Cobb Board of Commission member Cupid removes SPLOST opposer from oversight committee by Ricky Leroux September 30, 2014 04:00 AM | 2841 views | 18 18 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print District 4 Cobb County Commissioner Lisa Cupid District 4 Cobb County Commissioner Lisa Cupid 44F_Lance_Lamberton.jpg MARIETTA — With a little more than two months remaining before county voters decide whether to extend a 1 percent special purpose local option sales tax, Commissioner Lisa Cupid has decided to remove anti-SPLOST activist Lance Lamberton from the SPLOST Oversight Committee. Lamberton of Austell is the chairman of the Cobb Taxpayers Association, an organization with the stated goals of reducing government spending and opposing increases in taxes. The group has come out against the 2016 SPLOST, just as it did for the 2005 and 2011 SPLOSTs. The six-year, 1 percent sales tax is expected to collect $750 million over its lifetime and will be on the ballot Nov. 4, when voters will decide whether to pass it. Cupid said Lamberton’s active role opposing the SPLOST “runs counter” to his role on the committee overseeing the program. She said she originally appointed Lamberton because he provided an alternate perspective, which she thought would be useful for the committee, but his vocal opposition to the 2016 SPLOST led her to remove him. “To take such an active role, to be publicly advocating against, it goes beyond having that balance in view,” she said. Cupid said Cobb Chairman Tim Lee, who vocally opposed Cupid appointing Lamberton in June 2013, showed her an article a few months ago describing Lamberton’s opposition to the 2016 SPLOST. However, Cupid said the article still did not sway her views on Lamberton’s position on the committee. “But it’s been the level of activity that has come to my attention after that (article) that’s made me concerned that, again, having a balance of perspective is one thing, but actively advocating (against) something that you’re being entrusted to oversee is on a whole other level,” Cupid said. “And it does undermine his role on the board.” Cupid said she has someone in mind to replace Lamberton, but she hasn’t spoken with that person yet. She said she hopes to have an appointment to announce by November. Lamberton believes Cupid’s pro-SPLOST stance is the driving force behind his removal. Commissioners approved calling for a SPLOST referendum in July by a vote of 4-1, with Bob Ott opposed. “Lisa is an independent person,” Lamberton said. “It’s one of the things I like and respect about her. Her appointment of me, her voting against the MOU for the Braves shows me that she is not that easily swayed by other commissioners. So, I have to question her real reason for why I’m being removed. And it’s my opinion that it’s because of her vehement support for the SPLOST, and that this is, in essence, political retaliation.” Lamberton said he believes the county relies too heavily on the SPLOST and questions the way the project list is structured. There are two tiers on the list; tier one projects are funded first, and if there is revenue remaining after all those projects are fully funded, tier two projects will be addressed. Lamberton says there is nothing in state law allowing for the tier system. “I’m of the view that the SPLOST should be — you know, if you say you’re going to raise a certain amount of money for the projects, then once you hit that mark and you’ve raised the money, then the collections should stop at that point,” Lamberton said. “But what they’ve done is they’ve built a tier two, so once they hit that point, then they can continue to spend money until the time runs out of the SPLOST.” Lamberton believes his presence on the committee and his questions regarding the tier system “probably (created) some discomfort on the part of some people,” which led to his removal. “I think it sets a very bad precedent and it … is an attempt to stifle dissent,” he said. Cupid denied Lamberton’s accusation, saying no one benefits politically from Lamberton’s removal from the committee. “It is my thought that in our democracy, contribution of all views can help create sound policy,” Cupid said. “I respected Lance’s voice at the table, but also believe that having a seat at the table entails a certain responsibility to not actively work against the cause of why you are seated there in the first place.” In a Friday email to Lamberton, Cupid said his vocal opposition to the 2016 SPLOST “has posed some challenges that undermine your ability to be regarded as an effective advocate for the district” on the committee. The purpose of the committee is to ensure the county uses the funds collected from the tax spelled out on the project list approved by voters. The committee meets every other month, and its meetings are open to the public. Its next meeting is Nov. 20. Each member of the Cobb Board of Commissioners is entitled to appoint three members to the SPLOST Oversight Committee without a vote from the other commissioners, and they can remove their appointees at regularly called commission meetings, according to Robert Quigley, county spokesman. Lee opposed Lamberton’s appointment in June of last year, saying at the time he respects Cupid “for her opinion, and my hopes are that it all works well and that I’m proven wrong. That is my ultimate hope.” Lee said at the time his opposition to Lamberton serving on the SPLOST committee is the same reason he opposed anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King serving on the committee formed to find best practices for ensuring the county doesn’t hire immigrants in the country illegally. “To put someone in there that might be biased one way or the other creates a distraction that takes the focus away from the true work. And we’ve had how many years of successful oversight representation and review by the citizen committees?” Lee said last year. “I don’t believe it would be any different if (Lamberton) were on it. I just think the focus would go away from what their primary responsibilities are to what (Lamberton thinks) is occurring, and I just don’t think that’s the way to go.” Calls made to Lee were not returned by press time, although he did provide a brief statement on Lamberton’s removal. “We are grateful for his service,” Lee’s statement reads. Members of the SPLOST oversight committee: ♦ Chairman Tim Lee: Jay Cunningham, Scott Johnson, Dania Aponte ♦ Commissioner Helen Goreham: Marline Elkins, John M. Brown, John Pape ♦ Commissioner Bob Ott: Alice Summerour, Bill Carver, Kes Stadler ♦ Commissioner JoAnn Birrell: JoEllen Smith, Frank Wiggington, Charles Casto ♦ Commissioner Lisa Cupid: Lance Lamberton, Roger Sandbothe, Kenneth Jones Sponsored From Around the Web 25 Pictures Girls Post Online That Should Be Banned 25 Pictures Girls Post Online That Should Be Banned Mom Shocks Doctors With $4 Mom Shocks Doctors With $4 Skinny Pill Angry Doctors Call For Angry Doctors Call For Skinny Pill Ban New Popular Diet Pill Takes Country by Storm New Popular Diet Pill Takes Country by Storm Steroid Alternative Putting Gyms Out of Business Steroid Alternative Putting Gyms Out of Business ? More Sharing ServicesShare This Article | Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on digg Share on fark similar stories Commissioner stands by decision to boot activist | 12 hrs ago New SPLOST committee has big job ahead | 29 days ago Commissioner says district gets bad rep, doesn’t get resources | 11 days ago Braves’ groundbreaking: ‘Thrill’? ‘Agony’? Or a bit of both? | 20 days ago African-Americans in Cobb forum today | 13 days ago Comments (18) Comments-icon Post a Comment anonymous | October 01, 2014 Lance had become a distraction to the oversight committee as he was actively advocating that projects that were approved by the voters as Tier 2 (current SPLOST, not upcoming) should not be funded and the money returned to taxpayers. What he was advocating was illegal and in direct conflict to his duties to make sure SPLOST dollars are spent on the SPLOST projects approved by voters. The advocacy against the upcoming SPLOST is just an additional complication that made it clear he wouldnt perform the duties of his appointment in the future. I commend Commissioner Cupid for appointing Lance as she believed he would be a good watchdog for the people. When it became clear he wasnt doing the job, she had no choice but to remove him. Reply Rich Pellegrino | September 30, 2014 This makes absolutely no sense to me....in light of the fact that the Cobb Way has always been to appoint people who rubber-stamp Commissioners decisions and policies Lance was and is a breath of fresh new air, but this is a whiff of the stale old, corrupt air that has characterized Cobb & Georgia politics and elected representatives. Very disappointed! Used to support SPLOST but the more I learn about the Cobb Way...I cant trust them with a dime, much less a penny on every transaction. Reply James Bell | September 30, 2014 Typically government will appoint members of the opposition to bring them into the group to control and limit what they can say and do. When an appointee refuses to play along they have to go. Activists work best from the outside. The addiction to SPLOST is hard beat. Voters are ignorant and are easily fooled by propaganda. SPLOST laws were written by the ACCG for their benefit. Loop holes and lack of enforcement make it the Golden Egg Goose. SPLOST laws should be reformed. Reply sirwinston | September 30, 2014 Cobb County tax payers have had enough of elected official continuing to lie, cheat do things under the table on all of us. We cant have SPLOST at the center for those to do as they wish and then lie about it. We have to have open knowledge as to what and how they use our SPLOST dollars; we only hear what they tell us and 99% of that is merely false. They put things as they want in hope we can believe what they say. We are not going to approve SPLOST. We have to spend what we already have and make do. We continue to be hit hard on imposing project that SPLOST is use and then before those are done; they as for more compounding millions on million. I am voting no, you all can do as you please! Reply Watcher... | September 30, 2014 No dissenting voices allowed! Reply ?? | September 30, 2014 Soooo whats the point of the oversight committee?? Reply anonymous | September 30, 2014 You dont want anyone on the oversight committee who will do anything other than rubber stamp what Tim Lee and the chamber of commerce want, now do you? Thats gummit oversight in Cobb county these days. I used to think better of Cupid...part of the reasoning being that she did appoint Lamberton to this oversight committee. Tim Lees power of persuasion? Or, just Cupids truer stripes rising to the surface? Cobb County Republican moto: Well make certain we spend your tax money as fast as any democrat! Reply Money, money, money | September 30, 2014 What did you expect from a commissioner who allows Croy Engineering to host her fundraisers? Croy cant afford for the SPLOST to lose. The firm makes too much money from it. Its all about the money, people. Reply Dave Z | September 30, 2014 No good deed goes unpunished. It was probably naive to appoint Lamberton in the first place, but it was a thoughtful gesture. Reply Andy. | September 30, 2014 Cupids logic that you should not serve on a board in which you are critical of the agenda, is intellectually weak at best and downright silly. To extend this logic to other bodies, I would guess Cupid would expect members of the Senate and House should resign if they are not agreement with that chambers leadership. To ignore the views of about 40 - 45% of the voters (the number who have opposed many of the SPLOST votes is laced with ignorance. P.S. I support the passage of the SPLOST. Reply Just Wait | September 30, 2014 This committees purpose is to keep watch over and support the SPLOST. Lamberton is and always has been opposed to it. This was a bad decision on Cupids part and removing him was the only option. Regardless, I still will not vote for it. Reply Rhett Writer | September 30, 2014 Looks like the Chamber of Commerce forces have gotten to Lisa too. Reply Ethics Dog | September 30, 2014 Great move Cupid! Never understood how any commissioner could appoint such a biased individual as Lamberton. Lambertons Cobb County Taxpayers Association last filed campaign contribution reports with Georgia for 2010. Its operated under that name or as Cobb Taxpayers Association. Only recently (Aug. 2014), was the group re-registered. However, since 2010 Lambertons group has actively collected funds via a website, or other means, and has aggressively fought every Cobb County SPLOST for the Commission or Board of Education. His group is registered as a Ballot Committee. Georgia law requires that a Local Ballot Committee must file a campaign finance disclosure report 15 days before date of election and that a Local Ballot Committee must file final report before December 31 of the election year. Penalties for failing to file are substantial. Does Lamberton believe that the rules do not apply to his group? Reply Larry Savage | September 30, 2014 Was Lamberton disrupting the committee or interfering with its work? Was he perhaps asking questions that no one wants to answer? It isnt clear to me that opposition to the next SPLOST has anything to do with serving on the Oversight committee. It appears that the leadership wants to stifle opposition of any kind in any place. SPLOST Oversight has historically been tightly controlled by the DOT and County leaders to provide a minimum of real oversight. Reply Hank Moody | October 01, 2014 Are these the hard hitting questions you would have asked if you were elected? WoW!!!!! | September 30, 2014 That didnt take long... Reply out with the lamb | September 30, 2014 I bet the Braves said get him off their tax committee, so he is off their tax committee! What I want to know about the SPLOST committee is how many committee members ever do anything for getting to work, or anywhere else, except drive their car alone. How many of the people making decisions on our behalf are trapped in the car bubble thinking they are safe because their bubble has padded walls? How many of them will look at every transportation dollar as a choice? Every person should be able to make an equal choice between equal systems of public transit and public roads where you are left to fund your own vehicle and fuel even after paying thousands of dollars per year in taxes for roads? Will we spend 50 cent tax money for a public road that dont go nowhere and requires substantial private expense per user? Then we must also spend 50 cent for transit that does go places and allows users to save thousands of dollars per year and allow anyone, even you, to be a user, because it would be good system that allows working people to make a choice is how to go places while also making a choice not to burn so much money lugging 2 tons with them everywhere they go! Reply Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Cobb Board of Commission member Cupid removes SPLOST opposer from oversight committee
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 20:32:53 +0000
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