The Tri-County Journal
& Chattahoochee Chronicle
PO Box 850, 71 Webb Lane
Buena Vista, GA 31803
229-649-6397
tjournal@alltel.net

By RICHARD HARRIS
   Local residents gathered at the Roscoe Robinson Recreation Center last Saturday to listen to candidates for the Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta-Chattahoochee County answer a variety of questions at a “Candidates Forum” sponsored jointly by the Cusseta-Chattahoochee Ministerial Alliance and Chattahoochee County Family Connection.
   Five main questions were read at the beginning of the forum and each candidate was given five minutes to make an opening statement, which was to also include answers to the questions. Afterwards, candidates answered several more questions from the audience.
   Five of the seven candidates participated in the forum. The two who didn’t participate were James (Wes) Roberts and Gerald Douglas.
   The five main questions and summaries of the candidates’ responses are printed below.

Do we need a police department? If yes, why?

   James Morton (Post 3, incumbent): Morton supports the recently established police department, because he thinks it will provide the community with better law enforcement. He noted that local residents are paying for “911” and in his opinion the dispatching of emergency calls doesn’t need to go through the Sheriff’s Office. He said officers of the police department could be dispatched by 911 operators.
   James Bowdon (Post 4): Bowdon simply said, “We have a police department. We do not need a second one.”
   Walt Rosso (Post 4): Rosso said the question about the police department is a moot question, because a police department has already been established. He said a more appropriate question would be “whether we’ll keep it after the first of January,” and his position is that shortly after January 1 he would look at the police department to review how effective it’s been and if the county can afford it, and then make his decision based on that information.
   Larry Dillard (Post 5, incumbent): Dillard said, “I do think we need a police department, because our laws are not being enforced.”

He also said the Commission tried for three years to strengthen the Sheriff’s Office but received no cooperation. “We now have two deputies, which is fewer than at any time in the last three years,” he added, “We have a very serious drug problem, that along with the accompanying property crimes problem that goes with the drugs needs to be addressed aggressively.” He also said that with the projected growth of the county, a strong Sheriff’s Office and a strong police department will both be needed.
   Donald Moore (Post 5): Moore is opposed to the new police department. He said, “I just don’t think that’s the answer,” and added, “Did we not consolidate the city and the county to get rid of duplication? We cannot afford a police department and the Sheriff’s Department.” He also said he believes the Sheriff’s Office seems to be effective, and the Commission should be focused on other issues like an ambulance service, a paid fire department, employee insurance and maybe compensation for first responders.

How do you think the Unified Government is working?

   James Morton (Post 3, incumbent): “I think it’s working, but all citizens need to consider that a house divided cannot stand,” said Morton, adding: “This community has been divided for a long time. It’s time for us all to come together and work together to make this a better

place.” He added that with nearby Ft. Benning expanding, now is a great time for local residents to come together and move forward.
   James Bowdon (Post 4): He said that the Unified Government is not truly “unified” because it is basically being run by three people, while there are five commissioners. “Somebody needs to learn to bend and they haven’t,” he added.
   Walt Rosso (Post 4): Rosso noted that in all communities there will be different opinions. He said he thinks the current Commission is working, noting that with the exceptions of the sewage and police department issues, the commissioners seem to have been working

together smoothly. He added that one way to improve how the Unified Government works is to get the public more involved.
   Larry Dillard (Post 5, incumbent): Dillard said the Unified Government is working well and gave several examples of positive things the Commission has accomplished. These included: being named a “County of Excellence” by Georgia Trend magazine, implementing better management systems, being in excellent financial shape (“we have $650,000 in CDs in reserve, we have $200,000 in our operating fund, and we have no debt”), and having many involved citizens working with the local government.
   Donald Moore (Post 5): Moore said the majority of people he talks to are against the current direction of the Unified Government. He added: “I’m against spend, spend, spend just because you have the money,” and said he would scrutinize the budget and make customer service a top priority. He added that every citizen should have “every opportunity to have his or her views and concerns addressed in a fair, efficient and courteous manner.”

What should be done about sub-standard housing?

   James Morton (Post 3, incumbent): Morton acknowledged the presence of substandard homes in the community and said a program to address the issue is needed. He said: “The only way we can do this is by all of us working together to try and help to bring our people up to standards.”
   James Bowdon (Post 4): Bowdon said the issue of substandard housing should be addressed with federal grants and federal assistance, noting that the community would have to also help. However, he said the immediate problem could be solved with housing inspectors

and noted that the local government does not have a certified inspector and said no attempt has been made to hire one. He added, “Our insurance code has suffered from it and until we do get a housing inspector our home owners insurance is going to go up drastically.”
   Walt Rosso (Post 4): Rosso noted that the county has a long term plan in place to deal with substandard housing and it is important to review the plans and do what’s best for the county.
   Larry Dillard (Post 5, incumbent): Dillard said, “It’s a fact that 73 percent of our housing is substandard and that’s nothing to be proud of.” He said the county has applied for grants and so far been

unsuccessful, but will keep trying. He also mentioned newer federal programs that involve having private builders build houses and rent them to people who receive federal vouchers, adding that commissioners have discussed that possibility with several developers and he thinks they can make it happen once the sewage system is in place.
   Donald Moore (Post 5): Moore said he is in favor of having a Housing Authority made up of local citizens and trying to secure grants and low-interest loans to build suitable housing. He also said, “Everyone’s definition of a substandard house is not the same. I’m not is favor of making people move just because the government thinks they know what is best for the people.”

What kind of things will you do to manage the development that is coming?

    James Morton (Post3, incumbent): Morton said his answer to the question of dealing with sub-standard housing also applies to managing development.
   James Bowdon (Post 4): Bowdon noted a recent approval of a subdivision and other proposals that are pending, which would potentially add many more homes to the county. “Our infrastructure cannot support that,” he said. He added that if too much development is allowed too quickly, “quite frankly, you’ll wind up in debt to where our youngens and our grandchildren will never get this county out of debt.” He urged a slow, gradual approach to development and use zoning to manage growth.
   Walt Rosso (Post 4): “Development is coming whether we like it or not,” said Rosso. He noted that developers who have purchased large tracts of land will develop the land they’ve invested in, even if they have to put in hundreds of septic tanks to do so. “The question is,” he added, “As commissioners do we encourage him or assist in that project to get him to do the things that we want to get the kind of growth that will help Chattahoochee County.” He added that he is in favor of getting sewage service in the county, as long as the law doesn’t require everyone to use the system if they’d rather use their septic tanks.
   Larry Dillard (Post 5, incumbent): Dillard said managing the growth that is here and coming is “one of the biggest problems our county has ever faced.” He said it will take vision to deal with the growth properly. He said planning and zoning regulations are the tools to use to manage growth and that the regulations should continue to be refined. He said the staff needs better training and noted the recent hiring of a college-trained planner “who will make a significant contribution to these efforts.” He added that the county is in the final stages of a 10-year plan and all residents are welcome to participate in the planning process. Dillard also said the infrastructure is the biggest challenge, noting that the county is on the verge of breaking ground for a sewage system and is studying options for expanding the water system.
    Donald Moore (Post 5): Moore said he is not against growth, but that it must be done at a reasonable pace so residents are not over-taxed and the infrastructure is not depleted. He said having adequate water, roads and schools are important considerations, along with following recommendations of “the environmental people along with the Zoning and Planning Commission.” He favors growth that is slow and well planned.

If you are successful in being elected, what will you do
to bring our community back together?

   James Morton (Post 3, incumbent): Morton said, “Again, we need to find out what the citizens of Chattahoochee County want. … I’m just one person – we have four more.” He added that he gets feedback from “both sides” and said he never makes a decision without thinking it through.
   James Bowdon (Post 4): Bowdon said he would try to unify the commission and that commissioners need to be able to “bend” so that almost every vote wouldn’t be a three-member vote.
   Walt Rosso (Post 4): Rosso said the biggest problem is probably “not getting the word out” and he offered several options for helping better inform the people about the ideas that are discussed by elected officials. He said he would always be willing to listen to questions from the public and find answers if he didn’t immediately have them.
   Larry Dillard (Post 5, incumbent): Dillard’s time to speak ran out before he had the opportunity to specifically address the question of “ what will you do to bring our community back together?”
   Donald Moore (Post 5): Moore said, “The current feud between some of the elected officials is a disgrace and hurting our county. It must be stopped.” He said cooperation of all officials is needed to best serve the public.

CLOSING STATEMENTS:

   Those who attended the forum also had the opportunity to hear the candidates address 13 other specific questions. After the lengthy question and answer session was completed, each