by Prissi Sullivan

The League of Women Voters of Carroll County hosted a forum for the runoff candidates for County Commissioner of District 5 on June 27. Candidates Ernest “Ernie” Reynolds and Jay Williford presented their views to an audience of 60 plus at the gymnasium of the Whitesburg Elementary School. Candidate for Commission Chairman, John Wilson, was in attendance, because “There’s no city too big or small; they are all important to our county,” he said. “As chairman, I will support and consider all our cities.”
       

Both candidates are conservative outdoorsmen, who enjoy living in a rural setting. Reynolds is retired from the State of Georgia where he was Deputy Director at the Department of Audits. Williford is a retired Carroll County Fire Marshal and Whitesburg City Councilman, who is currently the fire marshal for Douglas County.
     

Public safety is the number one issue for both. Williford wants to see the ISO rating improved for the fire department, which will lower insurance costs of homeowners. He also wants to see all fire departments manned.
       

Reynolds sees a widening gap in middle management in the fire department as personnel leave for higher paying jobs in other counties. He wants to fix the salary level to retain experienced personnel. “We don’t need more studies,” he said; “we need action.”
       

Smaller towns are an asset to the county. “The role of the community,” stated Reynolds, “is to form a support system for children. Some growth is needed in Whitesburg to broaden the tax base in order to provide more services to the public, but we don’t need metropolitan take over.”
       

Williford enjoys small town life but feels that growth depends on what the majority of the people in District 5 want.
       

Reynolds would like to see eco-tourism encouraged and supported but wants assurance that the infrastructure can handle it. He would like to work with Carroll Tomorrow and the Chamber to promote Whitesburg.
       

Williford also believes eco-tourism is the answer. “I don’t think the people want big industries and numerous subdivisions,” he stated. “We need to market our parks. The Whitesburg area is mostly green space.”
       

Moore’s Bridge Park is not staffed or fully opened but contains a lot of historical significance.       

Williford would support using available funds for this park, but staffing costs come out of the general fund so that would be further down the priority list. Reynolds would like to see Moore’s Bridge Park as a destination. 
       

Reynolds and Williford want to preserve the rural quality of life. He pointed out that agriculture is a $40 million a year industry. He wants to limit growth to the growth corridors. Williford wants to use the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use maps to maintain rural areas.
       

Library funding is a burning issue in this election. The county earmarks funds, which go to the West Georgia Regional Library System, who use a formula to distribute the funds to the individual libraries. Should the Commission have a say in how the money is distributed? Both candidates answered, “Yes.”
       

Citizen John Paulk has sued the county for $3.6 million in lost revenue for being denied rezoning his property from agricultural to commercial in order to construct a shooting range and event center. Both candidates feel that the proposed area is a definite “no.” Williford pointed out that the issue was already in the court system and would be decided by a judge. “It really doesn’t matter what we think,” he said.
       

Coal ash, a by-product of electricity production, is being moved from ponds to landfills by Southern Company. Williford feels that Southern Company is “keeping an eye on it and that the EPD and EPS of Georgia will handle any problems.”
       

“City treasures should be protected,” stated Reynolds. “Southern Company is doing a great job, but government needs to monitor the process on-site to protect the citizens.”
       

When asked about a timeline for high speed internet to be brought into the area, Reynolds said, “ASAP! It’s essential. John Wilson (candidate for Chairman) said that farmers depend on the internet for their ability to trade nationally and internationally. EMC has the capability.”
       

Williford referenced HB 23, which was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly during the 2019 session. “Probably in the next year or two,” he posited.
       

Access to county buildings and transportation are two problems facing the county. Williford thinks the county should address the access problem in compliance with ADA standards. Reynolds thinks the access problem should be monitored. “The bus utilization should also be monitored,” he stated, “to see if it is worthwhile to maintain it.”
       

The commission has proposed a budget of $53 million, up $3 million from last year. Reynolds wants to make sure to keep property taxes at a minimum and supports the over 65 benefit of no school tax. “We need to get a handle on the budget by implementing performance indicators,” he said.
       

Williford wants to look at the budget with a microscope. “This is a large increase from last year,” he declared. “We also need to look at the property assessments. I don’t like projected figures; I like actual figures.”
       

As a commissioner, Williford would like to promote recreational possibilities for the outdoorsman, including some shooting. Reynolds wants to investigate the reported squatters in the county and have codes enforcement address the issue.
       

In closing, Williford encouraged everyone to get out and vote. He is for controlled growth and maintaining the rural heritage.
Reynolds promised to listen to the voters and promised that he would insure, if elected, that the voters win. He is an advocate of government accountability and experienced in leadership and finance.

After the forum, StarNews asked Williford how his wife being the mayor of Whitesburg would affect his voting on the commission, if he was elected. He was adamant that, “In issues involving money, I would abstain.”

(photo) District 5 Candidates (left) Ernie Reynolds and (right) Jay Williford