By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

Candidates for two county commission races took to the outdoors last week for a public forum at the Holiday Inn Express sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

As could be expected, some of the questions related directly to business issues, along with other key matters such as traffic and general county services.

Participating were Carl Davis, Frank Oakley, and A.G. VanLandingham from Post 1; and incumbent Harold Bost and Chris Ramig from Post 3. All five are Republicans.

Here's how the candidates answered the prepared questions thrown at them by moderator Doug Warner:

What role do you feel business plays in our community? What is your commitment to the citizens of Fayette County to diversify the tax base to lessen the burden on the single-family homeowner?

VanLandingham said local business people carry a big tax burden, which is important, but business growth presents a Catch-22 of sorts: bringing in business means bringing in growth. The county must be selective in what business it attracts, and because business plays a big role in community life, the business community should have more say in some of what happens in the community.

Davis said business has an important role in Fayette and the county should tap into its expertise as all entities work together for a better quality of life. Maintaining county services while lessening the tax burden on homeowners is important, and the county must have a strategic plan in place and follow it to provide a diversified economic base.

Oakley pointed out that business is absolutely essential because it fuels the capitalistic system in this country. In Fayette, the focus should be on clean, high-tech, necessary business as long as the county continues to have a strong educational base. The county is doing a good job making business blend in with the community, but can do even better.

Bost said the county needs a balanced tax base, noting that while residential property owners require $3 in services for every $1 paid in taxes, businesses are closer to a 1-1 ratio. Working to bring in more new business than new people would help to avoid a negative impact on the county. Bost said he is against tax incentives for business.

Ramig agreed, saying that he saw no good reason for tax incentives. He added that business growth is important for the overall quality of life in Fayette.

Should Peachtree City annex the so-called West Village? Do you support Tyrone's initiative to get sanitary sewer service from Fairburn to help in the building of an office park on Hwy. 74?

Oakley said that if the proper study is done, Tyrone should be allowed to expand. Acknowledging that he does not have all the facts on the West Village, he said the people of Peachtree City must let the leadership know their desires. If he had the requisite information, he would make his decision in favor of the people of Peachtree City and Fayette County.

Davis called annexation a complex issue, with pros and cons on both sides, but a team is in place working on it. The citizens should be heard, he added, and all impacted areas should be considered. The county would have to go through Peachtree City to provide services if it remained unincorporated, but Peachtree City's density might be too much growth to suit some. He suggested letting the task force run its course, and said he would have to review the issues in Tyrone before making a recommendation.

Van Landingham said annexation is `dramatic' any time it is done, and it should be considered by other entities in Fayette. There is a lot of evidence of county impact, he added, saying the county will have to support roads outside the city limits. Noting that Tyrone has already made its wishes known on the subject, he said a move like this is not good without input from other municipalities.

Ramig said annexation is Peachtree City's business to a large extent, but if it stays unincorporated the county should apply its land use plan, and all government entities should work together to achieve the best solution.

Bost gets nervous whenever he hears about annexation, he said, and density grows nearly every time it happens. He would rather see the West Village develop at one to two units per acre, and does not feel good about what could happen there but it is a decision Peachtree City has to make. He added that he would not support a Tyrone-Fairburn sewer move, saying it would eventually open up all of northern Fayette to sewer.

Is there a duplication of services problem between the incorporated bodies and the county? Would you be in favor of privatizing county services, i.e. contracting with a for-profit organization, such as water system management, law enforcement, and fire and rescue services?

Ramig said privatizing poses questions of county control and what to do about rising costs, and while there is “probably too much” duplication in the county now, there is not a real crunch at the present time.

Bost noted that House Bill 489 addresses this issue to some extent, and Fayette governments were working on it even before that was passed. The biggest issue currently undone is that of fire protection between Fayette and Peachtree City, he added. While there is some duplication in law enforcement, he doesn't see consolidation any time soon and is not convinced privatizing is the answer for all of these kinds of problems.

Oakley said duplication of effort exists, but it should only be changed if the citizens want it, and politics should be kept out of it.

VanLandingham said he favors some consolidation, if services are not lost, but privatizing usually means a decrease in service and a loss of control, although he would look at it closely.

Davis reiterated the fact that HB489 has covered much of this ground already, and said that before privatizing the county must look closely at control and quality issues.

How would you classify yourself regarding growth in the community? Is growth inevitable? What, if any, is the difference between population and economic growth? What avenues do you believe are available to control growth? Do you support the county Development Authority efforts to help existing businesses grow and help recruit new business to Fayette County? Would you help in the recruitment process of a new business to the county?

Davis said growth is inevitable and the county must have a strategic plan for it, which includes following the county land use plan and keeping it up to date. The Development Authority and the county government should work together to bring clean businesses to Fayette.

Oakley stressed managed growth, saying that economic growth cannot outpace manpower.

VanLandingham noted that Fayette “can't help but grow,” but county leadership must help it grow, attracting businesses that will last and diversify the tax base. He added that developers are not the “bad guys” they are often perceived to be, pointing out that governments let them do what they do.

How do you hope to improve the traffic situation in Fayette County? What is your position on mass transit? What is your position on funding and supporting transportation issues that impact Fayette County such as a dedication of an ongoing one mill of tax to be restricted and solely used for capital improvements or the use of a LOST for funding capital improvement projects?

Oakley said all transportation questions are related to each other, and the county needs good planning to answer them.

VanLandingham said more cooperation is needed from all sectors of the community, including business. “The more roads you build, the more traffic you have,” he said. While he feels smart, careful growth can help Fayette get through its traffic troubles, mass transit would just make an even larger jail necessary.

Bost said everyone in Fayette accepts the fact that there is a traffic problem. He has been pushing the East Fayette bypass for some time and says it is needed now. He hopes it can be in the plans for 2005-2006, and says Coweta and Spalding have already OKd it, with Clayton not expected to be a problem. Work on TDK Boulevard is also moving forward, he said. Bost sees the possibility of giving citizens the option of voting on a 1-cent tax for these needs in the future, saying, “We need more roads, and they will not come cheap.”

Ramig concurred that Fayette traffic is bad, but he feels mass transit is not the answer. People should be convinced to plan their trips better, which would be more environmentally conscious while reducing gridlock.

Why do you want to be a commissioner? What are your goals for your term? What experiences in your life will make you a good county commissioner?

Davis said, “I discovered that I must be part of the process to have solutions,” and that's why he got involved in this race.

Oakley said he feels under-represented, and can contribute partly because he has been in public services his entire adult life.

VanLandingham said less government is best, and since he is not smart enough to invent any new government, he is probably the best candidate.

In what ways will you try to improve communication between the commission and the constituents and between opposing constituents? How will you determine the `will of the people'?

VanLandingham said keeping the public informed is key, and while it is not practical to let the public actually decide every issue, citizens should talk to their representatives often to be properly informed.

Oakley said proper lines of communication can make people feel they are talking to the top, and commissioners should have specific open-door policies as well as an Internet presence to get their information out.

Davis said communication is critical in government and business, and he is willing to talk to any and all who wish to talk to him, noting that his e-mail address is on his literature for whoever wishes to contact him.