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Community Corner

Cobb Citizens Respond to New Polls & Financial Projections

Citizens for Governmental Transparency

 CONTACTS:

Sharon Hill   678-900-2405      sjhpreye@yahoo.com

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James Strawn 770.218.0381   jamesastrawn@gmail.com

Rich Pellegrino 404-573-1199 Pilgrim1@mindspring.com

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 CGT Response to New Braves Polls & New Financial Projections

MARIETTA, GA---Cobb Citizens for Governmental Transparency (CGT), a group of organizations representing a diverse cross section of Cobb residents, which has called for a moratorium on any public spending relating to the Atlanta Braves proposed move to Cobb, and a referendum on the deal if it involves any public funding, states that new polls released last week confirm what they have been saying since the Braves deal was announced last November.

The polls of  800 Cobb residents, released by Rick Dent of Lincoln Park Strategies, indicate that sixty-four percent oppose the use of public monies to help finance the Braves move to Cobb and a new stadium, fifty-three percent want more public hearings, and a whopping eighty-seven percent say that the County was not transparent and open regarding this whole deal.

Regarding the release of new financial projections by the County and the Braves, CGT spokesperson James Strawn stated: “We are examining the soundness and veracity of these new financial projections but as we have stated before, without a more adequate accounting of what the County will be spending-- as weekly there are fresh revelations of new, hidden or unanticipated costs not revealed by the County but by the media--there cannot be a true balance sheet to weigh costs against projected revenues in order to determine the economic viability of the project.”  Strawn further notes “it is interesting that as soon as new polls were released indicating a continuing loss of public confidence in the Braves deal and in the Commissioners’ who approved it, all of a sudden new numbers and projections are found and revealed. And these new numbers were not shared with some of the other Commissioners previously—a continued lack of transparency and accountability in process. So we are not backing off from our demand that no further public funds be spent on this project until the people have a chance to vet it through further public hearings and possibly a referendum. And we are reminding Cobb residents that they can express their dissatisfaction with this deal and how it was forced on them by going to the polls to vote in the primaries Tuesday for new Commissioners who will actually listen to and communicate with the people they represent.”

Citizens for Governmental Transparency will be meeting Wednesday night to plan its next actions to address the Board of Commissioners’ and Braves’ failure to respond to the peoples’ interests as expressed in these new polls and in the letters which have been delivered to them on behalf of the people.

Citizens for Governmental Transparency

Cobb County SCLC                                                                           Cobb Taxpayers Association

Dr. H Benjamin Williams                                                                Lance Lamberton

docben@att.net                                                                              llamberton@comcast.net

Georgia Community Coalition                                                   Cobb Immigrant Alliance

Rev. Coakley Pendergrass                                                            Carlos Garcia

Coakley_pendergrass@att.net                                                  laboroflovecampaign@gmail.com

Partnership for Southern Equity                                               The Madison Forum      

Charles Walker                                                                                  James Serrate

cwalker@psequity.org                                                                  serrate@juno.com

 Powder Springs Community Task Force                             Cobb United for Change Coalition

Elliott Hennington                                                                            Richard Pellegrino                           

ehennington@aol.com                                                                                 pilgrim1@mindspring.com                          

 

Atlanta Tea Party Patriots                                                       Conservative Leadership Coalition                                                                                                        Debbie Dooley                                                                            Susan E Stanton

Debbie@teapartypatriots.org                                                 siusaidhfl@aol.com

Georgia Chapter, Sierra Club                                                  East Cobb Democratic Alliance

Colleen Kiernan                                                                          Tom Barksdale

colleen.kiernan@sierraclub.org                                             TBarksdl@aol.com

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