WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES

I for one am happy to see that Jonathan Melton is staying in the
Loganville City Council race.

Recently, published reports shed light on the fact that Melton was
arrested for DUI as well as marijuana was found in his car.

While I can not attest to having any drug-related crimes, in my
younger years I was arrested for a DUI.

My first summer back from college, I thought that I could still go
out and party like I did in college. The difference was in college
often times I was walking to and from bars. But in Charlotte, that
was not the case.

For me, it was one of those life-altering moments in life. It opened
my eyes and showed me that the road I was heading down may not be the
best course of action.

There was no religious epiphany. Just one logical person coming to
the realization of the error of his ways.

In no way has this tarnish on my record caused me to be unable to
obtain two college degrees, have a soccer scholarship for three
years, graduate from East Carolina with a 3.2 GPA as well as earning
a master's from the University of Georgia with a 3.6 GPA.

Experiences like this are what you make of them.

Although I regret the effect that the arrest had on my family -- you
can imagine the hardship for my mother when she received a call from
jail regarding her son at 3 a.m. -- it has served as a defining
moment in my life.

When I saw Melton at Loganfest on Saturday, and after talking to him
for 20 minutes or so about the incident, I think that he as well is
using this incident to make him a better person.

I do not hide the fact that I got a DUI.

It is just something that I think isn't exactly the first thing that
pops into my head when I talk with people.

Perhaps this was the case for Melton as well.

While we hold our public officials up to a higher standard, and by
entering the spotlight should be expected to have light shed on any
skeletons in the closet, we must also believe that people can change
and learn from mistakes.

Should Melton have disclosed the information from the onset?
Probably. But Melton is a novice to the game.

And let me remind you that some of the highest elected offices in
this nation have been filled by people with DUIs and drug-related
moments in time. That has not impeded them from conducting their duties.

Unfortunately, this crime has become all too often a fixture of life
today. I am happy that I did not injure someone or myself before my
eyes were opened to the error of my ways. And I think the same can be
said for Melton.

I hope that the voters of Loganville will look at each of the
candidates for what they stand for and how these people are going to
try and improve residents' lives once they get into office.

That is what says more about a candidate than a checkered past.

Perhaps I am an idealist. I try to find the good in everyone.

And I try to vote for the person I think has the best to offer me
when it comes to my tax bills, the schools my children will attend
and the issues that face me as a person and my community.

I won't vote for a hardened criminal.

But I know we all make mistakes.