Meet the candidates for Catoosa County BOC, District 3
Four candidates, one Democrat and three Republicans, are seeking the District 3 post on the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners: Alex Brady, Jimmy Gray, incumbent Vanita Hullander and Richard Tharpe.
ALEX BRADY
Political party: Democrat Personal: I have been married to my beautiful wife Kelli for 7 years. I grew up near Calhoun, Ga., and my wife’s family moved to Ringgold when she was in middle school. After col lege we moved around a bit for work and then settled here in 2021. We have two small children who are a handful but bring us so much joy.
Work history: I have been working with computers most of my life. I have previous experience in IT in a K-12 education setting and now have been working as a software engineer for the past five years. I currently lead a small software development team. I hold a Master’s of Science in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and am also a proud graduate of Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn.
Volunteer work, associations, etc.: I am an active member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
One or two living elected officials within the state of Georgia whom you admire: Betsy Holland — When I lived in Atlanta, my state representative was Ms. Betsy Holland from the 54th district. There are two specific things I admired about her that I’d like to mention. She was very good at communicating to her constituents. She would send out weekly emails during the legislative session about the important bills being discussed and she would also hold listening sessions where you could join her in person or via video call to express your thoughts and concerns. The other quality that I admired about her was that she voted on legislation based on thorough research and her conscience, regardless of party lines. Jon Ossoff — I admire Sen. Ossoff because of his successful campaign as a political outsider and being the youngest U.S. Senator elected in 40 years. I would love to see more young people running for office and involved in the political process.
Why are you the best choice for the office you seek? I believe I am the best choice for the office because I want to be a servant leader for the people of Catoosa County. I will listen to people’s concerns and lead with empathy, acknowledging how the decisions I make will affect people. I know that I will never make everyone happy, but I commit to taking into account all the facts and all sides before making complex decisions and then in turn provide transparency to the public about how those decisions are made.
Contact info: Email: alexbrady4catoosa@gmail.com; Facebook: facebook.com/ alexbrady4catoosa
JIMMY GRAY Political party:
Repub
Personal: I live in Graysville and am a member of the Catoosa County
GOP. I am married to my wife Jennifer and we have 3 adult children.
Work history: I’ve worked for a locally owned finance company for 15 years and have been in this industry since 1996. I get to deal with people of all financial statuses. I see in real time how families are affected by what is going on, such as high inflation. Families are asked to
DISTRICT 3,
make sacrifices and yet our government spends money as if they are in some sort of unrealistic bubble. It is time to hold our government officials and department heads accountable for the way they spend our tax dollars.
Political history:
I have never run for political office before. I am running now because I want to stop our property taxes from increasing. My prior commissioner voted to raise taxes and now our current commissioner does as well. I also would like to see more interaction from our commission with the citizens of the county. Right now none of them hold town halls to explain what is going on or to get feedback from their constituents. If a citizen has a question they are told to call the commissioners or send an email and that is not how things should be handled, in my opinion.
One or two living elected officials within the state
of Georgia whom you admire:
One elected official I admire is Mitchell Horner. He is what an elected official should be. He is always available if you have a question. He is often times in attendance at a commission meeting or even a monthly GOP meeting. Sometimes there are people at these meetings who have something negative to say about or to Mr. Horner and yet he shows up and explains his actions to them. I don’t think he changes their minds every time but at least he shows up and defends his actions. This is something that is missing from our commission. Anytime someone complains about anything a commissioner does they claim to be a victim of an attack and go on the defense. This is not how an elected official needs to act, in my opinion.
Why are you the best choice for the office you seek?
I believe I am the best choice for District 3 because I am asking for community involvement. I have many opinions about various issues in the county but I am willing to listen to people from both sides of the aisle as I have in numerous town halls I’ve held since October 2023. I run a group on Facebook called Drain The
Creek where anyone can present; Catoosa County Corpost anything that is on their oner for 24 years, 1997-2019. mind. I do not block anyone Volunteer work, associfrom participating. I have a ations, etc.: Current boards vision for this county so my and committees I serve on: children can raise their kids Georgia Community Service here just like I did. Based Board, Georgia Suicide
Contact info: Phone/ Prevention Coalition, Co-chair text: 423-315-0953; Email: North West Georgia Suicide jimmygray4district3@yahoo. Prevention Coalition, Family com; Website: jimmygray4disCollaborative Steering Comtrict3.com; Facebook: Drain mittee, Bridge Health Board, The Creek Catoosa County Family Collaborative, Behavioral Health Services Coalition, Crossroads Family Unity Park for People of All Abilities, Catoosa County Teen Maze, Look Out Mountain Community Culture Committee, LAPC, Georgia Initiative for Community Housing.
Member of Catoosa County Chamber, Georgia Sheriff’s Association, National Republican Party, Disabled Veterans, NACO.
Successfully lobbied for five bills that were passed: for the protection of children, substance abuse prevention, Methadone Clinic Act, no smoking in public and mental health reform. Carried a bill for five years for the protection of seniors. Have taught substance abuse prevention. Chaired the Catoosa County Meth Task Force and taught the dangers of drugs. I helped get two pill mills out of our county.
One or two living elect
VANITA HULLANDER (INCUMBENT) Political party: Repub
lican
Personal: Married to retired Deputy Sheriff Eddie Hullander for 48 years. Two children, multiple grandchildren. God graced me with a wonderful extended family, the Joplin Family Gospel Singers. I’m a lifelong resident of Catoosa County. Being a public servant with a true servant’s heart has been the most rewarding thing to me besides my family and faith.
Work history: Paramedic for 37 years, 1985-2022
Political history: District 3 Commissioner from 2020 till ed officials within the state of Georgia whom you admire: Gov. Brian Kemp and Marjorie Taylor Green
Why are you the best choice for the office you seek? I have 28 years of experience as an elected official in Catoosa County. I am a devoted, true Public Servant. I have an Associate’s Degree in business management.
Some of my priorities are: Maintenance of roads, affordable community housing, providing quality equipment to protect our firefighters and Sheriff’s Department and to provide residents with the best protection and low homeowners insurance and to continue collaborating to solve the railroad problem in Graysville.
I’m dedicated to keeping taxes low with one of the lowest millage rates in the state. This can be accomplished by bringing in industry to offset property tax. Supporting our school system to provide a quality education for children, bringing in high paying jobs, supporting our seniors and ending homelessness are all priorities. I know the importance of our youth programs that provide structure for our children and strengthen families.
I am proud of all the achievements we have in Catoosa County. The College and Career Academy will prepare our youth to achieve high-paying jobs. They can graduate with 30 hours of college credit. We have a state of the art hospital coming due to community involvement. There are absolutely too many wonderful things on the list. Catoosa County is absolutely the best place to live and raise your children.
I will continue to fight for your right of choice to vote. I love my county.
Contact info: Phone/ text: 423-987-6139; Email: vanita.hullander@catoosa. com; Facebook: Vanita Hullander your District 3 Commissioner