Town Hall allows public access to political candidates

The following candidates are running for the local offices:

* Commission Chairman: Sarah Boatright (not present), Leslie Burch, Stephen Kauger, and Noah Tomberlin

* District I Commissioner: Daniel Carter (not present), Jimmy Crosby, Dale Sapp, Randy Sellers, Frank Stokes, and Stan White

* District 3 Commissioner: Steve Aycock, Daryl Edwards, and Jamie Gardner

* Board of Education District I: Mark Green (not present), Stewart Reeves (not present), and Cindy Stewart

Each candidate was allowed two minutes to introduce himself; once the questions started, each was allowed one minute to answer.

* Stewart Reeves was unable to be present but sent a statement to be read, saying that he will serve God and Appling County. He has two boys in school, is a tax-paying landowner, and kept Appling County kids in school during COVID times.

* Cindy Stewart said that she and her husband of 33 years have two daughters who went through this school system. She taught over 1000 students, served as an administrator for seven years, and did God’s work in the field of education.

* Leslie Burch said he’s been a firefighter, a first responder, and a handler of hazardous materials. For the past four years he has attended every county meeting he could to be knowledge. He will serve with honesty and integrity if elected.

* Steve Kauger is a retired insurance agent with three children and seven grandchildren. He serves on the board of the downtown authority. They know they have problems and are working on them. He wants to spend his time giving back to a county that has been good to him.

* Noah Tomberlin has lived here since his third-grade year. He has a three-year-old son and is the grandson of Dobbie Tomberlin. He says he knows more about federal politics than local but wants to give Appling County a voice and to protect it from the new world order. He is a Christian libertarian conservative.

First questions were given to the school board and chairman candidates. Summary of answers are below.

Question #1: What is your top priority if elected?

* Cindy Stewart: to teach the curriculum and keep the academics in the classroom.

* Stephen Kauger: communication is top priority.

* Noah Tomberlin: establish a constitution and Bill of Rights for Appling County.

* Leslie Burch: restore faith in local officials by telling the truth and giving straight answers.

Question #2: What is your opinion of public input?

* Cindy Stewart: They have a good process in place now. You are accountable to the people.

* Noah Tomberlin: I encourage it and disagree with the call in. I want my elected officials on the spot.

* Leslie Burch: I believe in the right of all people to public input. Elected officials need to know they serve the public.

* Stephen Kauger: Everybody should go to his commissioner and try to work out the problem there instead of putting it on the agenda immediately.

Question #3: What is your vision for oversight of ESPLOST/SPLOST money?

* Cindy Stewart: I’m pleased to see the new playground equipment and worked on the other end of acquiring it. What I started has come to fruition.

* Leslie Burch: We need to be specific with how the money is spent and voters need to watch.

* Stephen Kauger: I believe in sales tax because it’s fair. We should use it instead of property tax.

* Noah Tomberlin: We need to be self-reliant, but I’m voting yes for ESPLOST.

Question #4: What are your thoughts on spending so much money on the high school football field?

* Cindy Stewart: Consider the number of students being served. You have to look at each item and decide.

Question #4 for commissioners: How do you restore the integrity of the sealed bid system?

* Stephen Kauger: The perception of hanky panky is bad; open them in public.

* Noah Tomberlin: We need some regulations to keep friends of the politicians from getting all the bids.

* Leslie Burch: Bids must remain sealed until opened in public.

Question #5 for school board: How do you feel about gender-neutral bathroom?

* Cindy Stewart: Gender and race are identified by gender and race by birth certificates. Keep things simple for kids.

Question #5 for commissioners: If as a commissioner you had a conflict of interest, would you speak or let it stand?

* Noah Tomberlin: Speak up.

* Leslie Burch: Speak up.

* Stephen Kauger: Speak up.

Question #6: How would you guide policy for school or board?

* Cindy Stewart: Students first and let the teachers teach.

* Leslie Burch: Be straight up and honest. Keep an eye on everything we’re doing.

* Stephen Kauger: Use honesty and integrity, empathize with people, and do what’s right for the county.

* Noah Tomberlin: Do what the founding fathers would want and be honest and straight forward. What would Jesus do?

Part II The candidates for commissioner moved to the hot seats to introduce themselves and answer questions.

* Jimmy Crosby: I will listen to the people and hold each person accountable for the job he does. I’ll work with the input of the county behind me.

* Dale Sapp is a native of the county with two children and 7 grandchildren. He’s retired from the city as public works director. He says he will bring some unity to the county and serve the people.

* Randy Sellers: What I bring to the table is what the people want. Government is a God-ordained institution. I want to lower taxes. It’s easy to write checks on someone else’s account.

* Frank Stokes: Changes are needed. I’ve been attending meetings for over a year now to see what’s going on. I’m a local business owner and see what needs to be done.

* Stan White: He is the son of Ronnie and Peggy White and a farmer. He wants to go back to what government used to be. He has built roads himself and knows how to do it. That’s good information. He will be transparent.

* Steve Aycock: He is a retired construction superintendent and has managed several multi-million projects including roads and bridges. Instead of complaining, he threw his hat in the ring.

* Daryl Edwards: He says he speaks from experience because he has been serving the public for the last 9 years. He’s on the library board. He is a CPA. When he looks at local audits, he’s pleased with what he sees. Appling County is debt free.

* Jamie Gardner: He is the son of Max and Helen Gardner and has been in the newspaper business all his life. He pledges to serve with integrity and says that no seat is more important than his word. He will be a good steward of taxpayers’ money. The county budget has grown over $7.2 million the last 10 years.

Question #1 What is your top priority if elected?

* Stan White: His top priority is what the people want. They are tired of regulations. Give them back the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

* Jimmy Crosby: The infrastructure and roads are bad. He disapproves of going behind closed doors to make decisions.

* Dale Sapp: In the roads, recreation, and others-- he said we need cooperation, communication, and a resurrection of the code of ethics.

* Randy Sellers: His top priority is the budget. Go through each department and compare to private sector and other counties.

* Frank Stokes: He will work to get roads and budgets back on track. If you hire something out, give everyone a chance to bid. All must work together.

* Daryl Edwards: He says you have to get along with each other and with the community while respecting the opinions of others. He’d like to implement a midmonth work session with public input.

* Jamie Gardner: He promises to serve with integrity. Many things in county need to change, especially the bidding process.

* Steve Aycock: The budget is very important. Eventually, Plant Hatch will have to shut down and we need to prepare for that. We can’t make that up with taxes.

Question #2 What’s your opinion about the public input situation?

* Frank Stokes: If you attend the meeting, you should be heard. Taxpayers should be able to speak.

* Stan White: Commissions work for the public. It should be open for discussion, but no one could stay all night. Maybe it can be set aside for a later time.

* Jimmy Crosby: He believes in the chain of command. Each department should take care of its own complaints.

* Dale Sapp: The public needs input. You should be available. If the commissioners listen, to the people, there probably won’t be a lot of input.

* Randy Sellers: At the beginning, have an agenda. They can sign up before the meeting; then have an open forum at the end to ask questions.

* Jamie Gardner: This is the people’s government. Keep decorum. If we are doing our jobs, we should be able to answer questions in advance, but I do support it.

* Steve Aycock: Set time aside at the end of the meeting; let it be timed. All taxpayers should have a say in the government.

* Daryl Edwards: It’s vital to the commissioners, but we need an informal mid-month meeting to answer questions. Leave the venting out of the public meeting.

Question #3 How should ESPLOST money be handled?

* Randy Sellers: Sales tax is the fairest tax and brings in a good flow of cash. A large percentage of it should go for infrastructure.

* Frank Stokes: We have too many roads that need work. We can do a lot of good with the money if it’s spent as it should be.

* Stan White: We spend millions of dollars, but the roads wash out and it’s costing over and over to fix them again. We need to take care of our drainage system.

* Jimmy Crosby: This money is a great thing. Ride down the dirt roads and look at the culverts. It costs money to keep going back.

* Dale Sapp: He agrees with the others, but some needs to go for equipment, too. Leasing is too expensive.

* Steve Aycock: Legally we are bound for certain projects we voted on, and he points out that that all people pay alike.

* Daryl Edwards: It’s a wonderful tool. About 22 to 24 million comes in every time from ESPLOST. We’ve upgraded our roads with no cost to the public.

* Jamie Gardner: He likes it. One of the problems he’s seen over the years is the bidding process; they get one or two bids. He wants the most bang for our buck. A lot of money comes in SPLOST, LOST and TIA, effective bidding is needed.

Question #4 Should the unpaid Trash-pickup bills with Ryland be added to property taxes?

* Dale Sapp: Ryland has a lot of people who have not paid; all need to pay their own way. It should not be added to property taxes.

* Randy Sellers: They should do their own collections; it’s not the county’s place.

* Frank Stokes: You make a bill; you pay for it; do not add it.

* Stan White: It’s been a fiasco and not well accepted. It needs to be looked at further. The trucks on the roads are dangerous.

* Jimmy Crosby: Another tax or expense shouldn’t be added. Let all pay their trash bill.

* Daryl Edwards: Years ago, we discussed this. It’s a hard issue, but the bottom line is the county shouldn’t have to pay for the people’s trash.

* Jamie Gardner: It’s been discussed for a long time. I don’t pretend to know the answer, but the property owners shouldn’t have to pay. We need a good resolution.

* Steve Aycock: The county shouldn’t be involved in private business; Ryland has been doing a good job. I pay the bill every two months.

Question #5 How have you served your county civically up till now?

* Jimmy Crosby: I’m a veteran. I was born and raised here. Things come and go.

* Dale Sapp: He’s served the city for 30 years, has volunteered to pick up trash, did bike-a-thons. He just did it; there was no pay.

* Randy Sellers: He served on the school board and spent many hours studying for church. He’s worked with a day care and retirement home.

* Frank Stokes: He’s worked with a lot of people helping out with fund raisers and with projects for many years.

* Stan White: He worked with the Altamaha fire department, worked as an EMT, did some outreach with some churches, and built handicapped ramps.

* Jamie Gardner: He’s worked with the food bank, was a member of the Jaycees, is current president of the Dugout Club. Assisted with school PTAs.

* Steve Aycock: He’s done charity rides to help raise money and served as a worship leader at Harvest Chapel Church. Now that he’s retired, he can do more.

* Daryl Edwards: He’s a board member for the library and serves on the Luther Rice Seminary board. He works with the Highway 144 Volunteer Fire Department.

Question #6 How can we solve the Parker Park pool problem?

* Jimmy Crosby: He wants to talk to the people first.

* Dale Sapp: We’ve been thrown into a situation we’ll have to deal with. The new pool is inadequate for teaching kids to swim. We could put in a pool by the city gym at a central location and a splash pad at Northside.

* Randy Sellers: Are we going back to separate but equal? I want some more information.

* Frank Stokes: He needs more information, but we already have a location. We can’t repair something that’s broken.

* Stan White: Where’s the government’s responsibility to be in recreation? It’s the most controversial issue in meetings. We need to fund needs, not wants, and wishes.

* Steve Aycock: He’s in favor of the kids not having to go across town, but the situation needs to be examined more and possibly use existing infrastructure.

* Daryl Edwards: We voted to build one pool, a real show place. The city is talking about expanding the water park. What about Surrency? Fourth District? Let’s see what happens.

* Jamie Gardner: Don’t dump any more money on old pools; we could look at infrastructure and see our options.

Question #7 What can be done about bids to improve the current process?

* Stan White: Bids should be publicly opened. They should have a specific time to be turned in. If late, they aren’t accepted. That would restore integrity.

* Jimmy Crosby: Bring them and open them before the public. A cheaper bid doesn’t always mean quality.

* Dale Sapp: He’s done a lot of bids. He says you should write in the specs--date and time, who will be present. You need two county representatives and then you open them in the public.

* Randy Sellers: Have an opening date in the commissioners’ room but not in the meeting. You have to make sure all the specs are met.

* Frank Stokes: Right now, we don’t get to see them and don’t know how fair the process is.

* Daryl Edwards: you need the attorney, the chairman, and the clerk that records the bids. Get the department heads too. We’ve had problems getting three bids on everything.

* Jamie Gardner: Open them in public at meeting to prevent questions from being raised.

* Steve Aycock: Open in public; the perception of wrongdoing is not good.

Early voting begins on May 2. Saturday voting will be on May 7 and May 14. May 24 is Election Day.