With proven
courage of holding Cobb County elected and unelected 'officials' accountable...Larry Savage is the choice you can
trust.
I grew up in
Atlanta, but chose to make Cobb County my home. I love Cobb County and
have been actively and passionately involved in local government for many
years to protect the quality of living and responsible government that
attracted me here. Unfortunately, it has lost its way and the time has
come for me to offer myself as a servant in the public arena.
My hope is to
bring common sense back to the forefront of several challenges we face as a
county. I believe there are workable solutions that will enhance our local
government’s effectiveness without creating a hardship for taxpayers. I would
like to see Cobb County return to being a fiscally-conservative county that
cares more about principles than politics and protecting every family’s
hard-earned money rather than staying on this road of limitless spending on
frivolous ‘wants’ and agendas that only serve the few.
Cobb citizens
deserve a responsible government and the freedom to choose whether we want to
keep expanding high-density development -- or preserve precious green spaces,
low taxes, and the suburban charm that made us want to settle
down in Cobb.
It is my goal to
see Cobb County once again setting the standard of limited, effective
government -- rather than measuring up to the opposite in the metro
region.
About Larry
A
local product, Larry grew up in Atlanta, making his home after college in
DeKalb County. In 1976 he moved to Cobb where he has resided for almost
40 years.
40 years.
Larry
has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. A 40-year career in industry
provided experience in every type of factory imaginable with heavy involvement
within the auto industry.
He
has worked in engineering, supervisory positions, management, sales and
marketing, and sales management, including the successful turnaround of a
failing business unit. Larry also owned and operated five successful small
businesses.
Larry
has travelled extensively, primarily through the United States, Mexico, Canada,
Europe, and China.
A
growing concern in local government and civic affairs led to Larry's run for
the Cobb Chairman position in the special election of 2010 and again in
the Primary Election in 2012. Larry has continued his civic duty to hold local
government accountable while focusing his study on correcting the flaws in Cobb
County government.
Larry's
personal joys and special interests involve cars, motorcycles, and home
improvement projects.
Why Larry? Work Ethic, Dedication
Larry
Savage has invested time and effort for six years to develop a total
understanding of the Cobb County Government. It is unprecedented for anyone to
undertake such an effort on his own. The result is a comprehensive view of
County affairs through the eye of a critical thinker. Larry has an
understanding of local government that exceeds that of most office holders.
Larry
has attended hundreds of meetings. Larry has studied thousands of pages of
documents: Agendas (long form), minutes, attachments, exhibits, Press releases,
web sites, advertisements, Essentially anything published on local government
Larry
has conducted outside research on topics relevant to local government: Books, Think
tank seminars, Georgia Public Policy Foundation, Topical newsletters, Three
newspapers each day, Alternative sources, not just the ones he agrees with, Tracks
events throughout Metro Atlanta and elsewhere.
Supported
by those who: Recognize that Cobb County has lost its way, Respect
integrity, Want to see problems resolved, Want solutions made permanent, Respect
the traditions of Cobb County, Are concerned about the future.
Opposed by those who: Prefer the status quo, Oppose Larry because he opposed the Braves stadium financing, Think Larry wasted everyone’s time with his Ethics complaint, Aren't interested in the details.
Anyone but Tim Lee? Some
say that the objective of the election is to simply remove the incumbent.
Larry disagrees, believing the
objective is to: Establish good government that will last. Correct processes
which allow unelected authorities to burden Cobb Citizens with taxes, without
giving them a vote. Restore the rule of law and transparency in government. Elect
someone who not only understands the issues from a historical and legal
standpoint, but also from a common sense logical point of view. Implement
responsible and sustainable solutions for the future of Cobb County.
Savage Commitment
Some
say that Larry Savage has worked harder for the people of Cobb County than all
five sitting Commissioners combined -- we agree. Larry will restore
transparency, ethics of the office, and citizens' faith in our local
government.
TOP PRIORITIES
Q: If elected, what would be your
two (2) top policy priorities and how would you work to achieve results?
A: 1. Restore public control over
government debt as described in the Georgia Constitution. The Constitution mandates that debt by
government must approved by voters in a referendum. This and other limits
on debt have been rendered meaningless by a series of court decisions
concluding with the decision in Savage v. Georgia regarding the bond financing
on a new stadium in Cobb County.
2.
Remove
the shroud of secrecy maintained by the Development Authority of Cobb County
and other Authorities regarding their
business practices and decision making and require that they adhere to the law
as written by the legislature. Also monitor the reporting requirements of the
Government Accounting Standards Board. Review suitability of current
Board members for potential conflicts of interest.
BRAVES STADIUM FUNDING
Q: Where do you stand on building
the stadium for the Braves?
A: The Georgia Constitution has several provisions that protect taxpayers from debt by government, including a specific requirement for voting in a referendum to approve incurring debt. Cobb County chose to engage a clever attorney to find a way to get around all these limitations that had been in the Constitution for decades. Cobb County also, in my opinion, ignored existing state law in creating "Special Districts" and new taxes to raise revenue from areas around the stadium, supposedly to fund the deal.
A: The Georgia Constitution has several provisions that protect taxpayers from debt by government, including a specific requirement for voting in a referendum to approve incurring debt. Cobb County chose to engage a clever attorney to find a way to get around all these limitations that had been in the Constitution for decades. Cobb County also, in my opinion, ignored existing state law in creating "Special Districts" and new taxes to raise revenue from areas around the stadium, supposedly to fund the deal.
We now
have almost $400 million in bond debt to repay over the next 30 years and this
obligation falls solely and exclusively on Cobb County property owners and
taxpayers. The bond documents specify that Cobb County's power to tax ALL the
property in Cobb County is the "Security" behind the bonds.
Cobb
County has since issued another $10 million in bond debt to
"redevelop" South Cobb, also a debt of Cobb taxpayers and also with
NO referendum. They are using the same "Special District"
approach to hit certain property owners with new, made-up taxes, including
another $3/night charge on all hotels and motels in the county.
I made
two formal complaints to the Cobb County Board of Ethics on specific issues of
ethics violations but the Ethics Board took no action.
I
intervened in court against validation of the bonds because they were not
issued in accordance with the law. Cobb Superior Court ruled in favor of the
County. I appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court and argued the case before the
Supreme Court. That Court issued a 42 page ruling in favor of the County based
largely on a precedent case from 1952 in which bond financing was used to pay
for new schools. I've
written letters to editors, to Commissioners, and to any other party I could
think of seeking answers to obvious questions, to no avail. We now
are living with the danger that the Board of Commissioners have a template they
can follow to issue bonds at any time for any reason and spend the money on
anything they want. This
needs to be fixed and the only way it will get fixed is if I get elected.
THE BRAVES ETHICS COMPLAINT
In my ethics
complaint, I charged that all commissioners failed their duty to taxpayers to
properly evaluate the Braves deal and that they failed to hire competent
advisors.
The County Attorney, representing the
Commissioners, included her own signed affidavits swearing that they had used
the services of a financial advisor and the law firm Seyfarth Shaw.
Later, I made an Open Records request that
included all correspondence and contracts with Seyfarth Shaw. The first
document I opened was a proposal for engaging Seyfarth Shaw by the County,
including rates and terms. That letter was dated after the stadium announcement,
indicating Seyfarth Shaw had not been engaged prior to that. It was later
revealed that Dan McRae had been working off the books in secret. There was
also correspondence between McRae and the Braves and others, sometimes not even
including anyone with the County.
Dan McRae missed out on the fees for the stadium
bonds, but in 2015 he got several hundred million dollars in bond business from
the Development Authority for a series of major projects, most of which did not
meet the requirements of state law for Development Authority financing and
related tax abatement.
DACC REVISION NEEDED
The
Development Authority of Cobb County (DACC) has been taken over by the Chamber
of Commerce and has the power to authorize tax abatement for developers of new projects.
These tax benefits are now being granted to virtually all new developments, including many that do not meet the criteria outlined in state law. The Cobb Board of Commissioners are aware of this but decline to take action to require the DACC to follow the law.
These tax benefits are now being granted to virtually all new developments, including many that do not meet the criteria outlined in state law. The Cobb Board of Commissioners are aware of this but decline to take action to require the DACC to follow the law.
The
generosity of the DACC in 2015 alone will cost the county about $10 million in
lost revenue in coming years and will cost the Cobb School District about $20
million (my estimates).
Comments
I met Larry Savage through the Georgia
Transportation Leadership Coalition in 2012.
We were studying the T-SPLOST ballot initiative that proposed to spend
$18 billion on Regional “transportation projects” using a 1% Regional Sales
Tax. The projects they selected were disjointed and overpriced and we rejected
paying property taxes to unelected Regional Commission boondoggles. We defeated
this at the ballot box by 66% in 9 of 12 Regions. Larry was an invaluable
adviser to this group.
I’ve followed the lawlessness in Cobb and
consider Cobb to be the “Poster Child” for voter abuse in Georgia. I urge Cobb voters to elect Larry Savage to
return Cobb to voter control.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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