Council Member Matt Kunz, Milton City Council

Kunz Tantrum . . . Ignore Him . . . Focus on the Future and Citizens

Posted on by Milton Coalition

January 17, 2018

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Some of you may have read the recent Milton Herald article “Kunz Video Takes Mayor to Task.”  If not, following is a link to the article:

Milton Herald: Kunz Video Takes Mayor to Task

Let me provide a little more context than the Milton Herald article provides.  Mr. Kunz has been publishing political videos online.  Mr. Kunz’s videos seem part of a larger strategy to disparage and discredit our most recently elected officials (even before they took office):  Mayor Joe Lockwood and new council members Laura Bentley and Peyton Jamison.  It is pure politics.  Kunz clearly views these council members (and Burt Hewitt) as his political enemies and worthy of his public disdain and admonishment.  (A warning about these videos . . . they are classic Kunz . . . smarmy and self-congratulatory.  Kunz is the greatest thing to happen to Milton . . . just ask him.)

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Lockwood, Bentley, and Jamison

Mr. Kunz states in his introduction video that he is going to get “controversial” with his videos . . . citizens, hold onto your seats, we’re in for a rough ride.  And I have to give Mr. Kunz his props.  In his second video, he states that “it is unfortunate that we have elections.”  It is certainly provocative to question our democratic institutions . . . particularly coming from an American Studies major . . . and actually quite shocking coming from an elected official who has sworn to uphold the US Constitution.  Of course, this is not the first time that Mr. Kunz has taken issue with the pesky U.S. Constitution.  Along with former council members Lusk and Thurman, Kunz has asserted that some citizens speaking before Council are “violating” and “abusing” the right to free speech . . . and on occasion, Kunz and Company tried to infringe on that right.  Fortunately, a majority of council and the City Attorney have sided with citizens.

constitution-burning

Unfortunately, Mr. Kunz’s lament about the evils of democratic elections missed the mark; Kunz did not get the attention he was seeking.  So Kunz upped the ante (and lowered the tenor of civil discourse) by asserting that Mayor Lockwood sabotaged our city government by endorsing Laura Bentley and Peyton Jamison.  This time, Mr. Kunz found his mark and the Milton Herald published a story about his comments.

So given that the Milton Herald acknowledged Mr. Kunz, I thought I would also weigh in.  For quite some time, this blog has ignored Mr. Kunz.  The reason is that Mr. Kunz is isolated and irrelevant.  With his near-violent confrontation with Joe Longoria, following on the heels of a number of other missteps, Mr. Kunz has effectively sealed his political fate . . . politically speaking, he is a dead man walking and hence not worthy of much attention.

(Here is link to my previous post on Kunz’s council’s confrontation with Joe Longoria:  Milton Coalition: Kunz Council Meltdown)

Mr. Kunz seems to sense his irrelevance, and that is why he is acting up.  Kunz’s objective is to garner attention.  Think about it.  The election is over.  What’s the value in rehashing the election?  What’s the value of alienating new council members, even before they took their seats on Council?  Does Mr. Kunz really believe his comments will make Mr. Jamison and Ms. Bentley more likely to work with him or trust him?  Does Mr. Kunz really believe his comments are going to help our city and its citizens?  Of course not.  Kunz is only worried about saving his political neck.  At this point, he has calculated that he has nothing to lose.  He is not going down without a fight.  And if the city government and citizens suffer as a consequence . . . so be it.

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The metaphor that best describes Mr. Kunz’s current strategy is “tantrum.”  Like a toddler who doesn’t get his way, Mr. Kunz is throwing a tantrum (thankfully, this time without the threat of violence).  And for the same reasons as a toddler:  to get attention and to get his way.  A few folks have expressed concern to me about Mr. Kunz . . . and yes, I agree that he is an embarrassment to the City.  However, my advice, particularly to our City government staff and City Council, is to ignore Mr. Kunz.  I suspect that Mr. Kunz will follow the Terrible Twos playbook and escalate his antics, which should make for good entertainment.  However, our city government needs to focus on citizens . . . a notion that Mr. Kunz does not get and never will get.

In the most recent election, citizens voted to shift power back to themselves (and away from Special Interests and their agents on Council, like Mr. Kunz).  Time, resources, attention, and mental energy spent on responding to Mr. Kunz are wasted.  The City should not be distracted from the main task at hand:  serving the community.  Mr. Kunz is stuck in the past and digging himself an ever deeper hole.  Let him keep digging . . . our City government should focus on the future and on citizens.

Tim Becker

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BTW, the effects on the 2017 election of Mayor Lockwood’s endorsements are unclear, but he certainly was not responsible for even the greater part of Ms. Bentley’s 42-point blowout victory.  And in any case, Lockwood has the right–you could argue, even the obligation–to endorse candidates he believes will best serve the interests of the City.  Furthermore, it is noteworthy that Lusk did not post Matt Kunz’s radioactive endorsement of him, perhaps realizing such an endorsement would be a net-negative to Lusk’s campaign.

In a future post, I will be posting my own tough questions for Mr. Kunz.  And I have quite a few.  🙂

Milton City Council

Tonight: Let’s Show Support For Our New Council Members and Celebrate

Posted on by Milton Coalition

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January 8, 2018

At tonight’s Milton City Council meeting, Laura Bentley and Peyton Jamison will take their oath of office and be officially seated on City Council.  The swearing in will be a wonderful moment for the citizens of Milton.  It is an occasion for celebration and the culmination of a citizen’s revolution that began over two years ago.  

I encourage citizens to attend tonight’s swearing in.  We need to show our support for our recently elected Council members.  Laura, Peyton, and Mayor Joe deserve our congratulations and well wishes.

I have gotten to know Laura and Peyton over the past few years.  Both exhibit the qualities that we seek in our elected officials.  They are honest, smart, and hard-working.  They are committed to clean and competent government.  They value principles over the privileges that seem/seemed so important to some members of our current/previous councils.  They are committed to reigning in the reckless development that is marring our fair city.  And I know that Laura and Peyton wish to serve because they genuinely care about citizens (not to feel good about themselves or look good to others.)  They want to shift power back to citizens . . . and away from the Special Interests that have exerted far too much influence over our city government for far too long.  Most importantly, Laura and Peyton have demonstrated the courage that we seek in our leaders.  In seeking office, both bravely challenged Milton’s power structure, which had inserted its tentacles deep in our City government, after 6 years without competitive elections.  It truly was a David-vs.-Goliath undertaking for both candidates.  Joe Lockwood showed courage in endorsing Laura and Peyton for the path of least resistance was certainly to endorse the status quo.

The biggest shout-out goes to the fine citizens of Milton.  Once again, you demonstrated why Milton is the Number 1 community in Georgia.  Milton’s citizens educated themselves about the issues and engaged politically to effect change.  Citizens realized that we can only maintain our quality of life by making our government best-in-class–a government that is clean, competent, courageous, and citizen-centric.  Citizens endorsed this aspiration by electing Laura and Peyton.  So let’s celebrate tonight and show our support for our recently elected city council members and Mayor.

Tonight’s city council meeting commences at 6 pm in City Council Chambers in Crabapple.  Joe, Laura, and Peyton’s oath of office is the first agenda item, so citizens will have plenty of time to get home and settle in for the tonight’s college football championship, which begins at 8 pm.

UGA vs. Bama

Tim Becker

City Council Candidate Bentley, Council Member Bill Lusk, Election 2017

Milton Herald Gets Story About Influence of Money in Milton Politics Completely Wrong

Posted on by Milton Coalition

December 8, 2017

Following is a link to an article by the Milton Herald that asserts that Laura Bentley’s defeat of incumbent Council Member Bill Lusk hinged on money.

Campaign War Chests Prove The Difference in Milton

This assertion is categorically wrong, as the Herald analysis focuses on campaign contributions, not campaign spending.  Yes, Ms. Bentley raised more money.  However, Mr. Lusk spent more money and that is what matters.  Based on the last campaign finance reports (from November 1st), Ms. Bentley had spent $13,812 and Mr. Lusk had spent $22,867–a huge gap of over $9,000.  Spending advantage:  BILL LUSK.  And remember that the final campaign finance reports will be submitted on December 31–a fact omitted by the Milton Herald.  I suspect we will see an even bigger gap in campaign spending based on the final finance reports.

This spending gap makes Ms. Bentley’s victory that much more impressive.  She walloped an 11-year incumbent who also outspent her.  Contrast this fact with the Milton Herald‘s assertion that Ms. Bentley effectively bought the election.

Of course, the Milton Herald article (like many others in the past) had me seeing RED.  Once I calmed down, I fired off the below letter to Hatcher Hurd, Executive Editor the Milton Herald.  Note that I mention that, despite her heroic efforts to advocate for citizens, Ms. Bentley has been largely ignored by the Milton Herald.  However, I would bring your attention to the following article just published by an on-line newspaper, North Fulton Neighbor:

Bentley aims to be a voice for the residents as newly elected councilwoman in Milton

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This is the kind of story the Milton Herald should have written, but instead opted to write a story that dismisses Ms. Bentley and her victory as an example of the influence of money in politics.

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Mr. Hurd:

Laura Bentley did not buy the election as you seem to imply in the Milton Herald.  In fact, your own story on campaign finance provides evidence to the contrary.  Read on . . .

I have long been concerned about superficial and biased reporting in the Milton Herald.  An article in the most recent edition of the Milton Herald further validated my concerns.  The headline of the article read “Campaign War Chests Prove the Difference in Milton.”  Really?  That is the Milton Herald’s explanation for Laura Bentley’s historic blowout victory (over 71% of the vote) over an entrenched 11-year incumbent?  Interestingly, even your own article refutes this explanation.  The article clearly states that Mr. Lusk significantly outspent Ms. Bentley.  Your article asserts that Ms. Bentley’s spending was 65% less than Mr. Lusk’s.  So using the “facts” from your own article, it seems the headline should have stated “Insurgent Achieves Historic Election Blowout Despite Being Outspent By Entrenched Incumbent.”  And when the final campaign finance reports are released on December 31, I think you will see an even more lopsided campaign ledger.

It is obvious, except to the Milton Herald, that what matters are campaign expenditures, not campaign contributions.  The Milton Herald’s conclusion that Ms. Bentley’s electoral win was the result of campaign contributions is reckless, reprehensible, and just plain false.

It does not surprise me that the Milton Herald lacks understanding of why Ms. Bentley won the election.  For the last 2 years, you have overlooked (intentionally, I believe) the citizens’ revolution that unfolded here in Milton.  Citizens were fed up with reckless development, poor governance (at the Council level), the influence of Special Interests, and arrogant/self-serving politicians.  They desperately wanted change.  Ms. Bentley represented that change.

As you know, for over 2 years, Ms. Bentley has attended nearly every City Council meeting.  She has also attended many dozens of other city government meetings.  She has spoken at countless  meetings.  Ms. Bentley has worked closely with various citizens groups to achieve justice in land-use matters.  Laura became a clear and unequivocal voice for citizens.  And she led citizens in achieving a number of important victories at Council.  She did this in relative anonymity . . . she is a humble servant for our community.  You will not find a citizen that cares more for our community than Laura Bentley.  I believe she was deserving of regular coverage from the Herald, but rather she was largely ignored by you.

Furthermore, Laura worked hard to win her council seat.  She bootstrapped her campaign with a personal loan.  She worked tirelessly for 4 solid months.  She held 30 meet-and-greets.  She knocked on thousands of doors all over Milton.  She ran an exceptionally smart and clean campaign.  Laura Bentley won because she connected with citizens and worked hard.  And those of us who witnessed her hard work and passion are not going to let you get away with your false assertion that Bentley essentially bought the election.  That claim is patently false and insulting to not only Ms. Bentley, but to the citizens of Milton . . . your readers

Mr. Hurd, as the executive editor of the Milton Herald, the buck stops with you.  You owe Ms. Bentley an apology.  Furthermore, you should retract your false story and replace it with a factual and substantive account of Ms. Bentley’s election win.  That would be the honorable and right thing to do.

Mr. Hurd, I believe a fair, honest, and objective press is important to good governance in Milton.  I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you or anyone else at the Milton Herald to honestly discuss your coverage of Milton’s politics and government.  Like Ms. Bentley, I have worked nearly full-time advocating for Milton’s citizens.  This includes attending nearly every City Council meeting for 2 years and speaking dozens of times before Council and other city government entities.  I believe I have an informed perspective on Milton’s politics and government that might be instructive and beneficial to you and others at the Milton Herald.

Respectfully,
Tim Becker
Note:  The Milton Herald responded to my letter and stated that they are standing by their story.
Uncategorized

Happy Thanksgiving . . . Much Gratitude for Your Efforts and Support

Posted on by Milton Coalition

happy Thanksgiving day leaves bannerNovember 23, 2017

Over the past 2 years, citizens have achieved much in Milton.  Starting with the defeat of the CSO in December 2015 and ending with landslide electoral victories this month, Milton’s fortunes have turned around.  We should be proud of, and thankful for, the accomplishments of the past two years.  Citizens are once again at the center of our local government.  I am confident that our new City Council, who will take their oath of office in January, will listen to and respect their constituents.  Citizens prerogatives will prevail.

Milton’s citizens once again demonstrated why Milton is such a special place.  Time and time again, when we needed you, citizens answered the call.  You wrote emails to council members.  You signed petitions.  And you attended council meetings in droves and spoke passionately.  Nothing could have been accomplished without you.  Your support is appreciated and humbling.  Thank you.

I am most thankful for the many friendships that I have formed over the past two years.  Those friendships have been the real blessing for me personally.  Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Tim

Smart Land Use

Staff Presents Land-use Solutions the Community Can Unite Behind

Posted on by Milton Coalition

20171114 Work Session Agenda

November 14, 2017

Last night’s City Council working session was the best that I have attended in the last two years . . . and I have attended nearly every one.  City staff covered three important initiatives that really have the potential to significantly impact smart land use and preserve and honor Milton’s rural character.  Here is a run-down of the 3 topics covered.

Tree Preservation Ordinance.  The need to refashion this ordinance was originally broached with the City in March 2016 by the Milton Coalition.  A tree ordinance committee was appointed and a consultant hired.  The committee has been working hard for many months.  It has taken a considerable time to write the ordinance.  However, based on what I heard last night, it was well worth the wait.  The Tree Ordinance Committee has created a new ordinance from scratch that captures the aspirations of the community for preserving the rural look-and-feel of our community.  The goal is reach and maintain a tree canopy of 60%–a fairly aggressive and admirable benchmark for tree preservation.  The goal is to obtain Council approval of the ordinance by the end of the year.

Transfer of Development Rights Bank.  So far, Milton’s Transfer of Development Rights program has had very limited impact.  Currently, the program requires a willing buyer to find (with some assistance from our City) a willing seller.  However, to date, there have been only a few transactions, and little land has been conserved.  To facilitate TDR transactions, the concept of a TDR bank was discussed, wherein the city would buy and “bank” TDRs and later sell these TDRs to buyers.  Such a bank would provide more “liquidity” in the TDR market, thereby leading to more transactions and increased conservation of greenspace.  Two experts from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson School of Government presented their ideas on TDR banks and answered Council’s questions.  City staff was given the green light to continue exploring establishment of a TDR bank.

Large Lot Incentives.  A few months ago, staff presented some high level ideas (i.e., 5 bullet points on 1 slide) about incenting larger lots in Milton.  City Council directed staff to further analyze these ideas.  Last night, Carter Lucas, the City Engineer, presented his analysis, which was impressive.  Clearly, staff has done considerable work to not only detail the original five ideas, but to also identify and flesh out additional large lot incentives.  If structured correctly, these large lot incentives could be a game changer for land conservation in Milton.  City Council directed staff to continue forward with their development of a program to incent large lots.  At a previous meeting, Scott Reese, a development professional, provided some good ideas for incenting large lot sizes.  Following is the video of his remarks.

Last night’s meeting underscored a point that many of us have been making for months . . .  the City needs to focus on land-use solutions that the community can rally around . . . and there are many, as last night’s meeting demonstrated.  Unfortunately, for many months, the city’s land use efforts have been mired in debate over conservation subdivisions (and other developer-driven issues, like rezonings).  Despite overwhelming citizen opposition to conservation subdivisions, a few council members aggressively pushed the concept and thereby slowed progress on other more practical (and less controversial) land-use solutions.  It took an election and replacement of some council members to get the City back on track and implementing solutions that the community can unite behind.  Yes, elections do have consequences; they clarify issues, highlight citizens’ priorities, and provide direction to our government.

Staff is to be commended for their fine work on the tree ordinance, TDR bank, and large lot incentives.  The staff working on these initiatives are Kathy Field, Mark Law, Michele McIntosh-Ross, and Carter Lucas.  A big shout-out to the four of them.  Kudos also to City Manager Steve Krokoff, who clearly understands citizens’ concerns about over-development in Milton and is aggressively seeking solutions to address the problem.  And starting in January, it looks like Mr. Krokoff will have a more supportive Council backing him.  I encourage citizens to watch last night’s working session discussion.  Below is a link to the video.  I also encourage citizens to attend Council meetings.  We need to support our staff and elected representatives.  Only three citizens were in attendance last night; we need many more citizens to show up and engage to keep the positive momentum going.

November 13, 2017 City Council Working Session

Advocating For Smart Land Use,

Tim Becker

Ethics, Milton Coalition

Alleged Ethics Violations Dismissed . . . A Victory For Clean Politics and Political Freedom

Posted on by Milton Coalition
GGT&CFC Dismissal
Letterhead and Main Body of GGT&CFC Cover Letter Dismissing Ethics Complaint

The above letter from the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (GGT&CFC) dismisses all ethics charges made against me and the Milton Coalition.  I was specifically accused of operating an “unregistered independent commission” that was attempting to influence an election.  The trigger for this complaint was $99 that I spent to generally upgrade my blog.  The original complaint was sent in mid-July 2017, so has taken nearly 4 months to process.

Except for some brief comments at one council meeting, I have chosen not to dignify this complaint with any sort of response . . . until now.  I will not speak to the motives of the complainant.  All that I will say at this time is that the ethics complaint was false.  Furthermore, I intend to vigorously pursue all available legal avenues to achieve justice in this matter, including recoupment of my legal fees.

However, in this post, I will speak to the use of the complaint against me by others.  Unfortunately, my reputation was sullied for 4 months by certain Council Members and some private citizens.  Council Members Kunz, Lusk, and Thurman have all publicly asserted that I was “under investigation for ethics charges.”  Furthermore, emails have been disseminated to spread this assertion.  Following is an example of one such email from a citizen that forwarded a message from Mr. Lusk:

Message From Bill Lusk Forwarded By Citizen
Excerpt of email sent by a citizen, forwarding a message from Council Member Bill Lusk

Mr. Lusk’s message is a gross distortion of the facts.  At no time was I accused of operating an illegal political action committee.  Mr. Lusk’s use of “citing his misconduct” is also meant to create a false impression of wrongdoing.  And of course, I have not just “appeared on the scene” but rather have been advocating for citizens for two years.

Quite simply, a complaint was lodged against me.  The complaint was forwarded to me for response.  I responded and asserted that the complaint was false, providing evidence to substantiate my claim.  The GGT&CFC compared the complaint and my response.  It also collected its own evidence.  Based on the complaint, my response, and its own evidence, the GGT&CFC ruled in my favor, stating “Commission staff were able to determine that the alleged violations of the Campaign Finance Act were either unfounded or otherwise permissible under Georgia law.”

I believe that use of the ethics complaint by Mr. Lusk and others against me was meant to silence me and/or blunt my influence in advance of the election.  Of course, this strategy did not work, as Ms. Bentley won in a historic landslide victory, with 71.23% of the vote.

At this blog, I have always strictly focused on 1) policy and 2) how elected officials and politicians comport themselves in the conduct of city business and their campaigns.  These are legitimate topics for discussion, debate, and criticism.  I have never criticized or called out private citizens.  I have never delved into the personal or exploited trivial issues for political gain.

The exploitation of the complaint against me by elected officials was intended to distract voters from these politicians’ records and from their own misconduct.  It typifies the all-too-commonplace politics of personal destruction that so many of us abhor and reject.  These elected officials’ personal attacks underscore why I got involved in local politics two years ago and why I stayed involved.  I wanted to clean up politics in our city and to focus debate on policy rather than the personal.  No Milton citizen should have to hire attorneys and spend thousands to dollars to exercise his/her First Amendment rights.  No Milton citizen should have their reputations sullied by elected officials that exploit our ethics laws for political gain.

Rather, we should encourage and incent participation in our local government and local politics.  Thankfully, with the most recent election, our community rejected dirty politics by electing 2 council members, Laura Bentley and Peyton Jamison, who are both dedicated to clean, competent, and citizen-centric government.  Fortunately, the most recent election made it much less risky for citizens to freely and vigorously participate in local politics.  Power was shifted back to citizens, where it belongs.

Advocating For Clean Government,

Tim Becker

Addendum to original post (added on April 30, 2018).  Following is video from the December 13, 2017 meeting of the Georgia Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission wherein the Executive Secretary states that the complaint against me had “no merit whatsoever factually.”

Transcript of excerpt from Report of the Executive Secretary of the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission:

“On our administrative dismissals, the authority to administratively dismiss cases that have no merit whatsoever factually or have no jurisdiction of the Commission has been granted to the Executive Secretary.  There was only one case that was dismissed.  We always report on these as a matter of courtesy so that people will know what they are.  This the matter of 20170171, the matter of Timothy Becker.  The complaint accused him of being an independent committee, which he was not per se based on his conduct.  Therefore, he was not prosecutable at all as an independent committee and was appropriately dismissed on that basis.“

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City Council Candidate Bentley, Election 2017, Good Governance, Smart Land Use

Election Was a Battle of the I’s: Information vs. Incumbency

Posted on by Milton Coalition

the-best-argument-against-democracy-is-a-five-minute-conversation-with-the-avertage-voters-politics-quote

The above quote from Mr. Churchill is one of favorites.  And generally I agree with the sentiment expressed, particularly as it relates to state and national politics.  However, Milton is different.  As with so many things, Milton’s citizens showed their exceptionality in Tuesday’s election.  Voters understood the issues facing Milton, like overcrowded schools and insufficient transparency, and delivered a mandate for change.  They delivered a mandate for smart land use and good governance. 

And make no mistake about it, Ms. Bentley’s capturing of 71.23% of the vote against an entrenched, 11-year incumbent is a huge mandate.  Furthermore, Ms. Bentley’s message resonated throughout the diverse geographies of Milton, from the town homes in Deerfield to the mostly still rural areas in the far north reaches of Milton.  In fact, Ms. Bentley racked up huge victories in Crabapple (76%) and Milton Lakes (78%).  These southern areas of Milton are where rezonings to higher density pose the biggest threat to quality of life and property values.

Election Map
Areas Won By Bentley (shaded in green)

Ms. Bentley also racked up big victories in District 3, including in Crooked Creek (65%).  I mention this because District 3 Council Member Longoria chose to not endorse a candidate.  And the other District 3 Council Member Mohrig tacitly supported Mr. Lusk, including waving signs for Mr. Lusk on election day.  The result was that Lusk signs often outnumbered Bentley signs in many parts of District 3, including on the lawns of some influential Miltonites.

And frankly, the abundance of Lusk signs and the many strong advantages of incumbency did cause some within the Bentley camp to fret about a possible close election.  I was not among the fretters.  I predicted Bentley would win 72% of the vote; she won 71.23%.  And please know that it is especially difficult to predict the outcome local elections.  We had no polling data.  And our proxies for polling data (e.g., likes at a Facebook page) were crude at best.

So how did I know the election would be a Bentley Blowout?  Answer:  conversations with (mostly random) citizens–a foreign notion to some sitting council members.  Stretching back two years to the battle over the CSO, I have spoken with many hundreds of citizens about the issues facing Milton.  I found that most citizens were/are increasingly dissatisfied with over-development in Milton.  And furthermore, this sentiment does not vary depending on where citizens live, as we all sit in the same traffic.  We all send our kids to the same overcrowded schools.  We all are concerned about our property values.

Even two years ago, this community sentiment against reckless development was obvious with opposition to the CSO.  At the time, the dueling CSO petitions showed that 70+% of citizens opposed the ordinance, which citizens realized would accelerate development, introduce high density housing where it did not belong, and allow HOA-run private sewer systems.

For the next two years, this overwhelming citizen opposition to over-development was repeatedly demonstrated in various zoning hearings–e.g., Ebenezer Road, Donegal Lane, and Reserve at Providence.  However, some on Council–sometimes a majority–repeatedly refused to acknowledge the obvious and strong community opposition to reckless development in Milton  . . . much to their detriment, as 2 new council members dedicated to smart development will join Council in January.

This past Tuesday, informed Milton citizens showed up in droves to the polls and rejected the status quo.  Information trumped incumbency.  With the election, the specialness of our community shone through.  Miltonites are a smart, caring, and hard-working lot.  It is these good qualities and so many more that have made us the number one community in Georgia.  And it is these qualities that will ensure that our community maintains its special sense of place and becomes number one in good governance.

On election day, power was indeed shifted back to the informed citizens of Milton.  Ms. Bentley’s platform for change was overwhelmingly approved.  Now the hard work of implementing that change begins.  Click here to find Bentley’s campaign platform–a blueprint for smart land use and good governance:  Bentley’s Blueprint for Smart Land Use and Good Governance  And please stay engaged.

Advocating For Citizens,

Tim Becker

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Postscript:  I will be blogging about Pizza-gate, so stay tuned.

City Council Candidate Bentley, Election 2017

Laura Bentley Trounces Incumbent Bill Lusk, Winning 71% of Vote . . .

Posted on by Milton Coalition

. . . Citizens Strike a Blow for Smart Land Use and Good Governance

November 7, 2017

Citizens:

Tonight, Laura Bentley trounced 12-year incumbent Bill Lusk.  The unofficial results show Bentley crushing her opponent Bill Lusk for the District 2, Post 1 City Council seat with 71 percent, or 3,164 votes. Lusk only polled 29 percent, or 1,278 votes.  In the coming days, I will have more to say about Bentley’s victory and Mayor Lockwood’s victory over Laura Rencher.  Suffice to say, a new day is dawning in Milton.  Citizens have taken the city back and the Special Interests are on their heels.  Good governance will once again prevail in Milton.  Thank you, Milton citizens.  You have proven once again that we truly do live in a special community.

Advocating For Citizens,

Tim Becker

City Council Candidate Bentley, Council Member Bill Lusk, Election 2017

Laura Bentley: The Clear Choice for Senior Voters

Posted on by Milton Coalition
Senior Mailer - Lusk
Lusk Mailer to Seniors – Received November 3, 2017

November 4, 2017

Bill Lusk sent the above mailers to seniors.  Quite a few contacted me and asked for my take on this mailer.  Here goes . . .

Well, the short answer is that Mr. Lusk has done nothing for seniors and his platform at his website includes no initiatives for seniors.  To understand Mr. Lusk’s sudden passion for seniors and their issues, you need to understand Laura’s Bentley’s history and platform.

Ms. Bentley has long had a passion for seniors and their unique issues.  Bentley’s passion for seniors led her to volunteer at Milton’s Senior Center.  Eventually, the Senior Center hired Bentley as Assistant Manager.  Every weekday, Ms. Bentley works with Milton seniors.  Through her interactions at the senior center, Bentley became aware of the issues that seniors face in Milton.  In particular, she became deeply concerned about high and rising property taxes facing seniors . . . taxes that might force seniors from their homes.  Laura educated herself on the issue and found that Milton offers 3 specific exemptions for seniors.  And much to her dismay, she found that many seniors were not taking advantage of these exemptions–often, because they were unaware of them.  Bentley felt the City needed to be more proactive on this issue.  Accordingly, Bentley began advocating that the City should reach out to seniors and assist them with maximizing their available exemptions.  And she made this goal a plank in her campaign platform.

Senior Plank - Campaign Platform
Excerpt From Bentley Campaign Website – Platform Webpage

More importantly, Ms. Bentley has made her senior exemption initiative a key element of her stump speech at her meet-and-greets.  Apparently, word got back to Mr. Lusk and he got religion on the whole senior issue.  However, let’s look at the facts more closely.

First, the obvious question:  What has Mr. Lusk done for seniors over the past 12 years?  Hmmm . . . interesting question.  The answer is nothing . . . zero . . . zip . . . zilch . . . nada (for our Spanish speakers) . . . a big goose egg.  In fact, in his list of accomplishments at his website, nothing for seniors is listed.

Of course, Mr. Lusk will claim that he “fought the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to rescind Property Value Assessments” and that helped seniors.  (BTW, the Board of Commissioners supported the rescission.  It was the Board of Assessors that opposed the rescission . . . that is a basic fact to get wrong.)  However, I was involved in fighting the property tax increase and I can tell you that Mr. Lusk was MIA.  Don’t believe me.  Watch this video of the first Council meeting discussion of the tax increase.  Lusk says nothing.  And he doesn’t strike me as caring much about the topic.

I attended multiple town hall meetings on the tax increase and spoke at one of these meetings.  Mr. Lusk attended one town hall meeting and said nothing.

Lastly, I attended and spoke at the all-important Board of Assessors meeting in downtown Atlanta.  Also speaking were Mayor Lockwood, Council Member Kunz, Commissioner Bob Ellis, Senator John Albers, and Fulton Commission Chairman John Eaves.  And again Mr. Lusk was MIA . . . he did not show up . . . he did not speak.

So it is fair to say that Mr. Lusk has done nothing for seniors and does not propose (in his platform) to do anything for seniors.  Frankly, even his mailer is pretty darn lame.  What does it mean “to fight for Senior Homestead Exemptions”?  And does it really matter that Lusk is a senior?  What matters is his record for seniors . . . he has none.  And specifics about what he would do for seniors . . . there are no specifics.

Conversely, Laura Bentley has a specific, substantive, and implementable initiative for helping seniors.  Through her work with seniors, Bentley understands senior issues . . . she will be a strong advocate for seniors.

Please forward and share this post with your senior friends, neighbors, and family members.

Advocating For Seniors,

Tim Becker

Election 2017, Smart Land Use

A Vote For Bentley: A Small Investment to Protect Your Big Investment

Posted on by Milton Coalition

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