Comprehensive plan/West Forsyth area: CP2012 has been ongoing for over a year. Members of my group attended all workshops and offered input for our community vision; this process was about public input. Our area on the maps was the only place in the county with a dispute.

[County planner] Vanessa Bernstein told members of my group originally there would be a head count to determine the fate of our area. When the four maps were revealed to the public, she told us "the vote will decide the fate of your area." Our voting efforts took us well over a week, having meetings and going to homes to explain the maps.

FDM3 won by a huge landslide receiving 268 votes. My group submitted 151 of those votes to keep our area estate residential.

Fairness in this process is yet to be seen for my group. We won, yet the 21 decision makers have now taken the winning [one], and changed it to their vision; the draft map now looks like FDM4, the huge loser during the public voting process.

What public input is more important than the votes of the stakeholders? To date they have not answered any questions as to why they changed it. If they had no intention of listening to what the voters wanted for a community vision they should have not put forth the voting process.

Our 151 votes have been discarded and the stakeholders of my group, the ones staying here for the duration, have now been slapped in the face.

Fair? You decide. Replies submitted to me make no sense at all. We believe that the huge majority of stakeholders in my group know what is best for our community vision now and moving forward. Let the votes count, that is what we ask.

[The board of commissioners] has a chance on Dec. 15 to change this wrong and listen to the majority of stakeholders; if this is not done then this entire process has been flawed and without merit. What would this message send to stakeholders countywide about our voting process and procedures?

Cumming