Has There Ever Been an Elected Official that Delivered On Every Campaign Promise?

Courtesy Friends of Alan Tart

Friends of Alan Tart Newsletter
Important Message Regarding Next Tuesday's Election

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HAS THERE EVER BEEN AN ELECTED OFFICIAL WHO HAS DELIVERED ON EVERY CAMPAIGN PROMISE?

YES . . . I HAVE.

Four years ago, I committed to the citizens of Milton that I would do the following:

Preserve Milton's unique, rural equestrian character
Support smart growth and development that adheres to our land use plan, zoning ordinance, and design standards
Support fully staffed, equipped, and trained fire and police departments
Be fiscally conservative with your tax dollars and cut waste
Take steps to improve the look and character of the Highway 9 area
Support adoption of a new comprehensive plan that charts our vision for the next 20 years
Support efforts to strengthen preservation of our trees, waterways, and historic structures
Vote against extension of sewer to areas of Milton not already on sewer in order to control development density
Support the creation of a city-wide crime prevention network
Expand recreation opportunities, acquire additional parkland, and begin the development of parks we already have
Provide for a local government that is accessible to and inclusive of everyone
A quick review of my accomplishments over the past four years clearly shows that I have done everything I committed to citizens that I would do during my first term. This speaks to my integrity and strong commitment while serving as your representative on the city council.

Click here to view my record of accomplishments.

As you consider next Tuesday's important election, let's compare who will be better serving you from District 6...

RE-ELECT ALAN TART - SOMEONE WHO HAS MADE DECISIONS THAT HAVE ENSURED OUR FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

I am proud to have made decisions over the past four years that have made our city financially strong. My fiscally conservative decision making over the past four years has enabled us to accumulate a $7,800,000 fund balance (in reserves) as of the close of FY '11. Reserves are required by law and are part of good financial stewardship. In fact, our fund balance is 2.5 times that required by GA law. Our healthy reserves will allow us to use $1,500,000 of these funds in 2012 to make paving and intersections enhancements - not because we have to use the money but because WE CAN. These are your tax dollars being used to improve your quality of life.

In spite of this, my opponent continues to claim that our 86% residential versus 14% commercial property tax base - the intentional design of Milton that makes us unique from our neighboring cities - is "unsustainable."

Ironically, this claim was recently refuted by our own city manager in an email to the mayor and city council, and I quote:

"I am not comfortable with the idea being out there that 'Milton Finances = Not Sustainable.' It frankly isn't true...you all have made some very, very, very sound financial decisions in the last couple of years to position Milton to successfully weather one of the worst downturns in the economy and emerge strong. We will have plenty of opportunities to make more hard decisions in the future, but as I presented to you earlier in the year, I am confident with active management of our budget, we are very sustainable." - (C. Lagerbloom, personal communication to mayor and council, October 31, 2011)

RE-ELECT ALAN TART - SOMEONE WHO CAN ENSURE WE HAVE AN AWARD-WINNING PARKS AND RECREATION SYSTEM

In addition, I am proud of what our parks and recreation department has accomplished in its short one year history. During this first year, we have worked to secure agreements with schools and adjacent municipalities to provide relief to our citizens. We obviously need more. To that end, I am fully supportive of developing Birmingham Park to include a mix of active recreational fields and trails for walking and horseback riding.

The master planning process will be completed in the spring, and we will be ready to execute the development of Birmingham Park soon thereafter which will coincide with the final remediation and acquisition of Providence Park from Fulton County. I am also supportive of acquiring additional parkland adjacent to Bell Memorial Park in the coming year, and we are the funds to do so.

My opponent claims that we have done enough "planning" and "studying" for parks..."it's time to build." I've been asked by citizens why we can't have a parks system like Forsyth County. We can and will, but a large and complex parks system like Forsyth's requires comprehensive planning to ensure citizens' needs are met over the short and long term and tax dollars are spent efficiently and effectively. The "shot gun" approach to building a parks system proposed by my opponent, without the benefit of a master planning process, is unheard of. It would ultimately fail to meet your needs and expectations and would result in millions in wasted tax dollars. You deserve more thoughtful leadership.

RE-ELECT ALAN TART - SOMEONE WITH ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE AND A PROVEN RECORD OF INNOVATION, BUILDING CONSENSUS, & UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF INDUSTRY

In his recent email distribution, rather than focusing on my proven track record of accomplishments, my opponent chose instead to focus on the things he perceives have not been accomplished during my tenure as your city council member. He also attempted to disparage my 15 years of service with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He referred to me as a "government regulator" and implied that by nature of my job, I lack experience and innovation and am somehow unfriendly or unsympathetic to industry's wants and needs. Like many other things my opponent has said, this is but another clumsy, uninformed statement we have come to expect from him.

Although I work for the FDA, an important regulatory agency whose mission is to ensure the safety and security of food, drugs, medical devices, and biologics, my position with the agency is expressly non-regulatory.

From 1997-1999, I served as a microbiologist responsible for testing food for pathogens. Due to my efforts, deadly food was removed from shelves before it could harm American families. Since 1999, I have worked as a member of a highly specialized, 40-person team that provides technical support, consultation services, and training in the area of retail food safety to state and local health departments and industry.
The FDA does not regulate retail food establishments like restaurants, grocery stores, nursing homes, and hospitals; state and local health departments do. My team works through collaboration and education, not regulation, to assist our stakeholders with implementing best practices to minimize the risk of foodborne illness and death. I feel fortunate to have a career that provides a vital service to my country and its citizens, and I rest easy knowing that lives are saved through my efforts.

Furthermore, my industry peers' opinion of my ability to build consensus, understand their needs, and get results through innovative means is quite different than my opponent's stereotype of me.

Click here to read the endorsements I have garnered from industry and regulatory officials across the country, as well as from City of Milton residents.

Ironically, my opponent claims he is the only candidate from District 6 with "real life" experience. My opponent must forget that he is vying for the job I have held for the past four years. His experience in addressing the wide range of issues that are addressed by our city council, frankly, is non-existent and pales in comparison to mine. You can't get anymore "real life" than that.

RE-ELECT ALAN TART - SOMEONE WITH A TRACK RECORD OF LISTENING TO YOUR NEEDS AND SERVING OUR COMMUNITY OBJECTIVELY

My commitment to public service is even stronger close to home. I have been working hard to make my neighborhood of Avensong a better place to live and play since moving to NW Fulton in January 2005. I have served as Avensong's HOA president for the past five years.

For four of the five years the city has been in existence, I have served as the Milton Council Member from District 6. I have made the tough decisions one would expect an elected official of a new city to make, some of which were referenced by our city manager above. I am not beholden to developers. I do not accept campaign donations from individuals who are likely to want to do business with the city or be considered for rezonings or new development. I consider each and every application objectively, and I have an exceptional track record of "doing what I say I'll do."

Click here to see the many Milton citizens who have endorsed my re-election to the city council.

In contrast, my opponent acknowledges in an interview that he moved here by accident four years ago. He thought he was moving to Alpharetta and only discovered after moving here that he had actually moved to Milton.Click here to see this interview=>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jC0QgaVXGg. His only frame of reference for the kind of city Milton should be is his hometown of Virginia Beach - a city with a diametrically different vision than our city.

Until he decided to run for public office, my opponent's only involvement in neighborhood or city affairs was when he spoke in favor of the gas station currently being constructed at the corner of Highway 9 and Bethany Bend. Citizens in the area were overwhelmingly opposed to this application, yet my opponent was the only citizen at the November 2010 public hearing who spoke in favor of it. This came after he led the same group of citizens to believe he opposed the application.

Not only did this act show that my opponent is unable or unwilling to consider the wants and needs of his fellow citizens in his decision making process, but it later earned him a campaign contribution from the developer. It is extremely concerning that my opponent would so willingly choose to ignore the desires of the community in favor of a developer who doesn't even live here and then later accept a campaign contribution from him.

Click here to hear my opponent respond to questions about his support of the gas station and the campaign contribution he received.

And that's not the only developer who has contributed to my opponent's campaign. In fact, when you take his own money out of the equation, my opponent's campaign is almost entirely financed by developers, civil engineers (most of whom live outside the state), and others who could benefit financially if he is elected.

If my opponent was unable or unwilling to listen to the wants and needs of citizens in November 2010, it is highly unlikely, after receiving thousands of dollars in campaign funds from developers, engineers, and surveyors, that he will be willing to do so in the future if elected.

RE-ELECT ALAN TART - SOMEONE WHO CAN TRUST TO GET THINGS DONE

So, fellow citizens, when you go to the polls next Tuesday to choose who will represent YOUR interests on the city council over the next four years, please re-elect the person who:

Has a proven track record of service and accomplishments on behalf of our city
Is unbiased, objective, and willing to listen to YOU, the citizens
Demonstrates the thoughtful, informed leadership and unwavering commitment necessary to get things done with efficient, fiscally conservative use of your tax dollars
Clearly has the on-the-job experience needed to effectively address the wide range of issues typically taken up by the city council
Possesses the integrity necessary to assure open and transparent government

On November 8th, RE-ELECT ALAN TART, and together, we will work to ensure that in the next four years we have:

Fully staffed, equipped, and trained police and fire departments,
A parks system that is the envy of the region,
Safe streets and intersections, and
A lean, financially viable city government that answers to you, the citizens of Milton.

Thank you for your support and vote next Tuesday!

Alan
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Alan Tart and His Opponent Interviewed by Milton Herald and AccessMilton.com

Alan and his opponent were interviewed by Milton Herald and AccessMilton.com. The questions were not known in advance. The questions dealt with:

Possible changes to Milton's charter
Safety on our open roads
Whether our sign ordinance should be changed to allow neon lights
Strategies for preserving our rural, equestrian character
Privatization of streets

Click here to see the interviews=>
http://campaignwindow.com/alantart4milton/press/index.cfm?Fuseaction=press