Friday, October 6, 2000
|
Friday, October 6, 2000 |
|
Candidates clash at forum By JOHN THOMPSON Voters on the east side of Coweta County got a glimpse of their political future Wednesday morning. Candidates from the Coweta County Commission, Senoia City Council and House of Representatives gathered at the Senoia Senior Center for a political forum. While most of the questions from the audience were directed at the council candidates, the commission candidates also made their positions clear on the issues. Marvin McKoy, who is battling incumbent Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter, said it's time for a change. "It's time to get the people reinvolved in the government," McKoy said. He favors returning the Airport Authority to the citizens instead of having the commission run the authority. Hunter said he felt foolish introducing himself to the audience, since he knew most everybody and said residents should just look around to see how the county has helped Senoia. "This building you're sitting in and the roads that are being paved came from the county," he said. The council candidates all emphasized that growth was coming to Senoia and had to be managed. "I've lived here all my life and Senoia is at a crossroads. We have to solve the water and sewer problems," said Sonny Duke. Pam Youngblood urged residents to look at her qualifications for the post. "We had trouble with our subdivision and I started going to council meetings. I served for a year on the Downtown Development Authority and I'm chairman of the Planning Commission," she said. Darren Ratajski said he brings a unique perspective to the job. "It's time for a civil engineer to be on the council," he said. Ken Gordon cited his previous experience on the council and said voters would always know where he stood. "I vote my conscience. I think it's time to get our water plant up and running and the sewer system needs to be installed properly," he said. The two candidates with the highest vote totals will be the new council members in Senoia this January. The House candidates emphasized their qualifications for the office. "I've served 10 years in the General Assembly and voted on over 10,000 items," said John Yates. Griffin businessman Lee Howell said he was concerned about the future of the district and said it was time to have somebody in office who could work with others towards solving the region's problems. The election is Nov. 7 and all the candidates urged residents to get out and vote.
|
||