Thoughts on the Johns Creek Elections

Next Tuesday, November 5th, we will wrap up the most tumultuous campaign for Johns Creek Mayor and City Council in the city’s brief history.  The past six months has been a disappointing period for City of Johns Creek.  I want to share with you with why I support Mike Bodker for Johns Creek Mayor and Cori Davenport and Lenny Zaprowski for City Council.

Earlier this year, we saw the City Council, led by Bev Miller, Randall Johnson, and Karen Richardson, vote for an investigation into Mayor Mike Bodker’s personal and political life.  This group on the City Council chose a path to pursue petty differences with Mike Bodker rather than focus on the needs of the City and its residents.  By the time the last bill is paid, the taxpayers will have spent nearly $100,000 on this investigation that yielded no charges against Mike Bodker.

While Bev Miller has talked about restoring integrity on the City Council, she has dropped all pretences of maintaining integrity in her campaign.  At the request of Bev Miller’s supporters on the City Council, an Interim Report on the investigation was rushed out by the investigating attorney last week to accommodate Bev Miller’s campaign.  Three days later, Bev Miller issued her first campaign mail piece attacking Mike Bodker by quoting the report and greatly embellishing some of the facts in the report.  The fact that the report found no basis on which to charge Mike Bodker of any wrongdoing did not stop Bev Miller from making claims to the contrary in her campaign mail pieces. Her campaign mail pieces have all focused on attacking Mike Bodker without offering any vision for the future.

The footnotes in the Interim Report clearly state the investigator uncovered no facts that would lead to any specific charges, with the exception of Mike Bodker’s intervention into a school bullying case.  In retrospect, Mike acknowledges he should not have personally intervened, but did so out of great concern for the student being bullied.   

If the lack of integrity in Bev Miller’s campaign is not enough, Bev, Randall Johnson, and Karen Richardson have also remained largely silent on City Manager John Kachmar’s outburst of profanity with a group of Johns Creek residents in early October.  Mr. Kachmar’s behavior would not be tolerated in any other public or private enterprise, yet Bev Miller and her supporters have referred to this profanity-laced vitriolic attack as just politics.  No real leader would allow an employee to remain on the job following such an incident.

Finally, Bev Miller, Randall Johnson, and Karen Richardson , during a City Council work session this summer, voted against an amendment to restore free speech to any appointee to a City of Johns Creek board or commission.   This vote was specifically made to prevent City appointees from speaking out against the investigation during City Council meetings.     Why would Bev, Randall, and Karen deny the same basic right we have with all other levels of government?  Why would anyone on the City Council vote against the one of the fundamental rights on which this great country was founded?

We need City leaders who truly understand the principles of integrity and leadership.  I hope you will join me in voting for Mike Bodker, Cori Davenport, and Lenny Zaprowski.  They will focus on you, the taxpayer, rather than their petty, personal objectives.   Mike, Lenny, and Cori are the leaders we need today to move Johns Creek forward with a clear vision of the future and an understanding of the taxpayer’s priorities.