A Cobb County lawyer fears the Atlanta Braves stadium debate is heating up — and in a highly personal way.
Susan McCoy said an arsonist struck her East Cobb property early Thursday morning. The flames didn’t reach her 3,900-square-foot home but did destroy part of her fence, evergreens and other parts of her yard.
McCoy, a newly minted lawyer, said she had filed a complaint with the SEC asking it to examine the county’s plan to issue $397 million in bonds for construction of the new stadium; and she has been critical of the rushed deal’s lack of transparency and cost to taxpayers.
“Its retribution for speaking out,” she said. “I obviously struck a nerve.”
Fire investigators deemed the fire “suspicious in nature” and are asking anyone with any information to contact them at 770-499-3869 or the GA Arson Control Program hotline at 800-282-5804, said Cobb Fire spokesman Daniel Dupree.
The white picket fence and evergreens were near the property line by the road and a distance from the house. Gasoline was still visible on the driveway Thursday, McCoy said.
Cobb County Commissioner Bob Ott was at the property in the Mount Bethel area Thursday morning along with arson investigators after McCoy discovered the fire damage around 8 a.m.
Ott, who voted for the Braves deal, was dismayed at the damage. He described McCoy as an involved citizen who had worked on community projects. He was stunned at what appeared to be arson. Police didn’t have a record any any similar events that would suggest a random prank, he said.
“It is almost impossible to say what caused it but clearly it is something that should not have happened,” Ott said. “People should be able to speak out and not worry about the security of their person or property.”
McCoy has pointed out at public meetings that the commission spent more time last year considering a law on backyard chickens but approved the Braves deal in three weeks. It would mean that taxpayers are subsidizing the Braves at the expense of schools and police, she said.
She announced in September that she had filed a complaint with the SEC because the agency oversees municipal bonds and has jurisdiction if there was any fraud or major misstatement.
The SEC does not comment on investigations or complaints. McCoy said she knows of at least two other complaints filed with the SEC.
About the Author
