These movie makers do not purchase anything local. They do have their own generators for electricity (that keep the neighbors up all night with noise and lights). They bring in their food from somewhere else and they do not lodge in Covington.

Even the extras, whom they only pay minimum wage, are not local. If you ride through the parking lot for the extras, you will find car tags from Cobb, Bibb, Rockdale, Walton and Jasper counties.

These movie producers sit in their plush offices in New York or California and say why don't we go to Covington, Ga., and make a movie. Those rednecks and stardust seekers don't understand anything and we can do whatever we want. Labor will be cheap. We can feed the elected officials a couple of hamburgers and they will think that it's a steak. Then we can get whatever we want.

Wake up mayor and council members; you are elected to represent the citizens of Covington, not Hollywood producers. There are no benefits for their being here. They block our streets with the help of our own police department. They reroute us to our jobs and to home; they block people's drive ways. Some of us cannot cut our grass because the neighborhood is a quiet zone for shooting. If citizens object to any of this, they are threatened with arrest by our own police officers.

What would I do if I were in charge? They would be welcome, but they would have to pay the city a royalty on the money the production would receive. No citizen would be inconvenienced or suffer a hardship. They would use our electric power when possible. I would suggest that they use our local food catering services and lodging.

We have a large sum of tax money invested in our police officers; they are here for the people of Covington, not for movie makers. Police officers are on duty 24/7, but when they are on the payroll of movie makers, they should not also represent the Covington Police. This way they can only make a citizen's arrest the same as you and I. They should not use city equipment (cars, uniforms, guns, Segways). The chief of police should not be allowed to be on their payroll as in the past.

I am not in charge and things will not change until the next election. Then the citizens will have the choice to elect someone who stands up for Covington and not Hollywood.

Bobby Sigman, Covington