Potential candidates for county commission speak out

Locals seeking spot for District 1 seat get chance to answer questions later in the month

Commissioners will get a chance to interview the several candidates who have thus far put forth their names for consideration by the board, and when the Aug. 30 special session rolls around, there might be more than the six who have so far submitted their application officially.

As of Aug. 10, those six candidates were according to information provided by County Manager Matt Denton: Bobby Brooks, Cleve Hartley, Gary Martin, David McElwee, Harland Moody and Carson Tanner.

Applications are still being accepted for those who live in District 1, defined in the map attached to this story, so the list could grow to include more candidates as the month continues ahead of the end of the month session, where time will be taken for interviews following the commission's approval of a millage rate for upcoming tax bills.

Candidates are getting this chance following the County Commission's decision to go with an interview process open to the public during their Aug. 8 work session to talk about how the board would go about replacing former Commissioner Jason Ward, who has since moved off to Jacksonville, Fla.

His District 1 seat is up for voters to choose on in 2018, and so whoever gets picked if Commissioners

can come to a 4-1 decision on their own would fill the time left.

So far, five of those six have responded back to requests for comment, with only Cleve Hartley declining to comment.

In alphabetical order, the first candidate on the list is former District Attorney Bobby Brooks, who has kept up both his practice and his interest in local politics since he held his last elected post in the county.

Brooks, who also served for 12 years on the Board of Education, said that he's worked with a number of different personalities over the years and believes through is past experience, he would be able to make progress for all of Polk County.

However, he said immediately he was unsure of whether he would consider a run for the seat in 2018.

"I feel experienced enough to do a good job for the rest of Jason's ( Ward) term," Brooks said.

Also among the candidates who have stepped forward to be considered is former Assistant County Manager David McElwee, who left in 2016 to run for tax commissioner and lost a primary race to Kathy Cole. He was coowner of t he f ormer Brother Joe's coffee shop up until it's closing in July.

Now he's seeking office again and hopes to bring his former experience to the county to bear on challenges and issues facing the county ahead.

"I know what's going on from both sides of the county, both as a resident and a former employee," he said.

He pointed to his past work to help create the Drug Task Force, work in the Animal Control department and other areas in his past job as assistant county manager as one reason why he should be considered.

"I think they recognize that they need someone to be able to unite everyone together and not a divider, and I think I have those qualifications," McElwee said.

McElwee also said he was undecided about whether he would seek a new term if given the opportunity to serve, and that would be a decision he would make in the future.

Former Cedartown City Commissioner and school board member Gary Martin, who also is owner and operator of Martin's Styling Center on North Main Street, also submitted his name for the seat based on the idea that he could be an asset based on his past experience as well.

"I came to Cedartown and Polk County when I was a young teenager, and I've always had a desire to help my county become a better place," Martin said. "I can work with any board if I'm selected. I can work with them and get something done."

He pointed out that a "commissioner doesn't run the county, they make sure the county is ran correctly. That's what I strive for."

He didn't say whether he would consider a 2018 run either.

Harland Moody, a retiree of Bekaert Steel in Rome after 17 years on the job, and a lifelong resident of Polk County, said that he wanted to get involved on the board to be an impartial voice on the Commission.

"I just feel like there are a lot of problems with our county," he said. "I've been going to county meetings for at least 30 years, and nothing is being done to help our county or our employees."

He said he won't take sides in any issue, but did speak out about recent controversy with the Polk County Police Department.

"Someone needs to step up and find out what the problem is," he said. "We don't need to let a county employee do the audit."

Last on the list thus far put together is Carson Tanner, who sells cars at Dingler Automotive on North Avenue. Though he said he is younger and less politically experienced than the rest of the candidates, he wanted to do something to help Cedartown by serving.

"I want to be part of the change," he said. "I don't want to sit back and watch bad things happen to our community."

He said additionally he hoped that if given the chance to serve, he might get his feet wet in politics for the time being.

Candidates will be able to field questions from Commissioners for five minutes at a time during the upcoming Aug. 30 session based on what the board agreed to during their Aug. 8 work session.