My LTE in the VDT Thursday.
I’ve added links to some of my inspirations. -jsq

Local leaders worked hard to get the

Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area declared.
Why now are they acting like a Ludowici
speed trap for local businesses?

The Lowndes County Commission shouldn’t act like a private business
trying to exclude anybody it doesn’t like. State law says local
governments are supposed to have open bids and public hearings. A
promise (in the VDT) in

March 2013 of a non-exclusive contract for
trash collection turned into

exclusive in October; at least two of
the five bidders are now the same company; and the county

is suing


a

local business to the profit of

a company owned by investors in New York City.
Meanwhile,

no public accounting has ever been seen of the

former waste collection sites and

no public hearing was held before
they closed, despite state law.

Business exists to make a profit. Government exists to provide
public services like law enforcement, water, sewers, roads, and yes,
trash collection. Sure, balanced books are good. But money isn’t the
main point of government: providing what the people need is, and

the people didn’t ask the county to exchange the waste collection
centers for lower prices

that won’t last.

Businesses (except monopolies)
have to make some effort to please
customers, so they continue getting paid. Local citizens

don’t even get to see what our local governments are voting on
before they vote to spend our money on it, and the Lowndes County Commission

won’t even listen to citizens for more than fifteen minutes.

As the VDT reminded us (19 December 2010),

“…citizens are tired of being told what’s best for them, having no
say so in how their tax dollars are spent,

and having their concerns ignored.”

If local officials and other local leaders want this to be a
metropolitan area, we need to get on with

things metropolitan areas
care about, like

more jobs,

clean air and water,

solar power, and

fast Internet access. Not

business speed traps.

Not even Lester Maddox tolerated Ludowici. Why should we tolerate
trash government at the next election?

John S. Quarterman is a Lowndes County resident who remembers Lester
Maddox going to Ludowici