Transparency Happens when the Smoke and Mirrors Are Gone

Take a step back from Chmn. Oden’s lauded attempt to act fiscally responsible, and you can still see the brackets holding the mirrors in place and the smoke machine still churning away.  While all Rockdale residents were hoping our Chairman had finally seen the light by eliminating one of his own creations in the form of the Emergency Services dept., this resident speaking for myself, sees a much different view.

Oden is continuing his campaign promise to turn Rockdale County into the new eastern front of the Atlanta Metro area.  Even his own Democrat Party has aligned themselves (or is it the other way around) by pledging to turn the eastern corridor into Democrat Blue.  Oden in spite of acting responsibly continues to push for grants for more low income housing, keep full funding for arts programs, and continue to keep additional personnel on board while the taxpayers suffer.  A prime example of this is Oden’s insistence to keep a director of public relations and a Chief of Staff on for a combined cost to the taxpayers of over $200,000 when these positions were never needed before.  If Oden really knew how to do his job, the Chief of Staff wouldn’t be here either.

It should come as no surprise that apartment complexes are being built and lower income housing being sought since the key to urbanization is increased population densities.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Oden and his party were doing there level best to tell their own voter base to pick up a Republican ballot during the primary just so they could vote yes for their support of a Marta system coming into our county.  That coupled with their avid support for the upcoming SPLOST measure should paint a vivid enough picture to the average citizen what is really going on here.

To anyone that subscribes to a big picture mentality, all of these actions continue to fill in the puzzle that will soon have a Marta station, row after row of apartment complexes, and a crime rate to match the urban setting.  One would think that if Chmn. Oden is bound to protect the health and welfare of Rockdale residents, then wouldn’t the increased crime rate alone be enough to pursue a recall effort?  What will be surprising to see is when all the mirrors and smoke clear, who is really controlling our county, a political machine or a Chief of Staff: It certainly doesn’t appear to be the Chairman.