I feel compelled to respond to a letter to the editor in the Aug. 4th edition of The Post-Searchlight. The letter was written by Mr. Austin Spooner and titled “Be Part of the Solution,” relating to HB 1069 and HB 1137. My purpose is to correct the facts as stated in Mr. Spooner’s letter.

First, HB 1069 has no reference to the deletion of tax credits for low income seniors earning under $20,000 a year. What it does speak to is tax credits for equipment that reduces business, domestic energy or water usage. That bill was bipartisan and only had four “nay” votes in the House of 180 members.

Mr. Spooner is right in that House Bill 1137 would have required any municipality or county which imposes certain occupation taxes or regulatory fees to collect from taxpayers certain information and provide it to the Georgia Department of Revenue. This bill made it only to the second reading of the House of Representatives and was never presented for debate before the full House floor for a vote in order that Rep. Gene Maddox could either vote for or against this bill. Mr. Spooner nor I can assume which way any given representative would have voted had they had the opportunity to do so. The final vote is what counts. You can go, as I did, to the Georgia General Assembly Web site and find this information.

Let me add that Mr. Spooner’s reference to Rep. Maddox having never resigned as a member of the Grady County Development Authority in no way accounts for the unemployment rate in either Grady or Decatur Counties; however, I will point out that Rep. Maddox was very instrumental in securing the Cloud Agricultural Building in Bainbridge, which I would assume added jobs there. He was also instrumental in winning a grant to help landscape the Firehouse Gallery in downtown Bainbridge. Of course, I can’t go back and record all the good things he has helped to do in this district and specifically Decatur County, but I do know his work for you is very important and he works diligently at the job as representative.

Having walked the halls of the Georgia General Assembly with Rep. Maddox in Atlanta, I can attest that he is one of the most respected legislators in that body. He works hard every day for the citizens of District 172.

I agree with Mr. Spooner that our economic situation in both Georgia and the nation is in peril. I too am very concerned about the unemployment and the welfare of the citizens of Grady and Decatur counties. If ever there was a time for bipartisanship in Atlanta and Washington it is now. Times are tough and jobs are being lost every day. Let me add that Rep. Maddox is a bipartisan representative. He is respected by parties on both sides of the isle. I believe he votes for the issues that best represent the interests of the citizens of District 172 to the best of his ability.

I felt I needed to correct the statements Mr. Spooner made as the record disproves those statements.

Thank you,Prentiss MitchellWhigham, Ga.