It’s hard to argue with Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson.

I mean it’s really hard to argue with her.

She is a skilled litigator. Trial lawyers are trained to argue from the first day they walk into law school. The good ones -- and the mayor is a good one -- know how to make persuasive oral and written arguments.

They pick opponents apart with detail and hammer them with an intellectual grasp of the subject matter.

Which brings us to Tomlinson’s campaign to sunset the Muscogee County residential property tax freeze.

She’s right: the tax is unfair because home ownership longevity creates a tax advantage for some Columbus residents.

But she appears to be going about this in a counterproductive way.

On Sunday, this newspaper published a compelling argument by the mayor to rid the county of this tax structure. But the problem with it was it read like a legal brief.

She wasn’t talking to the people. She was talking at them.

She talked about “limit phenomenon,” “horizontal inequity” and the “Lincoln Land Institute.” Granted, she explained the terms, but it was not written on the level that the average Columbus resident and homeowner could easily comprehend.

Before anyone -- including the mayor -- twists my words, I am not saying this is a town of idiots. Far from it.

It is a town more heavily populated by common folk than those who hold law degrees and discuss matters such as the property tax freeze on an academic level.

And to get the common folk to back a complicated tax measure, you have to speak to them in common, no-nonsense language. They can’t leave the conversation wondering what you’re trying to get over on them.

Compare Tomlinson’s style to that of three former mayors: Jim Wetherington, Bob Poydasheff and Bobby Peters.

Wetherington and Peters were common people who spoke plainly. Poydasheff often spoke over people’s heads.

After Poydasheff failed to pass a 1 percent permanent sales tax, Wetherington came in and convinced voters to pass it just as the economy was tanking.

Was he smarter than Poydasheff? No.

Wetherington made it clear why he was asking and dedicated a majority of the revenue for public safety.

That was an argument that the average voter can understand.

Peters is the only mayor since consolidation to win re-election to a second term. Poydasheff tried and failed against Wetherington.

Peters, now an elected Superior Court judge, was and is a populist politician. He has a network of support that is grounded in common people. He’s never been a darling of the elite.

Tomlinson has made it clear she wants to be a two-term mayor. To do that, she must realize sometimes she’s just too smart for her own good.

Chuck Williams, metro editor, can be reached at chwilliams@ledger-enquirer.com