DEAR EDITOR:

I was present at Commissioner Goreham’s town hall meeting last week, at the West Cobb Senior Center and left very disappointed, but not surprised. In the past, she voted for Cobb County government to become IMAGE certified. However, now she has stated she will vote against requiring contractors seeking to do business with Cobb County apply for IMAGE certification.

Clearly, Commissioner Goreham is not interested in protecting American jobs for legal Americans in the middle of a prolonged recession.

The IMAGE ID-checking program is a federal program used throughout the country to verify the legal status of all workers and is the best tool to identify illegal immigrants in this country.

Cobb County cannot afford another embarrassment like that suffered when the Atlanta media discovered that illegal aliens were working on the Superior Court Building in 2009. After they were dismissed, they returned later in 2010 on the same job.

Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren has been on the front lines on the immigration issue and totally supports the use of IMAGE in Cobb County.

Commissioner Goreham’s voting history should give us a clear view into her priorities;

1. She voted to raise property taxes by 16 percent after the SPLOST vote passed.

2. She voted to transfer revenues from the Water System to the General Fund to offset the projected budget shortfall.

3. She voted to raise fees on CCT ridership.

4. She supported the passage of the regional TSPLOST that failed miserably in Cobb.

More than ever, Cobb County needs bold leadership and it is clear to me that the concern for Cobb’s residents is being left behind.

Bill Byrne

Marietta

Editor’s note: Mr. Byrne is a former chairman of the Cobb Board of Commissioners.