I am writing to clear up the misrepresentation that appeared in the Rant and Rave section of the Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 Tifton Gazette. The Rant was entitled “In the records.”

The record will reflect that on June 2, 1997, Paul Grisham, Joe Lewis, Jamie Cater, the late Frank Doles and myself authorized a study to only show the feasibility for the possibility of entering into the telecommunication business. This was being entertained due to the influx of complaints from the community about the current cable TV provider. We, as a city commission, were also concerned about the loss of future revenues due to the deregulation of natural gas and the shortfall of money that might ensue. At that time, the city coffers were filled with money and we were trying to be proactive about future city revenues.

Let the record show that Jamie Cater’s term ended in December 1997 and he was not on the council when the venture was approved. The record will also show that on June 11, 1998, Mayor Paul Johnson, Vice Mayor Joe Lewis and Council members Dave Hetzel, Dick Chalfant and Roosevelt Russell voted for the single largest expenditure in the city’s history without voter approval. This was the formation of CityNet. City resident Joe Courson spoke in favor of this proposal.

Finger-pointing and casting of blame will not fix the financial crisis that our city is now facing. We need solutions. I would humbly suggest that the mayor and city council take applications from local businessmen and women and form a Blue Ribbon committee with complete transparency to formulate a plan to get us out of this crisis. Let’s keep the record perfectly straight; many people believe that you can run a city government exactly like you run a regular business. You can’t, due to certain services and requirements that have to be provided to the citizens. However, you can get mighty close.

In closing, I would encourage The Tifton Gazette to do away with the Rant and Rave section. Replace it with only a Rave section. The people who have legitimate concerns can always write a letter to the editor and sign their name at the bottom. This will give validity to their letters. Most importantly, it will remove the personal attacks and misinformation by replacing them with positive suggestions and solutions.



Sincerely,



J.C. (Spud) Bowen Jr.

Tifton