Carter Giegerich
for The Franklin Press
Three seats on the Macon County Board of Commissioners are up for grabs in this year’s county election – the District 1 representative and two District 2 representatives.
Current District 1 representative Jim Tate, who also serves as chair of the Board of Commissioners, is not running for re-election. District 1 includes the Ellijay, Sugarfork, Highlands and Flats precincts. John Shearl and Don Willis, both Republican, are running for the District 1 seat. No Democrats filed to run in that race.
District 2 incumbents Gary Shields (R) and Ronnie Beale (D) are running for re-election. Beale and Betty Cloer Wallace will be on the Democrat ticket in the November election. Five Republicans are vying to the District 2 positions – Gregg Jones, Richard Lightner, Danny Reitmeier, Gary Shields and Danny Antoine. The top two vote getters will advance to the November election.
Voters can cast ballots for candidates in any district. The Democrat candidates for District 2 will not be on the primary ballot. District 2 includes Franklin, Millshoal, Smithbridge, Union and Iotla precincts.
District 1
John Shearl
Macon County's low tax rate is a major draw for many long-time residents and prospective property owners, and maintaining that asset is a key focus of John Shearl's run for the Macon County Board of Commissioners.
Shearl said he would stick to his ideals if elected, promising to “vote for low taxes, freedom and property rights.”
Shearl's history in Macon County is extensive – a graduate of Franklin High School, he has served as a Highlands firefighter and as a former member of the Macon County Planning Board as well as owning his own business in the county for 35 years.
Looking ahead to the coming term, Shearl identified a number of challenges facing Macon County – the largest being the pending tax revaluation, capital improvements and high-speed internet access.
“When it comes to capital improvements as your District 1 County Commissioner, I will work to provide you with complete details of the project including total costs and how we will pay for the project,” Shearl said by email. “Once the details are finalized, we as the Macon County Commissioners would be ready to vote on the project. I would make a motion to put the capital improvement project on a referendum for you the voters/taxpayers to have the final say.”
Shearl said he would examine potential expenditures with close scrutiny, doing whatever he could to avoid increasing taxes for Macon County residents.
“I will vote to fund the police (not defund), vote to provide services that our citizens expect, need, deserve and are willing to pay for, vote for a budget that we can live inside of and only tax the people for what is needed to operate Macon County government effectively and efficiently,” Shearl said. “I will listen to our citizens and vote to move Macon County forward, while being mindful of our citizens on a fixed income. I will not vote for over-taxation.”
Don Willis
After 30 years in public service in Macon County, first as a volunteer firefighter and then as the county fire marshal and, eventually, a lieutenant in the Macon County Sheriff's Office, Don Willis said he's been eyeing a position as a Macon County commissioner for two years now.
“Two years ago I decided – I talked about it with the sheriff, and he said, 'you need to make a run for it.' So I put my name in the hat,” Willis said.
With the prospect of a new Franklin High School on the horizon, Willis said he's interested in being a part of that planning process and feels he would bring an experienced perspective to the project.
“With the coming up of the high school, I was very much interested in that,” Willis said. “Over the years as fire marshal, I inspected the schools twice a year and I knew of the problems going on there. It being dated and over capacity and so spread out, it's becoming a safety issue.”
Willis said he sees parallels between the needs of the high school and other facilities under the county's management, like the courthouse and jail. He said he hopes to be able to help plan for these future projects and balance the financial needs of the county with the wishes of county residents and their own financial interests.
“We've just been putting bandages on things over the years, and money's been spent that I don't necessarily agree with. We should have bought new probably in some instances,” he said. “But that goes along with having a low tax rate. It's a great thing to have a low tax rate, but on the other hand you're limited as far as what you can do.”
Financial responsibility and good budgeting are the keys to addressing these issues, Willis said.
“It's just like running a household,” he said. “Something breaks, or you have to remodel, and you have to be able to budget and look at that long term. That's what we're faced with, is projects that we're going to have to do in the long-term.”
He said the commissioners are tasked with being good stewards of taxpayer money, and in the coming term it will be important to be diligent in assessing how projects can be done correctly without raising taxes unnecessarily. If increases need to be made, he said, transparency is key to ensure public buy-in.
“All options need to be explored before we get to that point of raising taxes. And then, of course, being transparent to the public,” he said. “It's something we can put a plan together for, and put it out there and let Macon County look at it and let them be the ones to say, 'Yes we want to push forward with this' or 'Maybe we can do away with this.'”
Willis said his career in law enforcement and emergency services has prepared him for the rigors of helping run the county.
“I'm going to be their full-time commissioner – boots on the ground,” he said. “Everyone has a voice, and I'm available 24/7 as I've done so my entire career. It's not anything new to me. Being in law enforcement, being a detective, those were my hours.”
District 2
Gregg Jones
The first time Gregg Jones ran for public office was in the late 1990s, when he ran for the Macon County Board of Commissioners as a 21-year-old. While he didn't make it onto the board back then, he always knew he wanted to give it another shot.
“I always wanted to try it one more time,” Jones said. “The real reason I wanted to come back is to try to give people their voice back. It's time for a change, and time for people to have a voice. It's time for transparency.”
A native of Macon County, Jones said he remembers a time when the county would rally together to support the schools and local organizations. That spirit of community collaboration is something he hopes to bring back if elected.
“I'd like to see the community come out like they used to. It used to be the guys down on Depot would help pay for developments, like the track at the middle school or projects like the football stands and the reporters' area. I remember we all went over and hauled a bunch of dirt away for that,” he said. “It's time to get back to that, helping each other and being neighborly. I don't know if it's going to be like it used to be, but we can push for it.”
One of the biggest obstacles in Macon County's path to success, according to Jones, is the state of the school system's infrastructure. Aging buildings and a new high school coming into view represent big challenges for commissioners in the coming term.
“We've got to get our schools back up to standards. Most times, if you have something you don't work on and it's getting to be 20, 30 years old, if it's up to date it's going to work better,” he said. “The prices of power and heating and air are more economical, that kind of thing. If you're not having to work on all your schools all the time, you can concentrate on the older schools and work on them.”
As these major projects come to fruition, Jones said it's important to be critical of proposed expenses and ensure the taxpayers' money is being used as effectively as possible.
“I'm always the person asking questions. I don't sit back and let somebody make a decision without at least asking questions, and if it's me then I want you to ask me questions so you'll know what I'm talking about,” he said. “I'm not judging anyone; I just want to make sure it's going to work because we're putting 32,000 taxpayers' money on the line when we vote to spend it.”
This time around, Jones said he hopes he gets his chance to represent the people living in the county he's called home for his entire life.
“I want to be the voice for the people, and I'll give 120 percent,” he said. “I'll be transparent, and I won't spend tax money where it's not needed to be spent. You won't find anybody with a bigger heart for Macon County, and I want to make sure I can help the others push Macon County forward into the future.”
Richard Lightner
Although Richard Lightner has never held elected office in Macon County, he's no stranger to county government.
As the county tax administrator for 35 years, Lightner worked with all but one of Macon County's county managers in his career.
“Over the years, I've gained so much experience and seen so many aspects of the county because I was the longest-serving department head in Macon County history,” Lightner said. “I have a lot of experience in government and, realistically, I've been around longer than anyone else.”
Looking ahead to the coming term, Lightner said he sees a need for better long-range planning and adaptability when short-term problems present themselves.
“It all goes back to planning and addressing your needs as they arise,” he said. “We can see that in the high school, and also with the justice center. I was involved with both of those. I was on a study committee the school system put out about 25 years ago, when Kevin Corbin was chairman.”
Lightner would also like to see an increased focus on economic development in Macon County, with an updated approach to how the county's efforts are directed.
“What I say we need is to reinvigorate what we have. One of the biggest areas we need to jumpstart is economic development – we spend a lot on that per year, but I think it could be better utilized with forming an economic development grants office in the county that's answerable to the public and commissioners,” he said. “Right now, we're not getting the ideas out there, we're not working closely enough with small businesses and that's where most of our jobs are in Macon County.”
Pointing to his lengthy tenure in the Macon County tax office, Lightner said he believes he's the candidate with the most relevant experience running in this year's election.
“I know Macon County better than any sitting commissioner or anyone running,” he said. “If you think about a commissioner in a four-year term, they may have 300 to 400 hours dealing with county functions. In my time, I have over 85,000 hours working with department heads, every county manager since the first one, working with Democrats and Republicans. I was actually appointed by five Democrats, and I've shown I can work with all types of people.”
That type of flexibility is a priority for Lightner. He said a collaborative approach is the best way to get things accomplished at the county level, and he believes leadership is responsible for setting the tone for county employees and residents.
“You have to develop a team atmosphere,” he said. “It starts from the very top, commissioners are at the top of the rack, so whatever their demeanor is, their focus, it flows through the whole organization. I'm always thinking the commissioners have to have dreams about where they want the county to be, they have to develop a vision for that and then develop plans to make that a reality.”
Danny Reitmeier
For Danny Reitmeier, the decision to run for county commissioner arose out of his commitment to the county and what he sees as a natural inclination toward community involvement.
“I just have a desire to serve, and it's been sort of a running joke where we can't go anywhere without me knowing someone or someone knowing me,” Reitmeier said. “I decided it was time to run. I think it's time for a change – we need new ideas, new energy, new personalities. Just a new way of looking at things.”
While Reitmeier sees many obstacles and opportunities coming up for the county, he views many of them as linked together by a set of common factors.
“I've been campaigning and talking to people, and it's hard to say just one big challenge. But the thing I've heard the most is employability of our citizens,” he said. “We've lost industry, and I know people I was really close to who moved away because jobs left.”
A key part of addressing that issue from Reitmeier's perspective is the expansion of broadband internet for residents of Macon County.
“The push for broadband internet is huge, and we as commissioners have to continue to push, push, push for that here for as many citizens as possible,” he said. “People are working at home, doing school at home, and you can make a good living at home working for a company across the country. That wasn't possible before.”
Investing in the community's services is another piece of the puzzle, Reitmeier said.
“Services – public safety, health and human services – that's a good part of our budget currently, and we have to keep that happening. We can't back away from that,” he said. “The big push is the high school and finding ways to take care of capital needs while being fair to our citizens. Everything breaks down, and we have some capital needs in the county. Some have been on the back burner and should have been dealt with, but it is what it is. We can't just talk about it; we have to do something about it.”
As a native of Macon County, Reitmeier said he's invested in seeing his home continue to grow and thrive in new ways rather than sticking to the status quo.
Gary Shields
For Republican incumbent Gary Shields, the 2022 Macon County Board of Commissioners race is about two things – community investment and unfinished business.
Shields is finishing his second term as a county commissioner this year, an eight-year stint that followed a lengthy career in public education and a single term as a member of the Macon County Board of Education.
Shields said he chose to become an educator after reflecting on the people in the community who made a difference in his life early on.
“I began to think, 'Wait a minute, as hard-headed as I was, I can now think back and think of teachers that influenced me, keeping me from being a more hard-headed person,'” Shields said. “That's the arena I wanted to be in.”
Fast forward nearly 50 years, and Shields said he's still trying to help influence his community to grow and improve.
“Being a county commissioner has been a growth period, because I'd only been in the arena of education and when you go into the county arena, it's a very rewarding situation,” Shields said. “The wonderful people who live and work in Macon County, who volunteer for different things in Macon County. That's part of the investment – when you become a county commissioner you become invested from a whole different standpoint.”
Shields sees two major challenges on the horizon for Macon County, both of which he has already begun working toward addressing during his first two terms as a commissioner.
The first major hurdle for the county in the coming term, according to Shields, is finding ways to improve access to broadband internet. He said the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated just how dire the situation is for some residents, as access to online services, remote learning and work-from-home resources were all but cut off to many in Macon County.
“When you look at COVID-19, that was definitely an eye-opener. The nooks and crannies do not have access to a lot of things – cell service or broadband,” Shields said. “Now we're in the process of trying to find providers that can go into those areas. Not just the low hanging fruit.”
The other major project on the horizon is near and dear to Shields's heart, as the former principal of Franklin High School. As the county begins discussions on a replacement for the school, Shields said he wants to be involved in the process as it moves forward.
“I've worked on a new Franklin High School project for 20 years, and a lot of people have,” he said. “We've never been to this point, where we have architects doing studies of our campus. And when those studies are concluded, we will definitely bring it into our community.”
Danny Antoine
Danny Antoine has been teaching karate in Franklin for 20 years, and he said his experience working with local youths in that capacity has informed his views on the future of Macon County as a candidate for the Macon County Board of Commissioners.
“I tell people all the time that karate is just my cover for what I really get to do. I get a lot of single parents who bring kids in, a lot of grandparents and great-grandparents who are raising kids, and when they call because they can't handle one of these boys at the house I have to go out and help them,” he said. “Somebody has to fight for them because they can't fight for themselves. I want to be able to do that on a larger scale.”
This focus on the up-and-coming generation of young people in Macon County is the foundation of Antoine's campaign, he said. One of the biggest goals he has as a prospective commissioner is addressing substance use among young people in Macon County. The path forward he envisions for tackling the problem involves support for first responders and partnerships with community organizations who are equipped to help.
“I want to partner with law enforcement and whoever else we can partner with to eradicate this problem, because it's claiming way too many lives,” he said. “I want to make sure our first responders are taken care of, especially law enforcement. Law enforcement is the backbone of our community, so I want to make sure these guys are equipped and have what they need.”
Providing services and opportunities for young people as they finish their education is another key focus for Antoine.
“Kids, when they graduate, are leaving here and going to other communities. As a result, we've lost some of our most brilliant minds and they're investing themselves everywhere else but here,” he said. “At the same time, you can't say anything to them because we're not providing them with anything to be here and stay here. I'd like to be able to bring some industry here, and some opportunities for young people. When they graduate, they should have some career choices here so they can invest in their community.”
That buy-in from the community and participation in the process of moving Macon County forward is something Antoine said he wants to see more of, starting with the coming election cycle. To see the future the public wants to see, he said, requires participation from every demographic.
“I want to encourage people to come out and vote. They're hearing from all the candidates, they're coming to these forums; they need to come make a decision,” he said. “We can't just talk about these issues all day long. One of the ways we get things done in this country is to come out and vote in a free election.”
Editor’s Note: Democrat candidates Ronnie Beale and Betty Cloer Wallace are not included in this article since they will not be on the primary ballot. They will be interviewed prior to the November election.