At the podium again

For the second time last week, most of the candidates vying for a seat at the county commission table next year met for a question and answer forum in the Madison County High School performing arts theater.

This second forum, sponsored by the Madison County Republican Party and mediated by state senator Ralph Hudgens, gave Republican candidates a chance to field questions from the audience about such things as growth, SPLOST funding, the current form of government and funding for school resource officers.

The three candidates for commission chairman, incumbent Wesley Nash, and challengers Anthony Dove and Bill Usry took the stage first. During brief opening and closing statements, each candidate introduced himself to the audience and told why he was seeking the chairman’s seat. Nash described the job he’s held for the past 11.5 years as being “mostly about service” and running the day-to-day operations of the county government. He also said the hierarchy at he commission table had changed over the last four years but that “perhaps it could be changed back to the way it was before.” He claimed the record of a balanced budget and a “stable government” over the last 12 years.

“I will be a good steward with your money and I’ll fuss and fight when necessary. I am not timid and can speak out,” he said.

Dove told the audience he grew up in Madison County and married his high school sweetheart and after college went into business with his dad, who he credited for teaching him to make a living “by the sweat of his brow.”

“I feel like there’s a negative voice in this county and I want to make a positive change. My priorities are faith, family, country and county,” he said. “… I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else.”

Usry promised if elected as chairman that he would provide leadership, honesty and professionalism. He said he would work to protect the county’s natural resources. “I want to serve you. I’ve spent most of my life working with governments … all governments tend to be wasteful. A public servant should serve all taxpayers,” he said. Usry operates a poultry farm on Hwy. 72.

The following is a summary of the questions and the candidates’ answers.

•In your opinion, what is the most pressing problem facing Madison County?

Usry said the most pressing problem today is “rampant, uncontrolled growth” and he said county leaders need to step back and see what the current infrastructure will support.

“We need to have the right kind of growth, but we cannot put this growth at the expense of our agriculture,” he said.

Dove agreed that growth was the most pressing issue, and said he believes new growth needs to occur around cities, instead of allowing subdivisions to be located “all over the place.” He pointed to subdivisions such as South Creek and Millbrook as examples of growth that are an asset to the community.

“I promise to work with everyone on this issue,” Dove said.

But Nash disagreed that growth was the most pressing problem at this time. “I think the economy has taken care of our growth issue for the next couple of years,” he said.

Instead, he pointed to the county’s railroad corridor – saying Madison County is the only county in this area that has large, undeveloped property adjacent to a rail line. He said light industry growth near this rail line would bring jobs and tax revenue to the county. He cited the need to obtain low-interest loans and grants to provide water lines along this corridor in preparation for industrial growth.

•Madison County is growing – what type of governmental controls do you think should be implemented to insure quality growth?

Dove said he feels business is quality growth, adding that commercial is the “only thing going at a good pace” these days. He said he feels government should have less control.

“Work your plan, plan your work,” Nash said in his response, reiterating that getting the infrastructure in place along the rail lines is what the government needs to focus on to encourage light industry to come into the county. “When that happens, you’ll have growth,” he said.

He added that he feels the county’s comprehensive plan is not strong enough and should be codified. Once light industry is in place, residential areas will increase, followed by commercial growth to serve the residential areas.

Usry said quality of growth is connected to quality of life. “We need industry to supplement the tax base,” he said. “But we need to weigh out the consequences of what that growth will be.”

And he pointed to areas around Atlanta where gangs have infested these highly populated areas. “We don’t want that,” he said.

•Should SPLOST funds be used for the industrial authority and water and sewer line expansion?

Nash said he was “adamantly against” using SPLOST funds for IDA projects. He said the IDA was created in 1962 as a “stand-alone body,” with more power to tax and borrow money than the BOC. He explained that the IDA has access to grants and low and no-interest loans to fund projects.

“All SPLOST projects are under funded and I don’t agree with putting money into the IDA, they should be accountable for their own money,” he said.

Usry said that every area needs water. “We need to balance the use, but not let it be used for some purpose that is not productive. We need to objectively sit down and plan to obtain certain goals that we have,” he said.

“A sewer system is something that we need, we’ve got to put some infrastructure in,” Dove said. “It’s going to take political will to do infrastructure … we’re going to need a reservoir in ten to 12 years … we’re not doing enough future planning. I think we should use SPLOST for infrastructure.”

•Under the current form of government, the chairman has no vote except to break a tie, should the chairman have a vote in every issue? Also, do you favor a form of government where commissioners would hire a county manager to do day-to-day operations?

Usry believes that the chairman should have a vote in all decisions. “Yes, that’s an absolute. You are an elected candidate and should vote. Everyone should be responsible for their own actions,” he said.

But he does not feel that a county manager is a good idea.

Dove said he would leave the matter of whether the chairman should vote on decisions up to the people. “I think we should put it in a referendum,” he said. “Life is about dealing with what you’ve got.”

He too is not in favor of a county manager, explaining that he feels that the people want someone they’ve elected to talk to. “They want somebody in charge who is elected by them,” he said.

Nash said he understands why the chairman only votes to break at tie, but said he would like to see the chairman have the power to “veto” decisions made by the board. “Not necessarily to stop (an action) but to be able to table it until at least the next meeting to hear public input,” he said.

He also doesn’t feel a county manager is a good option. “I agree with Anthony, through the electoral process the chairman’s job is accountable to the people,” he said.

“Your chairman is basically the county manager you choose, not five men.”

•Would you support funding for a county resource officer?

Dove said he feels the budget is too tight now for him to say he supports any extra funding. “That would be irresponsible,” he said.
Nash said a resource officer falls under the board of education, which he said is a completely separate constitutional entity. Nash said if people will go to board of education meetings to request a resource officer, the BOE would fund one.
“If people come out to the board of education (meetings) you’ll have you a resource officer,” he said.

Usry agreed, pointing out that a larger portion of tax monies go to the BOE and he would support the county government funding such an officer only as a last resort. “It’s their (BOE) responsibility,” he said.

DISTRICT SEATS

Republican candidates for district commission seats fielded many of the same or similar questions given to the chairman candidates.

On the issue of whether the chairman should have a vote, most agreed a referendum should be held to see if voters want to see that change. However, District 2 candidate Marion “Hoss” Cartwright said he feels the chairman should have two votes, since the entire county has elected him.

“We need someone who can look at the whole picture,” he said. Failing two votes for the chairman, Cartwright suggested adding one more “commissioner at large.”

District 1 challenger Jason Sartain agreed that the issue of the chairman’s vote should be put in a referendum, but said he is not familiar with the county manager issue.

District 2 incumbent John Pethel said the five-commission board with a chairman who votes only to break ties was what voters had decided on in the last referendum. On the county manager issue, he said he thinks a county manager might be able to “solve a lot of problems” in the future, though he thinks perhaps the county is not large enough to have one yet.

District 5 incumbent commissioner Bruce Scogin said he feels the current system works “pretty well.” “We have no cliques and we don’t practice back room politics,” he said.
His opponent, Jim Escoe said six votes on issues would be “impractical” resulting in too many 3-3 tie votes. “As to the county manager issue, last time I checked we had a county manager, his name is Morris Fortson,” Escoe said, adding that since Fortson is no longer the finance officer, he should have more time to take care of the day-to-day management.

GENERAL COMMENTS

“I keep hearing the word ‘controversy,’” Pethel said at one point. “But how can you make an omelet without breaking some eggs?”

Pethel added that when the current commission took office the county’s audits were way behind, tax collections were behind, the digest was late and the county government was in “total disarray.”

“If we hadn’t had controversy, we’d still be like we were,” he said, and pointed out that 2008 is the first year in several years that the county has not had to borrow money to run the government.

“I’m not a politician and I’ve never wanted to be a politician … some politicians don’t deserve our respect – like when they start taking care of themselves, their family and friends, when they’re there to serve you,” Cartwright said.

District one incumbent Stanley Thomas said, “People keep talking about change, but what kind of change? To do this job you have to love it …it’s about the satisfaction you get out of serving …it’s not funny, it’s not jokes, and it’s not a cartoon, it’s reality.”