Keeping Snellville Proud

Last night (August 8th) I attended a kick-off reception for Tom Witts’ Snellville City Council re-election campaign. It was an impressive turnout, both in numbers and in the range of people who attended—friends, relatives, elected officials in other cities, at the county level and at the state level. In speaking with many of them, I found a common thread was integrity, intertwined with a history of community involvement. When these type of people support a candidate, it tells you everything you need to know about that candidate; people of integrity support candidates with integrity.

As a fellow member of the Snellville City Council, I’ve worked with Tom for almost two years, and what I have seen is a true public servant who gives of himself for the benefit of others, and does so at the highest level of ethical standards. Many of the people in attendance last night expressed the same thoughts and while the words may sound like typical campaign season rhetoric, they are an absolutely accurate description of Tom Witts. Take the time to review Tom’s accomplishments and you’ll agree.

Tom will be the first to point out that many of the accomplishments aren’t his, but those of a team. What he’ll neglect to say is that he was responsible for putting the team together. But some people in the city and the surrounding area take issue with these very accomplishments that have brought a renewed sense of community and pride to Snellville. These individuals form a core group that sees honest government, civic improvement and community activity as threats to their personal agenda of using taxpayer funds for their own purposes. Their only desire in helping Snellville is as a means of helping themselves. One revealing statement made after the last election is, “We’re taking Snellville back”.

In the next few months, these people will be spreading lies and manipulated facts (as they have in the past) in an effort to discredit any City Council candidate who truly has the citizens’ best interests at heart. You’ll hear all manner of claims, with no real documentation to back them up. You’ll hear personal attacks, baseless allegations and fairy tales that will rival Walt Disney’s best offerings.

There’s a reason that so many people of integrity attended Tom’s kick-off reception last night. They know Snellville’s political landscape, they know the players who are out to take what they can get and they know who will best serve the citizens of  Snellville.