Here, Here! AJ hit it right on the money! Pardon the pun.

aj we hear that you are in the development business now. what reasonable person thinks that money does not influence votes

A vote for me is a vote for you - Win with Waddell

AJ, I disagree with you, my friend. I don’t think you can conclude that all candidates are not influenced by campaign contributions just because you were not. Not everyone has the integrity to be unbiased to the contributors group that produced thousands of dollars for a campaign.

Certainly, if one candidate receives tens of thousands of dollars from the development community he/she might more likely be influenced by that group than the candidate who received virtually no contributions from the group. Regardless of the candidate’s integrity, I suspect that the development community contributes to candidates who they think are more likely to favor the development community’s desires and actions.

Maybe some of your information about who is supporting Brian Tam is also wrong given that you presented no factual source for your statements of fact. Perhaps you meant it to be your opinion.

A.J. you are exactly right.

Trying to imply that accepting campaign contributions from anyone associated with development or building would make someone dishonest is dishonest in itself.

Face it - there are no more than a few degrees of separation from anyone in this county and someone in the "development community". To try to make someone seem less than honorable because they have any association with anyone connected to development is not only silly, but it is inherently dishonest in itself.

And, just in case you haven't noticed, new residential development in this county has all but stopped. Quit trying to use these scare tactics, Mr DeMaria. They were dishonest before, but now they are dishonest AND dumb.

I love how AJ changes his views on Tam and his Campiagn Contributions.

He actually signed a letter http://www.cumminghome.com/news30041/politics/unedited-verion-of-ad-in-.shtml supporting homeowner friendly candidates which Demaria helped to craft last election which highlighted the same issues that AJ is saying doesn't matter now.

Tam has shown that initially he didn't have enough time to do the job and then 3 of them voted themselves assistants, raises, cars, etc. Or what about voting to give the assistants a paid year when they knew ahead of time that the new board would vote the assistants out. Hardly Republican values of using your tax paying money to the fullest and effeciently reducing waste.

The using of previous campaign funds to attack Charlie Laughinghouse in the last election, which I'm glad our local Republican party decided to bring him to task on this.

Like the water & splost issues where he leans towards City support instead of the County at large.

Avenue Forsyth & Taubmann projects how much of taxpayer money in incentives and infrastructure projects were used to lure these projects. Builder handouts under the guise that we will receive so much tax money from them. We would have received tax money from commercial projects in that area without the giveways. One of the richest counties in the nation and we're giving handouts. Incredible!

Sorry, but I just don't buy your statement that the same kind of revenues could be raised from other commercial developments had the incentives not been given to The Avenues and to the Taubmann projects. Without the infrastructure improvements, what types of commercial developments do you think would be there to generate all of these tax dollars? More nail salons and dry cleaners, perhaps?

I think that most successful businesspeople know, you have to spend money to make money. It's no surprise that neither Busse nor Richard seem to get it. There are a lot of things these two don't seem to get.

Doug, you're absolutely right. No other development would have attracted a $1billion capital investment, generated half a billion dollars in tax revenue and created 8,000 jobs.

People like Busse and Richard like to point out that Forsyth County is the 13th most prosperous county in the nation and can attract developments like Taubman and Avenue Forsyth without incentives. That is pure fiction.

Being the 13th most prosperous county in the nation only means there are 12 others that are more prosperous and probably half a dozen that are close to being just as prosperous. I'll bet everyone of those would be happy to offer incentives.

Taubman could also have chosen Gwinnett, DeKalb and Fulton counties as a location and still have drawn customers from the 13th most prosperous county in the nation.

Richard's desire to challenge the SPLOST VI ruling would have derailed the Taubman project and cost the county half a billion in tax revenue.

Vote for fiscal sanity... VOTE FOR PATRICK BELL!!!

Do Not Be Scammed Mr. Pritchett, it is amazing how fast you have gone from a supporter of homeowner candidates in 2006 to supporting the developer side of the aisle. Perhaps understandably in that you joined the developer ranks after your BOC stint.

Tam should not be put back in office..... He has already cost the taxpayers of Forsyth millions by rubber stamping high denisty for Commissioner Conway.

We all will be paying taxes for this for years, paying back the bonds to build more schools, sewer, water delivery improvements, traffic improvements, public safety employees, new courthouse, and everything that higher density requires.

Mr. Conway got hundreds of thousands from developers donations.

We taxpayers get the privilege of paying the bill.

Tam is real quick to claim credit for everything. Remember just before the election 2 years ago. He made the statement that he had worked it out for the new Wal-Mart to move up 141 away from the controversial location they had picked, but he stated that he did not want all the credit, he wanted Commissioner Conway to get credit. Sounds good----We found out after the election it was not true.

Now that the current election is close, he is telling people that live on the Lanier Golf course that if they support him, he will get the county to buy the golf course. A promise that he does not have the power to keep if he wanted to. Sounds like a pattern---**say anything to get elected. He offered seniors free meals at his restaurant, to discuss the campaign.

Remeber Tam's statement that he had to have his aid, evidently she was doing his commissioner work while he was hauling restaurant equipment in a county vehicle. He has stated that he cannot do the job without an aid, why is he running again?

Tam also voted along with Conway to pay his aid if the county let her go---the county paid.

*After all it is only taxpayer money.

Did you ever wonder why Tam votes for the city on almost all issues, and against the county. He rents his restaurant site from the city.

We need to vote for anyone but Tam.

Listen folks----this is the last chance to get rid of Conway's three votes he used to brag about.

Hello Bill, you hit on soemthing I am concerned about. The 3 votes. You know it has been Richard, Charlie & Jim H as the new trio. Now we have Boff and Busse hanging in the wings. Do you want 5 positions on the Board all hand picked by one person? That is a sure fire way for disaster.

On another topic but intersting anyway, I did get this email earlier from a friend:

I met [a commissioner] yesterday that mentioned the water fiasco, and my husband and I brought up the debate and said that Richard QUOTE "said that it was as close to being done as it has ever been" we asked [the commissioner] to elaborate on the issue, and he stated almost what Bell did at the debate. AND [the commissioner] agreed with Bell's stance, that it was not there and it was not going to happen...

Now if that's not proof about the lies these guys will spread I don't know what is.