Nice Green

And how does that revenue benefit Paulding County any more than any other county in the state? Is Delta based in Paulding County and no one's told us? And it's great that Delta employs 800+ in Paulding. Putting commercial flights in Paulding doesn't have to change that. Putting flights in Paulding doesn't have to take away what Paulding does - it can very well create a new market for flights that Delta doesn't offer. And last time I checked, the legislature doesn't serve (or shouldn't serve) at the whim of corporations. I'm sorry if Delta wouldn't like a tax subsidy to go away, but ha

That's not the topic here, at you know it. I'm sorry your situation happened to you, but that's not the point of discussion. And your situation doesn't invalidate everything the commission does. It's akin to someone getting arrested but ultimately being found not guilty. That doesn't mean every arrest the police make is a wrongful one.

Therein lies the problem. You're not likely to find anyone with that experience in Paulding. Anyone with that experience is bound to live in or near the county with such an airport. I could be wrong, but I believe that most boards like the PCAA require members to be residents of the county they serve. Whether that's the case or not with the PCAA, I think it would be tough to find someone out of the county willing to come to Paulding without getting an actual paycheck for it (I assume a per diem wouldn't be enough to entice most people to travel from out of the county). And as far as hi

<br /><br /><br /> I don't know the composition of other cities' and counties' boards to know if they tend to also feature other representatives, but having the mayors and the commission chairman on the PCAA is likely not a new thing. So if you are paying attention, you know that who you're electing (or re-electing) will be serving in said capacity. But if you ignore the elected officials, the rest of the board, I believe, is typically chosen by the governments represented, i.e., the commission would get some nominations, as would the city councils. I don't know the exa

<br /><br /><br /> So who on the PCAA doesn't have experience? I look at the makeup of the PCAA and I see someone who has flown for more than four decades, a veteran aviator and the man who currently runs the airport. In addition to those three, you also have an attorney, three elected officials, the leader of the county's chamber of commerce, other business leaders and longtime Paulding residents. If all the PCAA members had ties to the industry, opponents would complain that the board had no representation from the common man or someone from any other field. But

Since it apparently needs repeating, you elect all of the officials who appoint people to these boards. It's called representative government. Other cities and counties have boards that are filled by appointment, so to whine about not electing most of the PCAA or IBA members is moot.

Do you know for a fact that it will be passed by the General Assembly? This resolution can't compel the legislature to act. As you said, it's just a request. And Maxwell introducing legislation doesn't mean it's going to get passed.

I could be wrong, but a resolution like this means nothing. It doesn't change the state constitution - only the legislature can do that.

<br /><br /><br /> You can't point at one vote and expect that to stand nearly two decades later. Those who were children during that vote are most likely voting adults now, and people have moved in and out of Paulding. So just because some people voted against it back then doesn't mean it's written in stone now.

<br /><br /><br /> If I'm not mistaken, some people still wanted slavery to stick around in the mid 1800s. My point is that you can't point at one vote and expect that to stand nearly two decades later. Those who were children during that vote are most likely voting adults now, and people have moved in and out of Paulding. So just because some people voted against it back then doesn't mean it's written in stone now. And for all this talk of candidate promises, our elected officials represent the interests of the whole county - not just those who voted for them. You

Or an oft-repeated topic.

Well, it's 2014 now, and I'm guessing the leadership of the Chamber and the county is different now. So are the needs of the county and those that live here.

How does a full-page ad silence anyone? You've talked about First Amendment rights so much, and yet you're trying to say Chamber members exercising their rights somehow squashes yours. Ridiculous.

As you said yourself, these are projections. These numbers may not be accurate over the next 10 years. They may not even be accurate over the next year. But the 0 to 9% growth projections apply to multiple jobs. There's at least six aerospace/airport/etc. job areas listed on the first page, and they all have a projected growth of 0 to 9 %. While that may be far from booming, at least that's growth. And investing in an airport could lead to job growth in other areas around here. If the airport takes off, who's to say someone wouldn't put some developments out on the edge of the county?

What if I was? Would you say "Shame on you" to my face for putting a business in your county—not only paying the taxes and fees needed for that business to the county and/or city, but investing my time and money to create this business? Would you say "Shame on you" for bringing a business to the community that people wanted? That's the sort of attitude that keeps counties "bedroom communities" with nothing to do but go out of the county for nice dining, shopping, attractions, services, etc. Instead of complaining about this 76%, why don't you try to find out why so much of the Chamber'

Yeah, I heard someone here say that growing up near an airport years ago was bad. I've yet to see any reports on how bad the noise is now. Shouldn't all these opponents, especially those with homes near the airport, be bringing this information up when they get in front of the cameras? Past referendums are irrelevant. The county, with the guidance of legal counsel, pursued the issue anyway, and so far, it's not been deemed illegal. And that's your opinion. You brought up some legalese earlier in the thread (or was it the other one) but I argued against you. If Davi

How was my statement wrong? Is the runway actually encroaching on anyone's property? How can someone's house be at the end of a runway? If it was, then it would be on the airport's property. I don't know airport laws, but I would think that if any plane would fly so low and so close to a house to put someone in danger, then the FAA would step in and halt flights. Neither these homeowners, nor any homeowner, owns the entirety of the space above their homes. In reality, a homeowner only owns the airspace they can effectively use. I'd wager that on any given day, there's a greater likelihoo

So your point being...?

I wasn't there to hear any of the elected officials' addresses. I'm also pretty sure Cobb County leaders didn't announce plans for the Braves' planned moves months ahead of time. I'd compare such moves to giving the enemy your plan of attack, or if you're boxing, telegraphing your punches. "Hey Atlanta, we're going to announce in a few months our intention to bring the Braves into one of our cities. Why don't you take that time to come up with a counter offer for them?" As for your other comments, why would I stick any business "at the end of a runway" as you suggested? That's no place

I don't have a problem with the parties you mention trying to defend their livelihood—it's their right to—but if I work or live in Paulding, I'm coming down in support of Paulding's side on a matter like the airport. What kind of support are these parties giving? I thought the airport opponents were saying that Delta wasn't funding the lawsuit? If they aren't funding the lawsuit, what kind of support are they giving? If so many locals are against the airport, why can't they put "skin in the game," as you say, and throw some monetary support toward the lawsuit? Facebook likes are one th

You're defending someone who keeps claiming that this expanded airport will turn Paulding County into Clayton County overnight, and that MARTA will be here before you know it (despite no modern-day plan floating around anywhere). If there was a plan to bring MARTA here, I'm sure David Austin will mention it at his State of the County address coming up (and if not, I'm sure anyone's welcome to ask him about it during that event). I think you're accusing arrogance with being proactive. Chamber members supporting this issue are likely endorsing it because it's something they think will improv

You're right—non-residents of Paulding County can't vote on Paulding ballots. That doesn't mean they can't be involved in Paulding's business community and be involved with an organization aimed at bettering the business climate of its members and the community at large. And that doesn't mean they can't support county issues in other ways. Would you say these Chamber members couldn't support an effort to widen a highway—even if it would provide better access to their business—because they don't live here? Your stance is a slap in the face to those business owners. You're basically sayi

Yes, but those rights are not absolute. You can't say whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want, and these board meetings are an example of that.

The First Amendment doesn't give you the right to speak at any meeting you please. An allowance for public comment is up to the governing board. City councils don't have to have a time for public comment, but many do.

Gwinnett also has a lot of residents who are not from this country. If some Paulding folks can't stand county employees or Chamber members that aren't from Paulding, then I'm sure they'll be receptive to those whose primary language is not english.