Jackson Progress-Argus

Photo by Heather Middleton

By Michael Davis

mdavis@myjpa.com

Candidates for state and local office made their pitches for the votes of Butts County residents Saturday night, as they discussed their backgrounds and presented their platforms at a political forum hosted by the group, Partners for Smart Growth, and local radio station, WJGA.

Local races on July 20 ballots include a Republican contest for a county commission seat, a three-way race in the GOP primary for a seat in the State House representing District 110, and a two-way Republican race for the House District 126 seat.

In the Republican primary for the District 3 county commission seat, Mike Patterson, the owner of a real estate, mortgage and self-storage company in Jackson, is challenging incumbent Mitchell McEwen, the operator of a waste-hauling business who is finishing up his first term in office and is in his second year as chairman of the commission.

The winner of the contest will face Democrat, Nancy Samuel, a four-year Butts County resident and community volunteer, in November.

Patterson, who was part of a vocal group opposed to a 2008 county land purchase, alluded to the deal Saturday, during his opening remarks, and again during the question-and-answer portion of the forum.

"In the last year and a half, we had a land deal here in Jackson, Ga., that caused a lot of controversy and I was getting just loads of calls due to this land deal and that's what spurred me to know I needed to run for this position," Patterson said.

In 2008, according to published reports, the county purchased 2.55 acres next to the Butts County Administration Building from businessman, J.B. White, for $1.25 million. Patterson, at the time, alleged collusion between McEwen's and White's businesses and initiated an unsuccessful recall attempt.

During the forum, Patterson made only passing reference to the purchase, and didn't mention McEwen by name.

McEwen did not address the land purchase during the forum.

In his opening remarks, Patterson said his family came to Butts County in 1969, and joked that when his wife's family came to the county, they collectively doubled the size of the Catholic church. "I had 12 kids in my family and Dottie's has nine in hers," he said.

Patterson also touted his pro-life credentials, and work with the local high school band boosters.

McEwen noted his previous service on the Butts County Water & Sewer Authority and Industrial Development Authority, and his father's service as a commissioner. He said he was also the first county commissioner in Butts' history to obtain certification within his first year in office.

"I want to say that I feel my education, my experience and being self-employed allows me the opportunity and flexibility to best serve the citizens of District 3 and of Butts County," McEwen said.

Samuel, who moved to the county four years ago, said she would like to focus on enhancing county services and infrastructure, and advocating for county employees. For a brief period, she said later, she worked for the county as a grant writer.

"One of the things that I would like to see happen in Butts County is that we focus moreso on keeping the services that we already have available, and enhancing those as we move forward," she said from the stage at the Rufus Adams Auditorium in Jackson.

Questions and answers

Throughout the forum, a three-person panel quizzed candidates on transportation, budgeting, reducing debt, and how House and county commission district lines should be drawn. The panelists were Ed Hoard, executive director of Partners for Smart Growth, former county commission candidate Christy Anderson, and local radio personality, Don Earnhart.

Before launching into a question for commission candidates on whether they would support a plan to reconstitute the Butts County Board of Commissioners, Hoard praised the sitting commission.

"I don't know why in the world any of y'all would want to be a county commissioner, and why, Mitch, you want to continue to be one," he said. "It is a thankless job and may I say thank you, Mitch, to you and to your board for what you all do. It's fantastic work and I appreciate it so much."

Two of the candidates largely indicated support for a straw poll on whether to reconfigure the BOC. The plan previously promoted by Partners for Smart Growth includes an at-large chairman and two "super districts," each of which would be served by two commissioners. McEwen discussed a plan developed by a study group several years ago that called for five district commissioners and a chairman elected countywide.

The current board is made up of five commissioners, one from each district. The board chairman is appointed by fellow commissioners.

McEwen said he would not have a problem with putting the Partners plan to a popular vote.

"We, the commission, don't have the authority to tell the people how to be governed," he said. "I think that this is something that would have to go on the ballot, the people would have to make the choice and then we would support whatever that choice was."

Samuel didn't openly express support for reforming the Board of Commissioners, but said she would want to make sure the citizens were properly represented, and suggested possibly doing away with the position of county administrator. "Are we layering another position there that may not be necessary?" she asked. "I would have to think about it and just hope that the people would be duly represented by those people."

Patterson offered support for the Partners plan, and suggested commissioners' terms be staggered so that each district would hold an election every two years.

"I think it might be a good thing for the county..." he said. "I believe if we restructure like that, then the people's voice might be able to be heard more clearly."

Carving up Butts County

On the topic of redistricting, candidates for seats in the House of Representatives were asked whether they would push for a reapportionment plan that put all of Butts County in a single House district. The county is currently carved into two -- District 110 and District 126.

"We in Butts County would all like to be in one district," Hoard said. "We don't like being carved up. A lot of folks, they don't know which district they're in. They don't know who their representative is."

The candidates offered some support for such a plan, but some also noted the prospect of a challenge by the Obama administration Justice Department to any plan Georgia Republicans may draw up after the 2010 census.

Tom Nicholson, a semi-retired trucking company operator and one of three Republicans from Henry County running for the District 110 seat being vacated by John Lunsford -- which also includes portions of Newton County -- wouldn't commit to pushing for a single-district plan for Butts, but said the districts should be drawn "as common-sense as possible."

"Somebody is not going to be in one district, some counties," he said.

"We've had our turn, Mr. Nicholson. We'd like to let someone else do it," Hoard said.

Candidate Lee Spahos, who works in commercial lending and is a member of the board of the Henry County Chamber of Commerce, said he would support a single district for Butts. "I absolutely would do that, if that's what the citizens of Butts County tell me they want to do," he said.

Andy Welch, an attorney and partner in the firm Smith, Welch and Brittain, and president of the Henry Chamber board, said he would support Butts being in a single district, and said the winner of the election should work with the other House member who represents Butts, Rep. David Knight, in drawing the lines.

He also said it would be important to make sure a reapportionment map can survive a challenge.

"I think that we need good legal minds there, writing the laws and helping with enforcement, so that it can be defended and defended fully," he said.

Candidates in the House District 126 race, incumbent Knight, of Griffin, and challenger Bill Mauldin, also said they would support Butts being in one district.

Economic development

In the race for House District 126, Mauldin is attempting to unseat Knight, a certified public accountant finishing his third term in office.

Mauldin, of Jackson, along with two business partners, is the co-founder of a craft distillery currently under construction in Butts County, where package stores are not permitted and voters will decide July 20 whether to allow alcohol to be sold by the drink on Sundays.

Both candidates said they want to work to bring economic development to Butts County, where unemployment hovers around 11 percent, about one point higher than the state unemployment rate.

"The key is to sell what we've got ... " Mauldin said. "My wife and I have two kids and eventually they will go to college and when it comes time, I don't want them to have to move to Atlanta or Birmingham or anywhere else to find a place where they can make their own homes and make their own place in the world."

Knight said the region should leverage the Atlanta-to-Macon corridor, and the region's water resources, as the state's next great growth catalysts. "We're seeing, in this state, a lot of growth go up [Interstates] 75 and 85 and north Atlanta, in the northern metro area and continue to go to the Carolinas and Tennessee. We need something that's going to point it back here," Knight said. "And I think we do have some of those attributes."

Other candidates at the forum included Republican Sen. Johnny Grant and his Democratic opponent in November, Floyd Griffin, and Butts County Board of Education members, Roland Lee and Ernest Battle, who will stand for re-election later this year.