Q&A with Walker County District 1 commissioner candidates
On Nov. 3, voters in Walker County’s District 1 will choose between 31-year-old Republican candidate Robert Blakemore and 71-year-old Democrat candidate Bobby McDonald to represent them on the new multi-person commission. The district includes Rossville and the northeast corner of the county.
The other district commissioner races on the Nov. 3 ballot are District 2 and District 3. The chairman and District 4 commissioner races were decided in the primary and runoff elections, respectively.
We sent the candidates a list of questions to help voters get to know them and where they stand on issues.
Your political party?
Robert Blakemore: Republican.
Bobby McDonald: Democratic Party of blue-collar workers.
What have you been doing to prepare yourself to hold public office?
Blakemore: I have been engaging with the citizens and listening to their outcries during my entire campaign. I have also been attending the commissioner’s meetings. I will be a voice for
the people of District 1.
McDonald: Reading and listening.
What are the three most important issues to you (or voters you have spoken with), and how are you going to address each one if elected?
Blakemore: 1) Road conditions and right of ways. If elected I am going to present a pledge to the board to rebuild the road department. 2) Protecting people’s 4th amendment right. Code enforcement needs to be on a complaint basis not a compliant basis. 3) Restoring Rossville. If elected I will work with the city in any and every way possible to help restore Rossville.
McDonald: 1) Codes: Collect data on how each one came about. Propose changes to the Board if necessary. 2) Illegal Drugs: Collect data and support the sheriff’s office. 3) Everything else on the table: Budgets, equipment, personnel, recreational associations and property owned or controlled by the Board, as a start.
Have you read the Walker County Codes and Ordinances?
Blakemore: Yes, I have.
McDonald: Some, not all yet.
Have you read the Georgia Constitution?
Blakemore: Most of it.
McDonald: Yes.
How would you deal with an angry resident who was speaking at a commission meeting?
Blakemore: I would try to reason with them in a professional manner and find a solution to their problem.
McDonald: Listen, ask questions, investigate, respond back to the resident.
Have you ever faced a situation where you had to stand up for what you thought was right when the majority of people were doing or saying the opposite?
Blakemore: Yes, I stood up on behalf of the churches in Walker County when Commissioner (Shannon) Whitfield tried to remove the 300-foot buffer.
McDonald: More times than I can count. Involved with the labor union as local shop steward and Convention, State and National Delegate for more than 30 years (all elected positions). I have proposed many changes to resolutions and the Constitution that only benefited the sitting officers and seemed detrimental to the rank and file membership.
What is something that you, as a commissioner, would not compromise on?
Blakemore: I will not compromise on a special tax district.
McDonald: Going into debt without a clear path to success.
What is your educational and work background?
Blakemore: I am a graduate of Ridgeland High School. I worked for Walker County Road department for seven years. While there I led multiple crews. I left the road department
in 2016 when I went to work for my parents’ family-owned and operated business of over 40 years, HJ Blakemore & Sons Trucking in Flintstone. I am currently part of the management team and our business is prospering daily.
McDonald: GED, went to work at 16 to help at home, worked at Van Heusen Warehouse, worked for Chattanooga Times newspaper and their subsidiary, Target Graphics. Involved with the union and served as President of Chattanooga Local 165, worked for J. B. McCary Construction and Engineering Atlanta as job site superintendent, worked with USPS for 37 years, retired in 2015.
What skills and experience have you gained through work, school, volunteering, etc., that will equip you to be the right candidate for the position?
Blakemore: While working at the road department I learned the odds and ends of what it takes to properly maintain the roads and right of ways. Being a part of the management team at our family business I have learned firsthand what it’s like to work as a team to get things done.
McDonald: Dealing with people. The USPS is a service organization, as are labor unions. All governing is a service that must be in step with past, present and futures of their constituents.
Would you support local efforts to add interpretive signage, memorials and/or monuments alongside or in addition to existing monuments to expand knowledge and education about the role of Native Americans, African Americans and women who were a part of Walker County history?
Blakemore: I think the history of ALL men and women in our county is important. I would stand for educational monuments regarding any history in Walker County regardless of the race.
McDonald: After efforts by constituents have been made and a question comes to the Board of Commissioners all data would be collected, debated and voted on.
How can voters contact you?
Blakemore: Phone: 423-619-9724, Email: robert_blakemore@icloud.com, Website: www. robertblakemore.com, Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/robertblakemorefordistrict1/
McDonald: Phone:423-902-3002, Email: bobmack30741@gmail.com
Tamara Wolk is a reporter for The Catoosa County News in Ringgold, Ga., and Walker County Messenger in LaFayette, Ga.