Response to Mayor Vaughn's Uninformed Voting Citizens Remarks

Really Mayor Vaughn, we are uninformed?

When I read from and about Mayor and former City Manager Pat Vaughn, I felt attacked! Feeling I’ve been given a slap in the face and a personal attack from Mayor Vaughn.

There is a cold chill in the mayor's office. She has done something that she is not going to be accountable for, in the double dipping for a city salary. Wow, if only I could be paid for being in a job twice.

There must be many qualified people seeking a job in these tough times. I didn't see the position available posted anywhere. Could it be that there wasn't a good candidate for the position, just like the position of police chief, that the City of Powder Springs couldn't find an acceptable candidate from among the 65 or more applicants?

Did we really have to look out of the state of Georgia to find a police chief? Or is it the Mayor who thought that all the local officers who were raised here in Cobb County and trained at our police academy were not qualified to keep the peace in Powder Springs?

I have heard the Police Officer who temporary took the position was doing a great job. Why did he not get the position on a permanent basis? I think there is more to this story than we are allowed to know.

The Mayor generalizes about citizens and non-citizens level of information. This is insulting to many of the intelligent residents of Powder Springs. Mayor Vaughn states that, “Sadly, in Powder Springs this year, some few citizens and non-citizens have chosen to join the uninformed tide of the likes of the Occupy Wall Street Protesters, who have a bone to pick with anyone who is in the elective or appointed position in the city government. They want change just for change’s sake, regardless of the truth and facts that would advise stability in local government.”

Derogatory remarks and bashing the citizens and our local non-citizens is not acceptable. Our intelligence level is not to be determined by you, Mayor Vaughn. We are highly aware and intelligent. I feel now that you have chosen to “bring it on,” I personally owe it to you to challenge you to apologize to the citizens of this community.

It should not matter to you or any other board member if some of us are Wall Street protesters, Tea Party advocates, malcontents or even if we are accepting of everything those in a position of power among us decides for our own good.

Some of us may go along with the roll of the tide in Powder Springs, which I must say has been stagnant for many years. Where is the change or even a show of growth? Is it another red light in the middle of town?

There have been a few new businesses opened in Powder Springs' downtown area. These businesses are limited to what they can do to entice more customers and be within the guidelines and bylaws of Powder Springs. How about we as a community help our small businesses to thrive?

The Wall Street or any other big city protesters have nothing to do with the citizens of Powder Springs but if it did, we should have the right to protest without being called uninformed.

Adding to this uninformed remark by Mayor Vaughn is the comment that, “Usually this type of behavior is born out of a personal dislike of someone or some decision, regardless of the virtue of a person or decision being maliciously attacked.”

Huh? I have no personal like or dislike of you until you decided to respond to those who are not your friends or friends of the elected positions who serve you. You have stooped to a low level by criticizing the voting and non-voting men and women in our community.

As you, Mayor Vaughn state that, “I like to think better of my fellow elected officials at that time, as I know them all very well,” (which smacks of a government who has other officials in someone’s back pocket) “and my friends who served with me would not stoop to this type of tactic.”

Mayor Vaughn’s having two positions with pay from both positions where one position needs to get feedback and an approval for certain situations when you are the person in the other position.

You can't argue with yourself about the issues because you are the person who bounces yourself off for approval or disapproval for yourself in the paid position. This situation reeks of a dangerous amount of power which can be misused. Could this double up the jobs in the city be double dipping and conflict of interest?

Be careful how you word things when writing about the intelligent citizens of Powder Springs, because they will turn on you.