My opponent wants to focus on fundamentally dishonest attacks, not the issues that matter.  He has heard me provide information on his attacks, yet he continues saying what he knows is not true.  He promises a "new tone".  Is this the tone you want?  Is this the kind of representation you need?

Let's focus on the truth and the things that matter.

One of the key things on which to judge a candidate with no public record is how they run their campaign.  You can compare these smear tactics with my eight-year record of fighting for the things that matter to you.  I've been there when it counts.  What is he going to do?  We don't know.  You know what I'm going to do.

My first thought was to ignore the charges from my opponent.  However, unanswered charges later become erroneous "facts".  He knows the things he is claiming about me are untrue.  Is that the kind of representative you want on Council?

I've been their punching bag for too long.  That's why I've gone back to the slogan of my first campaign eight years ago - "Igleheart fights".  People knew then that I was the fighter they wanted on their side and that I was willing to take a stand on the issues that mattered to them.  I'm still a fighter, but not as my opponents allege - I don't fight people, I fight for issues.  I fight for you.

MEETING ATTENDANCE

The truth is, I have been there when it counts.  Whether in meetings, on the streets, in homes, on rezoning sites - wherever and whenever it has been important to be there. 

I've been there on billboards, on budgets, on rezonings, on cell towers, on Charlie Brown, on redevelopment, on sustainability, on the environment.  What is my opponent going to do?  We don't know, he's not saying.  You know what I'm going to do.

My opponent is very good at twisting statistics but clearly doesn't understand what is important in being on Council.  Of course everyone on Council should attend every meeting possible but most understand that work or personal reasons may cause some meetings to be missed.

My opponent has the gall to continue to attack me for missing four meetings over a three week period when I got married this summer.  Take out those and one special called meeting that was hastily arranged when I was not available, and I have attended 91% of meetings this year - the average of the entire Council is 92%.  Three of the Council meetings I missed lasted 32, 25 and 25 minutes, respectively, and primarily involved proclamations and simple agenda items.

Councilwoman Wynn missed 66% of the Council meetings in July 2008.  Councilman Orlans missed 79% of all the committee meetings during the entire year of 2006.  Former Councilman Joyner regularly missed almost all of the meetings every July as he would go down to Florida each year.  Does anyone think these attendance records negatively impacted their ability to serve?  Of course not.

Any time you take a relatively small number of items, looking at percentages will skew the reality.  Miss two out of three, as Councilwoman Wynn did, and you miss 66%!  My opponent has used a variety of changing percentages regarding my attendance.

Let's look at real numbers.  This year I have attended 8 of 9 Administration/Finance/Public Safety/Public Works committee meetings (includes the 1 missed related to getting married), 6 of 9 Community Development/Transportation committee meetings (includes the 1 missed on my honeymoon), 25 of 30 regular Council meetings (includes the 2 missed related to getting married), and 6 of 7 special called meetings (including the last minute meeting mentioned above).

If you take out the meetings missed related to getting married (which, frankly, I won't apologize for) and the last-minute special meeting, I have missed 5 meetings all year.  Councilwoman Wynn and Councilman Orlans have each missed 5 meetings all year.

My opponent says I "dodged the truth" in two forums.  I basically laid out exactly what you just read.  He can't handle the truth.

Finally, his latest lie is that I've missed meetings because of fighting creditors -how  ridiculous.  I haven't fought anyone.  I've accepted responsibility for  job-related debts and I'm paying those off.  There is no time spent by me at all on this.  He knows this is a lie.

FIGHTING FOR YOU

I've always been willing to stand up to the status quo and question the way things are done - whether that is on billboards, rezonings, budgets - you name it.  In my opinion, that's our job - my opponent has called that "contentious".  I see it as necessary to look out for the best interests of Roswell.  If we do something we shouldn't, I'm willing to speak out and not just go along. 

My opponent has made clear he will just go along - on things like passing a budget that spends more than we take in and on refusing to push staff to change operations to provide better service and save money.

Earlier this year I was the only one to vote against a rezoning (on Hardscrabble, near Brookfield) that went against our land use plan, was opposed by our planning commission AND surrounding neighborhoods.  It would have started higher-density creep up into a neighborhood area.  The Mayor vetoed that and ultimately my position won out.  I have been the most consistent supporter of neighborhoods over the eight years of my time on Council.

I can be stubborn, but not to the point of being unreasonable.   I created the Green Ribbon committee to work on sustainability issues.  I sought out those who opposed me on these issues (particularly those who spoke against them at Council meetings) and brought together a wide range of opinions from residents, businesses, developers, the Chamber, realtors, etc.  We have worked together to forge compromises and create programs that all can support.

FINANCES

My opponent has made the ridiculous claim that I spend much of my time fighting creditors and the slanderous claim that my votes on this year's budget were impacted by my personal finances.

I have handled this like I do all issues on Council - I have told the truth and dealt with it head on.

First, I don't spend any time fighting any creditors.  I have payment plans set up that are currently paying off debts generated from a specific business-related situation several years ago.  In these tough economic times many are dealing with difficult job-related financial difficulties.  I can relate.  My opponent spends more time dealing with this than I do.  He wants to keep up the mean spirited attacks rather than focus on the real issues that face our city and our future. 

Second, my opponent has the audacity to allege that in this year's budget process I voted against eliminating Council salaries because of my personal financial situation.  That is absurd. 

I offered a motion to furlough non-essential city employees one day a month in order to save almost exactly the amount the annual budget was projected to be in the red.  This would have applied to Councilmembers as well - about $800 each, including me.

In a cynical move during the final budget hearing Councilman Orlans made a spur-of-the-moment motion to cut all Council salaries for the rest of the calendar year, but he did not include insurance benefits, which his family uses.  That clearly was a move just to try make me look bad plus it was less than less 10% of what was needed to make up for the shortfall in the budget.

My opponent charges I was making a last minute political move that was not vetted.  In fact, my numbers were generated from discussions with staff.  Those numbers were printed in The Beacon more than a week before the final vote on the budget.  It is a common practice to offer budget amendments in either of the two formal budget hearings.  Again, my opponent can't handle the truth.

FOCUSED ON ISSUES

My opponent criticized my supposed lack of details on this website.  I'm glad he is spending his valuable time perusing my site, perhaps he can learn some things about the important issues in Roswell.

Read this page, go to my Issues page, or go to the links for responses to various campaign-related questionnares and you'll see plenty of specifics on issues that matter.  Go to my opponent's website or read his campaign pieces and try to determine where he stands on critical issues or what he will do in the future on issues that matter.  He's not saying.

I TAKE BEING ON COUNCIL VERY SERIOUSLY

My opponent has used an unsubstantiated "source" to try to say I don't take the job of being on Council seriously.  That I only see it as requiring five meetings a month. 

In reality, there are five, and sometimes six or more Council and Committee meetings each month.  I also had monthly meetings of my Green Ribbon Committee, many preparation meetings for each of those meetings, meetings with staff and constituents on various issues, hours spent reading materials for Council and Committee meetings, time spent researching zoning cases, countless hours spent returning emails and phone calls - the list goes on and on.

DIRTY POLITICS

In a Beacon editorial I laid out my personal experience with former supporters who tried to strong arm me into backing their candidate for mayor.  They deny this. 

I know what I experienced and the proof is in the pudding.

They say they just wanted to "help" me and yet now they support my opponent.  One serves as his key campaign advisor.  If they will attempt to strong arm me, imagine what they will do to others.  In addition, because I disagree with them on who should be Mayor, I have had an entire group turn on me.  I haved worked hard to reach out to those who disagree with me on Council.  These people will go after you for disagreeing with them.  These are the people who promise to bring consensus?

I stood up to strong arm tactics and dirty politics in Roswell.  It's pretty simple to determine right from wrong.  This kind of thing happens all the time at the national and even state levels, but Roswell deserves better.

YOU LIE!

One claim does not impact your tax dollars but is very disturbing as my opponent says he always operates with the highest integrity.  My opponent lied about his decision to run.  He emphasizes only choosing to run for the seat I now hold on the day he qualified because he didn't know if I would run.  However, he called me on the Saturday before qualifying informing me that he was going to run for this seat.  This was before anyone could qualify, as that started two days later.  Clearly, his decision was already made.

Most importantly, he says his decision to run against me was prior to the revelation of my financial situation.  His key campaign advisor, Randy Whatley, knew the entire situation long before he qualified to run against me.  Does anyone really believe Mr. Whatley never said a word about this to his candidate before he qualified?

WHAT REALLY MATTERS?

My opponent's primary claim to being qualified for office seems to be his business experience.  That's great.  My experience is being directly involved in the business of running this city for the last eight years.  Do you want to hear about all the distractions that don't matter?  I don't think so.  What really matters are the real issues that Roswell faces.  I've always been on the right side on those.  That's what matters.

I FIGHT FOR YOU - THAT'S WHAT MATTERS!

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