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LIES AND ELECTIONS (Ron Seder 2/12/98) During the Forsyth County election of 1996, two other candidates and myself ran for Forsyth County Commissioner, Post 5. Julian Bowen and I ran as Republicans and Donna Parrish ran as a Democrat. I believe Julian and Donna were running a coordinated campaign to defeat me. Donna had no chance of winning; she had lost by wide margins before. A Well-timed AttackOn the Friday before the Tuesday Primary Election, a "poison-pen" brochure about me began appearing in voters' mailboxes. Obviously the timing of the mailing was planned so as not to allow me to respond with a mailer of my own before the Primary Election. The statements made in the brochure would not have survived open and honest debate. The brochure was designed to deceive the voters with negative innuendoes, misleading statements, items taken out of context and outright lies. While not identifying an author, there was a notation on the brochure, "Paid for by the committee to elect DONNA". I have been told that Donna Parrish, Julian Bowen, Mayor Ford Gravitt, members of the Cumming City Council and others participated in the creation and/or distribution of the brochure.
Local Media Deny AccessWhen I saw the brochure on the Friday before the Tuesday Primary Election I visited the publisher of the Forsyth County News and asked to be interviewed in print concerning the false statements made in the brochure. He refused. I requested additional advertising space to publish the truth. He again refused, citing self-imposed guidelines. There was a regular Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled on the day before the Primary Election, and the meetings were being televised. Because the brochure attacked actions of the Board of Commissioners, I planned to answer the brochure at the beginning of the meeting. The cable television company failed to broadcast that meeting. They said their truck needed some maintenance. As far as I know that is the only scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting the cable television company has failed to televise since they started televising the meetings. What an amazing coincidence! Singled OutAs you know, one member of the Board of Commissioners cannot make a decision for the entire Board. All actions by the Board of Commissioners require at least three favorable votes out of five. Many Board of Commissioners decisions are passed by a unanimous vote, yet the brochure attacked only me, on many of the charges. The following are accusations taken from the brochure and my responses to them.
Brochure "DID YOU KNOW Forsyth County Commission Chairman, Ron Seder, voted for the zoning of over 10,000 building lots, 3 houses per acre?" Truth I know of no factual basis for the 10,000 quantification. Anyway, since the full statement is incorrect the number has no significance. Almost all of the residential rezonings in Forsyth County were to zoning classifications that would not allow three houses per acre. The most popular residential zoning categories allowed less than two houses per acre.
Brochure "DID YOU KNOW Forsyth County Commission Chairman, Ron Seder, voted to
spend $200,000 of your tax dollars on a study for releasing sewage into Lake Lanier? Truth It is downright dishonest to try and convince citizens I want raw sewage dumped into Lake Lanier. My wife and I live on Lake Lanier! The $200,000 spent was Forsyth County's portion of an important $1.6 million study by area counties and cities to study the problem of releasing treated sewer effluent into Lake Lanier. I have worked hard for many years trying to protect the quality and quantity of water
in Lake Lanier. I have been a member, director and president of the Lake Lanier
Association, which is dedicated to the preservation of Lake Lanier. Because of my
work for Lake Lanier, Governor Miller appointed me to be a member of the Governor's
Advisory Council for Tri-State Water Issues in January, 1992. I am still a member of
that Council. Lake Lanier is a tremendous recreational and water supply resource for Forsyth County, and others. Gwinnett County wants to discharge highly treated sewer effluent into Lake Lanier. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners recognized a continuing need for Forsyth County and others to learn how to better manage and utilize that precious Lake Lanier water resource as future needs continue to increase. However, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners disagreed with Gwinnett County’s Lake Lanier sewer effluent discharge until a comprehensive study of the lake was accomplished showing there would be no detrimental impact to the lake.
Brochure "DID YOU KNOW Forsyth County Commissioners charge county water
customers $3.54 per 1000 gallons of water? They only pay the City of Cumming $1.45
per 1000 gallons. Truth The City of Cumming buys water from the Corps of Engineers for less than
one cent per 1,000 gallons and and was wholesaling it to Forsyth County for $1.45 per
1,000 gallons. Forsyth County sold the water to its retail customers for $3.54 per 1,000
gallons.
Brochure "DID YOU KNOW Forsyth County Commission Chairman, Ron Seder, voted
for and gave the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce $75,000 per year, of your tax dollars? Truth The Chamber of Commerce promoted industrial development in Forsyth County.
For that Forsyth County paid the Chamber $75,000 per year. It was a payment for legitimate
services, not a donation.
Brochure "DID YOU KNOW Forsyth County Commission Chairman, Ron Seder, asked
the following Library Board members to resign: Janet Vanderhoff, Lewis Darnell, Melvin
Stancil, Millie Major and Horace Boling? Truth The Board of Commissioners was convinced the citizens of Forsyth County were not in favor of allowing photographs of nude couples, engaged in sex acts, being available to children in the Forsyth County Library without the consent of the child’s parent. The Library Board insisted that they should be allowed to make everything/anything legally published available to children without the consent of the parent. Because the Board of Commissioners represent and are elected by the citizens, the Board believed it imperative to take the next logical step, which was to ask for the Library Board’s resignation.
It is interesting to note that the referenced book has not been available in the Forsyth County Library since the dispute. ............................................ The following was inserted to give
another view of the library subject " .................................
Brochure "DID YOU KNOW Forsyth County Commission Chairman, Ron Seder, voted for and hired an out-of-county attorney, even though we have over 200 in-county attorneys that are Georgia Bar members?" Truth Experience in County law is not common among attorneys. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners was intent on hiring the best County Attorney it could find for the money, and that is what the Board did. Neither the new nor the previous Forsyth County attorney lived in the County.
General These are not all of the incorrect statements printed in this brochure. There were other false generalized assertions made in the brochure. Rather than attempt to rebut them all, let's examine the accomplishments of the Board of Commissioners during my tenure. 1996 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS RECORD At the time of the brochure distribution the Board of Commissioners had an enviable record of achievement and financial control. The County was growing. The County Commission was doing its homework through efforts like the Vision 20/20 Strategic Plan and the Comprehensive Plan update to determine how to better manage the growth. Change is often uncomfortable for most of us. Frequently, the status quo is less stressful. But, the tranquillity of the status quo had been disrupted because many people were moving into Forsyth County. Therefore, it was necessary to make changes to anticipate and respond to the needs of a growing County. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners was very effectively and efficiently making the required changes.
Board AchievementsThe following is a list of accomplishments of the County Board of Commissioners, while I was on the Board:
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Consider
this: Donna was running unopposed in the Democratic Primary, so why would she put out
a brochure at Primary Election time? It is apparent to me that she meant to help
Julian Bowen. It is also interesting to note that Donna Parrish has since been
awarded a paid position by the current County Board of Commissioners.
In April, 1995, the Board of
Commissioners decreased the housing density allowed by the County Zoning Ordinance.
A County Comprehensive Plan update was in process, and one of the areas of focus was
density of development. The actual average density of new residential developments
during the 1994 to 1996 time frame was about 1.35 houses per acre.
The only book the Board of
Commissioners addressed was a book that contained several photographs of nude couples
engaged in a variety of sex acts. The Board of Commissioners did not ask for the book to
be removed from the library. The Board simply asked that the photographs not be available
to children without the parents' consent. That is not censorship under the
Constitution. Those calling it censorship apparently believe the government should
override parents' rights, authority, and responsibility in such matters.