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Letter to the editor
Commissioners should 'buy local'
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Forsyth County News
I learned this morning that some of our illustrious commissioners have once again shown their distaste for successful local businesses. At issue is a bid for police tires. It seems a locally-owned company submitted a bid for these tires for $67 per tire and a company-owned tire store in Hall County submitted a bid for $65 per tire. According to the county purchasing manager, the county used about 1,050 tires last year.

My calculations show that it would cost $2,100 more to use a local company. A local company that employs local people, pays local taxes and collects sales tax for local use. 

So we spend $2,100 more for these tires but it is Forsyth County taxpayer money spent outside Forsyth County. I think it would be smarter to put $70,350 into our economy instead of across the lake. Even more disturbing is that I understand that the company-owned tire store in Hall County is owned by a foreign company. So the profits on that sale don’t even remain in our country.

Did I hear Commissioner Harrell say he thought that awarding the bid to a local company is playing favorites? Well, commissioner, I would hope you play favorites and choose your own citizens instead of those from another county or country.

Commissioners Harrell, Boff and Laughinghouse — how in the world can you call yourself red-blooded American Republicans? Not only have you proven you do not support local business owners, you don’t even support American companies. 

I think Commissioner Harrell was the one criticizing another commissioner about wanting to reduce money being given to the chamber, some $60,000 additional this year, but he cannot support those businesses already in the county.  Sounds like election year rhetoric to me.  Commissioners Harrell and Boff are trying to spend our taxpayer money to buy a golf course, for a price that exceeds the appraisal for crying out loud.

For the record, I would not be happy with them if they wasted money and spent too much more, say only 10 percent higher, but at the end of the day our commissioners need to do whatever they can to support local businesses — even if it costs a little bit more. We are the backbone of this great country and this county. We need leaders that respect what we do, how much we give back and our impact on the local economy.  I, for one, will remember at election time. Will you?

Kent Baldwin

Cumming