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Political Grandstanding and Micromanagement Versus Real Leadership
By Jerry | October 23, 2007
Recently, an “Open Letter to Mayor Oberholtzer” was sent to the press and myself by my opponent. In this letter, he thanks me for my support (albeit hesitant) of “his” Sexual Predator ordinance and then continued on to state that…
Snellville’s Child Protection ordinance is a fine example of what Snellville can accomplish when we have real leadership on a challenging issue,
This “real leadership” alluded to is his own in the creation of this ordinance. Unfortunately, his “leadership” on this issue is just another example of micromanagement and complete disregard for city employees that he has shown in the past four years.
In writing this ordinance, my opponent did NOT consult with city staff, and did NOT consult with our very own Police Chief! He wrote the ordinance without taking into account any additional manpower or taxpayer monies the ordinance would need to be enforceable. In addition, he did not consult with our city attorney to make sure the wording of his ordinance would stand up in court.
Because of these blatant lapses in proper procedure, I became hesitant to support the ordinance. Do not believe that my hesitations had anything to do with not being passionate to protect our city.
Protecting our community and creating a safe environment for raising a family has ALWAYS been one of my priorities here in Snellville. My record during the past 8 years will back that up. It has also been my priority to follow proper procedure and allow for the paid professional staff of our government do their job and make the best decisions for our city.
An example of an ordinance being created through the proper channels is the Anti-Gang Ordinance. In it’s creation, Chief Roy Whitehead approached the council with his concerns and recommendations regarding protecting our city from gang violence. His professionalism and expertise on the subject led to the creation of a very strong and effective ordinance that has already begun working as we had hoped.
When I was first elected as Mayor, I led the initiative to establish our government as a Council-Manager system, effectively taking the politics out of our day-to-day city government. Unfortunately, this has not stopped my opponent from creating his own legislation and by-passing our city staff when making decisions.
My opponent will have you believe his style of leadership is more effective for Snellville, but over the past eight years, the leadership from former Mayor Brett Harrell and I have helped create a solid foundation for the future of our city.
I ask for your vote on November 6th as a reassurance that only proper and experienced leadership will help Snellville grow and remain safe for our families for years to come.
Topics: Thoughts |