Critics of Lee, Braves move just a bitter minority
by Ben Mathis
September 09, 2014 04:00 AM
http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/25735041/article-Critics-of-Lee--Braves-move-just-a-bitter-minority?
In the face of yet another attempt to subvert the County's
ethics code for political purposes, it's time the majority of us who are proud
of what Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee has accomplished and thrilled the
Braves are coming to Cobb stand up and say "enough is enough."
The reality is that a bitter minority who thrive on media
attention to make personal attacks and claim Lee did something untoward have
their own hidden agenda. They and their Atlanta Media allies, who are still
furious "Cobb
stole the Braves from downtown," are disingenuous at
best. It is time we called them out.
Let's start with the accusation that Tim Lee "sold his
soul" as Mike Boyce claimed in a particularly deplorable piece of
character assassination printed in last week's MDJ. Mr. Boyce may be a veteran,
but that doesn't give him immunity from being held accountable for being a sore
loser who
can't get over the fact he was trounced at the polls. His
quoting of Scripture to score cheap, political points was just plain wrong.
The 'opportunity of a lifetime'
The Atlanta Braves offered us a billion-dollar investment
economic development opportunity of the kind Cobb County desperately needed. We
would get a mixed-use entertainment and residential living area most
communities
could only dream about. It would help us create an
environment that will keep our kids from moving away, all while our
subdivisions age.
Unlike Tim Lee, whose leadership has seen the creation of
more than 10,000 new, private-sector jobs and more than $2 billion of new
investment in our county during the past two years, the opposition to the
Braves only seem interested in being "against" everything and don't seem
to care about being "for" anything, other than their own political
interests.
Tim Lee was confronted with a proverbial opportunity of the
lifetime for our county when the Braves called. The only pre-condition was we
had to keep it a "secret," at least until the deal could be fleshed
out enough to determine if it was feasible. The Braves understandably wanted to
avoid the onslaught that would be launched by Atlanta politicians and their
friends in the Atlanta media, who have never seen a move by any Atlanta
organization to the suburbs that they liked.
Of course, that did not mean there would not be public
scrutiny. It only meant scrutiny would come when there was a bona fide public
proposal. And that is exactly what happened. There was ample opportunity to
decide if you
were for or against the idea. By the time the commission voted, everyone
knew the pros and cons - frankly, no one on either side seems to have changed
their minds since that vote.
'Stop the presses'
Now, Tim is again faced with yet more "ethics"
charges, even though the Ethics Board already dismissed charges they previously
made. What does the opposition claim was done wrong this time?
Well, imagine this. Tim Lee called a lawyer who has worked
here in the county for many years and who is considered an expert in
public/private developments. Tim asked this lawyer if he would examine the
Braves concept, and the lawyer did exactly that - free of charge. Notably, all
of the lawyer's discussions with the Braves prior to the proposal being made
public were conceptual. There was never, not once, a legal offer exchanged or a
binding promise made between the Braves and the county before the Commission's
vote.
Stripped of all the hype, Tim Lee is apparently
"guilty" to his critics of getting some free advice from an attorney
to see if the deal made enough sense to move forward with a public proposal.
Wow. Stop the presses.
As the increasingly desperate tone of Tim's critics
suggests, this debate has long since stopped being an honest disagreement about
the role of government in a public/private partnership. As a lifelong
conservative
Republican, I respect and share the concern when government
partners with a private business, even if I disagree when that view is
extrapolated to its
extreme that no partnership is ever satisfactory.
Lee critics guilty of a 'malicious ... vendetta'
I also recognize there is room for difference of opinion and
the need for open, legitimate debate on public issues. Clearly, however, for
those making spurious personal attacks and questioning the integrity of
everyone who
supports the Braves development, this is no longer an honest
philosophical disagreement.
Instead, it has become only a malicious, political vendetta
carried out by a small group and supported by the Atlanta Media, who are
determined to hurt Tim Lee and Cobb County because we got the Braves "to
move way out to the
suburbs."
As the biased coverage of the Braves project is making
clear, our friends in the Atlanta media love to promote "regionalism,"
as long it is a one-way street benefiting downtown or Midtown Atlanta. They
hide their city-centric,
in-town living favoritism under the banner of "open
government," but somehow are not bothered by the "secret talks"
the Braves were having with the city of Atlanta when they were considering
staying at Turner Field. If the Braves
had stayed downtown, you can be sure they would have
celebrated loud and long with city of Atlanta officials.
Friends, for those of us who know the real Tim Lee, he is
the finest and most decent public official we could ever ask to represent us.
He has been bold and courageous in his actions. His concern for our future -
and our children's future - is paramount in every decision he makes. Frankly,
he
never thinks about the "politics" of any decision,
often to his own detriment.
One can agree or disagree with his decisions, but it is
wrong to use the ethics process and petty innuendo as a substitute for policy
differences.
I hope Tim's many friends and supporters will start standing
up publicly for him in the face of these political demagogues and the Atlanta
media's blatant bias against Cobb and the surrounding suburbs.
Attorney Ben Mathis is chairman of the Cobb Chamber of
Commerce.
Comments (14)
SW Gal | 15 Hours Ago
Mr. Boyce is 100% correct. Mr. Mathis, your long article was
wrong from the onset, starting with the word "minority." Rather, the
citizens of Cobb County are a MAJORITY. According to respected polls over 60%
of the taxpayers oppose the way Tim Lee conducted the Braves "deal"
in secret using a "Noah's ark" approach of only allowing 2
commissioners in the room at a time, while others waited outside the door, just
to avoid requirements of the "open meetings law" to share all
documentation upon request. The MOU document clearly spelled out a $4 Million
payment to the secret attorney until Ms. Dance put an end to that deal (at
least until a few months from now.) Of the almost 200 such stadium deals done
throughout the U.S., the MAJORITY are abject FAILURES, leaving taxpayers with a
failing albatross around their necks. Years from now, when Cobb has been
destroyed by this bad deal, people can say we "told you so." Only by
then, it will be too late. The Chamber of Commerce once stood for the free
market and good. It is such a shame it has sunk to this negative, destructive
and selfish level of "crony capitalism."
Ben Vader? |19 Hours Ago
The Kitchen Cabinet Strikes Back starring Ben Vader
There is no way that you read the complaint. The complainant
does not ask Lee to resign, does not want to void the Braves deal, and, unlike
you, is not an arrogant, combative, intimidator. Please take a moment read it
before you rip him to shreads with you inaccurate insults.
The complaint is on the site myuncletheplumber.com
He even says that he will drop the complaint if Lee
apologizes. Please put down your light saber and fix your respirator, Ben.
Cobb Taxpayer | 19 Hours Ago
Poor poor Ben, having to pen such baloney ! Simple
transparency goes a long way and zero transparency will tarnish regardless.
Kevin Foley | 22 Hours Ago
Mr. Mathis, There is only one way for a public official to
conduct public business of this magnitude and that's in bright sunlight for all
to see.
Chairman Lee failed to do that. Period. Now comes the slow
drip, drip, drip of disclosures and discoveries of what was said and done on
behalf of Cobb County taxpayers behind closed doors with the subsidiary of a
$15 billion corporation.
Are there more drips coming? We'll have to wait and see.
Meantime, you should not be surprised by the anger Lee's actions has produced
among the Cobb County electorate.
Speaking for myself, I don't care where the Braves play
their ball games. I do care about my tax dollars being doled out as corporate
welfare.
eggontheface | 15 Hours Ago
Hahaha! Picture me, holding my sides and bending over in
laughter. This is a direct quote from K-Fo: "There is only one way for a
public official to conduct public business of
this magnitude and that's in bright sunlight for all to
see."
Did you gag a little bit when you wrote those words? Your
savior in the highest office in the land promised us transparency and it has
been anything BUT! Crooked, shady, sneaky, lost e-mails...not a smidgen. Please
tell me
you don't take yourself seriously, Foley.
Ben Twomey |23 Hours Ago
What a surprise! The Chairman of the Chamber of Comnmerce
defending his lap dog for biting the taxpayers of Cobb County, in the rear. Notice
how he cleverly left out the part about the "free" lawyer having put himself
in for a multi-million dollar piece of the action, until the deal came under
public scrutiny and he was quickly scratched. Don't be surprised if he is still
in the deal, just like the BRT is still in the proposed SPLOST. You just can't
see it. It's no wonder Cobb is in trouble, with guys like this making
decisions.
Guys who think 2 weeks is sufficient time for the public to
vet a 369 million dollar, thirty year obligaiton. Sorry, Ben, but there are
plenty of people in Cobb County who are glad the
Braves are coming here, but are very unhappy with the
underhanded, back room, good ole boy tactics employed in putting the deal
together.
LoveCobb | 23 Hours
Ago
So, do you represent the bitter, sarcastic, mean-spirited,
bullying majority? 30 versions of an MOU is not "fleshing out". It is
negotiating. And 4 million bucks is not
free. That's what McRae would have made if Ms. Dance did not do the right thing
and remove him as Project Attorney and Bond
Attorney after the public announcement. Here is what I don't
understand. You won. You got everything you wanted. You told your 3
commissioners how to vote and the outcome was never in question. You even got
an extra vote that you didn't need. You maintained the majority after the
recent election. So, what are you doing ? By responding with this venom
spitting oracle against Open Government and a citizen's right to speak, you are
guaranteeing and inviting an argument that you needn't have. Your
"opposition " was taking its last breath. You just gave them CPR.
Logic Al | 24 Hours Ago
Mr. Mathis,
You falsely link those who criticize Lee with those opposed
to the Braves. A large portion of your argument is moot, as folks can logically
favor the move by the Braves but criticize Lee's actions during the process.
In case you are unable to grasp his simple truth, consider
an extreme case. If Lee had murdered someone to ensure the Braves would move
here, would you defend him by talking about how many jobs this will create? Of
course not.
If Lee acted inappropriately, the jobs created are moot.
Russ Wood | 24 Hours Ago
Ben,
I'm not sure you're helping Tim's case. Folks already think he's a puppet for the
Chamber. Your letter will only
strengthen that sense. You offered no logical defense of
Tim. You merely called his critics names (taking a page from Kevin Foley's
book) and said the end justifies the means.
As I wrote last week, when government hands out goodies,
there will always be arguments over how they do it and who they give them to.
Ethics complaints are inevitable when the government supersedes the role of the
private sector. The real tragedy here is that the Chairman of the Chamber of
Commerce doesn't understand that.
Billy Madison | September 09, 2014
Mr. Mathis,
What you've just published is one of the most insanely
idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent
response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational
thought. Everyone in
this county is now dumber for having read it. I award you no
points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
anonymous | September 09, 2014
Hi Mr. Mathias. Do you want a little cheese with that whine?
If it is such a minority that is bent out of shape with Lee
and the Braves etc., why is it even worth your/the Chamber of Commerce's time
to whine in public? Perhaps there is only minority that is bent out of shape
over Tim Lee and the Braves (I'll play along), but there is a much bigger group
that has had it "up to here" with the chamber of commerce (COC) and
their incessant drive to get Tim Lee to hook them up to whatever taxpayer
funded teat they can conjure and get their corporatist/crony
capitalist/non-free market selves hooked up to. When the COC is in support of something,
people know it is just another attempt of the COC to ram a hand a little
further up the back side of taxpayers for their coveted tax dollars or a
playing field tilted in the COC's favor. For many Cobb countians/Americans, the
COC now exudes the same stink that most folks also associate with Welfare Queens
...except Welfare Queens smell much, much better to most people. With that kinda stink, one has to wonder how
helpful the public whining of the COC can really be to a Commissioner that is
under fire (by a small minority, of course).
Tom Cheek | September 09, 2014
Mr. Mathis,
I can't tell if you are referring to my recent complaint to
the Ethics Board, but if you are, it is evident that you may not have read it carefully.
I am not an opponent of the Braves moving to Cobb, and I have no political
agenda. I am not malicious. I do not
have a vendetta, and I do not belong to any "groups" opposed to
Chairman Lee. I am not furious. I am not "against everything". I am
not bitter. No one has ever described me as a political demagogue.
I am a very average citizen who believes that elected
officials should always follow the rules. I believe that they should be doubly
cautious about following established procedures when they are presented with an
"opportunity of a lifetime". I respect your qualified opinion that
the Braves move is a great economic opportunity for Cobb County. Please do not
try to deny me of my legal right to be heard when I believe that an elected
official has made a decision that he does not have the legal authority to make.
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