Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee didn’t listen.
Critics of the two-term leader of the state’s third-biggest county, say Lee’s push for the new Atlanta Braves stadium ran roughshod over those who raised objections to the deal or wanted the county to slow down.
Cobb Republican voters' negative impressions of how Lee conducted the Braves deal played an outsized role in his defeat last month to a political novice in a primary runoff.
By comparison, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed coasted to re-election nearly three years ago after sealing a stadium deal with the Falcons.
The deal also included fraught negotiations for the purchases of two historic African-American churches to make room for the arena, and a pact to spur revitalization near the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lee defended his handling of the Braves deal and said SunTrust Park and the surrounding entertainment district are already winners for Cobb and will be in the long run.
In Sunday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution and on our subscriber website, MyAJC.com, reporters compare why the two deals turned out so differently for two of the region's highest profile elected officials.
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