Editor, Our rights as citizens of Ludowici have been taken away from us.
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, I requested copies of all ordinances passed in previous years. The charter mentions ordinances at least 50 times. These are the laws of the city.
Other things I ask for each month are delinquent water bills, expenditures and revenues, and the balance of funds in the bank. This month, I also asked for proof of expenditures (receipts from travel) for $200 that the mayor will receive each month. I don’t think this was ever voted on.
If you are in town, you may notice the mayor drives the city’s water department truck, and we pay the gas bill.
When I requested the ordinances, I was told they would not be available and no other information would be released by order of the mayor. State law 50-18-70 gives us the right to access the information I requested. I do have a written response with the mayor’s signature declining my request.
They claim they are waiting on an order from the district attorney’s office backing up their claim that there is an ongoing investigation. I don’t know which investigation they are talking about. Is it the one where the GBI was asked to step in for irregularities in the city (the one I asked for in May 2011)? Or is it an investigation about the election payments (which, to my knowledge, haven’t been under investigation)? If it is about election charges, then I see no problem with the city providing the documents I asked for because they have nothing to do with the election charges.
I have contacted the attorney general in Atlanta and have a reply, but I won’t comment on it until I see the order from the district attorney’s office.          

— Janis M. Goode
Ludowici