A vote for Laura Bentley is a small investment to protect your big investment—the value of your home.

There are countless reasons to vote for Laura Bentley.  However, did you know that voting for Laura Bentley is a wise financial move for voters?  Consider the following:

• The Pew Research Center reported that 81% of adults it polled stated that buying a home was the best long-term financial investment.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that for the top 20% of wealthiest Americans, equity in their principal residence was 30% of their overall net worth and their single biggest investment. For the middle 60% of Americans, equity in their principal residence was 63% of their net worth.

The takeaway is that Americans care a lot about the value of their property, which is intimately tied up with their financial security and well-being.  For most Americans, equity in their principal residence is their largest financial asset, and they want to protect that asset.  However, most Americans and Miltonites might not realize that their local government has a big impact on the value of their home equity.  How Milton gets developed—things such as density and housing quality—influences the look and feel of Milton and our quality of life.  We only get one chance to get it right.  There are no do-overs when it comes to development.  If we get development wrong, property values stagnate or decline.  We see examples of poor development all around us.  Roswell and Alpharetta have significant areas of blight.  We can expect the same in Milton if we get development wrong.  Accordingly, our city’s land use decisions, particularly decisions at City Council, have significant and far-reaching effects. 

So voters must ask themselves which candidate—Laura Bentley or Bill Lusk—will better protect and enhance property values in Milton?  Mr. Lusk has made it clear that he believes that land use decisions are best left to developers—i.e., the City should largely defer to the wishes of developers.  Or in his words:  “Leave it to the professionals.”  Following are 2 videos—each about 2 minutes long—where Mr. Lusk very clearly demonstrates his view that developers should be largely left to their own devices.  In these videos, he is arguing against giving the Planning Commission additional authority to oversee development in Milton.  Listen closely as he berates the planning commission, asserting that its members are non-professionals rendering subjective opinions.  He uses an analogy to make his point, comparing developers to cardiologists vs. the planning commission, which is like going to your “Cousin Mike” for advice about whether to get a triple bypass.  He further asserts that he does not want to put any “hurdles” in the way of developers.  His low regard for our Planning Commission is stunning and reprehensible.  Watch these videos and then ask yourself whose interests Mr. Lusk is protecting:  your interests or the interests of developers?

City Council Candidate Laura Bentley has a very different perspective on development.  Recently, Ms. Bentley met with 18 realtors, most of whom live in Milton.  This group of professionals stands in stark contrast to developers.  Realtors are our community’s experts on property values.  Realtors are an important, but overlooked, stakeholder group in Milton.  Unlike developers, realtors have a long-term interest in protecting and enhancing property values in Milton.  Furthermore, realtors understand the macro factors that impact property values.  Ms. Bentley was keen to get realtors’ perspectives on development in Milton and its impact on property values.  And it was quite clear that realtors are concerned about reckless development negatively affecting Milton’s quality of life (e.g., overcrowded schools and congested roadways) and ultimately threatening property values in Milton.  Realtors and Ms. Bentley both understand that we cannot let developers drive land use decision in Milton, as Mr. Lusk asserts.  In fact, at least 2 dozen realtors have signed Milton Coalition petitions advocating for smart land use in Milton—petitions that Mr. Lusk has repeatedly berated and dismissed.

Of course, Mr. Lusk has a long and consistent record of bowing to the demands of developers.  Since he was re-elected in 2013, he has voted for 3 re-zonings to higher density.  He has voted to extend sewer 4 times to allow higher density.  He was the key sponsor of the so-called “conservation” subdivision ordinance, which was supported by Atlanta’s two largest developer lobbying groups and was intended to allow developers to profitably develop marginal land in Milton.  Lastly, Mr. Lusk voted against the citizen-generated Comprehensive Land Use Plan.  Ms. Bentley has strongly opposed Mr. Lusk on every one of these issues.

Clearly, Ms. Bentley is the candidate that will protect and increase property values in Milton.  She will not defer to developers.  She will listen to the community, especially our terrific local real estate professionals.  Citizens might consider their support and vote for Bentley as a small investment to protect their big investment—the value of their home and property.

Advocating For Citizens,

Tim Becker