Another Halloween is done, another Scare on the Square now in the record books. The night was a bit wet, but otherwise (far as we know) uneventful. If you missed that event, or wish for a little more Halloween, Stone Ridge Community Church on West Main St. will have a “Trunk or Treat” event tonight at 7.

Also tonight, LHS Ramblers (now 1-7 for the season after beating Ridgeland last week) will play their final football game of the year, on the road, against Northwest Whitfield (7-1). Tomorrow from 4 to 7 Rock Spring Elementary will have a Fall Festival, and a rummage sale at the LaFayette Library will run from 8 AM to 4 PM.

Before jumping head-first into the Holidays, lets wrap up a few things political – namely the upcoming LaFayette council/mayor and county SPLOST votes, which will be held Tuesday. Today is the final day for early voting; polls will be open at the Courthouse elections office 8:30-4:30.

Poll on “Stop Walker SPLOST” Web site shows 70% (of the few participating so far) plan to vote against renewing the wasted sales tax. Site also has info about getting an anti-SPLOST sign; there’s still time left to impact the outcome of next week’s election.   

The fight for (and against) SPLOST in Gwinnett County is an interesting comparison to the same fight in Walker. Supporters of the tax added a few dollars for “school safety” to its project list, and now claim the whole thing is about schools. Opponents point out that a majority of the funds raised will go to pet projects.

At least in that case there ARE a few dollars marked for the schools. Here in Walker people who support SPLOST say it’s for schools even though schools won’t get a penny of it, if the thing passes.  

Wednesday night, 23-year-old Andy Watts was shot to death in an apartment on Fisher Road in Rossville. Marcus Sutton, age 20, is being sought as a possible “witness” to the murder. Per Walker Co. Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Sutton is also wanted on four unrelated felony charges, including aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during commission of a crime.       

On November 5th, LaFayette voters will choose the city’s first new mayor in a generation. Pharmacist Neal Florence, Mayor since January 2, 1991, decided his current year in office would be the last. With the race wide open for the first time in decades, three candidates threw their hats in the ring in hopes of becoming Florence’s replacement.

Qualified candidates for mayor are perennial candidate James Mashburn, current City Councilman Andy Arnold, and businessman Mike Lovelady. Mashburn apparently has no e-mail (LU was advised to call him, which doesn’t work for this interview format), but Arnold and Lovelady both responded to their respective e-mail questions.

This is the final LU Q&A for the 2013 election; early voting continues weekdays 8:30-4:30 through this Friday; actual election day will be a week from Tuesday, November 5th.

LU: What is your full name, and what name do you generally go by?

Arnold: Phillip Anthony Arnold – go by Andy

Lovelady: Michael Anthony Lovelady, Mike or Michael

Mashburn: [Not Contacted]

LU: What is your age?

Arnold: 54

Lovelady: 55

Mashburn: [Not Contacted]

LU: What is your home address?

Arnold: [Redacted by LU] Alpine Drive

Lovelady: [No Response]

Mashburn: [Not Contacted]

Per public records, Lovelady owns several residential properties in the county, but apparently lives on South Main St. Mr. Mashburn owns a home on West Shore Drive off McCarter Rd. near Queen City Lake.

In less than two weeks, LaFayette voters will decide who should represent the city for Council Ward 2 during the next four years.

Candidates seeking votes for the Ward 2 race are Ronald Underwood and incumbent Councilman Ben Bradford. Bradford was first elected in November 2011 to complete the unfinished term of former Councilman Norm Hodge.

Mr. Underwood did not provide LU with an e-mail address, so this Q&A was set up as a solo interview with Councilman Bradford. Bradford gave biographical information during his 2011 Q&A and little has changed since then, although voters unfamiliar with the now 35-year-old lawyer should review his previous answers.

LU: What’s the best way for voters/constituents to get in touch with you?

Bradford: Email is by far the best way to get in touch with me because I am able to check it at all hours. My city email account is bbradford@cityoflafayettega.org.
Phone number: 423-414-8083
You can also send me a message on Facebook, although be warned that I do not check Facebook on a regular basis.

LU: Two years ago, pre-election, you said your priorities were “to listen and to learn.” What have you learned since joining the Council in December 2011? Is being a “politician” all you expected it to be?

Bradford: The most important thing I need to say is that I plan to “listen and learn” for the rest of my life. No matter how much we think we know, there is always room for improvement. As for listening, once an elected official stops listening to the community he represents, he isn’t much of a representative.

However, I definitely have a different perspective during this campaign because I more fully understand the role of a city council member and have a more developed set of expectations for myself. I had no idea how immense and overwhelming the job would be. I understand now how naïve I was about the process of local government. Now that I am involved, I live with a healthy fear of what the government can do. I have seen first-hand that a handful of men and women can have an immense impact on my family’s life in this city. I now appreciate the importance of having people who are courageous, responsible, and of sound judgment. I have learned that doing the right thing is easy, but figuring out what the right thing is can be difficult.

Being a “politician” is more rewarding and more painful than I thought it would be. It is difficult to dedicate hours of service when it is too easy to focus on the criticism. However, the job is so inspirational to me because, in some areas, we have far more ability to help others and to do “the right thing” than I imagined. If it weren’t for this, I probably wouldn’t be running again.

On November 5th, LaFayette voters will choose a new council member for city ward 1. Ward 1 is the northeastern side of town, so candidates must live in that area to run, but voters from all over the city are allowed to vote in the race.

Qualified candidates for Ward 1 are Beacher Garmany, Glenn Gunnells, and Robert Wardlaw. There’s no incumbent in this race because Councilman Andy Arnold decided to run for mayor. (A Q&A with Arnold and other candidates for that office will follow later this week.)

Inquires for every candidate’s e-mail address were posted on Facebook weeks ago, but no address for Mr. Garmany was provided, so he was not contacted for the Q&A. Candidate Gunnells WAS contacted, nearly a week ago, but unfortunately chose not to respond by deadline.

LU: What is your full name, and what name do you generally go by?

Garmany: [Not Contacted]

Gunnells: [No Response]

Wardlaw: Robert A. Wardlaw- Robert

LU: What is your home address?

Garmany: [Not Contacted]

Gunnells: [No Response]

Wardlaw: [Redacted by LU] North Main St. LaFayette, Ga.

Per public records, candidate Garmany lives on Brookwood Lane, and candidate Gunnells lives on Warthen St.

LU: How can voters contact you or stay in touch with your campaign?

Garmany: [Not Contacted]

Gunnells: [No Response]

Wardlaw: E-mail- robertwardlaw4@me.com
Facebook- Robert Wardlaw
Facebook Group- “Robert Wardlaw for LaFayette City Council”
Cell- (706) 996-7971

Beacher Garmany’s phone number is 423-802-3724. Glenn Gunnells’ phone is 423-903-9762.

LU: How long have you lived in LaFayette? Where else have you lived?

Garmany: [Not Contacted]

Gunnells: [No Response]

Wardlaw: I was born in LaFayette in 1961 and lived here until 1989. From 1990 until 2010, while working for Coca-Cola, I lived in Cookeville, TN., Athens, GA., Corpus Christi, TX., San Antonio, TX., Montgomery, AL., and Jackson, MS. before returning home to LaFayette in early 2011.

Walker County is in dire condition financially. County employees are being furloughed to save money, the LaFayette library was boarded up 90% through a renovation due to a funding shortage, and the county required a $3 million loan to get from June to September without bouncing checks.

Yet somehow the same county has tens of thousands of dollars to spend on an unnecessary piece of equipment for a single four-day-long event at Mountain Cove Farms.

This photo depicts a custom rescue cart on a Kubota RTV900 utility vehicle chassis, built by Freedom Fire Equipment of Marietta. Freedom Fire doesn’t list a price for this rig on its Web site, but a basic pre-conversion Kubota RTV900 with no extra features sells for over $15,000. A similar, slightly more advanced “micro pumper” fire truck from the same manufacturer sells for $29,900, so it’s reasonable to guess this little three-cylinder diesel job (with trailer) cost the county at least twenty thousand dollars, probably closer to twenty-five.

Utility vehicles like this are meant for off-road service, rescuing people in wooded areas or rough terrain where a regular ambulance or SUV can’t go. Hopefully Walker County Emergency Services will use this one often enough to justify the cost, but after next month it will probably be used for little outside of occasional appearances in parades or during community events.

The primary reason for purchasing this glorified golf cart – in a year when money is so tight – is to provide medical care during the Civil War reenactment planned for September 19-22 at county-owned Mountain Cove Farms. Official guesses predictions for attendance at that event range anywhere from 15,000 to 100,000, and the county has invested millions into buying, renovating, and stocking/staffing the site in preparation.