Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jun 2009
Source: Citizen, The (GA)
Contact:  2009 Fayette Publishing, Inc.
Website: http://www.thecitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5051
Author: John Munford
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

MAXWELL ASKS HORGAN TO RESIGN FROM COMMISSION

Fayette County Commissioner Robert Horgan has been asked to resign by one
of his fellow commissioners in the wake of his May 23 arrest for
misdemeanor marijuana possession and driving with an expired tag.

In a letter provided to The Citizen this evening, commissioner Eric K.
Maxwell (pictured at right) indicated that he has asked Horgan to resign.
Maxwell noted that his conclusion is shared by an "overwhelming" amount of
dozens of Fayette residents and a number of county commissioners from
around the state.

"... The only reasonable, the only honorable and the only justifiable
action that should be taken is the immediate resignation of an elected
official who violates the public trust," Maxwell wrote.

Maxwell noted that he has lived here since 1972 and cannot recall a
similar occurrence with any other local elected official.

"It is not only a privilege but also an honor to serve in an elected
capacity. But with that privilege and honor comes the heightened scrutiny
of one's individual actions," Maxwell wrote. "As an elected official one
is placed in a position of trust by the public. The voting public has the
expectation and the right that all elected officials serve with the
highest ethical standards and integrity."

Maxwell characterized Horgan's arrest, in which he admitted to the deputy
that he was smoking marijuana while driving his truck, as "an event ...
that no reasonable voter, including myself, could anticipate or should
tolerate."