Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. SEPT. 21. 1972
Re-Elect Dan Fears To Post No. 1
In The Second Primary
To Succeed Himself On The Board Of
Commissioners Of Butts County
Mr. Hammond Barnes
Route No. 4
Jackson, Georgia
Dear Mr. Barnes:
The people of Butts County elected me to serve them on
the Board of County Commissioners in 1968, for which I am
indeed grateful and appreciative.
I have enjoyed my work as one of the county commission
ers, and I have pursued my duties with a sense of respect, ded
ication, and compatibility for the other two members of this
board. It is true that we have not always agreed on all matters
which came before us. However, I do have my own convictions
which 1 believe were well known prior to the time I was elec
ted in 1968.
I will hot tell you one thing before elected, and then do
an about face after elected. I may surprise you, but I will not
deceive you!
Mr. Barnes, in every business, activity or job, someone has
to do the work. The work just simply will not get done unless
someone sees that it is done, and then gets the work done. You
cannot take care of the business of this county in just a few
minutes at a time. Someone must “follow through” to a final
conclusion. It simply will not get done any other way. More
over, there is ano “short cut” to efficiency and competency. I
believe that is the way the people of our county would have the
county’s business conducted by their Board of Commissioners.
If any one would seek the job of being a county commis
sioner merely for monetary remuneration, then that; person is
in for a very sad disappointment. The job of taking care of the
business of the county is not a small job, it is indeed a very, big
business. It will not take care of itself. The job will not run
itself. Someone must do the work to get the job completed.
A record of all business matters which come before the
board is maintained in a record which is called the “Minutes
of the Board of Commissioners.” These minutes, this record, is
maintained and kept on file in the office of commissioners in a
bound volume of each meeting which has been held by the board
of commissioners since January 1, 1969. Each member of the
Board of Commissioners has signed these minutes. A copy of all
minutes of every meeting has always been posted on the bulletin
board in the courthouse for everyone to see and to read, so that
they will know what is going on in the office of the Board of
Commissioners.
Every person of this county is invited to go to the com
missioner’s office and ask to see the minutes and read them.
If they will do this, take the minutes, start in January, 1969,
and continue down to date, one will see that on every motion
or resolution which you made it was unanimously passed by
the board.
Mr. Barnes, the Board of Commissioners are public officials,
and were elected to serve all the people of Butts County, and
not just a part of the people. As public officials, according to
law and trust which was placed in each member, we are sup
posed to serve the children of this county, which in my way
of thinking is more important than any other single duty. Mr.
Barnes, I will not be a part of any activity in any manner which
will place an obstacle in the path of any child in Butts County,
as you are advocating.
In the issue of The Jackson Progress-Argus for August
24, 1972. you published a political advertisement in which you
stated, to-wit:
DAN FEARS
Re-Elect Dan Fears To Post No. 1 To Succeed Himself To The Butts
County Board Of Commissioners In The Second Primary
September 26, 1972
THE JACKSON PRQGRMS-ARGUS, JACKSON. GEORGIA
“I will vote against Mr. Fears’ expensive recorder phone
idea.”
The 24-hour answering service will cost less than four
(4c) per hour. You did in fact vote against it. This service is
about $25 per month. I believe we can afford this. Two days
after its installation, it paid for itself in full.
One week later, the matter of employing Mr. Wilder to
work with the City of Jackson, Flovilla and Jenkinsburg to as
sist with the work relating to the problem of illegal drugs and
marijuana, was brought before the board. You vigorously op
posed this employment, and, in doing so, made disparaging and
derogatory remarks regarding the program being carried on in
the City of Jackson to stamp out and blot out the illegal traf
fic of hard drugs, marijuana and the pushers. You stated there
was no drug problem within the City of Jackson or Butts
County.
Mr. Barnes, I think all the children of Butts County de
serve to be helped by every public official and adult in the
county. At the very time you were carrying your so-called
“Open Letter” to the newspaper last week for publication in
which you were advocating placing beer stores at every cross
road in Butts County for the sale of malt liquor, Colt 45, Pabst
Blue Ribbon, and all other brands of intoxicating beers, the
City Police Department of Jackson was at that very moment
demonstrating just how tragically wrong and mistaken you
were regarding these matters.
Mr. Barnes, speaking of manners, and courtesy, have you
ever heard that a man is supposed to stand up and offer his seat
to a lady when she walks into the room where a man is seated
and there are no empty chairs? Mr. Barnes, (you asked for
this), I have never seen you on one single occasion when seat
ed in a chair, stand up and offer your seat to a lady when she
came into the pffice of the County Commissioners during the
past four years. On the contrary, invariably, it was Dan Fears
who would walk out into the hallways and get chairs for ladies
to sit in while you remained glued to the bottom of your seat.
As I have stated, I do have my own convictions. I repeat
again, I may surprise you, but I shall not deceive you. If pur
suing my duty with responsibility, respectability and dedication,
if working more than 40 hours a week to render some contribu
tion in restoring normal, reasonable service to the people of
Butts County; and, if working to hold down county property
taxes to the lowest rate; and, if working at the same time to
furnish maximum services to the people of Butts County and to
keep our county courthouse clean and sanitary; and, if work
ing to provide for county wide water service to be paid for by
revenue certificates and not property taxation; and, if working
to furnish county wide fire protection service to the people of
Butts County; and, if working sometimes 10 hours a day to get
this county out of debt and pay off $225,000 of old debts from
previous administrations and doing so in less than three years;
and, if working to see that maximum service and benefit is ob
tained from each dollar of the taxpayers money spent has hurt
your feelings, then I must plead guilty.
Yours very truly,
DAN FEARS
TO THE PEOPLE OF BUTTS COUNTY
I respectfully solicit the help, support and vote of each of
you on my behalf in the Second Primary on September 26th. If
you honor me by re-election, I shall continue to pursue my du
ties with a sense of responsibility and dedication as I have done
during the past four (4) years. Thank you.
