Who should Jackson County elect as its top local official for the next four years?
EDITORIAL: BOC chairman's race important for Jackson County
That is, in a nutshell, the essential question facing voters heading back to the polls to elect the Chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. The position is arguably the most important in Jackson County, not because of its innate power, but rather because of its voice.
The BOC chairman is a part-time position with no day-to-day control. The chairman can’t hire anyone. He can’t fire anyone. He can’t draft the budget. He doesn’t run the county. And the chairman only votes in the case of a tie on the BOC.
So the chairman’s seat has little inherent legislated power. Where the seat becomes important, however, is that the chairman sets the tone of local government and frames the issues that are important to the community.
The influence from the position, then, doesn’t come from the seat itself, but rather from the individual who holds that seat and that person’s individual leadership skills. A strong chairman with vision, who isn’t afraid to discuss problems and who can build consensus and coalitions to solve problems, can be very effective.
A weak chairman who lacks vision, who sows dissension, who is self-interested, who is petty, or who tries to hide problems from the public can be a disaster.
So the decision voters make in this runoff balloting will be critical to the county’s future. Yet there is a yawn of public interest about this election. Candidate Hunter Bicknell is often seen as being too close to the development community. Candidate Ron Johnson is seen as being a divisive hot-head.
Both concerns have created problems for voters.
For the complete editorial about this important election contest, see the July 30 issue of The Jackson Herald.
The BOC chairman is a part-time position with no day-to-day control. The chairman can’t hire anyone. He can’t fire anyone. He can’t draft the budget. He doesn’t run the county. And the chairman only votes in the case of a tie on the BOC.
So the chairman’s seat has little inherent legislated power. Where the seat becomes important, however, is that the chairman sets the tone of local government and frames the issues that are important to the community.
The influence from the position, then, doesn’t come from the seat itself, but rather from the individual who holds that seat and that person’s individual leadership skills. A strong chairman with vision, who isn’t afraid to discuss problems and who can build consensus and coalitions to solve problems, can be very effective.
A weak chairman who lacks vision, who sows dissension, who is self-interested, who is petty, or who tries to hide problems from the public can be a disaster.
So the decision voters make in this runoff balloting will be critical to the county’s future. Yet there is a yawn of public interest about this election. Candidate Hunter Bicknell is often seen as being too close to the development community. Candidate Ron Johnson is seen as being a divisive hot-head.
Both concerns have created problems for voters.
For the complete editorial about this important election contest, see the July 30 issue of The Jackson Herald.
Defined tags for this entry: Election, Jackson County
He's not Herald Fletcher? Who is Fletcher supporting? Oh, Hunter Bicknell.
Johnson's a hothead? Prove it. I live in Nicholson and heard some of the things Dwaine Smith was saying. He wasn't campaigning for Bicknell, he was personally smearing Johnson and his family. By the Southern standards I grew up with, I'd have gone over there and kicked Smith's a**, not called him on the phone.
Speaking of kicking someone in the a**...Buffington, are you auditioning for a job at the AJC? I thought they had mastered slanted journalism but you are right in there with them. You'll be getting my subscription cancellation soon. The Athens Banner Herald covered the same stories except that, obviously, Ms. Melancon is a professional. Of course she isn't trying to run Jackson County through her paper.
Ok, let's look at your editorial and separate the FACTS from the INNUENDO.
INNUENDO: "Bicknell has received...SOME donations from large, out-of-county developers."
FACT: There are official campaign disclosure documents that show that the word "some" is a master of understatement. These figures are a matter of pubic record and don't need me for verification. And I still don't understand why these people are donating SO MUCH money to Mr. Bicknell. Why should Gwinnett County developers even care about a commissioner's race in Jackson County?
INNUENDO: Johnson called Smith to "encourage Smith to stop campaigning for Bicknell.
FACT: Mr. Buffington, you know full well that it was not Smith campaigning for Bicknell that precipitated the phone call; it was the personal family smears that Johnson took exception to.
INNUENDO: Johnson failed to disclose "his own personal financial turmoil" (regarding the liens)
FACT: Per your story, Johnson was handling the problem through appropriate official legal channels and yet you chose to make it sound as though he were withholding information.
INNUENDO: "one candidate being too cozy with developers and the other candidate being a deadbeat"
FACT: If disputing a charge from someone is being a deadbeat then I contend that nearly every person in Jackson County is a deadbeat.
INNUENDO: "Lack of local experience".
FACT: Johnson served on the city council of a neighboring community;it's not like Johnson just dropped in from another planet. Also, he has been active in the Republican Party for years, including the Jackson County Republican Party. AND, Johnson has taken, I believe, over 100 hours of classes on local governing procedures at UGA. And you call this "no local experience..."
FACT: Mr. Bicknell has served as Water Authority Chairman and has done some great things. Some not so great things: hitting the taxpayers with a 1.6 million debt payment last year, projecting another hit this year, vacillating on whether or not Jackson County has too much water to make a profit due to not selling enough, needing more water, hitting folks with a $50 reconnect fee after being only 10 days delinquent with no notices. This is so outrageous it even caught the attention of Atlanta news. Let's see, 300 people struggling to make ends meet times $50 equals $15000.00 - I guess Mr. Bicknell will be able to make his numbers this month.
FACT: Our neighboring county allows 60 days past due before initiating cut-off procedures.
FACT: I haven't seen one thing that Ron Johnson has said negative in this campaign and I applaud him for that but I'm just a citizen and Mr. Buffington wanted specifics and has been so biased that I thought it was time that someone spoke out.
Oh, one more FACT: I have seen Mr. Bicknell on several occasions and he has never bothered to speak to me or shake my hand. Ron Johnson came over to me, shook my hand and gave me a flier with his phone number on it and encouraged me to call him any time. And, since I'm voting for a candidate who will represent ME, I'm voting for Ron Johnson.
We as voters do have a tough decision ahead of us. As either side maybe the wrong one but for someone like Johnson to have so little confidence in himself as to take it so far as to threaten a sitting commisioner that is too far. Mr. Johnson needs to take a long look inthe mirrio and ask himself if he really is the right person to run. But a person like him will only see the grinning, kissing babies, shaking hands politition looking back at him. He won't see the antagonist who got the law called on him, the person who hasn't payed several thousands worth of bills, the person so scared he might not win to stoop to such low standards.
First: kct. If what Mr. Johnson did was against the law then FACT why wasn't he arrested?
Second: FACT Mr. Smith is still a commissioner and a barber so I can't see that "he was forced to retire".
Third: Poor Mr. Smith was called a racist. Could that be because he wrote an e-mail calling Crandall Jones the "N" word and cost the county taxpayers - you, kct - $400,000. This is not an allegation; it is a FACT.
Fourth: Mr. Johnson didn't threaten Mr. Smith; he asked him how he would feel if Mr. Johnson did release the e-mail. I have heard the tape of the telephone conversation. Also, Mr. Johnson did not want to release the e-mail because there were other incriminating statements. Mr. Johnson only wanted the slurs against his family to stop. FACT: there was only 1 phone call from Mr. Johnson to Mr. Smith and yet Mr. Smith was slandering Mr. Johnson and his family all over Nicholson.
FACT: there are not "several thousands of unpaid bills". Mr. Ledbetter can't seem to keep the disputed amount straight. That, perhaps, is the source of the problem.
FACT: Today he called one of my associates and admitted that Mr. Johnson really didn't own any of the properties in question, but he was involved so that was enough for Mr. Ledbetter. kct, you might want to ask yourself FACT: why this disputed amount that has been going on for at least a year didn't become an issue until right before the run-off election. One more little comment. FACT: nearly every single person in this county has had a disputed charge at one point or another and this is no reflection on their integrity or desire to do the right thing. More on this later...
You cry and whine about his family but have no consideration for Mr. Smith's family. He has a wife, three daughters, two sons, numerous grandchildren and two great grandchildren. How do you think his family feels about all of this. I certainly hope you know his family because if you did you would know he is not a racist. Ask his grandson-in-law.How do you think it makes his family feel about all this beign said.
If Mr.Johnson would have been a real gentleman he would have let this roll off his back and got on with his life. One person is not going to decide the vote. So one person supposdly checked up on Mr Johnson. Oh wait I checked up on him to that makes two or how ever many more people want to make a informed decision on who to vote for. It really does not matter who checks up on him. If he did great things then great, if he didn't then maybe people will take into account you take the good with the bad and decide to vote for him. It is up to the people. If you would have left your real name it would be much easier to understand why you seem to be so HIGH strung. Please let Mr Johnson know that I do not feel the need to vote for him, and that I have Bicknel sign in front of my house too. That way he can tell me to stop supporting him. But with y'all sounding so crazy abotu threatening and you wanting to kick Mr. Smith's a** as you stated yesterday, on second thought I will not put my real name. I might find that my phone will start ringing with Mr Johnson on the other line saying " How would you feel if...
The candidate who has been slinging mud?
No Thank you.... I voted Bicknell
Johnson when a councilman had a successful record of turning a failing budget around and ending up with a surplus in the city coffers. This shows me someone that is concerned for the health and welfare of their community.
It seems to me that alot of folks may mistake being passionate about an issue and a williningness to stand your ground for being a hot-head. I would take someone who is willing to make a decsion and stand by it, rather than someone who is being bought off or puts their tail between their legs and runs from a problem.
Here are a few examples:
Opened up the council meetings to be broadcast on the local cable channel for all to see.
Made sure natural gas prices had controls in place.(Sugar Hill owned the gas company)
Ron was accessable to the citizens and was routinely the person who was given as a contact when someone called City Hall. To this day the mayor of Sugar Hill will not accept any calls.
Ron completed an initiative started by another former councilwoman to bring a contract Post Office to Sugar Hill and gave the credit to the former councilwoman where it belonged.
Again these are just a few of the things that Ron has done for his constituents.
Just to straighten out one more thing Ron did not lose his seat on the council, instead he chose to run against the incumbent for the position of Mayor and lost by only 63 votes.
Paper refuses no ink so resume's look really great!!
BTW: The whole "in bed with developers" tag line is tiring. Development is at a snails pace right now and probably so for the next few years. Also, development can bring good things. I don't mind driving our rods and seeing nice large homes in well kept communities and enjoy the choices available to shop and eat. The key is to maintaining balance. Jackson County is not going to look like Sugarloaf Parkway anytime soon and if it does pne day, its not because of Commissioners but because development will come when the people are ready for it; i.e. farmers selling land, new industry requiring homes, etc.
On another issue, I heard a rumor that some contracts issued to local Contractors, by the Water Authority, and Banking business allocated by the Water Authority to a new Bank is being investigated.
Nothing else to to say?
Are you done spewing your ignorance all over the comments?
I am not usually this eager to spend time chit chatting with someone but I find the fact that you get so tense and irrate that it is a little bit funny to me.
I state things as fact because I take the time to check things out.
The information about Mr. Smith calling Crandall Jones the "N" word and the $400,000 settlement was in the Jackson Herald.
I didn't say I had a copy of the phone conversation, I said that I heard it.
If you actually read what I wrote instead of what you wanted to see you would notice that at no time did I ever mention Mr. Smith's family.
If Mr. Smith were a gentleman he wouldn't have been going around the county telling lies about Mr. Johnsonand his family. Maybe neither one of them is a gentleman but I prefer the man with some sense of honor.
You want to know who I am? I am a simple Jackson County citizen who cares about the abuses by government that have been going on in this county for years. I am not involved in politics - I don't have the time or the patience to put up with the petty games. Up until a couple of months ago I never so much as heard the name Ron Johnson although I had heard plenty about Mr. Smith. and how I got my information? Well, KCT, when you start hearing things that just don't have the ring of truth to them and a candidate hands you a flier with his cell phone number on it and invites you to call him anytime, instead of asking the local gossips about the event, you call the man himself and hear what he has to say. It's just that simple. What Mr. Johnson told me in answer to my questions made perfect sense so I believe him.
Why don't you try it?
Ok, now I'm done with you.
Crandel Jones ranthe county into the ground and now he doing the same thing in another city. That city has had to start laying off firemen and no wthey are talking about fring polie officers. Carandel was fired because he was way over budget and could account for some of it. He said he was fired because the commisioners were racist. Somebody who didn't get re-elcted was one of the ones they said they heard Smith use the slur and that is why Crandel tried to sue the county. If any one who follows Jackson County politics knows that this dipposed commisioner didn't like Smith and didn;t want him as a commisioner. I would put money on it to say that is who gave the email if it exists to Johnson. So you heard the taped phone call, I guess Johnson called you over since he gave you a flier and now you guys are best friends. Or maybe you were already there at your friendly neightborhood politicians house. I believe you were there and helped conspire with Johnson. Because that is what it sounds like to me. That Johnson was conspiring with you. Or he called you over to do damage control after the fact. Either way we have gotten way off the sbuject of Buffington's message. He was trying to put into words the tough decision ahead of us. You were the one who brought up Dwain Smith. You still think it is ok to say what ever you want to about Smith but he ever he syas about Johnson is slanderous and terrible. I still think you may be Johnson useing a psuedo name, and you have no concern for any one other than your self and your family. Oh and the ring of truth, you don't know what you are talking about you are so blind to what you are saying. You are preaching hate against Smith and Buffington and you really don't know them that well. You have said worse, more offensinve, and more ridiculous things than either of these mkean have and yetr you still think we the people of Jackson county belive you. You have given no credible eviednec other than saying I have heard it, I have seen it, and I think it. We don't know who you are. I for one don't belive you, don't trust you and don't care that you ahve taken on the personal taks of turning your biggetry on all of us, with your special interest in Smith adn Buffington.
The county budget was not ran into the ground by the manager, it was ran into the ground by a bunch of commissioners who issued a bond for everything under the sun. If you knew anything about where Jones went to, you would know that Eastpoint hired him because their city was so far in debt that they couldn't pay their bills and were on the edge of losing everything. Jones had to make hard decisions.
Just because this paper prints a version of the news, you shouldn't believe it hook line and sinker. The Athens paper and pretty much every other reputable media source had a different view of the Jones debacle. The county chose to settle because they could not defend Smiths comments and other issues. I just did a search on onlineathens and found Jones letter. Look it up and you will see he was fired for opening up the truth. Maybe this is what JOhnson is referring to. If not, you can do a public records request for this email.
Oh yeah have you read Mike's comments I really appreciate some one from Sugar Hill giving us some info on Mr. Johnson
According to news stories, Jones was given positive reviews and was credited with forming the first real balanced budget. Where did you get the impression Jones did a poor job at the county? And why are the commissioners who issued over $100 million in debt without a public vote being scrutinized? And the commissioner you are referring to being ousted was the only one who voted against all of this debt. The ones who caused the most debt and tax impacts get to keep their job.
I also did a search about the East Pointe thing too. That decision was made by the council. Jones apparently gave them other options. The city was $5 million in the bad before Jones. Since then, Atlanta has furloughed employees and so has many other large governments. This is just like big corporations who lay off employees to save money and stay afloat. The difference here is that these people still have their jobs, just they have to work less and get paid less.
It sounds like you have an ax to grind here. It also sounds like whoever is feeding you information is really biased and not informed.
From what I've seen said by "both sides", if only half of it is true, then both candidates scare the heck out of me and to be honest, based on what I've read and seen here, one seems just as bad as the other. As a result, I honestly can't support either candidate because no matter which one is elected, we ALL lose, as a county. There has been so much bickering and so many "facts" tossed around, there is no way anyone who is undecided can make a clear choice. So PLEASE...think about that before you make your next post...and while you're out campaigning for your candidate. Anger breeds anger and it won't buy you any support.
It would be nice, regardless of which candidate wins, if they remember that elected officials are SUPPOSED to be public SERVANTS. The way I understand that, it means that they are supposed to do the BEST THING for ALL of the people of the county, regardles of who voted for or against them. It does NOT mean that they have been elected king of the county to lord it over the people. It does NOT mean they are supposed to benefit themselves or their supporters at the cost of the people of the county. I just hope that who ever wins will remember that and take it to heart.
And come to think of it, some of our other elected officials should step back and think about that concept a bit too.
And Mister Buffington, I got the point, so I'll put my REAL name up here and hope that folks will at least understand that I'm just being honest, not trying to stir things up more.
My name is Mike Sullivan and I am on the city council of Sugar Hill, and I can tell you that it took a while for the council to recover from Ron Johnson.
In the original article, it said:
> The influence from the position, then, doesn’t come from the seat itself, but rather from the individual who holds that seat and that person’s individual leadership skills. A strong chairman with vision, who isn’t afraid to discuss problems and who can build consensus and coalitions to solve problems, can be very effective.
>
> A weak chairman who lacks vision, who sows dissension, who is self-interested, who is petty, or who tries to hide problems from the public can be a disaster.
Ron:
* Sowed dissension
* Was self-interested
* And minimized the council's ability to function.
* And he is very much a hothead
Because of Ron's behavior on the council, the council had to craft an ordinance stating the council members would not verbally attack citizens in the audience.
I don't know what kind of situation that Ron found himself in with Mr.Smith, but he generally will find someone to be in a fight with.
Ron gets out and works hard in a campaign, and he generally makes a good first impression. But Ron is not a consensus builder - he is a blamer. He condemns people for issues that he himself could have easily corrected and above all, he must look good on camera.
I wish yall the best tomorrow.