Candidates Tackle Questions on Education, Business

The seven Powder Springs citizens running for three spots on the city’s legislative body gathered at Thursday night for a candidate forum before roughly 150 people. Below are the candidates, the questions that were asked by moderators and citizens, and the candidates’ responses in the order of who responded.

Mayor: Paul Moore, L. Rick Richardson, and incumbent Pat Vaughn

Post 1 at-large council member: incumbent Rosalyn Neal, and Rick Perry

Post 2 at-large council member: incumbent Tom Bevirt, and Chris Wizner

• The first question was from a student on whether or not the city would be getting a skate park (see attached video).

• The second question was from moderator Michael Rhett and was how the candidates would assist in the city’s economic development (see attached video).

• Next, Rhett asked: What ideas do you have for enriching the lives of our youth in the community?

Richardson said the current budget has $54,458 for senior citizens, and the 2012 budget has $42,100—meanwhile, neither budget has money for youth development.

“Our senior citizens are very important. They’re our past—they’re preserving our past. … But our youth, they’re our future,” the former police chief said.

He suggested setting up more youth programs—specifically anti-bullying ones—and providing more things for kids to do.

Moore suggested a mentoring program that would “keep them off of the street.” Kids should also understand math and reading, he said. 

Bevirt said college might not necessarily be for everyone, noting how some go for just one or two years and run up debt.

“There is a terrible need for people who can work with their good-old hands—electricians, carpenters, mechanics, auto industry. That’s called shop, and some of you remember how we used to have that in public schools to where people would learn that.”

To reinstate shop into curriculums, Bevirt suggested the city work with the school board.

Perry noted how No Child Left Behind and CRCTs can sometimes hinder education. He also noted: “(Principal Jerry) Dority and her staff do a wonderful job here (at Tapp). Our schools and our students are the most important things to us, and we need to make sure that they attend the schools that are in their community so our community can grow.”

Neal said: “Well-educated and civic-minded children become the citizens of tomorrow and will determine the direction of Powder Springs for years to come.”

She noted how the council has a school liaison in Councilwoman Cheryl Sarvis. She also said these things are important: honoring students and teachers before council meetings, recognizing teachers of the year, reading to elementary students, and encouraging parents to get involved and volunteer.

Vaughn described how the city and the county joined together in grants to pay for the  to give students a place to go after school and in the summertime. 

The mayor described how has money for improvements on and .

“But we want to be a part, this year, of mentoring to the youth,” she added.

Wizner said he wants teachers to have the “freedom to teach our kids again.” He said that some parents need to take more responsibility for their kids' behavior.

He added that there are many activities in the city for children already, like church groups and Scout programs.

• The first question from a citizen wasn’t really a question but rather a statement. The woman discussed a problem she had with her water bill (see attached video). “We have a problem inside of , and we need a change,” she said.

• Next, a Tapp and mother said: “I have neighbors, I have friends who have moved out of this area so their kids can go to , so their kids can go to . So they look at me and think I’m weird because I want to keep my kids here. So my question is what is your goal to help build the schools, help encourage people to stay?”

Richardson said there hasn’t been a city liaison with the schools, and he’d like to establish one.

Vaughn corrected the former chief by saying Sarvis has been the liaison for two years. “But you know what,” she added, “one of the biggest things that we can do is to stop this information about the schools being bad. I am so proud of Tapp Middle School and our schools.”

Perry told the woman: “I feel your pain,” noting that he also has a daughter at Tapp and a son at Varner. “There have been problems in the past, I understand—a lot of bullying going on,” he said. When Dority took over as principal, he added, many problems went away and the school has made gains academically.

• The next citizen asked about why, when his mom died, he had to have a deed to get the water bill changed to his name. An assistant moderator said that question would be more for a city department head and asked for the next citizen to ask a question. Some in the audience butted in by saying: “That was a question,” but it wasn’t addressed by the candidates.

• The next question was directed at Richardson—the first one concerning the alleged that led to (see attached video). The man, with a piece of paper in hand, said he was holding the sales agreement Richardson approved, and it had the former chief’s personal letterhead and authorizing signature.

“If the mayor authorized it, why isn’t it on her letterhead with her name on it?” the man asked.

Richardson responded: “I had verbal permission, and I had a witness standing there, and Mayor Vaughn approved it verbally as she did most things—very few emails or anything submitting in writing.”

As a woman came up to ask the next question, Bevirt interjected: “I’m on the City Council. I know what I vote for,” he said, noting the resolution that required the police vehicles to be sold at auction. Bevirt said the three vehicles that were directly sold should have been sold at an auction for the “best price as surplus. He apparently didn’t do that.”

• The woman then continued with her question: “I’m here to ask a question about education and business. I am so not interested in police cars.” An applause followed. She said her business, , has been on Marietta Street downtown for 20 years. “I’m not a happy business owner … I want you to tell me what you’re going to do to make me stay, and to make me happy.”

Neal asked why she wasn’t happy.

The woman said small things are made into “huge problems,” her voice isn’t heard, she can’t put out signage, and Marietta Street was closed for Lewis Road construction and the streetscape. She said that since she wasn’t notified of the projects, parents had to walk their children to the daycare.

“I would like for somebody in the city to help me prosper instead of holding me back,” she said.

Vaughn responded: “Could you please explain how anyone’s holding you down.” The mayor added that the streetscape project was to make downtown more attractive.

The woman said she’d like more “leeway” regarding signage, city officials to have more of an “open door,” and for businesses to have more of a voice.

Moore said his business, , put out an 18 x 24 sign. “And Code Enforcement comes by and takes it up. And that happens all over the city. You’ve got to give people in business just a little bit of leeway.”

Richardson said he’s heard similar complaints from several other businesses. “We are not business friendly at all. Our statutes are not business friendly. That has to be addressed, or we’re going to loose the few business we have left.”

• Next, another citizen confronted Richardson about the events that led to his firing. Holding up a piece of paper, she asked why his campaign flyer was put in her mailbox in Country Walk, and how he plans to “restore trust” in the mayor’s office after allegedly giving contradictory statements while under oath in court. “You were fired because you were dishonest. … I have news for you: Our mayor has an excellent reputation for integrity and honesty,” the woman said.

Richardson said he didn’t put the flyer in her mailbox and that anyone could have put it there.

Another woman stood up and said: “I’ve been doing all his printing and I didn’t print that.”

The first woman continued to question Richardson as the moderators tried to move on to the next citizen: “Can I have an answer to that? The discrepancies in your testimonies.”

• Next, a question was asked about transparency in office.

Wizner said: You ask, I’ll answer. “You may not always like my answer. I’ll tell you now: I’m not what they call ‘politically correct’ … but I’ll tell you what I think. I’ll give you an honest answer.”

Vaughn said all the city’s meetings are open to everyone except for those conducted in executive session. She also mentioned the breakfasts held on the second Saturday of every month, which will start back up once the city finds a new location following the closure of Off the Bone BBQ.

Neal also mentioned the breakfasts and said: “You can call me 24/7 and I’ll answer your questions. You may not like it, but what you see is what you get.”

Perry said he’s new to politics. “I hope that I’m going to be very open, and I’m going to be asking the same questions that you ask.”

Bevirt noted low attendance at City Council meetings. “And that goes on week after week. Nobody has any comments or complaints or anything. There’s just nobody there.”

Moore said the breakfasts aren’t transparent enough. “Everybody can’t come to where you are” because of their work schedules. “You can’t just go to one restaurant; you need to spread it out. You need to be honest with people. You need to discuss things with people. That’s what I call being open and transparent.”

Richardson said transparency would be one of his priorities. He said he’d move the council work sessions from the City Hall conference room to the bigger council chambers in the building. He said he’d use the chambers’ recording system and minutes would be taken.

“All these questions that have come up about me … there are so many things that could’ve been answered if somebody would’ve been taking minutes at agenda meetings. And it’s not being done,” he said.

• Next, a man asked why the amounts attached to fines are increasing, and, referencing , what the candidates would do about “police brutality.”

Vaughn said she couldn’t say much about the incident, involving Sgt. Keith Moore and Lt. Vernon Bailey, because of the internal affairs investigation. Bailey has since resigned, she noted.

The man clarified he was asking about police brutality in general.

Vaughn said such incidents would be handed over to the chief of police for an internal affairs investigation to “see all sides of the story.”

About the fees, Vaughn and Bevirt said those amounts are set by a judge, not the city.

• Reverting back to education, the next citizen asked how the candidates will make sure Powder Springs schools get their “fair share.”

Vaughn said she would continue to work with the area’s school board representative, David Morgan. She said she helped from being built at “when the majority of citizens did not want that.”

Moore said he wanted to build a good relationship between schools, parents, and the Board of Education.

Richardson said he was glad to hear of the council’s school liaison, referring to Vaughn’s earlier clarification. But instead of an elected official as liaison, he said, it should be a staff member so it wouldn’t be on a “political level.”

• Next, a former employee of the city who said she still has friends in each department asked how their salaries and benefits are going to change in the future.

Richardson noted that the “good dedicated group of people” who make up the city staff haven’t had a raise in four years. ”They deserve to be looked out for. The better employees we have, the better they’re treated, (and) that’s going to be passed right on to you, the citizens,” he said, adding that moral is “extremely low.”

Moore questioned the recent decision to in the . “That money alone could hire a couple more officers and probably give the others a raise.”

Vaughn noted how the city promoted internally for one of the positions , and was created out of the vacant deputy chief of police position. Thus, both majors were already budgeted for, she said.

The mayor added: “It is true. Our employees have not had a raise in four years. Why? The property taxes are way, way down because of foreclosures, because of the loss of property values. The tax digest dropped quite a bit.”

She said city employees’ health insurance costs declined, and they would be rewarded again once the economy picks up.

She said the police department takes up all property taxes “and the rest of the city lives on fines, forfeitures, franchise fees, and things like that.” She added that the budget is “very, very tight” and the city is “doing the best that we can do.”

• The last question asked how the mayoral candidates would address in Powder Springs.

Moore said there aren’t many minority businesses in the city. “We do need a good diversity program in the city of Powder Springs.”

Richardson agreed about there not being too many minority businesses. “We do need more diversity. We need to work together more,” and have more of a diverse city staff.

Vaughn said a plan has been put in place in conjunction with Cobb County to reach out to all living in the city.

After the meeting, Vaughn announced she had copies of polygraph reports she had done in response to allegations Richardson made against her. Read the reports .