Qualifying for city elections wrapped up for most cities in the county Wednesday. Qualifying in Nelson will run through the end of the week.
Canton will have three races for city council this year.
For Ward 1, retired salesman Bob Rush will square off against medical consultant Dr. Austin Flint.
Rush got interested in politics when he started taking political science classes at Kennesaw State University. He mentioned the amount of debt the city is carrying as a reason he decided to get into the race.
"It seemed to me like (the city council was) not channeling their efforts with the long term health of the city in mind," he said.
Rush, 73, is married to wife Joan and has four children and six grandchildren. It is the first time he has sought elected office.
Flint, 72, said his motivation to run for office was simply his love for the city he has lived in for 40 years.
"I want to serve at the next level," he said. "I love this town and want to see it become better."
Flint is married to wife Bea and has three children and six grandchildren.
Ward 2 will have a race including Bill Bryan, who was installed on the council at the beginning of the year to finish out Wally Fowler's term, and Bill Staab.
Bryan, 51, a rental property manager and retired builder, said he wanted to continue the work of "getting the city's financials in better order and maintaining a more orderly and responsible growth policy."
Bryan is married to wife Jennell and has six children.
Staab, 62, who is a research and development consultant for automotive companies, said he does not feel like the residents' needs are represented on the council.
"If you want to be part of the solution, you need to volunteer your time and service to the city," he said about his reason to get into politics. He has not held political office before. He is married to Patti Ball.
Ward 3 candidates are looking at the city's lack of active parks as an issue this year. This summer, the city posted signs at Boling Park and Heritage Park to enforce a revised city parks ordinance making the parks passive.
Amy Turcotte, 38, a homemaker, said "there has to be a compromise or a happy medium" regarding the parks issue. As the former owner of Dottie's Dogs, which was located downtown, she said she feels like she can be "sympathetic" with city business owners.
"I just wanted to represent the people and be a voice," she said. She is married to Brian and they have a total of four children.
John Beresford, 68, a retired Lego Toys executive, said that if the council does not have the situation "squared away this year," he will propose making Boling Park passive and Heritage Park active.
Beresford started regularly attending city council meetings in 2007 and eventually became a "council meeting groupie." He is on the Canton Zoning Board of Appeals and the city's comprehensive plan steering committee.
"Through this involvement I came to see the opportunities for the future of the city of Canton and realized I would like to take an active part in working to make a better Canton," he said. He is married to Beverly and has two daughters and six grandchildren.
The city of Woodstock will have a race in Ward 1 between incumbent Randy Brewer and newcomer Warren Johnson.
Brewer, 45, who works for ADC Telecommunications, said he wants to be around to see the city complete projects that have already started.
"There are projects I feel very vested in and want to continue to see them through completion," he said.
Brewer lives with his wife Sharon. They have three children. He has been on the council for 10 years.
Johnson, 36, an environmental consultant, said he wanted to get into the race over concerns about finances.
"I just feel obligated to do my part to plan for the future," he said. He lives with his wife, Andi, and two children.
Mayor Donnie Henriques, 56, business manager for Progressive Audiology, is unopposed for his second term as Mayor. He also previously served one term on the city council.
"We have a good team in place," he said about wanting to come back for another term to finish off projects such as the Rope Mill interchange and the acquisition of park space. Henriques is married to wife Jan and has three children.
Bud Leonard, 64, owner of Bud Leonard Automotive, is unopposed for his second term as representative of Ward 5.
"I am real excited about what is going on in Woodstock," Leonard said. "I enjoyed my first four years and there are some things left undone." Mueller could not be reached for comment.
Nelson residents will get a choice for its next mayor. Councilman James Queen and D. George Smith have qualified for the position.
Smith, 67, a private detective, is interested in some changes in the city's police department, such as forming a citizen's review panel to handle complaints against the police.
"I would like to see more community policing," he said, adding that he would like to see officers more active rather than just patrolling. In 1991, Smith ran for sheriff in Dawson County. He is married to wife Lucinda and has one child.
Jamey Tamplin qualified to run for the city council in Nelson. Nelson, 39, who is a CVS Pharmacy store manager, said he has always been a little bit interested in politics and wants to get "my generation and younger a little bit more involved in the community." He is married to wife Kelly. He has no previous political experience.
Queen did not return a call for comment.
Waleska will have an election this year as four people have qualified for three seats. Incumbents Floyd Puckett and Dennis "Hill" Cochran qualified along with newcomer Paul Ice and Melissa Fournier, who ran for council last year.
"I would like to see the city going the way it has been going," Puckett, 80, who is retired from the Department of Transportation, said about running for another term. He has served for 13 years. He is married to his wife, Pud, and has three children and three grandchildren.
Mrs. Fournier, 35, a homemaker, said she is running again out of a desire to make a difference in the community. She is married to husband Shaun and has three children.
Cochran, 35, a self-employed general contractor, started serving on the council last year to fill the unexpired term of Lynne Rollins. He is single.
"I just enjoy it," he said about wanting to run for a full term. "Even though we are a small city, it is still really interesting."
Ice, 67, retired from Lucent Technologies, said he wanted to run to have the opportunity to serve the city. It is his first time entering politics. He and his wife, Joyce, have three kids and five grandkids.
There will be no election in Ball Ground this year. Mayor Rick Roberts and Councilman John Byrd each qualified and former Councilman Mickey O'Malley will make a return.
Roberts, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Cherokee Bank, said he is back for one last term. He began serving the city in 1986 as a councilman and served as mayor from 1988 to 1993 and returned in 1996, where he has been serving since.
"We are at a real important point in our history. We got a lot of the right pieces in place," Roberts said about continuing to serve. "We just need the economy to get better."
Roberts lives with his wife, Elaine. They have two sons.
Byrd, 47, who runs a design studio that makes signs, is seeking a fourth term on the council.
"I bring the perspective of a businessman to the table," he said about serving on the council. He is married to Sharon and has two children and two grandchildren.
O'Malley, 54, who is retired from Lucent Technologies, lives with his wife, Bess. They have five children. He served one term from 2000-2001.
"Watching the growth of the city got me excited," he said about getting back on the council.
Post a Comment