EHRHART SHOULD BE GIVEN A BREAK

Thursday, March 23, 2006 ~ Marietta Daily Journal

Is it so unusual these days to see a representative actually doing the business of his constituents that people start freaking out when it happens?

For weeks, we've heard nothing but criticism for State Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), who authored the long-overdue bill prohibiting race-based school attendance boundaries.

The bill passed overwhelmingly in both houses. Ehrhart got involved at the request of his constituents. Yet he continues to be demonized for "interfering" with local school control. Of course, one man's interference is another man's effective politics.

One has to wonder - had the racial equality measure been introduced by Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell) on behalf of her constituents, would it have generated so much criticism? I don't think so.

Critics include school officials whose hands were finally slapped - after a lengthy chain of controversies - by a higher authority. Their initial, race-based maps were made moot, and that's a blow. Glover Street's standard operating procedures, the old methods, are obviously out of sync with Cobb's new demographics, and they're being forced to find a better way.

I recommend they re-read former principal Dr. H.E. "Doc" Holliday's fine MDJ editorial last week titled "Change or Die" and see their "setback" as an opportunity for positive change. Superintendent Fred Sanderson, who is forging ahead as necessary on the zonings, seems the right man to lead the effort.

Other critics fueling the Ehrhart pile-on are Democrats who've long sought a way to unseat the conservative. They realize it's not in their best interest to allow a talented legislator like Ehrhart, a UGA political science grad who held leadership positions at a young age and won his most recent election with more than 80 percent of the vote, go unchallenged. You just never know where he might end up-

Ehrhart joined with several other House members including Rep. Bobby Franklin (R-Marietta) in introducing HR 87. It happens that Ehrhart is chairman of the very powerful Rules Committee that decides which bills make it to the floor for a vote.

And finally, Ehrhart's most vocal detractors are parents who don't know him at all but believe he's jeopardizing their slot at the new schools, despite that their kids were "in" on every proposed map.

These folks from the John Ward Road area circled the wagons almost immediately regarding the proposed maps, working to make sure the westernmost neighborhoods represented by Ehrhart would not be drawn in. Consistently shrill in their public beratings, stating he'll "be sorry" when election time comes around, many seem not to know who their own elected officials are or that they'll have no say in Ehrhart's re-election.

This combative and selfish attitude is unfortunate, as Map 3 would bring all the neighbors together at Hillgrove with many fences to mend come August if civility isn't recovered. I'm hopeful someone at tonight's public comments will acknowledge this, and the community can come together for the sake of building a successful school support system.

Meanwhile, recent letters to the editor suggest other parents wish they had a representative as effective as Ehrhart. His constituents are happy he's gone to bat for them.

Isn't that the way it's supposed to work?

lbarmstrong3378@comcast.net

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