Maddox and Denson fail to respond
11-08-2009
A few weeks ago, I called upon Charlie Maddox to clarify his vague platform to give the citizens of Athens more insight into his plans for improving Athens if elected in November 2010. The Maddox Campaign did not respond to me directly, however, within one week, Maddox added a few lines to his online platform.
“My approach to economic development begins with understanding several simple ideas. 1) Not all businesses are suited for our county. 2) There are people who specialize in economic development that are more adept at recruiting industry than non-professionals and 3) Economic development is a long term investment that should be made in a long term vision.”
“My Economic development plan is simple. I will ask the right people to create a strategy to bring this city the types of jobs we want. I will then do my utmost to see that the right people have the tools and support to bring this strategy to fruition.”
The information that was added to his platform clearly shows that Charlie Maddox is not ready to lead. Many of you remember that Charlie used the same broken rhetoric against incumbent Heidi Davison in the 2006 mayoral election. Charlie still believes that he can simply snap his fingers and bring thousands of new jobs to Athens - this misleading information is nothing short of a fantasy. Charlie obviously does not understand what makes our city vibrant and will take Athens back in time to the previous “business-only” mentality that ignores our citizens, environment, quality of life, and neighborhoods.
Charlie is not the only candidate who is failing to respond to the people - Nancy Denson is also keeping silent on the issues. Nancy is sticking to an agenda that consists of lower taxes, budget preparation, neighborhoods, and senior citizens. Nancy states on her website, “It is early in the Mayoral campaign and issues will arise that I need to address.”
Well, Nancy, there are many issues at hand right now in Athens that you are failing to address. Let’s take crime for example. She also goes on to address her visitors “I know I work for you and hope my performance over the past thirty years has earned your confidence.” I will admit that Nancy has earned my trust for her long hours, hard work, and dedication to being a successful Tax Commissioner; however, she is now running for Mayor, not re-election.
The Athens-Clarke County charter restricts the Mayor from making a lot of tough decisions, but it is irresponsible for a candidate to ignore the importance of the issues affecting Athens. The next Mayor of Athens needs to be a hands-on leader who keeps a strong relationship with all those who make decisions and should voice their opinion at the stint of opposition to encourage progress.
It is up to the citizens of Athens-Clarke County to hold both Charlie and Nancy responsible for keeping their silence on issues such as crime, open government and transparency, transportation, citizen involvement, quality of life, and our environment. It is the duty of those running for leadership positions to inform the community of their intentions, and failing to do so is a direct reflection on their capabilities as an elected official.
Help me to urge both of these candidates to speak on the issues that are being ignored.
11-08-2009
A few weeks ago, I called upon Charlie Maddox to clarify his vague platform to give the citizens of Athens more insight into his plans for improving Athens if elected in November 2010. The Maddox Campaign did not respond to me directly, however, within one week, Maddox added a few lines to his online platform.
“My approach to economic development begins with understanding several simple ideas. 1) Not all businesses are suited for our county. 2) There are people who specialize in economic development that are more adept at recruiting industry than non-professionals and 3) Economic development is a long term investment that should be made in a long term vision.”
“My Economic development plan is simple. I will ask the right people to create a strategy to bring this city the types of jobs we want. I will then do my utmost to see that the right people have the tools and support to bring this strategy to fruition.”
The information that was added to his platform clearly shows that Charlie Maddox is not ready to lead. Many of you remember that Charlie used the same broken rhetoric against incumbent Heidi Davison in the 2006 mayoral election. Charlie still believes that he can simply snap his fingers and bring thousands of new jobs to Athens - this misleading information is nothing short of a fantasy. Charlie obviously does not understand what makes our city vibrant and will take Athens back in time to the previous “business-only” mentality that ignores our citizens, environment, quality of life, and neighborhoods.
Charlie is not the only candidate who is failing to respond to the people - Nancy Denson is also keeping silent on the issues. Nancy is sticking to an agenda that consists of lower taxes, budget preparation, neighborhoods, and senior citizens. Nancy states on her website, “It is early in the Mayoral campaign and issues will arise that I need to address.”
Well, Nancy, there are many issues at hand right now in Athens that you are failing to address. Let’s take crime for example. She also goes on to address her visitors “I know I work for you and hope my performance over the past thirty years has earned your confidence.” I will admit that Nancy has earned my trust for her long hours, hard work, and dedication to being a successful Tax Commissioner; however, she is now running for Mayor, not re-election.
The Athens-Clarke County charter restricts the Mayor from making a lot of tough decisions, but it is irresponsible for a candidate to ignore the importance of the issues affecting Athens. The next Mayor of Athens needs to be a hands-on leader who keeps a strong relationship with all those who make decisions and should voice their opinion at the stint of opposition to encourage progress.
It is up to the citizens of Athens-Clarke County to hold both Charlie and Nancy responsible for keeping their silence on issues such as crime, open government and transparency, transportation, citizen involvement, quality of life, and our environment. It is the duty of those running for leadership positions to inform the community of their intentions, and failing to do so is a direct reflection on their capabilities as an elected official.
Help me to urge both of these candidates to speak on the issues that are being ignored.
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