An interview with Post 2 Commissioner candidate Larry Sosebee

Board of Commissioners, Election
Sosebee

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Larry Sosebee is a candidate for the Post 2 seat on the Fannin County Board of Commissioners. He joins Anita Weaver and Greg Staffins in a primary challenge against the incumbent Post 2 Commissioner, Glenn Patterson. Sosebee has served as a Fannin County commissioner before, and told FYN “The knowledge that I’ve got, that I could bring back to the board, from what I had in the past would be substantial to them.”

Larry Sosebee has been in the Fannin County community for 68 years and has run a business in the area for over three decades. He also said he was involved with the community before elections began and is active with people who need help with anything.

Touching on his previous eight year tenure on the board, Sosebee noted a few of the projects accomplished during that time. He mentioned establishing the Fannin County Water Authority, paying off the recreation department, constructing turn lanes at Mercier and Highway 2. He also said the board worked to get Pulse Medical and Walmart brought into the county, while also keeping the county’s budget one of the lowest in the state. These achievements, Sosebee noted, were not made by a single commissioner: “We didn’t do it single-handily, I say we because it takes a board to do it.” He also briefly discussed intergovernmental agreements, saying “you’ve got some good people on these boards that like to work together.”

Sosebee also discussed the state of Fannin County’s economy. “I think we’re in a good place where we’re at right now,” he said. He cited the “enormous” amounts of special-purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) funding that the county receives. Additionally, Sosebee compared the increase in the county budget since his time in office, “We had a budget of 17 million, I believe it was. Now it’s somewhere in the 30-31 million range. Yeah, Fannin County is in a very good place right now.”

Despite the increase in revenue, and expenditures, Sosebee said some aspects of the board’s budget need to be changed. He specifically mentioned the Fannin County Public Works, who are responsible for the county’s roads. Sosebee said the department is receiving large amounts of SPLOST funding, but he suggested that the department can be wasteful and inefficient with its spending. Further, Sosebee criticized large purchases of “pretty toys” that sit unused. He provided his own experience as an example, saying his area is often ignored by mowers. “There’s more to it than mowing up on and Aska and around the lavish places,” Sosebee said.

Sosebee also said he believes the commissioners could do a better job involving the community with its work. “I think they reach out to the community for very little. They make their decisions behind closed doors,” Sosebee then cited the recent agreement between the Board of Education and the commissioners that will bring a stand-alone library to Fannin County. “The community needs to be more informed on what’s going on, because its their money,” he said. He contrasted the current practices of the board with his own experience, adding “we didn’t buy anything into any significant amount unless the public was notified.”

He also discussed rental unit issues in the county and the impact they have on housing affordability. Sosebee did mention a recent change to license fees but said “they should have went up to about $1000 on it.” The issue of housing affordability carries into workforce issues, as Sosebee noted. “We just don’t have enough employees,” he said. Touching on public safety, Sosebee said there are not enough deputies in the county, and those the county employees are underpaid. Similarly, he said firefighters are well underpaid: “The volunteers are quitting everyday because they can’t get their pay.” Sosebee added that despite the county’s first responders being underpaid, especially for the time and work they put in, “Fannin County’s got some of the best EMTs and firefighters, that I say, in the state of Georgia.”

Again touching on his past experience, Soseebee said “I was always for the working man and the people that was in the area. They were welcomed by me, and I just want them to remember me as someone they could rely on and come to if they need to.” If elected to serve as a commissioner again, Sosebee said “I’d like to be more vocal. I was always the quiet one.” He added, “Knowing what I know now, I’d be more vocal and more involved in various things that’s going on in the county.”

The Post 2 Commissioner seat is currently held by Glenn Patterson. The Republican primary election on May 24, 2022 will include Glenn Patterson, Anita Weaver, Greg Staffins, and Larry Sosebee. The winner of the primary will face the only Democrat candidate, Larry Syputa, this November. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or at the Fannin County Board of Elections website. FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Anita Weaver.

An interview with Post 2 Commissioner candidate Greg Staffins

Board of Commissioners, Election
Greg Staffins

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Greg Staffins is a Fannin County Post 2 Commissioner candidate. He joins Anita Weaver and Larry Sosebee in a primary challenge against the incumbent Post 2 Commissioner, Glenn Patterson. During an interview, Staffins discussed his candidacy and goals for the county. “If I come elected, then I’ll sure fight everyday for the citizens and putting Fannin first, and I’ll do that with all my heart,” he told FYN.

Greg Staffins is a businessman in Fannin County. He is also a member of the Fannin County Republican Party, and Staffins says he’s been a member since he moved to the area 12 years ago.

Staffins said many people, who believed his experience as a businessman would make him a good commissioner, encouraged him to run for the position. He also mentioned his applicable experience working with the city of Loganville, Ga. Staffins noted that he has been endorsed by Loganville’s mayor.

As a commissioner, Staffins is “all about putting Fannin County first, and putting first everything we do.” He believes the county is ready for change “in a big way,” mentioning that the five candidates all hoping to serve is evidence of that.

Staffins raised several issues he wants to find a solution for. One that he emphasized was the county’s lacking trash services. Staffins suggested utilizing space at fire stations to provide some remedy to the trash issues, “each one of the parking lots sits empty, we can simply put dumpsters.” He also mentioned the similar need for recycling services.

Staffins also stressed the importance of strengthening Fannin County’s police and fire departments. Those departments, he said, are “overrun with tourists on the weekends.” He highlighted that the population of the county almost doubles during weekends, saying: “We definitely need some help for getting those guys additional trucks, cars, and staff and be able to pay them what they’re worth.”

Another issue Staffins touched on was the lack of an aquatic center in the county. “We need that in a large way. We don’t have anything in the winter water-wise, swim-wise to do,” he said. Staffins added that despite the recent agreement to revitalize the city park’s pool, it is outdoors and can only be used during a small portion of the year. He argued in favor of an aquatic center as a solution, saying “we need something that can be used 12 months out of the year.” Staffins briefly mentioned that an aquatic center would be more accessible to the seniors of the county.

Staffins also stressed financial responsibility and warned against “frivolous mistakes with tax payer money.” As an example, he cited the purchase of the Whitepath building. Staffins said the building was bought “without having an inspection, and Patterson made the motion to buy it.” He noted the cost of the building was over one million dollars. After the building was purchased, a hazardous materials survey showed the presence of asbestos and lead paint.

Continuing a push for financial responsibility, Staffins discussed the current state of the tourism industry in Fannin County. He said hundreds of rental units throughout the county are bringing in millions of dollars in revenue: “I want to see that money spent wisely. I want to see that money go back to the taxpayer and the citizens’ usage.” Staffins suggested that increase in funding could be used to complete projects that would benefit locals and improve the quality of life in Fannin County.

He also explained he sees room for improvement of community involvement with the board. Staffins criticized the current policy for public comment at board meetings. He also raised concerns about a recent agreement with the Fannin County Board of Education that will bring a standalone library, saying “I want to make sure that the citizens are happy with that library solution.” He warned against the agreement that he said was done “without a person on the library board in their presence.” Staffins continued, “I think that when you make decisions, you need to include everybody involved.”

When asked what he wants voters to remember, Staffins said “I won’t let you down, and I won’t waste one penny of the money, and I’ll make sure that Fannin County is put first in everything we do.”

The Post 2 Commissioner seat is currently held by Glenn Patterson. The Republican primary election on May 24, 2022 will include Glenn Patterson, Anita Weaver, Greg Staffins, and Larry Sosebee. The winner of the primary will face the only Democrat candidate, Larry Syputa, this November. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or at the Fannin County Board of Elections website. FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Anita Weaver.

An interview with Post 2 Commissioner candidate Larry Syputa

Board of Commissioners, Election
Larry Syputa

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Larry Syputa is the only Democrat running for the Post 2 Commissioner seat on the Fannin County Board of Commissioners. The Republican primary has four candidates, and the winner will run against Syputa during the November 2022 election. Syputa spoke with FYN about his candidacy, which he says will “offer a different perspective, an opportunity to have somebody on the board that will give a new outlook.”

Larry Syputa is not from Fannin County, but he grew up fishing and hunting in the North Georgia area. He has worked as a sheet metal mechanic and settled in Suches with his wife after traveling the country.

Syputa said his run for the board was prompted by indifferent government action leaving things like how they have been and not creating positive change. Syputa raised the county’s budget as an example. While he thinks the current commissioners manage the money well, he adds: “Maybe a little bit too much so. We have built up quite a large fund, millions of dollars, that could be used for some of the ideas I’ve mentioned.” Syputa suggested that the money already saved by the county could be used to fund beneficial county projects without a tax hike.

Syputa highlighted several ideas that he would like to bring to fruition as a commissioner. One he focused on was the preservation of Fannin as a rural county: “I’d just like to see the county continue to be rural, and we can have that because we have so much national land around that’s not going to get developed. But, the other side is that we need to be cautious how we do continue to develop the land that is available.”

Syputa noted the lack of zoning ordinances at the county level. Creating zoning ordinances to protect the rural areas from overdevelopment is something Syputa said he would be open to. “I still believe in property rights. I believe that people have the right to do with their property pretty much as they want unless it infringes on somebody else,” Syputa added. He also gave the example of increased erosion caused by clear cut lots: “Cutting trees without considering effects like erosion is something that needs to be handled.” He similarly mentioned chemical herbicides currently used by electric companies on roadsides as a negative impact on the environment.

In addition to preserving Fannin’s natural beauty, Syputa said he would like to see expanded accessibility to the natural attractions of the area. Adding bike lanes to county roads is one idea he floated. He also mentioned inadequate parking in many places that can lead to road blockages.

Currently, many forms of alcohol sales are restricted to the city limits. Syputa said he would like for Fannin County to become “wet” and have beer and wine access expanded throughout the county. “We’ve got a lot of service stations and small markets that would love to have, I talked to quite a few of them, would love to have a beer and wine sales. It would keep our people from driving long distances,” he added. Syputa noted that allowing sales countywide would keep more people, both locals and tourists, inside Fannin County.

Continuing the discussion of tourists, Syputa said he believes the county is balancing their needs and the needs of local residents well. “They generate a huge amount of resources to the local businesses,” he explained. He added that he doesn’t see the interests of residents and tourists as a conflict, but an “opportunity to utilize the resource, which is tourism, and expand on it.”

Increasing community involvement is something Syputa said could be done better. He noted that early evening meetings can make it difficult for people to attend. To expand accessibility to the commissioners’ work, Syputa suggested holding meetings later in the evening and potentially working with local cable companies to broadcast them.

Larry Syputa is the only Democrat running to be a commissioner in Fannin County. “As a lifelong Democrat,” Syputa told FYN, “I understand that this is a heavily Republican area, but I also understand that the people here go by who you are as a person. So, if I’m to be elected, I think that I’m middle road enough that I can work with anybody.” He noted that the county position is a “far cry” from national politics, “I don’t think that’s important as far as running the county goes. I think having a Democratic voice and perspective, a progressive perspective, is positive, and I think that’s positive for the county.”

The Post 2 Commissioner seat is currently held by Glenn Patterson. The Republican primary election on May 24, 2022 will include Glenn Patterson, Anita Weaver, Greg Staffins, and Larry Sosebee. The winner of the primary will face the only Democrat candidate, Larry Syputa, this November. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or at the Fannin County Board of Elections website. FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Anita Weaver.

An interview with Post 2 Commissioner candidate Glenn Patterson

Board of Commissioners, Election
Glenn Patterson

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Glenn Patterson is the incumbent Post 2 Commissioner for Fannin County. He is seeking re-election for a second term, and told FYN that he wants voters to remember “the things that I have done for them that are positive results in my three and a half years, and that I want to do more.” Patterson is facing a primary challenge from Republican candidates Anita Weaver, Larry Sosebee, and Greg Staffins.

Patterson said he is a member of several city groups. He noted his Christian faith and service as the Vice Chair of the Fannin Christian Learning Center Board. He is a board member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame which is a group that “just celebrates the people from Fannin County that have excelled in various sporting activities.” Patterson also holds a specialist degree in education and has worked 32 years in the education field. In Fannin County, Patterson said he has worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator.

Community involvement is important to Patterson, and he said serving as a commissioner has allowed him to give back to the community and the people that have helped him grow up and kept him looking in the right direction. “I love Fannin County. I love its citizens. I think we’ve got a fine group of citizens, and even as we grow and move forward it’s just a good place to live and grow up,” Patterson added.

When asked about his accomplishments as a commissioner, Patterson pointed to recent “unprecedented” intergovernmental agreements. One agreement with the Fannin County Board of Education will bring a stand-alone library to the county, which he notes has been worked on for many years. Another agreement with the City of Blue Ridge, Patterson explained, will revitalize the city pool and other recreational areas. He said making these intergovernmental agreements takes unity and reaching out in faith and trust. “Unity and partnerships brought together, and I’m real proud of that because we are so much stronger, and we’re able to achieve the goals for our citizenry within Fannin County when we work together,” Patterson added.

“I think we’re all very conscious of being good stewards to the citizens’ money,” Patterson said about the Board of Commissioners. He also said he is proud of the county’s millage rate, which he noted is one of the lowest in the state. When it comes to collecting revenue and approving expenditures, Patterson said, “We don’t want to overtax our citizens, but we want to give them the things that they need.” He used the upcoming improvements to the Fannin County Recreation Complex at Blue Ridge City Park as an example, saying the initial expenditures will ultimately help the local economy.

When balancing the needs of tourists and residents in Fannin County, Patterson first said “you’ve always got to remember your citizens.” He said much of the revenue brought in by tourists is used to reinvest in the community. “A lot of it is not tangible things,” Patterson noted, “It’s things like our police department, our public safety, our fire and rescue, our 911. All these things that we need to protect our citizens that are here 24/7 everyday.”

Patterson said he likes to interact with the citizens and believes it is a “very important thing, to stay in touch with the citizens. Because it’s easy to not do that, to just think that you as a commissioner know more than anybody else.” He noted he does this by communicating directly through calls and emails, but also by holding a public comment portion of each meeting. “You can’t let your ego get in the way of true communication with the citizens of Fannin County,” Patterson added. Being open to new ideas and listening to concerns is something Patterson said he puts effort into: “It’s not what I want. It’s what the citizens of Fannin County need, and I’ve got to seek that out.”

The Post 2 Commissioner seat is currently held by Glenn Patterson. The Republican primary election on May 24, 2022 will include Glenn Patterson, Anita Weaver, Greg Staffins, and Larry Sosebee. The winner of the primary will face the only Democrat candidate, Larry Syputa, this November. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or at the Fannin County Board of Elections website. FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Anita Weaver.

An interview with Board of Education candidate Mike Cole

Board of Education, Election
Mike Cole

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Mike Cole is the current Vice Chair of the Fannin County Board of Education. His seat is uncontested, but he spoke with FYN to discuss his time on the board and goals for the future.

Mike Cole said his experiences as a member of the community initially led him to run for the board. He first mentioned that when taking his daughter to school he saw “lack in some areas, waste in other areas.” Cole also owns an automotive repair shop that he said needed employees. He believed the lack of workers in the area was a sign the school system did not have strong vocational education.

Since being elected, Cole said the board has accomplished many things, especially for vocational education. He highlighted a now established “state-of-the-art” welding program. Cole noted that an automotive teacher is already teaching and should have a full facility completed and ready for students by 2024. Along with construction, health and sports medicine programs in Fannin County schools, Cole said “I came in wanting to get the vocational up and get it moving again, and I believe we’ve done that.”

Cole told FYN that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of mental health care in the school system. He said, while many people are unaware, the schools in the county have resources to help students struggling with mental health issues, such as anxiety. To inform community members about the resources available within Fannin County schools, Cole said he has worked to get Shannon Miller, the Director of Student Services, to speak at a Republican Party meeting: “She’s got a fabulous team. They’re dealing with kids on a daily basis, and so I’m really proud of that, that were actually stepping in and taking a lead on that.”

He also noted increases in special-purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) funding, “In the last 12 months we’ve got nine million dollars, so we’ve put that to work.” Specifically, Cole mentioned a new, fully paid for bus facility that is under construction. He also said the board is considering plans to create a wellness center on 160 acres of land that the board purchased: “That wellness center will incorporate, hopefully, several different other aspects as far as sports.” Cole said the center would include dedicated wrestling spaces, as well as baseball and softball fields. The wellness center, he noted, would also expand access to vocational facilities that currently don’t have space in the schools.

When it comes to involving parents and teachers with his work on the board, Cole emphasized communication. He said during school visits he asks the teachers what their “needs, wants, and desires” are. To interact with parents, Cole says “I’m always trying to visit all these sports programs, FFA, wherever I can be a part of.” He also mentioned his recent participation in a nature trail walk with the middle school that allowed him to interact with parents.

Discussing possible improvements that could be made in his next term, Cole mentioned that he would like to see pay increases that would make janitor and lunch workers’ income competitive in the community. As far as curriculum, Cole said he is “well satisfied” with where the school system is now. He suggested that concerns over controversial issues, like Critical Race Theory, often come from national media. On a local level, however, Cole said: “It’s my knowledge that’s not being taught here at all. It’s not in our curriculum. The only thing we’re required to teach is Georgia Standards, and that’s what we teach.”

There are two board of education seats on the ballot this May, but only one seat is contested. Incumbent Bobby Bearden is being challenged by both Debi Holcomb and Clarence “Junior” Farmer. Incumbent Mike Cole, however, has no challengers. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or on the Fannin County Board of Elections website.

An interview with Board of Education candidate Clarence Farmer

Board of Education, Election
Farmer

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Clarence “Junior” Farmer is one of two candidates hoping to succeed the incumbent, Bobby Bearden, on the Fannin County Board of Education this year. Farmer, who has served on the board previously, was absent from a recent candidates forum due to a spinal surgery. Although he is still recovering, Farmer briefly spoke with FYN about his election bid.

Farmer, born and raised in Fannin County, emphasized his previous experience on the board. During his tenure, Farmer said he visited the Fannin County schools every month and talked to the teachers who worked there. “I’m for good schools, good education, and high graduation rate,” Farmer said, adding that the graduation rate had increased during his time on the board. He also noted that, when he was a member, the board worked to build a new football stadium and bring a college campus to the county. The campus was ultimately built in Ellijay, but Farmer said he advocated for Fannin County during the process.

Farmer also stressed vocational education as something the county needs. “There’s a lot of kids that can’t go to college, and they can go to a vocational school,” he said. Farmer, who attended a vocational school himself, said that they can provide opportunity to underserved communities. He cited education in plumbing, carpentry, and electrical work as jobs that students can be prepared for with vocational education. “Vocational school would help this county a whole lot,” he added.

He also noted his involvement with students during his previous tenure: “I worked with the kids and everything, and I attended every football game for four years, except four games.” Farmer said he attended just about every basketball, softball, baseball, and soccer game as well.

He made clear that his community involvement didn’t stop with students, “I was there for the parents, and they knew it too.” Similarly, he mentioned his open communication with Fannin County teachers. “I think the teachers right now are doing a good job, I really do,” Farmer said, adding “I talked to a lot of teachers when I was on the board, and they appreciate that.” As a board member, Farmer said he’d like to see all five members work together to help the people of the county.

When asked what he wants voters to remember about him, Farmer replied, “I want them to remember me as the peoples’ candidate. I hope they choose me as their choice, and if they do I’ll work with the parents, teachers, administrators, and I’ll work with them anyway I can, help them anyway I can.”

There are two board of education seats on the ballot this May, but only one seat is contested. Incumbent Bobby Bearden is being challenged by both Debi Holcomb and Clarence “Junior” Farmer. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or at the Fannin County Board of Elections website.

An interview with Board of Education candidate Bobby Bearden

Board of Education, Election
Bobby Bearden

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Bobby Bearden has served on the Fannin County Board of Education for almost twenty years. “There’s two priorities that I have. Number one is the students. I want a quality education. Number two is the taxpayers and the citizens of Fannin County,” he told FYN during an interview discussing his re-election bid. Bearden is the incumbent candidate but is facing a challenge from both Debi Holcomb and Clarence “Junior” Farmer.

Bobby Bearden has lived in Fannin County for 48 years and currently works for the City of Blue Ridge. He has also served in the US Army, and he ran Bearden’s Muffler Shop for over thirty years. Now, Bearden is finishing his twentieth year working on the Board of Education. “Education, to me, is number one,” he said, adding, “not just for them to go to school, but I want them to get a quality education while they’re there, and I believe they’re doing that.”

Bearden said the board has made many accomplishments during his twenty year tenure. He specifically mentioned the updates and renovations that have been made to several buildings throughout the county. He also touched on the expansion of vocational education in the county during his time on the board. While they have already established a welding class and nursing program at the high school, Bearden said he would like to see an auto-mechanics and small engine class created. He believes those classes will expand opportunity for Fannin County students: “Not everybody that goes through school is going to go to college, and they need something to do.”

Another accomplishment, Bearden noted, is the purchase of 160 acres to be utilized by the school system, “It’s a tremendous thing, I think, that we was able to purchase that land next to the high school for future use.” He said the board will begin conversations on how to use the property this month.

Bearden, responding to criticism of the board’s transparency with the community, said “I think we are. The only thing that we can’t put out in public is what happens in executive session.” He said most people are aware of what is happening, especially because of online options that allow parents to see how their children are doing in school. “That’s one thing that I can tell you that I’m 110% for, is transparency,” Bearden added, “That’s how the school board and the school system and the community gets along.”

Bearden said he believes the school board does work well together and with the community as a whole: “We don’t all agree, but when it comes down to it, we agree for the good of the school.” That cooperation allows them to accomplish things like pay raises for employees, he emphasized: “They deserve it, all the people that work for us. Whether it be a custodian, a bus driver, a school teacher or whatever, they deserve all the money that they can get.” Bearden also said that the board has worked to decrease the millage rate over the last five years and has used special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) funding to remodel the school buildings.

He also touched on state and federal government influence in Fannin County schools, which was a topic at a recent candidates forum. Bearden said that while “there’s certain things that you have to abide by,” being a charter system allows “more control over what happens at all of our five schools.” He also noted that there is a School Governance Team (SGT) at each school that meets to discuss the schools’ needs. “They know exactly what the school needs and the people in Atlanta don’t,” Bearden emphasized.

There are two board of education seats on the ballot this May, but only one seat is contested. Incumbent Bobby Bearden is being challenged by both Debi Holcomb and Clarence “Junior” Farmer. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or the Fannin County Board of Elections website.

An interview with Board of Education candidate Debi Holcomb

Board of Education, Election
Board of Education candidate Debi Holcomb

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — Debi Holcomb is one of two candidates challenging the incumbent, Bobby Bearden, for a seat on the Fannin County Board of Education this year. Holcomb, who is legally blind, spoke with FYN about her election bid, saying “it doesn’t take eye sight to have a vision, and I have a vision for a better Fannin County school system.”

Holcomb, who moved to Blue Ridge in 2005, said community involvement is important to her. She currently volunteers at Fannin County Animal Control and serves as a trustee on the Fannin County Library Board. She was also appointed to the Comprehensive Plan Planning Committee, where she served her term. Holcomb also noted that she started, and now chairs, a peer support group for visually impaired North Georgians.

Holcomb said she has always had interest in education because of her six children and five grandchildren, but her work as a reporter for the Fannin Sentinel made her more familiar with the school board. As she became more involved, Holcomb said she “became concerned about the time that the Board of Education stopped having public workshops, and started doing things not quite out in the open.” On a national level, Holcomb said that conversations about critical race theory and gender identification concerned her as well.

Holcomb also touched on drug usage and other misbehavior within the school system. “Of course education starts at home,” Holcomb said, “In our community we know the poverty level that’s kinda hid, and we know that not all home circumstances are the best.” When it becomes a reoccurring problem in the school system, however, she said the school board has a responsibility to review policies that are not working well: “Our job is to protect the children, and how can we protect the children if we’re turning our backs and ignoring what’s going on.” When it comes to reviewing those board and school policies, Holcomb said she would like to look at all of them, and have more discussion with both teachers and parents. Holcomb said she was floored to find out that not every school has a guidance counselor, and some special education classes only have one teacher at a time. She noted those instances are examples of when a policy should be reviewed.

Holcomb said she had recently attended a meeting with the Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods: “He informed us that, contrary to what parents have been told in an open meeting, that the curriculum is handled at the local level.” Because of this, Holcomb said, preventing inappropriate curriculum and school library books from entering Fannin County schools is the responsibility of the county’s school board. “I am afraid that the current board members treat their job as part time, show up for your meetings, collect your money, and go. I myself feel that schools need to be visited on a regular basis, somebody needs to be monitoring exactly what’s being taught,” she emphasized.

She argued that the school system’s budget could be used in a way that better serves the students: “I know there are issues. Water issues, mold issues in the elementary schools. So, I don’t understand why we are doing a multimillion dollar bus and admin building with those SPLOST dollars instead of taking care of existing problems where our students are actually at.” Holcomb also noted that she had recently learned Fannin County shares a portion of its revenue with poorer counties. Holcomb said she would look at where the money is being sent and talk with the state government to see if that amount could be reduced.

When it comes to teachers, Holcomb believes that more communication and board involvement is important. “Right now, I don’t think that most of our school faculty feel that the board even listens, and I want to be one that they know is going to listen,” she said.

There are two board of education seats on the ballot this May, but only one seat is contested. Incumbent Bobby Bearden is being challenged by both Debi Holcomb and Clarence “Junior” Farmer. More information about the election on May 24, 2022 can be found here or at the Fannin County Board of Elections website.

City Council Election: Interview with Richard Arnold

City Council, Election
Richard Arnold

FANNIN, Ga. — Richard Arnold is a candidate for the Post 4 seat on Blue Ridge City Council. He spoke with FYN to discuss his candidacy, his concerns, and his goals for the city. Arnold is running against Jacqueline Brown and William Whaley. 

On a city manager form of government : 

Arnold says he’s strongly in favor of the city manager format: “The city is a multi-million dollar corporation like many cities are … the mayor has been mayor for 12 years. She lacks the skill set and experience of a city administrator to carry out her duty, and that’s why I think we’ve got 400 something thousand dollars behind in uncollected taxes. I think that’s why … infrastructure got ignored, because we’re being ran by a part time CEO, at $700 a month … a council part time at $500 dollars a month … and so, we have part time people … overseeing departments.” 

Arnold says, “This is exactly what happens when you don’t have term limits, and somebody gets up there and over time, they build up their connections throughout the state like with Speaker Ralston and Steve Gooch, and the developers … that’s why I’m in favor of it. And, not only am I in favor for that, I’m in favor of it because on 28 Dec. 2020, they passed unanimously a resolution asking the state legislature to approve us to change the city charter. And Ralston said no, cause he didn’t think we’d done our homework, but I know why he said no: because Donna Whitener told him to say no.”

Arnold continues: “I hope to be speaking at the meeting this coming Tuesday [Oct. 18, 2021] … so I’m going to ask them point blank on Tuesday night, what do they plan to do with the resolution? That’s a legally approved resolution, that should be resubmitted to the state legislature before the end of the year, so it can be considered in the 2022 legislative session, and I’m going to hope to get an answer from each and every one of them, the council members and the mayor.”  

If elected, Arnold says he would hold more town hall meetings on the subject: “In fact, Rhonda [Haight] and Nathan [Fitts] both told me in the summer they were gonna hold town hall meetings on it this fall, and they didn’t do it, because they didn’t want to bring up a controversial issue during an election.” 

On increasing public involvement and communication with the city council: 

“I would increase the number of public speaking spots on the agenda.” Arnold says that the mayor has filled the spots with DDA reports to stop citizen input: “She don’t like people speaking on things that’s not on the agenda, which is entirely ridiculous.  Just recently, in the last three or four meetings, she made sure to introduce meeting rules and how the public can decorum themselves: no outbursts, no questions, no nothing. Well, that’s B.S., it is B.S., they work for us.” 

“Then, I would have more town hall meetings. If something came up that I thought was controversial, and had a fair amount of support on both sides of the issue, I would bring it up for town council meetings,” Arnold says. However, he thinks the public isn’t getting enough town halls because of the council’s fighting: “They have no civility about themselves. They all hate each other’s guts.” 

Arnold also mentions improving the city website, to allow a more user friendly experience. Among his suggestions, Arnold says he would like to see an efficient way for citizens to report downed signs, potholes, and the like. 

On the city pool and proposed aquatic center:

Arnold says he supports the aquatic center, but wants the county to do it. “As far as city pool goes,” he says, “Maybe we can fix it, maybe we don’t. I don’t have enough background to answer that part of it, but there’s something that can be done with that pool. If people would put their creative minds together, problem is they’ve just been fighting each other so long, they don’t even know what a creative thought is. I mean… it may make sense to build a splash pad down at the pool, I mean that’s all the city residents … would like to see.”  

On parking and traffic:

“As far as parking goes I’ve proposed during a town hall that I would make all parking in Blue Ridge [excluding privately owned lots] … on an honor system. Where, just like the First Baptist Church does … they have a donation box. So, you put signs up and down the streets, you put signs in the parking lot … you put signs in front of the courthouse, you put signs at city hall, you put signs everywhere. Basically: ‘Blue Ridge is an honor system parking city. Please help us improve our city. Donate … whatever you feel is appropriate.” Arnold says he’d like to include QR codes where citizens or tourists can scan the sign, which would bring up suggested donation amounts. He says this system could increase income for the city, which could help pay for a new city manager.

Arnold also says he’d like to look at improving intersections. As one possibility, Arnold says he would suggest roundabouts in the more congested areas of town. 

On Donna Whitener:

The lady’s got a full time business to run. She don’t even live downtown. She’s got a big old house down on the lake. She’s a liar. And she’s connected at the hip with David Ralston … she’s the reason that hotel is there.” 

To voters: 

“I’m not politically connected to anybody. I’m a sharp businessman. I’ve been running my own business for almost 30 years, been trained by some of the best companies in America, including Delta Airlines and Kroger Company, been mentored by some awesome business people. I educate myself on business, and I understand business, and I understand that the city needs to be run like a business, not like somebody’s little goldmine.” 

 

FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Post 1 candidates Herald Herndon and Jack Taylor; Post 3 candidate Brian Christy Kay; Post 4 candidates Jacqueline Brown and William Whaley; and Post 5 candidates Bill Bivins and Nathan Fitts. Early voting is already underway and Election Day is Nov. 2, 2021. 

City Council Election: Interview with Mike Panter

City Council, Election
Mike Panter

FANNIN, Ga. — Mike Panter is a candidate for the Post 2 seat on the Blue Ridge City Council. He spoke with FYN to discuss his candidacy, previous achievements, and future goals. Mike Panter is incumbent and running against Angie Arp, who has previous experience on the city council. 

On collecting delinquent taxes and business license fees: 

Panter says that his push to collect unpaid taxes and fees began right after the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect the city: “We had a loss of revenue for that month [April 2020]. I was brought into a finance meeting, and there was a lot of discussion about, you know, what we were going to do.” Panter says it was then that he began to consider how to generate more income, “I was informed … by the accountant that the delinquent taxes were over $300,000, and my comment was ‘why have they not been collected?’” 

Panter explains that he was told the council had never wanted to collect the taxes “because it was a black eye for everybody.” He commented, “If my 80 year old mother can pay her taxes, everybody can pay their taxes.” Panter notes that the city ended up collecting over $200,000 in delinquent taxes. “Also during the process I found out we had over 90 businesses … that had delinquent business license,” which Panter says have now all been collected through 2020. Additionally, he mentions his work to increase business license fees from $50 to $250, a figure that had gone unchanged since 2004. 

Panter says: “Going forward, if elected … we will continue to collect our taxes, we’ll continue to collect business license [fees], and if we don’t, we’ll take the appropriate action, because, you know, the future … of the city of Blue Ridge depends on our collection of revenue.”  

On city water:

“I also did a search of our water. I found out that we had around 200 homes that were on residential water rates, but they … were on rental programs,” Panter says, “I deemed them as commercial, cause if you’re renting your home as a business, it’s commercial, it’s not residential.” He says he changed the water rate for those homes, increasing revenue for the city. Panter also brings up subdivisions that are outside the city limits, but are provided with city water: “A lot of these homes … we don’t get taxes from these people.”  

In response to claims about poor water quality, Panter says, “Quite frankly, we’re one of the highest rated water as far as purification, in the state.”  

On city finances:

Panter says that during his term he took “A look at the finances of the city, [and] saw that our bonds … had a 39 year note of over 13.9 million dollars.” He says he was able to renegotiate the bonds, to save the city over 2.5 million dollars, “We moved from a … 37 year bond at 4.1% to a 32 year bond at 2.3% which saved the city … this year alone, a hundred thousand”. Panter also brings up additional benefits of his work with the city finances: “Not only did we save 2.5 million dollars in debt, we got a double A rating which gives us better … financial ability to go out and borrow money and do things that we need to do to work toward the infrastructure.”

On affordable housing:

Panter first clarified his vote on affordable housing: “As you probably know, I voted no on the affordable housing proposal that we had about 3 or 4 months ago. The reason I voted no, was … not because I was against affordable housing. I’m for affordable housing.” 

He says that there’s different levels of affordable housing, with important distinctions. Panter leans in favor of workforce housing, which is usually available for middle class workers. “One of my things is, if we’re gonna do affordable housing … I want us to … have some type of control over who gets this housing. What I mean by that, I feel like that our citizens ought to have priority.” He says that other forms of housing, like Section 8, don’t allow the city to restrict access to people from other cities: “So, with workforce housing, if it’s structured correctly, we could determine where, we could determine the price range, we could put stipulations … for someone to be eligible.” Panter suggests possible requirements such as a year of prior residence, and a cap of 36 months in the housing. The lack of control is what led Panter to vote no. He says, “The way I understand it, if you use federal money for affordable housing, then we, the local city … do not have … our local residents having first option.” 

Panter also mentions that workforce housing is done throughout the country for workers like police, firefighters, and factory workers: “It’s a way that we could make sure that we have a workforce in our city.” He brings up the importance of location for those workers, another reason he voted no, saying, “Workforce housing is built in the geographical area where the people that live there can walk to work, can walk to a drug store, can walk to a grocery store. So all of the things that they need on a day to day basis is available to them.” The proposed location, as he explains, was near two schools and an existing residential area with no sidewalks, streetlights, or turn lanes. 

To voters:

“I spent 38 years in the city of Blue Ridge and Fannin County, working with the youth of this community. I’ve served just about on every board, and the people that know me know that I’m all about the community, taking care of our current community.  Making sure that as we grow, we’re growing financially stable. If I’m re-elected I’ll make sure that the city of Blue Ridge stays financially fit, to be able to expand our fire department, our recreation services, and one of my main goals is to build an aquatic and wellness center for the citizens of Blue ridge and Fannin County.” 

 

FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Post 1 candidates Herald Herndon and Jack Taylor; Post 3 candidate Christy Kay; Post 4 candidates Jacqueline Brown and William Whaley; and Post 5 candidates Bill Bivins and Nathan Fitts. Early voting is already underway and Election Day is Nov. 2, 2021. 

 

City Council Election: Interview with Angie Arp

City Council, Election
Angie Arp Headshot

FANNIN, Ga. — Angie Arp is running for the Post 2 seat on the Blue Ridge City Council. Arp spoke with FYN to discuss her past experiences and future goals. She has previously served on the council and is running against an incumbent, Mike Panter

On her break from city council:

Arp says, “I think people at that time was probably frustrated and aggravated, as they are now about the division, the fussing, the fighting.” After losing the last city council election, Arp suggests that “people see that I’ve been out of the picture, and I really wasn’t the problem.” 

She says she chose to run again because she still sees many of the same issues, but also new worrying ones: “I’m running again, because I see what is happening now. It’s disturbing, cause it’s got worse … over the past four years I’ve attended the meetings … I still know what’s going on, I still see what’s going on, and it’s still very disturbing to me.  Arp explains she could not just sit back in good conscience and wish for someone to step up to the plate, “I … could not have someone walk into his seat without even having to knock on a door … I’m gonna do my part this time.” 

On overdevelopment: 

“Bottom line is, you can’t stop growth altogether. You can’t stop people from selling their property, you can’t stop people from building on their property, but you can create ordinances that controls it,” Arp says. 

She talks about the proposal for the hotel that took place when she was in office. At the time, the hotel was eventually approved for four stories, regardless of the Planning and Zoning Department’s recommendation, Arp explains, “Well, no one stepped up to make that motion to change to three story … and I knew that if I had said it, made the motion, that it wouldn’t get passed … So if I had to do one thing over, in that whole four years, it would have been that I would have made that motion, regardless if anyone supported it or not.”

Going forward, Arp shares her zoning goals, “First thing in, go through those ordinances. Even if we had to hire … somebody to help us go through it, but they need to be updated.” She notes that most of the ordinances have not been altered in decades: “Actually, every ordinance in the city needs to be gone through and updated, but especially the zoning, just to make sure we don’t get overdeveloped. They’ve already reduced the height, that’s a step. But there’s other things that needs to be done.” Arp specifically points out, “In the zoning for the R3, you can build up to 45 feet. That’s crazy! So, they reduced it in the central business district … but yet now in R3 you can go up to 45 feet in a residential area?” This is just one example of several inconsistencies, Arp says. 

“Just taking the time … they should want to get things updated, I mean 40 years is a long time to not put any emphasis on that. Quite honestly, when I went in office that’s what I wanted to do, and I tried to focus on it. But, combatting all the other darts at me, and just trying to get the streets paved, trying to get the playground done trying to fight to make sure things are done legal, there just wasn’t enough time. It just didn’t get done. That’ll be a top priority for me though [going forward].” 

On a city manager: 

“Well I agree there needs to be a city manager,” Arp says. She explains how, in the past, the city council has approved a city administrator. However, Arp says, “In this case, because the mayor has fought for ten years against anybody being in an administrative position, other than her, then there’s no recourse other than to change the form of government.” 

Arps mentions she is worried about the way the city is currently headed: “The problem is here, the mayor can’t do what a city manager could do, because she don’t work 40 hours. So really the city is growing, and the way … things are not getting done, if .. the city does not get a city manager, … or someone who can supervise and make sure things are done, and report back to the council, or report back to the mayor or whatever, it’s just gonna continue to get worse. I’m sorry, but the city cannot continue forever … on the path it’s been going for the past 10 years, it just cannot.” 

Despite that, Arp says she is not in favor of a city manager with total control: “So, … I would favor that, but I would be careful, and in no way change the council, that it’s a strong council, because I think one person having the complete say is not good.”  

On infrastructure: 

Arp says that infrastructure is a crucial issue: “It is gonna take millions and millions and millions of dollars to fix what needs to be fixed … Now the sewer treatment plant needs to be, it’s got capacity to hold more, we’re only at 30% capacity, but it’s old … to do the whole thing over will cost millions too.” 

She also is concerned that infrastructure is not being looked at with enough priority saying, “You’ve got pump stations … they’re undersized, nobody ever thought about the growth being what it is, so they’re undersized. When I was in office, assisted living, those [developers] came and asked the council, ‘can we hook on?’ The mayor was like yeah … no problem. Well, come to find out once they get open, the pump station down there was not upgraded. So, sewer was running out on the ground. The city had to pay for the pump station to be upgraded.” 

She also talks about the water lines throughout the city, “We’re talking about lines all over this city, galvanized water lines that are corroding on the inside out … water from the treatment plant … is going through the water into our pumps, and it’s posing a health hazard, because when it breaks down it’s not safe … Then same thing with sewer lines. Sewer lines are terracotta clay pipes, that is breaking down and sewage is going out into the ground.” 

Arp explains that, as she sees it, money is the biggest challenge to fixing the city’s infrastructure: “Until somebody steps up and quits wasting money on this, that, and whatever, and dedicates that … we are gonna start saving money.” Proactive decisions need to be made, she argues: “They’re just doing what they have to do. Fix the problems, repair, just do what they have to do to get through the day. But, at some point, if it’s not take seriously, something ain’t done about it, it’s gonna be a big big problem, even worse than it is now … You can’t ignore it, you’ve got to start doing something: planning and saving.” 

On affordable housing; 

“If all these businesses downtown, if they can’t get workers, because the workers can’t afford a place to live around here, or there’s just simply no places to live, then that hurts everybody. That hurts that business, that hurts then the revenue brought in from that business. The tax dollars, that hurts the county’s revenue, it hurts the city’s, it hurts everybody. So that to me is a big thing, Arp says. She notes that while she is in support of affordable housing, she thinks it takes some type of developer that can use federal funding to ensure the housing is actually affordable for those who need it.

To Voters: 

“I want them to consider whether or not they like what they see in the city. If they feel like enough focus, and enough priority, has been put on them, and if so, then vote for the same, because you’re going to get the same. If you don’t like it, then vote for change … History has a way of repeating itself, if you want change, then you have to make the change.” 

 

FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Post 1 candidates Herald Herndon and Jack Taylor; Post 3 candidate Christy Kay; Post 4 candidates Jacqueline Brown and William Whaley; and Post 5 candidates Bill Bivins and Nathan Fitts. Early voting is already underway and Election Day is Nov. 2, 2021. 

City Council Election: Interview with Rhonda Haight

City Council, Election
Rhonda Haight

FANNIN, Ga. — Rhonda Haight, an incumbent on the city council, is running for Mayor of Blue Ridge. She spoke with FYN to share her current views and future goals for Blue Ridge. She is running against Donna Whitener, the incumbent mayor of 12 years. 

On new leadership: 

When asked why she thinks Blue Ridge is ready for a new mayor, Haight says, “I’ll tell you why … I sat in the meeting two years ago and watched the sunshine law being violated, and this is after the mayor had practically misled the council on annexation as well as the public, and I realized then at that meeting … that I would not continue on this road under her leadership.” She says she made the decision that night to run for office in the next election. Haight also notes: “I do feel like, probably I am the most qualified because I do have experience with budget … I have 12 years of experience just as she does, but mine’s been as a council person, and of course when you’re involved from this angle, you know the makings of the city.” 

On council decorum: 

Haight says that good, consistent meeting policies and unity are important parts of having an effective city council: “You set a good meeting policy, that’s not changed consistently … so, you put a good policy in place that satisfies the citizens, and allows them input, but also keeps the meetings orderly, that’s one of the first things. Secondly, you bring a council together with unity, you don’t try to pull people apart, and you don’t mislead them with information.” 

On city manager: 

The council had previously voted to create a city manager position in Blue Ridge, but Haight says “Speaker Ralston … felt like we needed to have another town hall meeting … he felt like that we needed more input from the community.” She notes that regardless of the outcome on Nov. 2, she will push for a town hall meeting on the subject: “I do plan to have town hall meeting in November. Nathan Fitts and I have both talked about that, and several other candidates … doesn’t matter if I win or lose, the city needs that going forward.” Haight says that after the town hall meeting, if the city is in favor, she hopes to send it back to the general assembly to be passed, and implemented immediately. 

Zoning: 

At Blue Ridge’s City Council Election Forum, Haight brought up feathering zones in the city. She elaborates, “When I say feathering, our ordinances actually state that this is how it should be done … you should go from your highest use, which is CBD [Central Business District], and then it goes to C2 down to C1 … so it needs to stagger, and that’s what I mean by that.” Haight also mentions that zoning ordinances are not being followed all the time: “I think if we simply follow our rules, then it shouldn’t be a problem … the ordinance reads where it should be staggered down from its lowest use, then to residential, and that takes both parties.” 

On affordable housing:

Haight says that housing is an important issue in Fannin County. “Affordable housing is needed. The average list price of a house in Blue Ridge as of … last monday is $817,000,” Haight emphasizes. She then notes that the average income in Blue Ridge is around $30,000: “So,when we look at affordable housing, we’re looking at workforce housing, transitional housing.” Haight also addressed what she considers a misconception about affordable housing, saying, “I think the way some people are twisting it, is that it’s housing that would bring in crime, and I think that is very discriminatory, and really I don’t think federal housing would appreciate any of that.” She also mentions that housing issues lead to worker issues: “Our shops, right now a lot of them can’t open because they don’t have workers.” 

On infrastructure: 

Haight believes there are misconceptions about the city’s infrastructure as well. For that reason, she says, she facilitated a meeting with engineers to discuss it. Haight then brings up a ten year plan that was implemented to address infrastructure issues. “Currently we are working on replacing old parts, and our [water and sewer] buildings,” which Haight says is a project that will cost around $5 million. However, Haight believes if the city stays on track with the plan, the city will have a “wonderful water and sewer system.” 

On communication and public involvement:

“I’d like to see more town hall meetings,” Haight remarks. She also says she would like to see more public comment spots during city council meetings: “Why would you restrict what the people want to … say?” Haight also believes involving the public in committees is a great way to increase public involvement. Other than that, she also proposes website improvements and holding two city council meetings a month. 

Accomplishments: 

Haight considers one of her biggest achievements to be reducing building height limits. She says, “One of the things I’m most proud of, is the fact that I spearheaded the effort to reduce … building heights downtown, and I’ve been working on that for a while. It’s been over a year’s process for the moratorium up to this, so I guess really, knowing how the public hates the big tall buildings downtown, I think reducing the building size is … probably one of my biggest accomplishments.” 

To Voters: 

“I want them to remember that I truly live in downtown, and that I truly live in the city limits. And, you know if for any reason other than that, that’s why they should vote for me, because it has been questioned numerous times as to my opponents to where she lives … our charter clearly states that you have to live in the city limits, and you must have lived here for a year consecutively. Anyone who knows, they know that I live here, and you know I would say, if you remember anything … when you’re voting, think about the truthfulness to this situation.” 

 

FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Post 1 candidates Herald Herndon and Jack Taylor; Post 3 candidate Christy Kay; Post 4 candidates Jacqueline Brown and William Whaley; and Post 5 candidates Bill Bivins and Nathan Fitts. Early voting is already underway and Election Day is Nov. 2, 2021. 

 

City Council Election: Interview with Mayor Donna Whitener

City Council, Election
Whitener headshot

FANNIN, Ga. — Donna Whitener is running for re-election as Mayor of Blue Ridge. She has been incumbent mayor for 12 years. She spoke with FYN to discuss her  experiences as mayor, and her goals for the future. She is running against Rhonda Haight, an incumbent on the city council. 

On infrastructure:

Whitener says, “We’ve actually done quite a few infrastructure projects … we spent about 18 million dollars in rehab on water plants, transmission lines, two new million gallon tanks.” She clarifies that those projects took place in the beginning of her time as mayor, and that more recently: “We’ve done probably another 20 million in different projects such as water line replacements, streetscape projects, renovation projects, so you know we’ve done a lot of things that have taken care of the … infrastructure and the structures in our community that are important to us.” 

On city sewer: 

“You know we’re just now starting to do a lot with sewer. We’re starting to see some sewer issues pop up, and we’ve seen those all along because a lot of the lines are terracotta,” Whitener explains, “Our sewer system is so much smaller than our water system, we have over three thousand customers on our water system, but we have just a little over a thousand customers on our sewer system.” She also explains that while the infrastructure is dated, the capacity of the system has only recently become an issue: “That’s starting to happen because those lines just can’t handle it, they’re caving in, and they’re needing to be … replaced.” 

On building heights: 

Whitener says, “I know the big one that everybody ask about is the 60 foot in height. That’s been there since 1978. Over the years we’ve had a lot of tall buildings, some of those have burned, been torn down, changed over the years, but its always been that. In the last two terms … there has been a lot of talk about changing the height.” She says that two Planning and Development administrations have recommended that the height limit be reduced to 45 feet, but she says the council never wanted to take action: “They never wanted to change the height at that point. Never even talked about going to the 35 foot … it’s been through planning commission, its been through council members, and you know they’ve now made it 35 foot, but in the last time that we had a discussion about it … it didn’t happen.” 

On city manager form of government: 

Whitener says that the biggest challenge with any form of government is “Nobody’s actually studied the city manager form of government.” Whitener explains when she was first elected, she was in favor of a city manager, but soon changed her mind: “As I started talking with other mayors and council members, city manager form of government is only typically done in larger cities. We only have about, well we have a population of a little over 1200 people.” She notes a small number of small towns who have a city manager, while the vast majority favor a mayor. 

Whitener also cites a high turnover rate, a high level of control, and the impersonality of a city manager: “In our little city, a lot of our folks are my age … those folks like to pick up the phone … they like having that person they can talk to, they’ve got my phone number, they’ve got me on speed dial, if there’s anything going wrong at their house, if a tree fell, if they’ve had a storm, I get a call.” She says her personal connection with citizens is important, and it is lost with a city manager. 

On zoning: 

“I’m the only council member that has done any planning and zoning training,” Whitener says, “Planning and zoning involves people’s property, and it involves dollars, it involves their money, their livelihood and the people around them, it affects their livelihood too.” She says that training for the council would help them handle the increasingly difficult issue of growth and overdevelopment: “I think that planning and zoning training would help them look at it from a bigger picture, as to what it does to the entire neighborhood, rather than just ‘that’s a frame of mind’ or ‘that’s somebody I know’ or ‘that’s somebody that talks a good game’ … I think it helps you to sort out what makes sense and what doesn’t.”

On the City of Blue Ridge Police: 

Whitener first explains that growth in Blue Ridge is causing an increased burden on police. From more wrecks to small incidents in town, she says the uptick is putting stress on the city’s officers: “We only have 10 officers, we’ve got 4 part time, we’re really needing to staff up.”  

“We put money aside to hire two new officers. The problem is finding those people … with all that happened in the last few years, the defund the police, the ugliness that they were having to go through … a lot of people said ‘you know, I’m not putting my life on the line for everybody anymore, I’m tired i want to go home and enjoy my family,’ and I understand that. So, a lot of folks have gotten out of that field, so we’ve got to find those folks that we can recruit from somewhere that are still interested. 

Whitener also says, “Maybe if they have the support system from the mayor and the council, as to we want good police officers, we’re not gonna tell you to stand back, we’re gonna tell you to move forward. You’re a police officer, you know what to do and you know when to do it. So, … we’ve got to make sure that those officers know that we support them.” 

On affordable housing:

“There’s a lot of gossip that affordable housing didn’t get passed. Affordable housing has not been on any kind of yes or no vote. What did not get passed was they wanted to rezone an area where we already have some sewer issues. We thought some of those had already been resolved, but its not … three days before the vote came up, they had had another blow out in that area that had caused some problems, and so we had about a million dollar repair on the line and a pump station before any major housing at all could go in there. It was 15 acres that they wanted to put 170 units in. If we had rezoned that to R3, we would have been obligated to put them on our sewer system, which would have not worked. It would … have been a problem… we couldn’t have done it, it would have ruined the entire sewer system for everybody else in the neighborhood.” 

Whitener clarifies, “It’s not that I’m not for affordable housing, and for workforce housing, because I know it’s needed. I get calls … pretty often, but I have rental properties myself, and so I know that there’s a need out there. But, the problem you have is a lot of people are trying to sell the affordable housing, that that was … voted on, but it was not, it was actually the area they chose.” 

In the future, Whitener says: “That’s my goal with affordable housing, I want to make sure that we’re not selling out our affordable housing to folks from the Atlanta area … I want to make sure that we take care of the people in Blue Ridge and Fannin County first.” 

To voters: 

“I’ve always supported my citizens. They’ve been able to reach me 24/7. I’ve had to say no to some citizens, but I’ve always given them the reasons that I couldn’t do what they wanted. I’m approachable, I’m reachable … I want citizens to know that I’m there for them, and I’m there to make sure that we have a secure and safe community.” 

 

FYN made an effort to contact every candidate, but we were ultimately unable to speak with Post 1 candidates Herald Herndon and Jack Taylor; Post 3 candidate Christy Kay; Post 4 candidates Jacqueline Brown and William Whaley; and Post 5 candidates Bill Bivins and Nathan Fitts. Early voting is already underway and Election Day is Nov. 2, 2021. 

 

Lack of leadership: Vernon Jones attacks Governor Brian Kemp

News, State & National
Vernon Jones

ELLIJAY, Ga – Former State Representative and Trump ally Vernon Jones continued to flirt with the idea of running for Georgia Governor as a Republican.

Jones switched the Republican Party in January after previously stating he had no plans to do so. However, his tweets “if I were governor” suggested he wants to primary current Governor Brian Kemp (R).

At 10 a.m. at Liberty Park on Friday, April 16, Jones will make an announcement whether he is running or not. If he does announce, it’s like Trump will endorse him.

He’s promised an “overhaul” of Georgia’s election system if he was governor but didn’t go into details.

As for switching parties, Jones asked for the same treatment as past Republicans who started out as Democrats, such as former Governor’s Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal. If reelected, Kemp will be the first life-long Republican to reattain the office since Reconstruction.

Jones added that not everyone agrees, and no one should expect 100 percent agreement. He claimed that Democrats disagreed with his conservative nature for 30 years, and now, he no longer has to abide by their rules.

Kemp’s leadership or lack there of was the focus of Jones talking points. He wanted to know why Kemp let MLB pull the All-Star game from Georgia, what actions did he take to prevent it? Did Kemp speak with Delta about their objections to SB 202. According to Jones, Kemp’s failures to address voter integrity issues months ago, cost Georgia money.

Accusing Kemp of hiding and letting the General Assembly clean up his mess, Jones attacked the governor for not taking a proactive role in November 2020. He didn’t call a special session to discuss election issues. Several Democrats and Republicans have praised Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) for not bending to the will of Trump during that time.

However, other Georgia voters lost faith in the system after the General Election. Legislators spoke at length during the 2021 Session about constituents calling to express their voting concerns.

“Crisis of integrity and confidence” Belle Isle explains why he’s running for Secretary of State

News, Politics
David Belle Isle

ELLIJAY, Ga – David Belle Isle (R) took a minute to address why he’s running for Secretary of State even though the incumbent Republican intends to run for reelection.

Former Alpharetta Mayor and runner-up on the 2018 primary runoff for Secretary of State, Belle Isle supported candidate and eventual Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger until his actions in 2020. He called what happened in 2020 an “absolute disaster” citing the perceived dissolution of election integrity and voter confidence.

“As much as we want to find the right leaders,” Belle Isle remarked, “We can’t get there if we don’t have the ballot box right.”

Belle Isle wants to clean up the mess, mail-in ballots, and restore voter confidence.

Raffensperger has expressed his intentions to run again and that the facts state former President Donald Trump didn’t carry Georgia and when the truth is revealed people will understand. Belle Isle observed if Raffensperger can’t see the problem, then that’s “the reason he needs to go.”

The Secretary of State did hire a company, ProVMD to audit Dominion machines and that company primarily services Dominion. Raffensperger’s chief operating officer also left the office for a year to take a role at Dominion in 2020. Belle Isle believes these actions aided in the public distrust of the Dominion machines and wants to see if the state can get out of that contract.

David Belle Isle headshot

David Belle Isle

He also stressed that voter confidence has to be restored across the state. However, it will be up to the candidates to help people believe in the system since Raffensperger will be the Secretary of State overseeing the 2022 elections.

The former mayor isn’t a fan of policies Raffensperger implemented including signing the consent settlement agreement with Fair Fight. He promised to tear up the agreement if elected, adding that rejected ballots dropped to 0.3 percent in 2020. In the past, Georgia had a rejection rate of 3 percent.

As for former President Donald Trump endorsing Jody Hice (R – GA 10) candidacy for Secretary of State, Belle Isle commented that he’s always supported the President, but Trump’s never met him. He also believes he has the experience to run a multi-disciplined office like Secretary of State and that Trump would be impressed if he knew how Belle Isle ran Alpharetta and developed it.

“If presidential endorsements were always right, he’d be endorsing Raffensperger for the second time,” Belle Isle commented about the significance of endorsements.

Also, the decision is ultimately up to the voters of Georgia who will get to know the candidates.

Belle Isle has events scheduled across Georgia and is encouraged by the people reaching out to volunteer their time for his campaign.

Voter turnout, debates, and Trump: David Perdue discusses all

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David Perdue

ELLIJAY, Ga: Senator David Perdue (R) addressed his relationship with President Trump, voter turnout, and not debating Jon Ossoff on his bus tour through North Georgia.

https://youtu.be/hXDzHORXNCs

Citing the earlier debates, Perdue didn’t see the necessity in rehashing the issues. 

“I wanted to give him a chance to show Georgia what an empty suit he is,” Perdue explained, “How can someone lose a debate with himself? I mean, that is what we saw last night.”

The senator discussed his concerns about the “radical left agenda” moving forward if the Democrats win in January. 

“We’ve held the line on Iran, and by removing ourselves from that JCPOA nuclear deal, we’ve now put tremendous pressure on Iran. We’ve stood up to China. We’ve got our trade deals moving. These are the things we can protect and hold the line against the radical leftist agenda the Democrats have put forward,” Perdue remarked. 

He asserted the only way to protect the gains made is to “hold the line” against the Democrats. 

As for President Trump, he’s instructed Perdue and Senator Kelly Loeffler to win their races. 

“He has said ‘you’ve got to hold this Senate. We’ve got to win in January.’ He’s very disappointed that he hadn’t been able to get more of transparent accounting, if you will, of the signature absentee ballots, and so on and so forth,” Perdue stated. 

Perdue pointed out that Loeffler and himself called for the resignation of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger weeks ago. He asserted that Georgia never had election problems before 2019-2020, and the consent decree between Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, and Stacey Abrams created this situation. Perdue asked for a “specific accounting of absentee ballots, relative to the validity of the signatures and the number of ballots versus envelopes.” 

Gilmer Sheriff Stacy Nicholson introduced Senator David Perdue.

“We’re going to continue to make noise about,” Perdue affirmed. “If you look at the logic of saying ‘I’m upset about President Trump’s treatment or accounting of November 3, and therefore, I’m going to protest and not vote on January 5,’ what logic is that? That’s circular logic that basically gives the keys to the kingdom to the Democrats.”

Perdue will be in Union and Towns Counties on Tuesday, November 8. 

 

 

 

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