Contentious Forum Attracts Crowd
Tensions were high on Monday night when candidates for the vacant seat from District 4, Asher Gray and Jimmy Vance, participated in their first open forum. In what resembled more of an episode of Monday Night RAW than a political forum, Mr. Gray and Mr. Vance had to be physically separated following a handshake at the end of the meeting.
The root of disagreement started on August 13 when Mr. Gray wrote on the Hello Jasper County Facebook page calling out Mr. Vance for not running a “clean campaign” and for allegedly belittling him. Mr. Gray reiterated this at the forum when asked to comment about it. Mr. Vance denied the allegations both in a reply to the post as well as at the forum.
Later in the evening when asked of his motivations to run for office, Mr. Vance said he was asked to step up for his community and said that he wasn’t aware anyone else was running for the office.
Mr. Gray denied this, saying “That’s a lie.” After some back and forth discussion both candidates were reminded by moderator David McGuire to remain civil and respectful.
At the conclusion of the meeting Mr. Vance and Mr. Gray shook hands. As Mr. Vance looked to walk away, Mr. Gray pulled him back in and both parties began to exchange words. At one point Mr. Vance could be heard saying “Don’t lose your temper Asher” before the two parties were separated. Mr. Vance then promptly left the court room.
The forum began without contention with both candidates giving their three minute opening remarks. The contentiousness built a bit throughout the forum.
Mr. Gray was the first candidate to speak, and he maintained his mantra keeping Jasper County rural. Also a leading factor in his cause was his attendance at the county meetings over the last 10 months, stating he hasn’t missed one in that time span.
He encouraged everyone to be in touch with their local government, reminding the audience that state and federal government is widely out of the commissioner’s control. He also cited his door-to-door style campaign and promised to talk with each resident of District 4
Mr. Vance used his three minutes to tell the audience more about himself. He is a former firefighter and police officer, as well as a semi-retired real estate agent. Much of the controversy surrounding Mr. Vance was the fact he held a real-estate license. He assured the audience that he is inactive as a realtor, and is not allowed by law to sell real estate.
He also spoke further about his experience with code enforcement in other counties, stating that this needs to be restarted in Jasper County. His other suggestions include adding a grant writer in order to receive and find grants for the county as well as expanding the recreation department.
Many questions for both candidates were around their thoughts on county growth as well as the controversial R2 zoning. Mr. Gray mentioned that growth needs to be monitored and done in a smart fashion.
He cited the 737 percent increase in new building permits as well as the school growth, mentioning that there’s no plan in place for when the school buildings hit capacity. Mr. Vance discussed his thoughts on R2, calling it a “mishap” and that it shouldn’t have happened. He feels that the current zoning procedures are proper.
When asked how zoning should be looked at, he felt that zoning should be a case by case basis. He cites a case back in May which saw a 7.72 acre rezoning request being denied in a 2-0 vote. He felt that this case and others like it should be viewed by whatever factors are present.
Mr. Gray stated he was at that rezoning and voiced his opinions on the matter. He feels that state laws and ordinances should solve zoning matters and that giving exceptions sets a precedent for others in the future.
Both candidates also expressed their disapproval of short-term rentals. Mr. Gray outright said no to the idea, while Mr. Vance said the only way it could even be considered would be a very long permit process. Both said they would look to crack down on short-term rentals throughout Jasper County. They also agreed on the idea that affordable housing isn’t feasible.
Also discussed many times throughout the forum were the rising taxes that citizens of Jasper County are being faced with. One citizen was concerned with particularly with school taxes and asked both candidates what they could in reducing school taxes for senior citizens. Mr. Gray said while he understands the concerns of senior citizens, that everyone can’t be given a tax break. He added that the future of this community is in our children and we should all invest in it and give them the best opportunity.
Mr. Vance agreed with this and added that maybe some things can be looked at with a partial exemption. He added that with 17.4 percent of the population being 65 or older, a full tax exemption would make it more difficult on the 18-64 demographic.
Both candidates were asked on their thoughts of the Joint Development Authority (JDA). Mr. Vance said he did not know too much about the JDA. Mr. Gray stated that the commissioners receive no money from the JDA and it does not know if it benefits Jasper County any longer.
After nearly two hours of questions, candidates made their closing remarks. Mr. Vance thanked those in attendance and offered his full support to the citizens of Jasper County and full support to Mr. Gray if he won the election. Mr. Gray also thanked everyone in attendance and encouraged everyone to be involved within their local government.
