Members of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners,
I've been a Braves fan ever since the Braves were the Boston Braves through the end of the 1952 baseball season. I followed the career of the only Braves player who played with the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta: the late great Eddie Mathews. All of that to say that I'm as much of a Braves fan as anyone else who claims to be a Braves fan.
However, there is absolutely no acceptable reason to rush to bring the Braves from Turner Field out to Cobb County. It appears that a little coterie is trying to cram this new Braves' presence in Cobb County right down the throats of every single taxpayer without providing adequate time for the tax-paying citizens of Cobb County to determine whether or not they actually want to get stuck with yet another tax liability, something to the tune of $300 million – for starters, to assist in the Braves’ transition from Turner Field to Cobb County. If the Braves’ organization wishes to conduct their business as real businesses are compelled to conduct their business, buy land in Cobb County, and build a new stadium and anything else that tickles their fancy WITH THEIR OWN MONEY AND FINANCING - AND ONLY THEIR OWN MONEY AND FINANCING, then I have no problem with their following the same procedures that any other business has to follow when it wishes to set up shop in Cobb County.
In light of what has been revealed, you members of the board of commissioners seem to have determined that we voters are only slaves on your plantation, and you commissioners are our masters. Perhaps I’m mistaken about that. I hope I am, but I fear that I’m not. There are quite a few others - primarily in Washington in the halls of Congress, the White House, and the U. S. Supreme Court, and yes, even in our own Georgia legislature – with Charles Gregory being a welcomed and notable exception - who obviously have embraced this regrettable philosophy of governance for far too long, but that gives you no license to attempt to emulate them.
I respectfully request that you postpone whatever you were planning to do tonight (November 26th) and take steps to be certain that there is a public hearing – make that several announced public hearings county-wide, and include all details of the current proposal in printed form, available to all Cobb County citizens. After that, hold a true county-wide referendum to give Cobb County taxpayers the opportunity to which they’re entitled to accept or reject the currently proposed conditions under which the Braves wish to move from Fulton County to Cobb County.
Sincerely,
Roland M. Renne
