Weakness Shored Up By Disinformation, Distraction, and Falsehoods

All sane people recognize current American politics to be a rough contest with social media allowing anonymity to further stroke the flames.   I've chosen to write this, and sign my name so there can be no doubt that I expect good governance.  Whenever leadership fails I desire change.  So here goes:

Too frequently weak candidates choose distractions, disinformation and falsehoods – one must ask the question "why?".  A logical answer is the candidate's record is weak, or the candidate wishes the distraction and disinformation to hide the candidate's flaws.

Chairman Ahrens and his supporters claim through campaign mailers that his opponent, Jackie Archer, missed many meetings while serving the citizens of Holly Springs.  Mrs. Archer did miss council meetings as a result of undergoing chemo for cancer; she has made no secret of the cause for missing the council meetings prior to Chairman Ahren’s mailer.   I for one am glad she chose the cancer treatments - I'd feel the same way if the name was Buzz Ahrens and not Jackie Archer; I just would not expect cancer to be used against Chairman Ahrens.  The assertion of missing council meetings is disinformation due to leaving out of the circumstances.  I suspect a School Board Chair, Sheriff, and State Senator appearing on the same mailer endorsing Mr. Ahrens might feel a bit uncomfortable learning why Archer missed the meetings. 

  Mr. Ahrens made a second claim in his mailer, “The truth is the recycling deal was signed by the previous chair before Chairman Ahrens took office.”  I have read closely the September 2007 “Authorization of Intergovernmental Solid Waste Contract.” and the assertion is false.  In South Georgia we called it lieing - but being in politically correct Cherokee County I have to use the term falsehood or risk being pillared [another term learned since moving to Cherokee County in '89].  The contract committing the County to guarantee the loan was signed by former Commissioner Hubbard and Chairman Buzz Ahrens.  The document I believe Mr. Ahrens would misdirect us to is a lease agreement signed in 2005; "This Lease Agreement...expires in 24 months".  There is a world of legal difference between a lease agreement and a contract.  Buzz Ahrens signed the contract that condemned us to guarantee an $18.1 million dollar loan on an asset found to be worth less than half that amount.  Indeed, the forsenic audit notes there is no documentation as expected showing due diligence was performed in 2007 by the commissioners.  Chalk the assertion by Mr. Ahrens up to falsehood.

The mailer also touts that Chairman Ahrens helped create 3,000 jobs in Cherokee County.  My Wife asked me; "Is that all since 2007?"  That is not much in the way of job creation while Mr.Ahrens touts his executive management skills honed during his years in China creating jobs in China.  No doubt Rubbermaid has been successful, but the claim of 3,000 jobs created in Cherokee County by Mr. Ahrens seems - well just puny. 

I'm not a republican, but I did venture onto the local party website and noted an effort was made to vet candidates in an effort to allow citizens to learn about the candidates for various offices before voting.   The website states Chairman Buzz Ahrens – “declined interview.”  The Fifth Amendment allows folks to not incriminate themselves - so I guess politicians with a weak campaign can avoid their own party's vetting process.  By the way - I'm not a democrat, either.

 I desire change in how the County manages itself.  I desire a new Board of Commissioner Chairman.  I don’t think Jackie Archer is perfect – but she has not run a campaign rooted in distractions, dis-information, and falsehoods.  I suggest we elect Mrs. Archer AND hold her accountable to us at a minimum of the same leave we are holding Buzz Ahrens accountable for his "leadership".

Phil McCall

Woodstock, Georgia