Fayette voters should say ‘No’ to Hearn, TSPLOST, pro-tax RINOs
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - 4:49pm
Submitted by Letters to the ...
Submitted by Letters to the ...
This July 31st Fayette County, along with all Georgia voters will head to the polls to vote on a proposed regional transportation sales tax. Politicians from both major political parties are salivating at the idea of yet another funding source for their Soviet-style centralized planning schemes.
And it seems that the upcoming transportation tax vote has one benefit — exposing the big government, pro-tax RINOs in our midst.
While campaigning this past weekend, Lee Hearn passed out campaign cards. The back of the card reads:
“Lee’s Priorities Continue to Be
“Manage Our Tax Dollars Wisely
“Support Our Sheriff to Fight Crime
“Support Our Municipal Partners
“Support Smart Growth
“Support Transportation Improvements”
Commissioner Hearn’s card says it all.
Commissioner Hearn’s priorities are to continue with business as usual, wasting the citizens’ tax dollars.
He says, “Manage Our Tax Dollars Wisely.” By using the word “our” Commissioner Hearn is leaving the citizens out as he always does. It is the citizens’ tax dollars.
Commissioner Hearn voted to raise the tax rate last year even while the citizens are having a hard time financially. He voted to impose a stormwater fee on all the citizens, businesses and churches in Fayette County. Is he asking to be re-elected so he can continue this behavior?
Commissioner Hearn states, “Support Smart Growth.” Correct me [but] isn’t that an Agenda 21 term? Mr. Hearn wants to change the face of our county with high density housing and government controlled development of the county. This is apparent by the plans for the West Fayetteville Neighborhood.
“Support Transportation Improvements.” Again this sounds like an Agenda 21. Also note, he uses “transportation” not road improvements or traffic improvement. I guess Mr. Hearn wants transit in Fayette County. He supports the TSPLOST transportation referendum.
Here are some questions you may want to ask:
1. The TSPLOST projects list has some ultra-expensive projects that are only partially funded. Does the region plan to build a quarter of these projects and leave them unfinished and useless? Or, if the region plans to complete these projects, how will they be paid for without coming back to taxpayers for even larger future tax increases?
2. Some of these projects will require large future operating and maintenance costs with no identified long-term future funding source to pay for these expenses. How can these expenses be paid without additional large future tax increases?
3. The pro-TSPLOST people keep trying to scare people into voting for the TSPLOST by saying that there is no “Plan B,” but the TIA legislation provides that if any region votes against the tax, the region can then put together a better projects list and bring it back to the voters in two years. Isn’t that a Plan B?
We need to vote NO on the transportation tax on July 31st and hold our public servants accountable to their actions while in office.
Get the truth out about this tax: www.traffictruth.net/TrafficTruth_TSPLOST_Fact_Sheet_22April12.pdf.
P.S. Special interest groups are literally spending MILLIONS of dollars on advertising in an effort to dupe citizens into voting for this tax.
Randy C. Ognio
Candidate for Commissioner Post 3
Fayetteville, Ga.
Fri, 05/25/2012 - 10:54pm
#2
Lee Hearn Campaigning?
Can't believe that Mr. Hearn is campaigning. He has stated that "the West Fayetteville Bypass is my baby." Two other commissioners who publicly supported it were defeated in 2010, and Commission Chairman Frady, who also supported it, is retiring.
The link Mr. Ognio cited above is well worth perusing for those who want to see the real facts on the TSPLOST.
My hat is off to Commissioner Steve Brown and Tea Party Co-chairman, Bob Ross for an outstanding performance at the Canton TSPLOST debates last Tuesday night. They received many compliments from the attendees. The ARC representative said that he learned a lot from Steve and Bob that he didn't know, and would take it back to his superiors.
The State Representative at the debate said that the TSPLOST is illegal, and he is having his attorneys review it. From what I gleaned, the Beltline project which comes under TSPLOST has some other than transportation funding dollars involved that are questionable.
It sounds to me like Agenda 21 is Hearns "hidden agenda."
The terms, "Sustainable Development, Support Smart Growth, and Support Transportation Improvements" are all straight from the U.N. Treaty Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development as well as West Fayetteville Neighborhoods information provided to our local newspapers. The West Fayetteville Neighborhoods development plan was "jointly funded by the Fayette County Development Authority and the City of Fayetteville."
"The FCDA (Fayette County Development Authority) paid for two-thirds of the $20,000 study, while Fayetteville paid the remaining one-third."
As Randy Ognio correctly states, all of that is absolutely "government controlled development of the county." However, this is supposedly Fayette County, Ga., USA, not Fayette County, U.S.S.R.
The ever burning question I would like to ask Mr. Hearn is, "Why in the world would anyone who left Fayette County employment, under questionable circumstances, as the Public Works Director would even want to come back as a county commissioner? Mr. Hearn is not only a Fayette County Commissioner, he is also employed as the Public Works Director for the City of McDonough. Could that be construed as "double dipping?"
It is a fact that Mr. Hearn's relative, Addison Lester, sold 60 acres of the family property to the Fayette County School System for a new high school that is proposed for the West Fayetteville Neighborhoods development.
According to the Oct. 12, 2011 Citizen article titled Meet the West Fayetteville Neighborhoods, "The Lester Hamlet would be situated along Hwy. 54 between the West Fayetteville Bypass and Tyrone Road. The Lester Hamlet totals 172 acres that includes 60 acres for a potential high school, 18 acres of parks and 4.5 acres of pasture along Ga. Highway 54."
As Mr. Hearn says in a YouTube video, "I'm a road guy." During his 3 1/2 year tenure as a county commissioner, Mr. Hearn has repeatedly said that the WFB (West Bypass) is his "baby."
Now that he has consistently voted down every attempt to save Fayette taxpayers money by discontinuing Phases II and III of the W. Bypass, he is ready to move on to the East Fayetteville Bypass. I wonder if there are secret plans out there for an East Fayetteville Neighborhoods development?
PLEASE go to this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP32_Syevjg&list=UUuOHDKdPNa9F3Fo4PeFLjUw...) and watch the very short video of Mr. Hearn at work on the taxpayers.