It's now official! Yesterday, I made the trip down to the county administration building and qualified to run for the County Commission in the 4th district. I did so with an incredible amount of enthusiasm and excitement, and I can't wait to offer a new path forward to the voters of our county. Now more than ever, the decisions our county government makes today, will have a critical and lasting effect on the quality of life in Forsyth County for decades to come. Forsyth County enjoys a standard of living unparalleled in Georgia, but to ensure that continues, we need positive leadership and a local government that works for Us.

At almost the same time I qualified, a glaring example of exactly why we need new leadership presented itself in a very stark and undeniable way. If you have not heard by now, a judge yesterday threw out the results of the recently, and overwhelmingly, passed SPLOST (Local Option Sales Tax). You can read the ajc story on the decision by clicking here <http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2008/04/30/forysyth_0501.html> .

The SPLOST extension provides for up to 275 million dollars in sales tax revenues that would be used to improve our roads, bridges, and other necessary infrastructure improvements. This is not a partisan issue. Voters passed SPLOST by a wide and convincing margin.

So, why did the court throw it out? The city and the county leaders failed Us. It's really that simple. The fact that the city of Cumming and the county commission could not to come to an agreement on how to allocate the SPLOST funds is an abject failure of our government. Regardless of how you view the merit of the judges decision, the mere fact that this ended up in the courts is evidence enough of why we need new leadership.

This impasse couldn't have come at a more critical time. There are big challenges we all face, and we should be focused on plans that move us forward. Forsyth County needs a new approach to the way we grow, by encouraging development that builds at the human scale and that preserves our natural resources. That means breaking away from development that contributes to suburban sprawl, traffic congestion, and the destruction of our greenspaces.

This is an important and complicated discussion. It involves the ever important balance of respecting property rights and the inherent value of our land, with the absolutely necessary need to establish a more sustainable way to grow. A future growth that creates community and a sense of place is the future, not a vast horizon of subdivisions and strip malls you could find any where, in any place. And contrary to what every politician has told us over the decade, it's a balance that we can and must achieve if we are to leave Forsyth County a better place for our children.

But sadly, our leaders are stuck in the mud. We deserve better.

I qualified yesterday because I believe we have a tremendous opportunity to make government work for Us. I hope I can count on your continued support to make that happen.

With Warm Regards,

Jon Flack