ACC Commission Candidate Answers Charges

Ron Winders has no experience in ACC, but his ability to mislead is impressive.

Ron is willing to win the vote by fabricating misleading, slanderous half‐truths in order to discredit his political opponent. In a recent letter sent to the sixth district, he said that ‘[NeSmith] “block[ed] transportation projects in Atlanta, ..voted for a $6 million dollar (SPLOST) proposal which would have directly benefitted him…voted against a proposal to create a Life Sciences Industrial Park.”

Let me tell you the truth.

There was no vote on the SPLOST advisory committee on which I served, for any proposal that would have benefitted me. I reckon Ron is alluding to a $6M proposal from the ACC/UGA Agricultural Extension Service for office, classroom, meeting space and a pavilion, primarily for 4H events and available for a farmers market. The SPLOST committee asked Ag Services to reduce the proposal by half, which caused them to eliminate the pavilion from their proposal. We voted for and recommended the resulting $2.8M proposal (with no pavilion). There was NO relationship between this ACC Ag Extension Service proposal and the non‐profit farmers market that I co‐founded.

Regarding the industrial park: There was a SPLOST proposal from a  landowner/agent asking Athens‐Clarke County to buy his land, located in an industrial zone. This half‐baked, self‐serving proposal was not supported by any economic development authority, the government, the Chamber of Commerce
nor any other objective third party. The SPLOST Committee hardly considered adding it to the short list.

Blocking transportation projects in Atlanta: In 1979‐1986, as president of the Morningside‐Lenox Park neighborhood association, I did participate in a large coalition of neighborhoods (CAUTION) that, through the courts, stopped a GDOT‐proposed interstate highway that would have devastated the Grant Park, Virginia Highlands, Morningside‐Lenox Park, and Druid Hills neighborhoods. The courts ruled that this road was not needed.

What kind of person do you want someone representing you? Ron, who is willing to tell slanderous halftruths to win? Or do you want me, Jerry, with the knowledge, experience and integrity to do a good job?

Jerry NeSmith
Candidate, ACC Commission District 6