No Thanks Sheffield, you have had your chance now it is time to go.

As citizens gather to vote over the next week, we are forming a new mantra for D4 citizens. No Thanks Sheffield, you have to go becasue we deserve better, even if you do not think we do.

We, the citizens of South Cobb, will not tolerate 4 more Years of Sheffield’s fiscal irresponsibility, failed transparency, bad temperament, and reckless spending of our taxpayer money.

In 2020, as voters were deciding on Cobb’s District 4 runoff race, then-Commissioner Lisa Cupid stepped in to handpick her friend, Monique Sheffield, an untested candidate, to succeed her as D4 Commissioner as she moved into the Chair position. Cupid told voters she needed Sheffield by her side to navigate the county’s government, and with her endorsement, Sheffield narrowly won the race.

Cupid’s involvement in that race has given South Cobb residents a front-row seat to the chaos that followed. Over the past four years, this duo has repeatedly made poor decisions after poor decisions, leaving the community in disarray.

As voters head to the polls over the next 8 days to elect the next commissioner for District 4, many are concerned and disappointed that Sheffield is running given all of the turmoil she has caused, to which she is oblivious.

It is disgraceful to see Sheffield lie to the faces of South Cobb citizens to secure their votes. At a recent candidate forum, Sheffield tried to paint a picture of a perfect South Cobb. But for those of us who live here, we know that her words are nothing but fat lies—lies that we, the citizens of South Cobb, are no longer willing to tolerate.

During the past four years, Sheffield has shown no independence and has consistently supported every reckless decision Cupid has made. Together, they have cast votes that have thrown Cobb into turmoil. One of the most troubling decisions was approving construction of an apartment in the crash zone at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, even after the planning commission advised against it. Sheffield, a realtor, was clueless to the harm she was causing. This reckless vote nearly jeopardized one of Cobb’s key economic assets. In an attempt to mitigate the damage months later, the county traded 5 acres of prime taxpayer land at Terrell Mill to the developer. But the damage was already done. The chamber, business community, and many citizens turned away from their thoughtless decision-making.

All of this could have been avoided if Sheffield had simply shown some independence and followed the planning commission’s expert guidance, rather than bowing to Cupid’s influence. Instead, she ignored their advice, and now Cobb citizens are left to deal with the consequences.

Many have taken to calling Sheffield the “Bloods and Crips” commissioner after she made outrageous comments to cast aspersions on citizens speaking out during public hearings and even directed them at her fellow Republican commissioners.

 During the recent forum, when asked about her temperament, Sheffield claimed she gets along well with her colleagues and the citizens. This response was laughable. If only Sheffield could remember some of the ugly comments she has made, or perhaps she had forgotten her hostile interactions. Many of us would describe her relationships with colleagues and citizens as dysfunctional, hateful, and mean-spirited, and many of the citizens have the ugly notes from Sheffield to prove it.

Another example of the many costly mistakes Sheffield has made is the ongoing legal fees for the illegal state map she and Cupid secretly created behind closed doors. This map directly contradicted the state’s legal map and threw the voting process for Districts 2 and 4 into chaos, effectively disenfranchising voters. No one can tell us what the cost is, but we suspect its is over $5 million dollars. This is what Sheffield spent for an illegal map. This legal mess is why we find ourselves in early February, still trying to resolve this chaos.

On a local level, citizens suggest that Sheffield and Cupid have violated their oath to uphold the Constitution of Georgia by replacing the state-approved map signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp with one hastily pulled together behind closed doors by Cupid. Sheffield should also be held accountable for the cost to taxpayers, which is thought to be in the $5 million range. She has co-signed every bad decision, one after the other, with no regard for the expectations of the citizens who elected her. Her desire to save a fellow commissioner is noble, but she should have been paying attention to the people of South Cobb. That is what she was elected to do, and she failed miserably.

Despite her claims of success while in office, Sheffield has had far more failures than accomplishments. A glaring example of this is the prolonged failure to develop Magnolia Crossing. For nearly two decades, Cupid and Sheffield have neglected 50 acres of prime real estate in South Cobb, leaving the land abandoned and untapped.

Now, Sheffield is asking for four more years to “finish her work.” Many voters are left wondering: What work? Given her record of divisiveness and fiscal irresponsibility, the list of costly blunders grows every day, with millions of taxpayer dollars wasted. As Sheffield touts her successes, those claims are little more than mirages – they vanish the closer you look.

What is not a mirage are the clear failures: their refusal to roll back the millage rate last year, their push for a 30-year tax referendum on the November ballot, and their recent insistence on placing an additional water-sewer tax on Cobb citizens. More devastating is the cost to taxpayers for the illegal Cupid Map—the legal fees defending it, the endless lawyers involved, and the cost of back-to-back elections—all borne by Cobb citizens.

Sheffield’s unwavering willingness to waste taxpayer funds demonstrates a troubling lack of fiscal responsibility and tone-deafness to the concerns of South Cobb residents. This careless spending highlights her incompetence and lack of accountability. At a recent meeting, Sheffield touted how she has pledged money to a project in South Cobb. The problem is, it is not her money, it is taxpayer money. And that pledge holds no substance, especially when she has nor offered a real plan to finally develop Magnolia Crossing.

We cannot afford another four years of this. On February 11, South Cobb voters will have the opportunity to hold Sheffield accountable for the decisions that have harmed our community and the entire county. After four difficult years, it is time to ask: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Do you want four more years of divisive leadership, poor fiscal management, and a lack of accountability, or do you want change in Cobb?

Make your answer known at the polls during early voting and on election day, Tuesday, February 11.

Related articles:

1. This is What Failed Leadership Looks Like
2. Misuse of 200K in Taxpayer Dollars Under Lisa Cupid’s Leadership: Funding for Tours and More Consultants
3. Cobb Mayors Don’t Mince Words: “Insulting, Very Offensive, and an Act of Bad Faith” as They Describe Chair Lisa Cupid and the County
4. Cupid, Along With Democratic Cobb Commissioners, Hike Water Fees by 7.5% Over GOP Opposition
5. The List Continues to Grow as Cupid Hires More Consultants to Do Her Job
6. Tax and Spend: Cupid Rejects Millage Rate Rollback Proposal from Republican Commissioners
7. Lack of Transparency Continues to Haunt Cupid as Cobb Commissioner Gambrell Calls Her Out on the Latest Issue