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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Will Milton Survive Financially?


Will Milton Survive Financially?

This is a question that I am asked on a regular basis. I believe that Milton will not only survive but will thrive if the right people are making the decisions for our city.

It is no secret that Milton, along with many other cities, has had a difficult time balancing our budget. For the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2009, we had a mid-year budget amendment that reduced expected revenue by $1.5 million dollars. To balance our budget, expenses had to be reduced by this same amount. We are experiencing tough economic times and the leaders you choose will be responsible for insuring Milton's financial success.

Short-term vs. Long-term

The current City Council and staff have recognized the City's challenging financial situation. The downturn in the economy has resulted in a decrease in sales tax revenue. Also, with the property tax assessments frozen in place, revenue from property taxes will not increase, and are projected to decrease over the next couple of years.

The answer is not to raise taxes, but decrease expenditures through efficiency. Our desire for greater control and more flexibility over how your tax dollars are spent has led us to the decision to self perform some of our services rather than relying on one third party provider. In the short-term, we may not realize much cost savings due to additional costs that are always incurred as part of any transition of this type.

It is our belief that in the long-term, we can provide better service in a more cost efficient manner.

Community leaders vs. Community activists.

In these tough economic times it is important that we elect decision makers who understand governmental accounting and the balance needed to maintain our quality of life and our rural character.

We need community leaders not community activists.

It is important to have a team that can work together with our Mayor to not only lead our city through these tough economic times but also set the vision for years to come. It is also important to have community leaders who have a good relationship with the leaders of adjacent cities, Fulton County and the School Board as the decisions they make can, and do, affect us in Milton.

The Future of Milton

I was instrumental in including the financial model as part of the comprehensive land update process. I believe that it is imperative that we understand the financial impact of every decision we make. This will allow us to better plan for our future including the purchase of additional park land, development of existing park land, additional public safety officers, re-paving of paved roads and maintenance of gravel roads, and much needed intersection improvements. All of this can be accomplished if we have the right leaders making the decisions.

Over the past fifteen years I have served our community and worked hard to maintain our quality of life. Through overlays, master plans and the Rural Preservation Plan, I have worked with other community leaders to maintain our rural character. As a CPA and a business leader, I understand the city's finances and the impact our decisions make on those finances.

On November 3rd I ask you to vote to Re-elect me, Karen Thurman to the Milton City Council from District 1. Together we can Preserve Milton's Past while Securing Its Future.

Thank you for your support.
Karen

To learn more about Karen and her vision for Milton, please visit:

www.Thurman4Milton.com

Courtesy Thurman4Milton 310 Lake Bend Ct Milton GA 30004

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not if Karen is elected.

Anonymous said...

Is governmental accounting the same as creative accounting?

Anonymous said...

Wonder if Karen is from Texas? The father-son Bush presidents are and the father gave us inflation and the son helped give us this economy. Look out Milton, Texas politicans can't manage money, and Longoria is from Texas.

Anonymous said...

IMake sure that only one for the inflexible team, no growth (currently Julie, Tina, Alan)- and two for progress, business, (Karen, Bill, Burt) for parks and recreation and better roads (Mayor).
Karen, Bill, Tina
Bernard, Bill, Joe
Al, Karen, Joe
Al, Bill, Joe
Karen, Bernard, Joe

Be certain that only one NO GROWTH candidate is considered, whichever one you choose. That is the real issue at heart during this election. Joe Lockwood is absolutely right in thinking about this and although it really p'ed me off to no end of this sudden change in outlook considering how hard we worked to do what was right in the last election under the People's "movement".

Now I understand. It's true.

We MUST have BOTH SIDES EQUAL with a trust in a "Flexible, Two-sided candidate. I do not believe Joe has changed to favor developers. I think he probably listens more to all sides of the issue at hand and tries to make peace with what the majority wants for the future of Milton.

We cannot live in Fear anymore. WIN with a Balanced Council.

(At least consider what I'm saying. Oh crap, here it comes. Blog Go ahead I can take it.)

Anonymous said...

Serious flaw. 7 councilmembers including mayor can never be balanced. The choices you've indicated still end up with the developer-influenced majority on council. We want managed growth in Milton. Bernard, Al and Tina represent that.

Anonymous said...

view comments under "The Accuracy Of Accessmilton.com Polls."
Thurman will next be ripping off widows and orphans

Anonymous said...

To the last poster, do you really enjoy making stuff up? How about we deal in facts and not innuendo. You can read between the lines all you want, but that does not make it fact. More than likely it is fiction.

And it seems like you have a lot of that.

Anonymous said...

401 poster. You are right that Bernard, Al, and Tina would be ok on council but for that to work and have a balanced team you would have to remove Bailey and Tart. I just think the city needs that conflict right now.

Anonymous said...

Why would Tina be OK on City Council when she is going to be embroiled in scandal? She is likely going to be facing serious issues before the state ethics commission if not in the City ethics kangaroo court headed by her boyfriend, Todd Ashley.

Anonymous said...

Just vote for Joe Longoria then.

Anonymous said...

Will Milton survive financially? Not if Karen continues to orchestrate things like the scraping and clear cutting of Crabapple. Density neutral she says?? Greenspace she says??? All we see is a big giant void that is not collecting the promised revenue. What did we get from Crabapple....no traffic infrastructure improvements, development that obviously didn't generate the new business she proclaimed or useful residential options, all that density approved and nothing back for the community. Thanks Karen I see what you can do, Bernard's got my vote.

Anonymous said...

Leader vs Activist? Karen's definition of a community activist is anyone who has an opinion different than her own. Citizen opinions should be respected and considered. It continues to amaze me that these views that differ from Karen or Bill's are treated
like they are some singular, unwarranted opinion and continually gets blown off
by Thurman and Lusk. Whether you like it or not the opinion you disagree with is held by
a large majority of citizens. We are intelligent, successful, well grounded and can think for ourselves . Why do you think people keep voting for the opposite of who you say? You are not doing the job we want our council person to do, you are not working in the best interest of the whole City. What people that you are calling activist want is not unreasonable. Karen you should have listened to all your constituents and then you would know this.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the scraping and clear cutting of Crabapple, 6 Hills and Kensington Farms get to live with this "Thurman" planned mess.

Anonymous said...

I've seen both Karen and Julie in action - at council meetings and the things they've personally accomplished for our area before Milton became a city. They both show they will work hard and are dedicated. In my opinion, Karen's approach and management style is MUCH better for our city. Julie comes across as an extremist, filabuster style activist. She absolutely drives people crazy with her style. We need leaders like Karen Thurman.

Anonymous said...

Ask anyone who has ever supported Julie and then had to work with her and they will tell you she is bad news. Her message is good but shw will do anything to make sure her opinion is law. She would be great on some kind of advocacy group like BHA, and could do some good there but a person like her is just not cut out for a leadership position.

It is funny how her reputaion of being so difficult to work with now even follows her from the time she actually worked. Ask anyone that remembers her from Citi Bank and they will tell you no one wanted to work with her. Her bosses had to have things directed around her just so she wouldnt make an issue out of everything.

Not a good trait for someone to be in a position as council for our city. 2 years from now she needs to be back in a more appropriate position from the outside. Maybe she can resurect BHA and have Berni and All help her.

Anonymous said...

What about Tina? Can she be in BHA also?

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, I think some reallllly nasty politicing is going on here right now. I think all is a farce. People for Milton, People 4 Milton, The People - these are not all the same People!

And now it is even more confusing than ever.

Which is the Joe Lockwood group? AKA Karen, Bill, Tina.

Which is the "Julie" group? AKA Bernard, Al, Tina.

And which is the "Other" group? Karen, Bill, Joe Longoria.

Anonymous said...

Julie is good to work with. Its hard to do the right thing when others oppose, so it seems contentious.

Any negative suggestions are just those from the minority that oppose her vision for Milton, which is the stated Milton vision - go look at it on the City website.

Anonymous said...

Holy Cow!!!! and you can verify this with little problem on the internet, thanks to Public Record. I would have to say this is a case of "Actions" speaking louder than "Words" Good work Karen Thurman you sucessfully "hung" yo' self...

Voters Beware. Do we really want someone like Thurman on our city council. Please read.

Councilwoman Thurman tied to Unlicensed, predatory lending company.

October 2009, Milton, GA - A political jab about businesses licenses in Milton intended to slur a candidate for Milton City Council backfired when it was discovered that a predatory lending company in which Councilmember Karen Thurman and family members invested heavily is not only unliceased in several states, but also made its money targeting U.S. soldiers. Not only did Thurman invest heavily in the company, she also served as a board member on its Unsecured Creditor Committee and recently testified on behalf of the company in bankruptcy court. Ironically, Ms. Thurman accused her opponent of not having business licenses in Milton calling it "thumbing your nose" at the city. It was later determined that one of the companies named was not owned by her opponent, Bernard W. Wolff. Another was a family-owned trust, not requiring a business license.

Rome Finance Company Inc. was sued by the State of TN for predatory lending violations and "unfair or deceptive acts or practices." The unlicensed lending company targeted young military personennel and their families at Ft. Campbell, overcharged them for computers sold door-to-door or at mall kiosks, required direct deposit from their paychecks and then kept ballooning the loan amount so that the total was never paid off.

Court records in TN and CA show Milton Councilwoman Thurman invested $1,036,443.34 in an unliceased, predatory lending company, Rome Finance Company, Inc.

Ms. Thurman, a board member of its Unsecured Creditor Committee, provided bankruptcy court testimony, January 2009, in CA.

"The State of TN was awarded $10.8 million in a case against Rome Finance Company, Inc. for targeting Ft. Campbell soldiers," News release from the Office of the Attorney General Robert E. Cooper, Jr. and Dept. of Commerce and Insurance Commissioners Leslie Newman, Dec 18, 2008.

Thurman, a CPA and partner in an accounting firm who is vying for reelection in District 1, invested along with family member in Rome Finance Company, Inc., and unlicensed lender in CA, TN, and possibly other states according to court paper on file in those two states.

Rome Finance Company, Inc. has a parallel company in GA called Rome Finance Corporation. More to come...

Anonymous said...

Obama took the 800billion debt from the war and katrina from the Bush Presidency to new all record setting debt and deficit. It's one thing to go into debt over a war or natural disaster but to stradle this country with the un-necessary spending and Trillions of dollars in debt is nothing in comparison to Bush. Obama has now spent more money then all our presidents combined since George Washington, so Pahleese don't even try to compare Longoria to Bush, when there isn't anything to compare other then the State they came from. I'd take Bush back over the current admistration, who wants to socialize our country, in a heartbeat. Anyone but Obama, and definately NOT Longoria, Thurman, or Lusk for Milton either.

Anonymous said...

The Beacon is strangely silent over Karen's actions but would have ran numerous pages if Tina had been mentioned in this article. Why trash Tina and ignore Karen's actions? Journalism fairness or biased reporting?

Anonymous said...

Joe Lockwood is clearly supporting Karen Thurman and Bill Lusk. Tina is in alignment with Julie and Alan Tart. Joe Longoria is in alignment with Karen and Bill.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the accusation of Karen's involvment in Rome financing, I did some internet research myself. I don't know all the details, but there are a number of valid explanations where Karen and her family did nothing wrong. It appears that this information that is being anonymously posted is simply someone really trying hard to look for some kind, any kind of dirt. I don't find any evidence of wrong doing on her part.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Gumshoe. Your opinion and $1.79 can get you a cup of coffee in many places.

Everyone should read the internet articles on this particular case and draw their own conclusions.

Anonymous said...

Read the internet articles? And I assume you are one of those people who think that everything that you read on the internet is true? I really hope you don't run for office one day!

How about we read the court documents? How about we read the real facts and not just what you make up as you go along.

Anonymous said...

The court documents dont lie...a very deceptive woman, Karen C. Thurman is.
http://www.bindermalter.com/files/12-19-08-10-01-43.pdf

Anonymous said...

Bull. Karen was not an officer, director, manager or employee of this company.

Anonymous said...

Here we go again, Karen is as pure as the driven snow. If you invest over a million and your daddy invest 3 million, do you think they knew what is was they were getting involved with? Then frantically funneling the money out to daddy's IRA so the bankruptcy would protect them from paying back the money lost by the people they think are beneath the.

Anonymous said...

She makes me sick.

Anonymous said...

I've researched the issue about Karen Thurman. I think this is a very low attempt by her opponents to try and take away her credibility. Looks like she was simply an investor in the company. The pitch to investors was that we are a company that helps those with poor credit to get financing and we also help people with poor credit restore that credit. The pitch also said that the company operates within the legal and ethical rules regarding poor credit lending. There is no way as an outside investor that Karen or her family would have known the way the company was being run. It looks like to me that Karen only got involved to go against the company when the company was trying to get our of their obligations.

This is very low politics to try and hurt Karen's credibility with something like this. Makes her opponents look unethical to me.

PS - If there was really something true and valid here about Karen, don't you think one of the opponents would publish it officially or some credible news source would run a story on it. No, these are false and slanderous accusations. That's why you don't see anyone coming out with anything official. So, the rumor mongers simply try and find bits and pieces of truth on the internet and weave a deceptive story on anonymous internet blogs.

Anonymous said...

Lender Ordered to Pay $10.8 Million in Case of Targeting Ft. Campbell Soldiers




Written by Jamie Simpson, LawServer Attorney-Editor

Last Updated January 13, 2009

The Tennessee AG Office announced a Montgomery County Judge awarded over $10.8 million in a case against California-based Rome Finance Company, Inc. (Rome), for allegedly targeting Ft. Campbell soldiers by using predatory lending practices.

The case was brought against Rome by the AG's Division of Consumer Affairs for violations of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. After a long history of refusals to follow multiple court orders, Rome has been ordered to pay $8,894,706 in restitution to consumers, $395,000 in civil penalties for violating the state's laws, $1,000,000 in civil penalties for 500 instances of contempt of court, and $553,885 to reimburse the State's court and attorney costs.

Anonymous said...

So Ms. Moneypants, a CPA who invested over a million dollars and her daddy nearly $6 million just blindly made those investments and was taken unawares. Is that what you wish us to believe? Some savvy businesswoman! Hey, if you believe that I've got some swamp land to sell ya!

Anonymous said...

You folks are relentless. If it were true, it would sell a lot of newspapers. But it's not true so no credible source is going to pick it up. Your team is grasping

Anonymous said...

Denying it is not true does not make it false, it just means you have your head buried in the sand. You wouldn't be so forgiving if it was Tina and not Karen.

Anonymous said...

Thurman's huge investment alone places her close to a consumer lending scam that ripped off at least 700 military families. With her background I do not believe that she did not know what the company was perpetrating. I went to the court papers that were supplied in a post. Then I read Ms. Thurman's explanation of how hard she's working to repay herself and the other large investors. Pitiful! My nephew is in Iraq. God protect him and keep him...especially from our own citizens who would prey on him!

Karen Thurman said...

In case you are interested in the truth rather than relishing in the constant mistruths that are being spread I thought that I would state the facts about my involvement with Rome Finance Company, Inc.

1) My family does not now or never has had any ownership interest in Rome Finance Company, Inc.
2) Neither I nor any member of my family has ever been an officer, director or employee of Rome Finance Company, Inc.
3) In truth, Rome owes my family and over 300 other individuals, businesses, trusts, retirement plans, and churchs a substantial amount of money.
4) Based on my business knowledge and experience, I was chosen by the bankruptcy trustee as one of 7 people to serve on the outside creditors committee.
5) The purpose of the outside creditors committee is to put forth a plan of reorganization that will return most, if not all of the money Rome Finance Company Inc owes, back to the creditors, many of them senior citizens.
6) I, along with the rest of the committee, have been working on this plan of reorganization for almost one year and are very close to finalizing the plan.
7) Working with the trustee, the issue with Rome was cleared with the State of California and with the FTC for no monetary damages and the default judgement by the State of Tennessee was deemed invalid by the Tennessee Court of Appeals
8) I am proud to have been chosen to participate on this committee and in the plan of reorganization we are putting forth so that all of those owed money by Rome Finance Company, Inc. can receive what they are owed.

If anyone has any additional questions or simply wants to know if anything they have heard or received is true, please give me a call at 404-790-2874. I have nothing to hide and will be more than happy to discuss it with you.

Karen

Anonymous said...

See what Thurman's been up to. Not lies at all. Here you go...
http://www.bindermalter.com/files/12-19-08-10-01-43.pdf

Anonymous said...

You Zahnerites are absolute idiots, or disengenuous...maybe just both.

I just got an autodial from Julie, of all people.
She is "all in", as they say in Vegas. Invariably, she hides in the shadows like the wimpy Wizard of Oz, operating via dupes like Leona Cole, Paula Moore, pathetic Carol and nutty Nikky. This time, she is so desperate, the One herself has come out for her cast of candidates.
Her call says Milton will be the same if we vote her way...and it WILL!!!
In other words, no improvement, no parks, no quality of life increases, no tax relief, nothing.
Just a desperate longing for something that only exists in some minds every fall during elections. Anyone who really wants to protect, improve, save Milton needs to run away from the Z-ites as fast as they can.

Let's really do something innovative with our horse community, get parks that are the envy of the region, keep one acre,(regardless of who connects to EXISTING sewer pipes to protect the environment). Julie and her gang haven't done anything innovative in their lives. Look at Tina: uses co-hosts for events she hasn't gotten permission from, signs in places without permission, when corrected she extorts concessions or fires from City committees. She tried to veto the parks authority, didn't start disability awareness as claimed, didn't do much of anything. When an apparently reasonable opponent surfaces, she tries to bribe him to drop out...so she can save her sacred seat & title. Oh, she isn't a professor, she is an "instructor". Doesn't sound so cool.
We should be much more concerned about a man's brother going public saying he is unfit for a position of public trust, than some silly trumped up claim of an obscure company scandal.

Get real, go vote. The only truth is this IS an important election. In Dist 5, if Tina does win, we will have to pay $100k for a special election, undoubtedly, unless the City sues Tina due to her misconduct and makes her pay...which she can't.

Julie and her gang haven't run a business, held a job and most seem to have trouble selecting spellcheck when they blog. Do you really want moonbats running a $20million business, with your money and your property value at stake?

I don't.

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