BICKNELL

Bicknell bows out of Congressional race; to run for current BOC chairman's seat

Thursday, May 24. 2012
Hunter Bicknell plans to end his Congressional campaign and seek re-election as chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, he confirmed early Thursday morning.

Bicknell was one of five Republican candidates who had announced that they plan to run for the newly-drawn 9th Congressional District, which serves most of Northeast Georgia. Qualifying for the seat started on Wednesday and ends on Friday.

So far, conservative radio host Martha Zoller and state Rep. Doug Collins have largely been viewed as the frontrunners of that Congressional race.

Despite “totally unfounded” rumors in the past week that he’d withdraw from the Congressional race, Bicknell said he didn’t make that decision until late Wednesday night.

“Yesterday, I got to thinking about it and assessing the situation,” he said early Thursday morning. “Based on the fact that it takes a lot of money to run a (Congressional) campaign — and we’re getting into the phase now where you have to spend money to reach the voters — I’ve decided that I did not want to put that much of my own money into the campaign.”

With his Congressional campaign suspended, Bicknell said he now plans to run for re-election as chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

That seat was also on the ballot for this election. BOC District 1 commissioner Tom Crow qualified on Wednesday for the chairman’s seat and Bicknell said he told Crow about his own intentions late Wednesday night. Crow couldn’t be reached for comment on Thursday.

A few weeks ago, BOC District 3 commissioner Bruce Yates ended his own campaign to run for chairman. He now plans to continue serving in his remaining term as the District 3 representative on the BOC.

“I’ve totally enjoyed serving the citizens of Jackson County as chairman of the board of commissioners for the past three-plus years,” Bicknell said. “And I look forward to doing that again the next four years.”
Bicknell said his Congressional campaign raised about $65,000, which was “not nearly enough” run that type of a campaign. He said that he would have had to self-fund his Congressional campaign, which he discussed with his family.

Just last Friday, Bicknell’s campaign announced that number of elected officials — many in Jackson County — had endorsed him in his Congressional bid.
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#1 voting Crow on 05/24/12 at 09:59 AM [Reply]
I hope Tom stays in because we can't take 4 more years of Bicknell.

Frankly waiting until after Tom Qualified was dirty on Hunters part as well.

Not a huge Tom Crow supporter but Bicknell was a big mistake and one we can't repeat.
#1.1 voting crow 2 on 05/25/12 at 09:28 AM [Reply]
I bet that Yates knew what Bicknell was going to do and that's why he pulled out of the chairman race. Doesn't matter that he would have had to resign. Just shows that those two are still schemeing to screw the citizens of Jackson County.
#1.2 Missangel on 06/14/12 at 09:39 PM [Reply]
1) The term came from white street peomfrrer person acting like black people in 1836.2) The peomfrrer painted his black to say this what blacks look like and he dance to make fun of blacks and say they act like fools.3) They began to reconstruction there own schools and communities, to have a place for kids to learn.4) I think the clip ended on a positive note because it shows how strongs blacks were, and how they never gave up and kept fighting for what is right.
#2 Not voting for Crow on 05/24/12 at 01:02 PM [Reply]
I hope he stays in too. It will be nice to be rid of him and his 1978 mentality.
#3 Thanks on 05/24/12 at 03:49 PM [Reply]
Tom or Hunter or a name from the phone book, Ron Johnson announced at the District Gop he was going to run. Now there is disaster.
#4 RH on 05/24/12 at 05:39 PM [Reply]
Well...just goes to show that politics has become a matter of voting for lesser evils rather than voting for the right person. I'm just glad I'm leaving this pathetic pithole. Now, I await the day my realtor tells me my house is sold and the memories disappear.
#5 No more! on 05/25/12 at 08:00 AM [Reply]
Don't forget that only one year ago, Hunter Bicknell and his co-conspirator, Bruce Yates introduced sweeping anti-gun legislation in Jackson County that would have banned recreational target shooting on private property.

We have not forgotten and we look forward to voting Hunter out of office and Yates as well, if he runs again.
#5.1 Hey "No more" on 05/25/12 at 09:36 AM [Reply]
Check out the article online in June 8th Jackson Herald "BOC to consider ordinance regulating firing guns" it states:

Crow said he “could go along” with an ordinance regarding firing a gun in subdivisions, but not from just any single-family dwelling.
#6 radio on 05/25/12 at 03:03 PM [Reply]
I heard Bicknell on the radio this morning decrying the deficit spending of the federal government, I guess he forgot he spent $2 million out of savings last year to keep county going.
#6.1 He said... on 05/25/12 at 03:32 PM [Reply]
He wants to spend everyone's money but his own. I hope he loses this race and any other race he is in. Tom Crow is the way to go!!
#6.2 To radio on 05/25/12 at 04:10 PM [Reply]
You have to pay for services the government provides. Even the ones you don't always use.
#6.2.1 radio on 05/25/12 at 06:00 PM [Reply]
Sometimes government needs to get smaller and government employees need to make less.
#6.2.1.1 Smaller??? on 05/25/12 at 08:34 PM [Reply]
Jackson County Government employees are making less and have been for almost 4 years. One day off a month without pay, no raise and even at that we are glad to have jobs. HOWEVER, it is hard for us to understand how we have to make do with what we have and the county is spending money right and left planting flowers at the courthouse, watering the grass at the courthouse AT THE SAME TIME IT IS RAINING!!!!!!That's a waste of money in our book. Who approves that??? It seems that every month when our furlough day comes around, the county is spending money on frivolous stuff like that. Makes a man say hhhhmmmmm????
#6.3 I wonder on 05/25/12 at 10:39 PM [Reply]
I wonder if he will have to give that $65,000.00 back to the people who donated it for his congressional campaign? Doesn't seem fair that he uses the money he was given to use in his bid for congress which is a state wide race to be used in a county wide race. Sounds like he will be using the money for which it was NOT intended. Mr. Buffington, can you check on that? Who donated that money??
#7 jefferson resident on 05/27/12 at 04:50 AM [Reply]
I would also like to know who pays when Hunter, Chas Hardy and Don Clerici play golf together (quite often).
#8 A-Z on 05/30/12 at 06:14 PM [Reply]
Another "paper" quoted this clown as saying: “It is disappointing that in politics today well-funded lobbyists and PACs control and manipulate elections,” Crybaby. So now that he doesn't like the way it is done, and of course if they were giving him the money he doesn't quit, so now he want's to keep his job. I don't live in Jackson but I have known this boob my entire life. I can tell you he has NO values family or otherwise, cares about nothing but himself and how much it will make him, and has more skeletons in his closet than of course he will ever admit too. So, I was gonna save some of it just in case that, god forbid, it looked as though he might be elected. But the people he serves should know whom he really is and your about too.
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