Over the last few days there have been numerous attempts on local blogs to distort who I am and what I stand for in this campaign. As a parent that had to explain to my children what “DUI Debbie” signs on the side of the road meant four years ago I am not surprised but I am disappointed.

My campaign is about fiscal responsibility, growth we can live with and a passion for defending the quality of life that makes Alpharetta great. My campaign is about the vision of our future that I share with the people of Alpharetta. I will not climb into the gutter with my opponent’s supporters because I am better than that and I know my views and positions will win this election.

Any person that thinks I will be intimidated by distortions or vile, vicious and false claims obviously doesn’t know me very well. That kind of pathetic nonsense only serves to inspire me more. I have never backed down from a bully in my life and I am not about to start now.

I generally ignore the attacks on me but they reached such a level on one website that I felt the need to respond just to set the record straight. You can read my response below:

It is sad that baseless personal attacks have become part of Alpharetta’s political arena ever since Cheryl Oakes first decided to run for city  council. But I saw how the vile smears worked against her opponent four years ago and I expected them to resurface now.

If anyone thinks the Chamber of Commerce should be frightened by my platform then they obviously don’t remember when Brandon
Beach, the chamber’s CEO, was elected to Alpharetta City Council. He made the same promises to protect the quality of life for our residents that I make now.

I am simply trying to restore what used to be the norm. That I am now attacked as “anti-growth” or “anti-business” speaks volumes.  I am not anti-growth. I am pro-Alpharetta.

Every day for more than a decade I have been working with and talking to the people who make Alpharetta a great city. The Moms and Dads volunteering at PTA. The volunteer coaches who make our local sports programs possible. The new families who moved to Alpharetta to raise their children. The downtown residents and business owners concerned about the future of the downtown center. The people who have lived in Alpharetta for decades but are dismayed by what they see happening to their city and are now contemplating a move they never wanted to make.

When the offices all empty out… these are the people still here. They are the people who know me and support me.

If I’ve lost the unhinged blog commenter vote… so be it.

I would like to thank all of my friends and neighbors for your outpouring of support over the first week of this campaign. Obviously my opponents have every intention of making this race an ugly spectacle but you can rest assured that we will not stoop to their level. And when we win in November the people of Alpharetta will have sent a resounding message that such tactics are not welcome in the arena of ideas.