Dear Editor: 

Historic antebellum homes and tree-shaded streets lend unmatched charm to Madison, Ga., the county seat of Morgan County. That’s where a handful – only a handful – of self-impressed NIMBY’s seem to have complicated the development of a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle plant, Rivian. These misguided activists are trying to interfere with the creation of thousands of well-paying jobs for families, the advancement of green energy, and massive tax collections.

It is not likely that the corporation with $14.92 billion in reserves or the State of Georgia, which put the deal together, will be stymied in the long run. But for now the local judge has, without basis in law, invalidated the bond approval process by the Morgan and Walton County Boards of Tax Assessors.  She has determined the corporation to be financially not viable, despite its billions in cash reserves that outstrip the likes of Delta Airlines, AT&T, and the Southern Company. Go figure.

While the local legal jousting continues, a larger question looms in economic development circles in the state. There is something very wrong if half a dozen rabid denizens can embroil themselves in the recruitment of eagerly sought economic development investments to our area. These unelected individuals are attempting to deny thousands of business owners, working people, students and families millions of dollars in improvements and stifle county tax digests for public schools. If left unchecked, the burden of government services will continue to reside on the backs of long-suffering farm folks – who’ve stopped farming. 

Something is terribly amiss.  The Georgia Legislature will be back in session in January and should immediately find a way to keep this state competitive.

Barbara Morgan

Covington