Just ask Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts:
Fulton County officials are about to test residents’ commitment to libraries with a proposal to raise property taxes to pay for a huge building program. Depending on the final numbers, Fulton residents could be asked to raise taxes as much as 0.4 mills to pay for bonds for a program likely to cost more than $350 million. County commissioner Robb Pitts said he thinks residents are ready for a world class library system and are willing to pay for it. “Libraries are catalysts for economic development,” Pitts said. “They are gathering places. When was our last bond issue [for libraries]? Thirty years ago. We won’t have this opportunity again. I think the people will approve it.”
Libraries are catalysts for economic development? That may be, but I thought that lower taxes were a greater economic catalyst for bringing people and business into a community. Yes, I’m sure I read that somewhere.
I think that the last time Robb Pitts had (1) a genuinely pro-economy position and (2) felt he didn’t need to hold any elected office available was about the same time as the last bond issue on libraries.
{ 18 comments }
atlantaman 07.02.08 at 6:59 am
Why did he say, “We won’t have this opportunity again.”
Is it because the internet is going to make libraries obsolete?
Rogue109 07.02.08 at 7:35 am
Because our…very…lives…depend…on…it.
Icarus 07.02.08 at 7:44 am
I think we should add some money to the bond issue to revitalize Atlanta’s buggy whip industry.
Romegaguy 07.02.08 at 8:03 am
But it’s for the children
Bill Simon 07.02.08 at 8:08 am
We’re talking about just a few “mils” here. How can you be harmed by such a small amount, right?
Tea Party 07.02.08 at 8:57 am
Like the magnificent, yet un-staffed, no-book facility downtown?
I am surprised, Mr. Pitts.
fishtail 07.02.08 at 9:19 am
What’s happening here is the need to feed Atlanta’s minority architects, engineers, bond lawyers, and building contractors. Dekalb and Fulton county and City of Atlanta taxpayers have been supporting this group’s greed by passing referenda for schools, public buildings, parks & recreation, etc. for the last 20 years or so. This loosely-allied group of black professionals will convince local politicians (whose elections they fund) that a referendum should be passed for a worthy construction project, then this same group funds the campaign to get the referendum passed, then they ultimately feast on the proceeds after they are awarded fat no-bid negotiated contracts. The Justice Department was investigating this practice about a year or so ago, according to some stories in the AJC. I recall a story about a black contractor, Mr. E. R. Mitchell, who was forced to refund over $ 1 million to the City of Atlanta School System due to overcharging. I don’t believe he was indicted. Anyone know of any other developments? Unless exposed to bright daylight, this moveable feast will keep right on truckin’.
Clayton 07.02.08 at 1:06 pm
Rob Pitts - working hard to make a new Milton County a reality.
Tea Party 07.02.08 at 5:39 pm
fishtail, some other bloggers call them, ‘bondits’ and they have been around in both DeKalb and Fulton long enough to be white as well…
SpaceyG 07.02.08 at 5:45 pm
I think Pitts has libraries confused with Starbucks.
fishtail 07.02.08 at 8:10 pm
I realize that a few “white bread” interlopers have crashed this feast, but for the most part this is a private feeding frenzy of Afro-Centric types. As mad as they may get about being called out, it’s just a “pay-to-play scam”. (Soon I will be called a racist.)
Bill Simon 07.02.08 at 9:01 pm
Fishtail, shall I call John Konop and Rugby here? I can summon them if you wish. They have the “racist” repertoire down pat.
fishtail 07.02.08 at 9:27 pm
Bill Simon…thanks for your words of encouragement…much appreciated…some of the folks I’d really like to hear from (but won’t) include Robert Brown, a minority architect and member of the MARTA Board, Karol Mason, a bond lawyer with Alston & Bird, and Jerome Russell, the suck-cessor to his Dad at Russell Contractors. There are some prominent other feasters, but these are a few of the worst violaters of the taxpayers’ purse.
fishtail 07.02.08 at 9:44 pm
Excuse me, but Robert Brown is also a member of the State DOT Board…how much bidness do his firm get from DOT? Of course he don’t vote on his firm’s bidness awards from State DOT as that wouldn’t be appropriate.
atlantaman 07.02.08 at 10:48 pm
Why not install some free public showers and a couple of kiosks for free internet access. It would have the same effect as building a new downtown library and would be a lot cheaper.
Game Fan 07.03.08 at 5:38 pm
They always try to raise taxes for the “positive” things. The Children, the infrastructure, schools, libraries, ect… Why don’t they ever raise taxes for, say, better ways to kill more dogs and cats, or just a general increase in bureaucrats? They need money too right? What about increased oversight with crematoriums?
Game Fan 07.03.08 at 5:44 pm
The people who shoot bear and coyotes…
Game Fan 07.04.08 at 10:29 am
Of course if they’re fiscal conservatives you might be hearing some of this once in a while:
“work like tireless bloodhounds to root out government inefficiency and waste of tax dollars. ”
Ronald Reagan
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