The North Fayette Community Association welcomed candidates running for Post 1, Fayette County Commission during a political forum Feb. 18. They are running in the March 21 special election to fill the unexpired term of the late A.G. VanLandingham, who died Dec. 2, 2005.

Republicans were represented by Robert Horgan, Malcolm Hughes and Emory Wilkerson. Democrat Wendy Felton, who works for the city of Fayetteville, was joined by Pam Arnold, who stood in for Charles D. Rousseau, also a Democratic candidate for the North Fayette post.

Wendy Felton said she had lived in the county for seven years, was in favor of responsible growth, and would stop fighting county problems in the courts. She is 43, and works part-time as an accounting clerk for the city of Fayetteville.

Robert Horgan, 42, is the franchisee for Mr. Transmission in Fayetteville. He has lived in the county for 30 years, and is a graduate of Fayette County High School.

Malcolm Hughes, 49, is a CPA. He commented that he favors an equitable tax distribution.

Charles Rousseau, 45, works for Fulton County as an assistant director for parks and recreation. His stand-in said that he was a 12-year resident, and favored balanced growth.

Emory Wilkerson, 45, is an attorney and a native of Coweta County. Balanced growth and lower taxes were on his agenda.

In response to the question of familiarity of a disaster plan for Fayette County, Felton stated that it was not on the county Web site; Horgan said he studied it and was pleased with the contents; Hughes stated he had met with Fayette County Public Services Director, Jack Krakeel, and had a copy of the plan in his hands.

Rousseau’s representative also had looked into the plan, and said that it met all state and national guidelines.

Wilkerson commented that he had not yet read it.

In answering the question as to whether they think that at-large voting would provide for fair, equitable, and accountable representation, considering the growth trends and change in demographics, or would they instead support district voting to ensure a balance in government, all the candidates felt it should stay as is – allowing the whole county to be involved.

Concerning plans for addressing traffic congestion, it was felt that continuing the partnership with the Atlanta Regional Council, and staying on top of the current county transportation plan would produce the best results.

In response to the questions on the candidates’ views on further diversifying the workforce in Fayette County government, Felton said she needed to address the statistics on the current workforce to see if there is a problem; Horgan and Rousseau’s stand-in felt that qualified persons are of primary importance; Hughes said that qualified persons are important but that diversified as well as qualified persons can be recruited.

The election for Post 1 is Tuesday, March 21.

Candidates had been given a list of 10 questions beforehand. The event was held at the Community Fellowship Christian Church at the corner of Georgia Highway 314 and Highland Hills Road.

Association Vice President, Alice Jones, welcomed the group, and Cynthia Jenkins served as moderator.

Each was given three minutes to introduce themselves, and two minutes to answer each question.

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