I am a candidate for Peachtree City Council Post #1. I have the proven record of voting for the citizens’ interests 100% of the time. I never voted for special interests, nor my own interests. I’m running to uphold the village concept of Peachtree City.

Using my engineering, financial, and management background I will focus our city on the following five priorities:

1. We don’t need more dense pack housing of any kind. Nor should future annexations be for the purpose of adding costly dense pack housing. Our police and fire departments are already stretched too thin. And traffic is now at its brink.

If the other candidates think high density housing is what Peachtree City needs by way of more apartments and condos, there’s a city 20 miles north of us that has plenty of what you’re looking for. I will not allow our city to become a suburb of Atlanta.

One of my opponents comes from a group that supported the “Livable Cities Initiative” (LCI). Remember the Kedron Fieldhouse presentation where the idea was proposed of changing our green space along GA54 into apartments and condos. Also remember the box that said, “None of the above” that got overwhelming support.

The LCI proposal would be a disaster for Peachtree City, not only for traffic but our city’s character as well. Make no mistake, if a majority on the city council is elected that thinks this is a good idea, this is what we’ll get. I helped get both Councilmembers Frank Destadio and Clint Holland elected because I knew they would push back against high density housing like I intend to do.

2. Traffic concerns continue to be a top priority for our citizens. We all know the debacle that has become the intersection of GA54/GA74. The only favorable thing I see being implemented with the $20M+ intersection redo is to deal with the southbound GA74 turning right onto westbound GA54 with an extra dedicated turn lane that does not block traffic on GA54.

We must keep our citizens informed as to when and where other traffic improvement projects will be taking place. Current politicians, with the exception of new council members Destadio and Holland, have voted to add to the traffic problem on the GA54 corridor.

3. Continuous never-ending tax increases need to stop. Something is wrong when you have eight consecutive yearly tax increases. SPLOST (the extra one cent tax on most items we buy in Fayette County) has been a game changer and will continue to be so in the future. It is a much better option for our citizens than millage rate tax increases.

SPLOST adds over $10 million a year to our budget (outside the General Fund) allowing us to catch up on much needed maintenance. However, we need better accountability of the “extra” millions and millions of dollars coming into our city annually. There is no excuse for constantly raising taxes when we have this sort of additional revenue and an overage of city budget reserves.

Folks who know me know I am a hawk when it comes to spending our citizens’ money. Rolling back the millage rate for Peachtree City property taxes can be done without diminishing services. I will get it done. That’s a promise.

Tax bills are exploding when inflation and the economy are making life difficult. This is not the way to govern. Peachtree City has adequate cash reserves and can afford to roll back the millage rate to offset the increased property assessed values.

4. Cart path maintenance continues to be another priority. With the passage of SPLOST, we should be in good shape for years to come. I realize folks sometimes identify places on the paths where maintenance is needed.

Let me know as one of your five council members and I will personally get involved and see that proper action is taken quickly. I will respond to emails unlike the silence many of you now experience. There is no excuse for any path maintenance issues to be lingering. There is no excuse for not replying to emails.

5. I argued for police and fire department pay raises in recent years. I’m glad to see those raises finally materialize. I intend to make sure those emergency responders get the priority when future budgets are developed.

I was elected to Peachtree City Council Post #1 in 2009 and voluntarily stepped aside in 2015 to let someone else run for office. My goal during those six short years was to get our city’s budget back under control during the worst financial times we’ve ever experienced. With help from many like-minded folks, we got it done.

When I left we had a balanced budget without future tax increases and without using city reserves. Nor did we lay off city employees. We kept raises in line with the economy at the time, which was a difficult thing to do.

A few other personal tidbits to get to know me: I’ve helped literally hundreds of our citizens with their Fair Market Value assessments on their homes in order to save them money on their property taxes. You may have seen my many posts on Facebook about this.

I am currently a substitute teacher in Fayette County having taught from 2nd Grade to Advance Placement Physics at McIntosh High School.

I am a Chaplain and have married people who live in Peachtree City. I am currently the Chaplain of the Masonic Lodge I belong to in Peachtree City.

I enjoy arranging activities for our city and have put together the annual Monopoly Tournament in Peachtree City since 2009 as well as the annual Golf Cart Scavenger Hunt.

I have a BS degree in Engineering (San Jose State University) and advanced degrees in Computer Systems (Air Force Institute of Technology) and Program Management (Defense Systems Management College). I enjoy giving 80s-era Star Wars presentations at the Gathering Place on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission I managed while in the Air Force.

I’d love to share my ideas in person with you, your friends/neighbors, or even your HOA. And would love to hear yours.

Contact me at: [email protected] or on Facebook at Eric Imker for City Council Post #1

Thank you in advance for your vote and support.

Eric Imker

Peachtree City, Ga.