upon a time, corruption and criminality were the harbingers of shame and political ruin. People cared little about the sin of adultery, which has no chance of leading to a grand jury indictment.

Hamilton, the guy on the $10 bill, once published a lengthy pamphlet to clear his name from political scandal. In it, he conceded "an irregular and indelicate amour" in order to refute the "more heinous charge" of being extorted by his mistress' husband. His bedroom sin was a secondary concern.

Of course, if Hamilton were alive today, he would face the same media scrutiny that Mark Sanford, Glen Richardson, Eliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton and others know so well.

These days, a bedroom scandal is more damaging to a recognized political figure than nearly any other form of misconduct.

Lewis Lapham tackles this topic in depth with his excellent essay titled "Doing the Laundry" (Harper's Magazine, May 2010).

Lapham argues that the focus on the personal lives of politicians is keeping some of the most qualified among us from running for office.

"Given the constant croaking of the blogs that live in hope of catching flies, any politician old enough to know that he hasn't led a blameless life must also know that sooner or later the National Enquirer will empty a chamber pot on his head," Lapham wrote.

"Which means that the only people likely to stand for public office will be those as self-deluded as John Edwards and Sarah Palin."

National coverage of the 2012 election cycle clearly demonstrates the type of flies the mainstream media is trying to catch.

Here in Georgia, we have two men running for governor who have been accused of serious ethics violations, which could lead to indictments.

Front-runner John Oxendine has been accused of accepting $120,000 in illegal campaign donations from 10 loosely connected political action committees tied to a Georgia insurance baron.

Nathan Deal, who resigned from Congress to run for governor, stepped down just as House Ethics Committee investigators were digging into whether the Republican illegally used his influence to steer state contracts to a salvage company he owns.

Neither of these stories have gained traction outside of Georgia and both candidates appear to be unfazed. Their poll numbers remain strong.

What has garnered the national spotlight is the allegation that South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley took part in a pair of extramarital affairs.

Despite the scandal, Haley defeated the other three Republican candidates by a wide margin Tuesday and nearly avoided a runoff.

Perhaps the voters in Mark Sanford's home state are more concerned with voting records, platforms and proposals than the alleged details of a candidate's sex life.

Records, platforms and actual criminal scandals are what the media should focus on as well.

SB 1070 is working, though not necessarily as intended

I have to give the Arizona state government some credit... Senate Bill 1070 is working.

For those of you who have been hiding under rocks for the past month or two, SB 1070 is Arizona's extremely controversial new illegal immigration crackdown, known as the 'Papers Please' law.

Some folks, especially some staunch conservatives, see nothing wrong with the actual language of the bill.

I tend to agree with the others, like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Republican former Governor Jeb Bush, who believe SB 1070 is a Constitutionally-flawed boondoggle of a law that could lead to widespread racial profiling, intensely divided communities and extremely over-burdened local police forces.

However, I also believe the law is doing some good -- namely forcing the Federal Government and the nation to address the problem of illegal immigration, especially as it affects border states like Arizona.

President Obama ordered 1,200 National Guard Troops to the border just this week -- something Arizona has requested for years.

After all, it was the murder of an Arizona border rancher that helped push SB 1070 through that state's general assembly.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder held a conference with law enforcement officials from several major cities, including Phoenix, to discuss immigration issues and solutions. Since SB 1070 was signed, the topic of illegal immigration has shot up the Federal Justice Department's list of priorities.

During a Texas convention Tuesday, former president George W. Bush said it was a tactical error on his part to not tackle immigration reform after he won re-election in 2004.

The former Commander in Chief pushed for comprehensive immigration reform during his first term, but failed to win the support of Congress. Bush, who is famous for asking observers to 'let history judge' his presidency, lists his immigration reform failure as one of his few regrets.

Recent reports out of Congress seem to indicate that both sides of the aisle are warming to the idea of taking up comprehensive immigration reform sooner rather than later.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, a group of Republicans were intent on forcing a vote on sending more guard troops to the border prior to Obama's executive order.

All this and SB 1070 is still just a stack of papers... Remember, the actual provisions of SB 1070 have not yet become law. Even without legal challenges, that wouldn't occur until late this summer. But, the lawsuits are already mounting and it will take time for SB 1070 to work through the courts. 'Papers Please' won't be in practice in Arizona any time soon, if ever.

Yet, the controversial law has effectively kick-started real reform debate on illegal immigration, something our country has needed for years.

And one final thought: SB 1070 is doing a fine job stirring things up on its own. We don't need a copycat law in Georgia. Copycat SB 1070s will only lead to massive legal fees, protests and boycotts burdened by us, Georgia's taxpayers.

To Governor hopefuls Nathan Deal, Eric Johnson, Karen Handel and John Oxendine: I am not impressed.

During a forum last week, all four candidates said that if elected, they will push for a law similar to SB 1070 in the Peach State. I'll remember those foolhardy promises when I step up to the voting machine this summer and fall.