Candidates to Take Stage for Debate
Cartersville Patch is teaming with WYXC 1270-AM for the next Bartow County commissioner candidate debate, and we need your questions.
Photos
Updated Monday, June 4
The second of WYXC's debates is set for tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Adairsville High School auditorium.
Cartersville Patch Editor Brande Poulnot will serve as a panelist along with radio station manager Tommy Young and county GOP Chairman Louis Debroux.
Join us for the debate, tune your dial to AM 1270 or stream live on your smartphone or via the Internet at newstalk1270.com.
Original Report
Cartersville Patch is teaming up with WYXC 1270-AM for its next political debate featuring the five candidates for commissioner of Bartow County.
Michael Abernathy, Mike Bearden, Tracy Lewis, Steve Taylor and Tony Tidwell qualified yesterday for county commissioner, according to Bartow Politics, which is updating its list of qualified candidates through the end of qualifying Friday.
Set for June 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Adairsville High School auditorium, the debate is a second in a series in a county losing its longtime sole commissioner, Clarence Brown, to retirement.
What would you ask the five hoping to replace him? Leave your questions in the comments below and we may ask the candidates during the debate.
For more on elections, see our special section, Elections: Participate in 2012.
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Katherine M
2:19 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
Bartow County is big business and a major employer. Having excellent finanical skills is a must for the next commissioner. Tell us what in your background gives you the financial experience necessary?
String Bean
2:45 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
That leaves out Steve Taylor. He was on the board of directors that approved all the bad loans and ran Unity National Bank out of business. Also he was on the JDA that built the still empty business park on Cass-White Road - the one that required almost $20 million in local SPLOST tax dollars to bail them out.
Gay Nye
3:47 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
How is the acceptance of civil unions contributing to the moral downfall of America and how would you handle such a proposal if it came up in Georgia?
Clyde
1:21 pm on Sunday, May 27, 2012
in that same vein, have you stopped beating your spouse?
Clyde
1:39 pm on Sunday, May 27, 2012
what role has the acceptance of civil unions played in driving divorce rates for straight couples to over half? oh, wait...
Howard Johnson
10:19 am on Thursday, May 31, 2012
To all voters as well as candidates:
If your preferred Presidential Candidate believes that God the Father is a human with powdery blood who lives on a planet named Kolob, and that one day the candidate himself will reign supreme over his very own planet as its 'god', then what possible difference could it make to you what your preferred candidate for County Commissioner thinks about civil unions?
Josh Wright
9:51 am on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
What is your long-term vision for Bartow County? Pulling us into the "Metro Area" or helping us maintain our autonomy and small town feel?
Mike Graham
2:17 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The future of our county lies with the youth. What will you do as Commisioner that will help benefit the young people in Bartow County?
Buck Wheat
2:22 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
What is your strategy for helping to bring more high quality jobs / attract more employers to Bartow county? Do you favor local tax breaks in order to attract companies or encourage local companies to expand?
Buck Wheat
2:29 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Our local schools are facing a budget crisis as a result of the poor economy, drop in home values and decisions made by the state and federal governments. These cuts are impacting the quality of education in our schools. How will you work with local educators to help address these budget issues and help improve the quality of education in our area?
Buck Wheat
2:30 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Do you believe there should be term limits for elected officials, including the office for which you are running?
Katherine M
11:14 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Buck Wheat, sorry dude but the county commissioner has zero to do with the local school systems. Go talk to the superintendent or your school board member. (It's scary to think people like Buck Wheat actually vote;)
Buck Wheat
3:17 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Katherine,
No need to get mean, let me further explain my question. I understand that the commissioner does not run the school system(s), however, the actions that the comissioner / county and any elected offical take can have an impact on the school systems and the children in our county. How will the next commissioner insure that the actions that he /she takes will have a positive impact rather than a negative impact on the education of the children in our county? Will he/she have an open dialogue with school leaders to insure that decisions made by his/her office do not further negatively impact the tough budget situation for the school system? Certainly the comissioner is an executive, but also an ambassador for the county and as such can have an impact on what happens in the area. Also, could you please explain in your question how Bartow County is "big business?" Isn't the county a government entity? I believe most responsible voters today favor making government smaller at all levels and not "big business".
Katherine M
1:34 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
BW, Bartow County is "big business" - not in the sense of it being a private concern, but we're talking over 500 employees and an annual budget in the tens of millions of dollars. We need a commissioner with excellent financial skills - someone who can run an efficient tight ship.
Help Our County
10:31 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Some of you have never had to make a payroll every week to employees, how will you handle pay cuts and salary cuts in the county offices when that time comes? We cant continue to furlough county employees and then pay them for those days with a bonus check.
Katherine M
2:05 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
For Steve Taylor: The Rollins family, who are fighting the 411 Connector, have your campaign signs all over their Bartow properties. Have you taken contributions from them? Do they or their businesses buy products from your farm supply business? Do you support the 411 Connector route DV-E that the transportation experts say is the only workable route or do you support the Rollins' plan to stop that route?
retiredguvmintworker
2:17 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
controlling Bartow Co.'s budget is not as easy as advertised. The Sheriff's office went into the red with 2M dollars in overtime in 2008. In addition, the Sheriff has the authority to move money within any line item category that he chooses. Even if the new commissioner reins in the Sheriff's Office spending, the Sheriff can still spend what he wants to. Don't blame the new commissioner for the Sheriff's profligate spending habits and lack of accountability