Candidates Speak at Final Forum Before Election

The Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of Commerce and the Jasper County Farm Bureau held a candidate forum last Thursday for those seeking election November 6. Early voting has begun briskly, which may have been a factor in the small crowd which didn’t even fill the small courtroom.

The forum began with the candidates for the offices of sheriff and coroner.

Sheriff candidate Charles Ledford said that he’d been with Newton County for 25 years, ran the jail, the patrol division, courthouse security and is currently in charge of school resource officers. He said that he moved to Jasper County in 1984 and has kids and grand kids here.

“This is my home.” Mr. Ledford said that some people had asked him to run, and that he promised to do the best job with the money that we have and work to stay within the budget.

Donnie Pope, candidate for Sheriff, said that he was glad that they had come out to become more informed. Mr. Pope said that he was a lifelong resident of Jasper County and after graduating from Jasper County High School in 1992, he worked full-time on the midnight shift at the jail in 1996 under Sheriff Mack Tillman.

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He took classes and graduated from Georgia College & State University with a degree in criminal justice; was the top graduate in his 1997 police academy class; had been trained and is currently an instructor in specialized firearms; was departmental training officer and completed the DARE training receiving an outstanding team member award at the conclusion of that class, “meaning I played well with others,” said Mr. Pope. “I currently serve as a mentor in our school system.”

Mr. Pope said that he has served as patrol division commander, and had served for 11 years under Sheriff Charles Roper. I have management certification, I’ve completed executive level training and I have accumulated over 1,900 hours of continuing education under the peace officers training in Georgia.

“I’ve said all that to say this: I worked really hard to try to acquire the credentials that would be needed to make Jasper County a good sheriff, and any consideration that you all would give me I would greatly appreciate.”

Greg Sands, candidate for Sheriff said, “I am Greg Sands, I recently worked for the Sheriffs Department. I am on a leave of absence right now. I decided years ago that I wanted to do something to give back to the community, so I decided to work my way through mandate school, but did not have the resources to get all of the training that I’ve ever wanted.

“I can say this, as long as I’ve been here, I’ve given 150 percent to and for Jasper County. If I do become the sheriff or if I do not I will continue to work for the JCSO. I would appreciate your vote.”

Billy Norris, candidate for coroner said that he moved here in 1971 with his parents and married a hometown girl, Carole Edwards Norris. He said that they have two children and a granddaughter that live in Jasper County. Mr. Norris said that he has 27 years experience and training on the job. He has always been professional in his duties. He has always shown compassion, and appreciates and asked for support in the upcoming election.

Michelle Haddock, candidate for coroner opened that she brings a lot to the table and will be available 24/7, 365. She said that she is qualified, having served 10 years on the ambulance. She currently works from home doing ambulance coding and has received the blessing and been encouraged by her manager to pursue this job.

She said that she will have two deputy coroners in the event that she is unavailable. The 911 center, which she says is a great tool, will have the contact numbers for the deputy coroners and will know who to call. She hopes for protocols, and a time limit not to exceed 45 minutes be put into place to aid in accountability and enforce time limits.

Candidates for coroner were questioned by Gary Jenkins, moderator of the forum.

How would you handle uncertified persons arriving on the scene?

Mrs. Haddock replied, “I would have deputy coroners that will respond if I am not available. The 911 center will know and immediately call a deputy.”

Mr. Norris said, “I do have deputy coroners. They are certified and sworn in and they, as all do have to go through 40 hours of in-service for training and he will do that the next time it’s offered.

How would you address families looking for death certificates in a timely manner?”

Mr. Norris replied, “My hands are tied at that, because once a body goes to the crime lab, a tox or histology can take six to eight weeks.”

Mrs. Haddock said, “My job is to serve you. I do agree that we are at the mercy at the crime lab, but I have done my homework and been in touch with people there and they said eight to 12 weeks. I will fight for families and do my best.”

•Question 3 was to Mr. Norris, Why should you be re-elected?

He said, “I became coroner in 1984 when the man that was the current coroner died. I felt the need to serve the community.”

•Mrs. Haddock was asked “What was your main purpose when seeking this position?”

She said, “I think that the people deserve the best. I’ve been on an ambulance for the last 10 years and gave my best and go the extra mile for them and will do the same as coroner. I think that I could serve the county in the aspect that it deserves with compassion, dedication, and being dependable.

The candidates for sheriff were asked:

What changes do you anticipate with the way that the sheriff’s office is currently run and how you would operate it?

Charles Ledford said, “I’ve heard excuses we can’t do this and we can’t do that, when the majority of the things we can do. I plan on having deputies working. I don’t see any changes in manpower, but rather moving people around.

Donnie Pope said, “There are a number of things I would like to implement mainly being a crime suppression unit. I plan to get effective and efficient men working together. I would like to see us focus and handle special issues as they arise. I would like more personalized service. I want to aid individuals and be thorough and like to see us be more progressive and thorough on the prevention of burglaries.”

What is the number 1 crime problem in Jasper County?

Mr. Sands said, “Burglaries, that’s our number one crime in J.C. Teamwork is now a problem, and no one enforces it. We need to learn to do that better. We need to work harder to find other resources other than the taxpayers. Grants, federal and other things. You have to be a people person to be able to talk to the people to find out information.

Mr. Ledford said, “From what I see in the paper and hear it’s burglaries and drugs at the top. I will put the deputies out riding. When I had deputies in Newton County out riding the subdivisions the burglaries dropped to zero. When I went back into the school they went up, there were three the next week. Patrol deters burglars.

•Mr. Pope was then asked to share his plans concerning the drug task force. He answered, “I’ve been privy to information and there are pros and cons to that. There needs to be a clear understanding and we need to be sure that we will get bang for our buck. I don’t want to spend money to the DTF and all of the attention be given to Baldwin and Putnam Counties. It is an option to explore with regulations and agreements.

•Mr. Sands said that I am interested in it and I think it’s a good thing. When we did it before it gave a lot of money, I believe that success equals training. If you go into a house in the morning it can get ugly. The more training we have the better things will go.

How do you feel about Animal Control coming under the Sheriff’s Office?

Mr. Sands said, I feel that it would be better and I would like it but I do not know what all it entails.

Mr. Ledford was asked the same and responded, “It’d be great. I attend meetings and there has to be someone in charge. If not there are call outs and no accountability. I think that it’s a great thing.

•Mr. Pope was asked, “Please share whether you would require deputies to issue citations for code violations, such as missing logging permits, or require them to report code violations they witness to the appropriate code enforcement officer?”

He answered, “Code enforcement has full jurisdiction. The fact is that Animal Control and Code Enforcement does not need to feel like the lone ranger. A great working environment and partnership with these would enable a joint effort to be effective.”

Mr. Sands answered, “we have code enforcement for that. We already have deputies stretched thin in this county. I would work more with these people but no I don’t feel that deputies need to issue citations.

•Mr. Jenkins then asked, “why are you not doing in the Sheriff’s Department the things you promise to do as Sheriff if you are elected?”

Mr. Ledford said I can’t say as to what I’m not doing, but I work in Newton Co. and do anything that they ask of me.”

Mr. Pope said, “I haven’t been the boss. I’ve been a boss, but not the boss. I feel like as an employee you follow the direction of your leader and I think that people follow the direction given. I hope to find good faithful folks to work for me and go in the direction I provide. You have to know that there is a big difference in working for the Sheriff and being the sheriff.”

Mr. Sands said, “Jasper Co. deserves more. We have to give our all and you have to have a sheriff that is passionate and wants to go out and do a good job.”

Please share how you would use prisoner trustees to perform community service, as much as the law allows.

Mr. Pope answered, “I believe that this is important, and there is a misconception. There are legalistic parameters that say that pre-trial inmates cannot legally be forced to work. The inmate classification system factors into whether they are able to work inside the building (kitchen, cleaning) or outside on a work detail.

Mr. Ledford said Donnie said it correctly. Pre-trials you can’t use outside. Newton had those that were eligible aid in the fire department and the recreation department and they must be chosen wisely.

The candidates for sheriff were then asked, “please share the trend of drug related arrests during the last four years.”

Mr. Pope said the trend has shifted and that the economy has made a difference. Burglaries are driven by the drug world. There is a shift from illegal to prescription narcotics and with this trend change there come challenges. If I catch a person with illegal drugs, I’ve got them. If I find prescription drugs, then I have to use an informant. I have to use a “snitch” and put them on the witness stand in front of the jury and the person accused and that becomes very difficult to do.

Mr. Sands said we’ve had a lot of meth problems, and a problem with marijuana. I think we would be better off with more training and a the use of a people person in order to be effective with drugs. Training and what to look for would aid in increased arrests.

Mr. Ledford said, “from what I hear and see crack cocaine has shifted to meth. I’ve heard talk about it and I think it’s trending too.

The candidates, in their closing statements, were asked to share the top quality that they felt made them most qualified for the office.

Mrs. Haddock said, “I’ve sought every avenue I could think of in such a short period of time about this position to better serve you. I’ve been that shoulder and liaison to the people that I’ve served. I intend to go above and beyond. If you heart is not involved then there is no way to show compassion or be dependable. I intend to keep my dedication to the citizens of this county.

Mr. Norris, said, “I’ve conducted my office in a professional manner, and responded as quickly as I can. I promise to keep it professional should you elect me.”

Mr. Sands, said “unfortunately I haven’t had the training that I would’ve liked, but should you all have me as sheriff, every deputy will have all of the training that I can provide. I can make all the difference. I will try to keep costs low, introduce modern technology, and have more deputies. I want to work with the schools, churches, and others to encourage our teens to stay out of trouble. I plan to let criminals know that Jasper County will not tolerate them. I want to use inmates in any capacity, and to continue to serve Jasper Co. like Sheriff Charles Roper has for the last 12 years and come up with better concepts.

Mr. Pope said, “I believe that credentials are important. The office of Sheriff is not what it used to be. They expect white collar representatives. I have management experience. I know what it’s like to work within and have been involved in the $2.2 million budget, and worked within this budget. I am doing this for the right reasons. I believe that it is my calling and a privilege to serve the community. I will lead the fight to keep this a respectable place to live.

Mr. Ledford said, “This is not about the money for me. I make about what the sheriff does now as a deputy in Newton. I see concern. I’ve heard and read about things going on here. I’ll respond and talk to anyone. I’ve worked with big budgets in the jail and patrol budgets. I will do my best to make everyone work together. I am over and know how to manage 50 deputies on the road and have supervisor skills.

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The candidates for County Commission each gave an opening statement as follows:

Joan Bell—I moved here 12 years ago with my husband, I have three young adult children and a beautiful granddaughter. I became bored and decided to find something to do in the community. I began to volunteer with Family Connection and various other capacities in Jasper Co. Now I am working as an instructor at our technical college. I am hoping to be a person who can communicate with people and work very well with the commissioners.

Craig Salmon—I am here asking for your District 4 vote. I earned my degree at Southern Tech and I am a risk consultant for over 20 years now. I married a Jasper Co. girl and we have three kids—20, 17, and 4. I think that Jasper Co. is a great place to live and raise a family. Jasper does have some challenges, as all other communities do. I want to get involved and provide solutions. Collaborate and communicate and cooperate with other individuals. I want together with Monticello to find activities for our youth, adults and seniors.

Bruce Henry—I’ve been here for 24 years now. I was on the Shady Dale City Council for six years and was a part of the decision on when to put up Christmas decorations and worked hard on the water department. My wife found a house on Barr Bridge road, and I had to step down from the council. I want to get involved again. I am currently employed with Kennesaw State housing maintaining a 1.2 million sq. ft. facility. with a team of 23 people in our department and we work together. I am familiar with huge budgets—implementation and writing them and we hold dept. heads responsible for staying within them and feel that I could bring that experience to Jasper County.

Charles Hill—I am a homegrown guy, I am married with three children and I’ve been at Fibervision for 42 years. I was debating about retirement and I am seeking my fifth term. I am involved with ACCG and the only current commissioner on the board with additional education. I am very involved in my church and have served as clerk, treasurer, and chair of several committees. I have experience, four terms, I am involved and like to do things to better Jasper Co.

Nancy Baeder—I moved here in 2004, but my grandparents and mother were raised here. I was working full-time and worked for a company that was sold to Canada. I see a lot of things that can be changed and I want to be involved. I plan on listening to you and working to get things changed.

Carl Pennamon—I was born and raised in Monticello. I graduated in 1969, and left. I became employed at Hercules, which is now Fibervision, and am semi-retired. I stayed on and managed accounts and 125 employees. I have experience. I have served on every board you can think of. I have knowledge of what it takes. It takes unity to get anything done. I am asking for your vote and support in District 1.

Mr. Jenkins addressed the commission candidates:

Give one specific goal that you hope to achieve during your first year in office.

Mrs. Bell answered, “I would like to achieve the goal of being able to work consistently in unity with each commissioner. The goal of working together and communicating without being hostile, and work with them to come up with some great ideas to move Jasper Co. forward and to learn more.

Mr. Henry said, As I’ve been out campaigning I’ve been down county, state, gravel mud, potholes, and paved roads. If elected, I plan to take two personal days observing with public works, watching and gathering information to let the county manager know what’s going on. WE need to have proper equipment, training and supervision. If we have all those, then maybe we need new employees. I want to work through these issues and know that we’re improving our roads.

Ms. Baeder said she would like to have a look at how the employees are handled and address accountability. I want to know how employees are hired. I like time clocks. County employees need to justify their paychecks. I believe that we should control that portion of wasted time, when looking at public words or other departments.

How do you feel about the current hot topics of time clocks?”

Mr. Salmon—Accountability is a good thing, but if I have an employee that is on the south end of the county then that’s a waste of time and resources for him to drive to the courthouse to clock in and out. We need to have some trust and depend on the supervisors for accountability.

Mr. Hill said I think that everyone should have the same accountability. Each department however, ex. the Public Works Department, should have their own policy on lunch and breaks and everyone should be operating within that policy.

Mr. Pennamon—Over the last 28 years, there has been isolated incidents. He or she has to be accountable. Most importantly, the supervisor has to be going to check on employees multiple times in an eight hour day.

Please share your plans to attract business to Jasper County.

Ms. Baeder answered, “I think that we need to get together with Monticello and Shady Dale and get on the same page. You can’t predict the current utility rates. We need to straighten out with Monticello to become more consistent with the numbers.

Hill—We need a collective effort for this and we’ll need better infrastructure. We need to come together with problems to solve. Our communication should be better and then business will look at schools and hospitals, and use those to determine that Jasper County is best for them.

Mrs. Bell—I think that we as a county would work very closely and have a ready work force with schools, economic development, and churches. Education our work force—getting them ready. I am on the economic development board and every business has an interest in our school system and we should focus on getting these better?

Please share your thoughts on how much support the county should give to the Recreation Department.

Mr. Salmon—One thing Jasper Co. needs is a positive plan for our children that is adequately funded. We need to look at our funding and the resources that can be used to utilize a valuable asset for our use. We have a responsibility to have a positive department for our youth. We need to look at grants, and host tournaments, uses to fund our programs.

Mr. Henry—I do feel like the rec needs help and support from the county. They can start making money for themselves. We need to get the parents involved. Have fund raisers and look into alternative funding. The county shouldn’t be fully responsible for all of the funding.

Mr. Pennamon—Right now the county is funding one full-time and one part-time employee and the recreation department helps mentor kids. The county has to fund more, sell the program, get parents involved to success. I believe that it is under funded.

What are your thoughts on how you would redistribute funds to allow for smaller budgeted departments to thrive.

Mr. Hill—We rely on the CFO for budget. The smaller budgets will be very hard to do. It’s hard to do with a larger budget. You have to look at the numbers and then change numbers amongst the departments to see which ones are effected.

Ms. Baeder—We need to budget differently. It’s hard to answer being that I am not currently on the BOC. I don’t want taxes to go up. Departments are being short changed and some are being adequately funded.

Mr. Pennamon—We have to look at priorities and what is important. One of the smaller budgets is animal control. Animal control needs to decide on being a shelter or a humane society and which would be more effective for our county. We need to look at recreation, and programs for our older Americans. We need to look different perspectives and see how each variation effects the county.

How will you lead the Animal Control department through issues?

Ms. Baeder—I would continue to adhere to the committee set up by the BOC and search for a new director. We should all work together to make it better for the BOC.

Mr. Hill—First we need a new director. We also need to use the animal control committee and all of their information to evaluate. Once we hire a director the board will proceed with more improvements.

Mr. Salmon—The BOC must determine the direction it wants to go. We need a director, and I understand that there are three candidates being interviewed. The animal control committee brought things to light and there is no set way. We need to set a vision and work toward it.

Baxter International’s location at Stanton Springs has already generated a great deal of interest from other businesses and industries, and Jasper will get tax dollars from these which is great. How do you think Jasper Co. could further benefit from Baxter and its affiliates?”

Mr. Pennamon—We should know where and how to sell our county and speak well of it through unity. We should sell it with our schools and what we have to offer. We can’t speak in a negative way about the city and the Board of Education; it has to be unified support of the county as a whole.

Ms. Baeder—I’m not sure Jasper Co. will benefit at all from Baxter. It’s about a 45 minute drive from my house and I live right in town on Persons Street. It ‘s a pharmaceutical company and I suspect that its fully automated. I believe that they will bring in people from their other facilities and I don’t see any employment benefits. We may get some residents in the northern end of the county but people want to live in Covington or Conyers because we don’t have the amenities to offer.

Mr. Hill—I sit on that board, and I know that Newton has 23 prospects already, those trailing from Baxter. I think that some of that will spill into Jasper County. We have to be ready. We need to have collaborative getting along with everybody in selling the county. We need better infrastructure. Good housing, schools, and a good hospital are key.

Mr. Henry—Job prospects are key. Training students will enable us to be competitive. There are currently 39 students enrolled in after school programs that will further prepare them for this type of work. Laying the ground work for having people ready to go into that industry when it arrives is already taking place, and could be expanded.

Mr. Salmon—It will provide unity in the community. It will use resources that we have and look at our infrastructure. It will offer transportation and roads with warehousing. It all started with a vision.

Ms. Bell—”I am so excited.” She said that we don’t see the money today but we have to be ready. Start with the high school and the technical colleges. “I love Jasper Co. and we have to prove that we want to be involved. Everybody will not want to live in Covington or Conyers. They like Jasper County just like we do.”