Speaker Pro Tem, Superintendent Take On Town Hall

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Johns Creek citizens packed the house Wednesday night to hear Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter and Fulton County School Superintendent Dr. Cindy Loe speak on education and state issues.

Burkhalter and Loe were invited by Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker to speak during the mayor’s regular bi-monthly Town Hall meeting. Both Loe and Burkhalter first made comments and then answered questions from citizens, discussing changes in state policy, taxes, county politics and school rezoning.

Loe, a Johns Creek resident, was sworn in as Fulton County Superintendent on April 1. While Loe served in a leadership capacity for years in Gwinnett County, she said both of her daughters graduated from schools in Johns Creek and said the schools in North Fulton are some of the top in the state.

Last year Northview High School’s SAT math scores ranked number one in Georgia. But, according to Loe North Fulton schools are not just performing high compared to other schools in the state, they are also among the highest in the nation.

“I know that not just because I live here, but because one of the things I believe in is benchmarking the schools at every school to make sure students are achieving at their highest potential,” said Loe.

Loe said compared to students in Fairfax County, Va., and other high scoring schools in the U.S., North Fulton students are among the highest-scoring in the nation.

“When you stack Fulton County schools [against other high achieving schools], you see we are achieving at the highest level,” Loe said.

Loe also said that recent growth in North Fulton schools, and current redistricting is a result of successful schools.

Rep. Burkhalter also spoke at the meeting. He addressed city officials and congratulated them on their willingness to serve residents of Johns Creek.

“Mayor Bodker and the Council, you guys have done everything you have promised to do, I am awfully proud of you,” said Burkhalter.

Burkhalter also gave updates on issues occurring at the state level, such as Georgia’s much-debated annual ad valorem tax (dubbed the “birthday tax”), and his hope to reestablish Milton County.

“The government is rarely right, but it is very wrong if you are charged a tax on your birthday,” said Burkhalter. “I don’t think you should be taxed at all on your personal vehicle, because you are taxed enough on your car to begin with.”

Burkhalter said that a cut to taxes would be a boost to consumer confidence.

“When you cut taxes the economy grows and when the economy grows you prosper. You spend more money and when you spend more money the government gets more money in the end,” he said.

Burkhalter also spoke about the future re-instatement of Milton County, and his disappointment in the current state of Fulton County government.

“Everyone knows how much I have love affair with Fulton County Government, and how well they run. I want to end Fulton County as we know it,” said Burkhalter.

This statement resulted in applause from the audience. Burkhalter called the Fulton County Government “a train wreck looking for a place to happen.”

“It is a mess. They continue to try to be punitive to North Fulton County even after we tripped the system and did something they never thought we could do in creating these new cities,” said Burkhalter.

He went on to say the Fulton County government has attempted to punish North Fulton County by undeserving them for many years. However, Burkhalter pointed out that Johns Creek is funding a police department with a shorter emergency response time for the same amount of money Fulton County was providing the city when it was unincorporated.

“I am not going to leave this job, unless my heart stops ticking – until I find you and get you a new county,” he said.

Burkhalter pointed out that the establishment of Milton County is a ballot box question. The reinstatement of Milton County will require constitutional reform and a vote from the people of Georgia during an election year.

The Speaker Pro Tem, the second highest-ranking member at the State House, is hopeful a Milton County referendum will reach voters in the next tow years. In spite of reports from some media outlets that have said the issue is on the skids, Burkhalter said the opposite is true. He said he encouraged by more support from rural areas of Georgia. The measure must have statewide support from legislators in order to appear on the ballo.

Also under-reported, he added, was the $450,000 he and Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton) were successful in obtaining for studies on new county creation.

“To get the General Assembly to approve, and the Governor to sign, $450,000 for an area of North Fulton to study and come up with a plan to form a new county was extraordinary,” he said. “I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. I think this sanctions what we are doing. If they are willing do almost a half-million dollars to study and plan they are willing to vote for [Milton County].”

The General Assembly could vote for Milton County as early as 2009, but it would not reach ballot boxes until 2010. However, Burkhalter said he didn’t think North Fulton was quite ready for the re-emergence of Milton County.

“We want it, yesterday, we want it 20 years ago. I wish we had never dissolved Milton County. But it is pioneering a territory very few people have done in creating a new county in this country,” he said.

Check out Burkhalter's comments below, and for more on Wednesday's meeting visit www.youtube.com/thepostnewsonline