Chamber holds forum for city council and mayoral race

Community, Election

DAHLONEGA, GA.- The Chamber of Commerce held an open forum for the candidates running for City Council and the Mayor Position.

The forum was moderated by Chuck Jones Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee for the Dahlonega Chamber of Commerce. The candidates in attendance were Tammy Scales, Ryan Reagin, Roman Gaddis, Ross Shirley, Dough Sherrill, JoAnne Taylor, and Casey Alexander.

Roman Gaddis preparing for his comments.

The forum was broken into different sections Post 3 for City Council going first. The candidates for that position are Scales and Reagin. Following that the candidate for Post 1 Gaddis delivered a few remarks and then the candidate for Post 2 Shirley also delivered remarks. Gaddis and Shirley are both running unopposed. The candidates running for Mayor Sherrill, Taylor, and Alexander closed out the evening.

Each candidate was given a two-minute opening statement, followed by two minutes to answer each question and then a two-minute closing statement. The only ones that this setup did not apply to were Gaddis and Shirley due to them only making brief statements.

Tammy Scales and Ryan Reagin answering questions during the forum.

Scales and Reagin were given eight questions that they took turns answering. The questions involved their qualifications for the post and how many meetings they’ve attended, their ideas for changes and their goals for the position, their opinions on the current issues the council is dealing with, their positions on collaboration with the County Commissioners, and where they see the community in the future.

One of the questions centered around short-term rentals. This has been an issue that popped up in recent city council meetings dealing with the PUD for The Summitt property.

“I’m pro-business but also I believe your home is your sanitary, its a fine line and not an easy job but I do believe in owner’s property rights, and as long as you’re being a good neighbor and not a nuance I’m okay with short term rentals but there is a time and place,” commented Reagin.

Another of the questions centered around the possibility of decreasing the number of council seats or creating districts for the seats. This is a current question the council is discussing and will be discussing further including their work session on October 18 at 4:00 p.m.

“I actually don’t want to decrease it, I think the more opinions, the more ideas, the better, and so I don’t want to see it decreased,” commented Scales

Ross Shirley during his comments.

Gaddis spoke about his experience with the council, why he choose to run eight years ago, the problems that he views the council has to deal with, and the need for more partnerships with the Commissioners and the University of North Georgia. Shirley also spoke about his experience, he mentioned that he is fiscally conservative, and his view of what the council should be doing for the citizen. He finished by noting he was looking forward to working with the council.

“One of the things I want to do is be more involved with the strategy, we’ve talked a little bit and all the candidates have talked about the growth that is coming and it needs to be in a controlled manner, and I fully agree with that. I want to be part of that,” stated Shirley

JoAnne Taylor, Doug Sherrill, and Casey Alexander during their comments.

The candidates for Mayor were given nine questions. They were similar to the ones that were given to Scales and Reagin, including an extra one dealing with the current parking situation on the square.

One of the questions for the Mayor candidates as well as the city council candidates had to do with The Head House project. The city is about to start taking bids from contractors on the house but it is projected to be over $1 million.

“I think this is throwing bad money, tax money into an arena we do not need to get involved in. I do not believe the government should compete with the private sector it’s as simple as that,” explained Sherrill.

Another question that the candidates were given had to deal with parking on the square. As many people are aware there are only a limited number of spaces right by the doors to the business on the square and they fill up quickly.

“I think this is really silly, how long have we been talking about parking? I come to the square every weekend, I come to Gold Rush and all the other festivals, and I’ve never had an issue with parking. It’s just not an issue and the fact that the government wants to restrict businesses from developing because they need so many parking spaces is ridiculous. I think it does need to be changed especially when there is parking available,” stated Alexander.

The candidates also were given a question about the cooperation between the City Council and the County Commissioners. There are currently a few joint projects between the two but for the most part, they are separate systems working in the area.

“I think there are many areas where the city and county are already cooperating on infrastructure including some roundabouts that are being constructed and some other road work that we are doing injunction with the county. The idea for shared other infrastructure water, sewage, etc. I think is right for exploration,” commented Taylor.

All candidates thanked the public for coming out to the forum or viewing it at home. To view the video of the forum you can download the FYNTV app and go to recent videos. It is called Dahlonega City Council and Mayor Candidate Forum. Or go to this link http://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/309582?autoplay=0

Sheriff’s challenger a no-show at Chamber of Commerce forum

News

LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. – Although Lumpkin County voters have already elected him three times, Sheriff Stacy Jarrard still felt it was important for him to appear before them to ask for their vote in person in the June 9 General Primary election. His opponent, Jack Jones, felt differently.

Jones was a no-show at the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce teleconference sponsored by Debbie and Chuck Jones Tuesday (May 19). Event moderator Robb Nichols read a prepared statement from Jones explaining his absence.

In an email addressed to Nichols, Jones said, “I am sorry to say that I will have to respectfully decline. At this point, the safety of my family and the citizens of Lumpkin County means the most to me. I need to lead by example when it comes to this gathering that could potentially infect other citizens or myself.”

Nichols said, “The staff and I organized this event to ensure the health of the candidates and volunteers present.”

Jarrard said he was surprised at Jones’ refusal to appear.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Jarrard added, “Being sheriff, you can’t pick and choose when you show up for the citizens. I have to take a high dose chemo medicine every day but I was there. I’m willing to give my life for this community.”

Jarrard, 52, is a lifelong resident of Lumpkin County. He has been in law enforcement 32 years and sheriff for 12. He and his wife Rebecca, who works at the middle school, have three children, McKenzie, Brianna and Luke. He teaches an adult Sunday school class.

Jarrard said being in law enforcement is the dream of a lifetims. He was elected by his law enforcement peers to serve as President of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association this year. He is also the past president of Georgia Youth Homes.

“I work on issues every day not only here in Lumpkin County, but throughout the state with the Georgia Sheriff’s Association,” he said. “I’m just thankful to be here as your sheriff.”

Asked about the FY 2021 budget and what impact the COVID-19 pandemic may have on the Sheriff’s Office, Jarrard said he met with County Manager Stan Kelley last week to discuss the budget.

“We’ve worked on that already,” he said. The Sheriff’s Office has operated under budget every year of his tenure. One reason, he said is because, “I’ve brought in close to $5 million housing out-of-county inmates to help offset the taxes here in the community. For the last 12 years, we’ve always been able to give money back to the county.”

Jarrard said he posts the Sheriff’s Office budget on Facebook for the public to see. “You can see exactly what the sheriff’s office is spending.”

Jarrard also spoke about improvements that have been made since he was first elected. “We went through a certification program with the state of Georgia where we got certified three times and we also got the medical association to do the certification program at the medical facility inside the jail to show were operating at a high standard there. We’ve upgraded the 911 center making it a state-of-the art 911 center.”

That fact that he has established a good work relationship with state and federal law enforcement agencies was clearly evident last September as hundreds of demonstrators and counter protesters gathered in downtown Dahlonega for the “American Patriot Rally for President Trump.”

When he found out the event was planned, Jarrard sent out emails for assistance and 600 law enforcement officers from 36 local, state and federal agencies responded to keep the peace. The event ended peacefully without injury or property damage.

“There are four recent events where I’ve shown I have been successful,” he said. “I’ve had cancer and worked through it. I went through the Rainbow gathering week and was successful with that. I went through the political rally this past September. Now I’m going through the COVID virus pandemic and I’m still here for this community.”

He closed by saying, “I would be honored to serve you again for another term.”

 

 

Back to Top