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THE GEORGIA POST & BYRON BUZZ
THURSDAY MAY 28, 2020
CANDIDATES - from Front Page
(2017-present), Peach Coun
ty High School Local Gover
nance Team (2019-present).
Wade is a Specialist in
Fitness Nutrition, Special
ist in Exercise Therapy,
Specialist in Strength and
Conditioning, Specialist in
Senior Fitness and Specialist
in Youth Fitness. He has two
grown children and is looking
forward to his first grandchild
in September. He first became
a commissioner in 2016.
Sheriff Deese
Peach County Sheriff Terry
Deese is being challenged by
Vince Howell. (Howell did not
respond.)
What do you think are
the major problems fac
ing the county over the
next five years?
The first hurdle we will face
is how to overcome the effects
of this COVID-19 Virus. I’m
concerned that a lot of our
locally owned businesses are
not going to survive after
being shut down for such a
long time. I grew up in a small
family owned business so
I understand what it is like
when the work stops.
Local governments are also
going to struggle because most
have had to use up some of
their Contingency Funds. It
is going to take some time for
the economy to start rolling
again. It is also going to take
time for people to develop the
confidence to return to any
sort of normal.
What would you like to
see changed within the
law enforcement system?
The issue of Local Law En
forcement Compensation has
to be addressed at some point.
I served as President of the
Georgia Sheriffs’ Association,
2017 - 2018, and the Local
Compensation issue was one
of my agenda items. I spent
two sessions at the Capitol
with the Georgia Legislature
trying to get assistance from
the state because local govern
ments can’t address this issue
by themselves. TheGSAdid
a salary study and found that
the lowest paid Sheriff s Office
in the state is Macon County,
our neighbor to the south.
Small Local Agencies cannot
compete with the state or with
the bigger jurisdictions in
recruiting or retaining quality
personnel.
The National Media has also
painted a negative light on
Law Enforcement for the past
several years and this contin
ues to reduce the pool of peo
ple interested in entering the
Law Enforcement Profession.
What have you accom
plished during your years
of service.
I have been actively involved
in Peach County Law Enforce
ment for 37+ years so I’m not
sure where you want to start:
Worked my way through the
ranks of the S.O. after start
ing as a Patrol Deputy and
served as the Chief Deputy
before getting elected Sheriff
in 2005.
Taught drug Abuse Aware
ness in the Peach County
School System for 12+ years.
One of six Peach County L.E.
Enforcement Officers to get
accepted and graduate from
the F.B.I. National Academy
in Quantico, Virginia.
Improved our partnership
with the Peach County School
System to place Deputies in
the High School, both Middle
Schools and two Elementary
Schools.
Restructured the Sheriff s
Office after taking Office to
create another Patrol Deputy
Position and create a fulltime
SRO Position assigned to the
school system to teach drug
awareness and safety pro
grams.
(When I was running for
Office in 2004 there were
several things that I wanted
to do: improve the working
relationships with all Law
enforcement Agencies that
cover Peach County; get all
Public Safety on one commu
nication system and merge
our computer software so that
they would be able to talk to
each other)
All Public Safety Agencies
are now on one Radio System
except for FVSU Police and
we are working on that at this
time.
911 Center recently changed
software so that their comput
ers will talk with Byron P. D.
and the Sheriffs Office.
Started a partnership with
Byron P.D., Fort Valley P.D.
and the Crawford County
Sheriffs Office to create a joint
Drug Enforcement Unit.
Started a partnership with
Byron P. D. and Fort Valley
P.D. to form the Sheriffs
Emergency Response Team.
In 2016 we hosted a joint
Investigation with the DEA,
U.S. Attorney’s Office, GBI
and several local L.E. Agencies
to arrest and prosecute the
biggest Crystal Methamphet-
amine Dealer in Middle Geor
gia. This investigation also
took down and prosecuted his
entire network, 18 people, of
distributors.
In 2019 we hosted a joint in
vestigation with the DEA, FBI,
USDA, U.S. Attorney’s Office,
GBI and several local L.E.
Agencies that resulted in 11
search warrants being execut
ed in eight different counties.
This resulted in recovering 165
Pitbull Dogs used for fighting
and this investigation is still
active.
2011 Design and build
9.8 million dollar Jail
Renovation and Addition
2009 -2014 Regions
Vice President repre
senting 16 Sheriffs on
the GSA Executive Board
(appointed by me peers)
2012 FVSU President’s
Trail Blazer Award
2013 - 2014 President of
the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth
Homes (elected by my peers)
2015 Task Force Investigation
of Fort Valley Serial Rapist
2017 - 2018 President of the
Georgia Sheriffs’ Associa
tion (elected by my peers)
2017 - 2018 Served on
POST Council - Cer
tification Committee
2017 Spoke to the Georgia
Senate on behalf of ALL Law
Enforcement Officers in the
State on L.E. Appreciation
Day (chosen by represen
tatives of all L.E. Agencies)
2017 Georgia Sheriff of the
Year (chosen by my peers)
2018 - Presently serv
ing on Jail Management
Training Committee (ap
pointed by my peers)
2020 Task Force Investigation
of Missing Person/Murder
2020 COVTD-19 Pandemic
Leading a Law Enforcement
Agency and Managing a Jail
during this crisis has been a
constantly evolving learning
experience!!
Roy Lewis
Incumbent Roy Lewis Post
1 County Commission is be
ing challenged by Terrence
Fannin.
1. What do you feel are
the major issues facing
the county?
Peach county is going to
face several issues moving
forward. I think the prima
ry issue is going to be road
maintenance, resurfacing
and stormwater. Peach
County has 234 miles of
roads to maintain and
roughly 468 miles of ditches.
Most of the work put forth
since the early 90’s was
focused on getting all of our
dirt roads paved. Since that
time many of the first paved
roads have started to dete
riorate and we still have at
least three dirt roads in need
of paving. Each year Peach
County spends between
$500,000 and $750,000
on road and drainage items
mostly funded through
SPLOST projects. This does
not include Public Works
employees that are paid
from general fund revenues.
This year Peach County will
spend close to $1.5 million
on some major drainage is
sues. SPLOST funding alone
is not enough to cover these
projects moving forward and
we need to find affordable
alternatives.
As Peach County continues
to grow, we as commission
ers must be aware of traffic
congestion along state and
local roads. Through my
service on the WRATS Com
mittee we have brought to
GDOT’s attention the need
for better ingress and egress
at the I-75 Highway 49 inter
changes and I-75 Highway
247 interchanges. We need
to continue to work with
GDOT on multiple projects
that will improve traffic
flow in and through Peach
County including: Highway
42 extension to White Road,
Widening US Highway 41
from Watson Boulevard to
Highway 96, widening High
way 96 from I-75 to Fort
Valley By-Pass and extend
the Highway 49 By-Pass
from Highway 49 to High
way 96. These projects are
long term projects that will
eliminate congestion and
enhance economic oppor
tunities. Internally we must
look at connector road that
connect our citizens to other
areas of the county and work
including White Road, Mo
seley Road, Lakeview Road
and Walker Road.
Economic development
is a key issue facing every
community including Peach
County. Peach County must
achieve a better balance
between residential, com
mercial, and industrial
development. Achieving
this balance will lessen the
tax burden on homeowners.
Peach County has four exists
along I-75 that can breathe
life into our community. The
emergence of online retail
ing has slowed the growth of
commercial real estate in our
county and the surrounding
area. Peach County needs
to continue to promote our
community through the I-75
corridor initiative. This ini
tiative is focused on bringing
retail, dining, hotels, tour
ism, and industrial projects
to the areas. While we have
made some improvement in
this area, there is still more
to be accomplished.
Education and training are
another key area that Peach
County must improve. A
well trained and educated
work force is vital to success
in recruiting industry to our
community. A trained and
educated workforce is also
less likely to fall victim to the
pitfalls of poverty. Through
education and training, we
can lift people out of pov
erty and move them up the
ladder of success.
2. What do you bring to
the table if elected?
I think the biggest asset
I bring to the table is my
education and experience.
For the last thirty-five years
I have worked in the private
sector managing budgets,
projects, and resources.
I learned the value of a
dollar and work every day to
maximize the return on in
vestment. I try to bring that
same mentality to serving
the people of Peach Coun
ty. I am graduate of Middle
Georgia State University
with a Bachelor of Science
in Business Management.
Combining education with
practical business experi
ence allows me to navigate
through the sometimes-chal
lenging decisions that must
be made. The commissioners
and I have managed budgets
during difficult economic
times, such as the 2008 eco
nomic crisis, 2016 downturn
and now the 2020 pan
demic. Each time, you gain
insights into the problems
and better understand how
to navigate through them.
I have always sought to set
aside resources in the good
times to make sure we have
resources to get us through
the difficult ones. I never
want to have to ask for ad
ditional taxes when families
are experiencing unemploy
ment, struggling to feed their
family or make the monthly
rent or mortgage payment.
My experience preparing
budgets for my employer has
carried over into my role as
county commissioner. I am
up to date on all the various
revenue sources available to
the county and work to rec
ognize how changes in the
economy influence revenues
and expenses. I make it a
practice to never spend short
term funds that have reoc
curring consequences. I also
work to ensure we do not
make mid budget decisions
that have long term conse
quences.
For fifteen years I have
served as Peach County’s
representative on the War
ner Robins Area Transpor
tation Study (WRATS). The
WRATS study area includes
all of Houston County,
Northern and Eastern
portions of Peach County,
including Byron. WRATS
meets quarterly to get up
dates on GDOT projects that
fall within the WRATS area.
WRATS plans and coordi
nates transportation im
provements for the WRATS
study area for the long haul
(20-30 years).
3. What would you like
to see changed?
When it comes to change,
I would like to see more
citizen involvement and
interaction between com
missioners and the citizens.
I want them to understand
the decision-making process
and know where tax money
is being spent. Late in 2019
the board of commissioners
decided that we would have
quarterly town halls in each
of the four districts to just
meet and discuss all issues
in an informal meet and
greet. The first one was held
in February in Post 4.1 was
in the process of planning
a Post 1 town hall when
Covid-19 hit. I hope that
when things return to nor
mal that this plan is revived,
and citizens will take advan
tage of the meetings, if for
no other reason just to get to
know their elected officials.
4. Accomplishments:
As I look back over my
time on the Board of Com
missioners (BOC), we have
many things we can be
proud of and some reflec
tions on some things we may
could have done better. We
improved county finances
without raising taxes. The
county has reserves (rainy
day funding) of just over
three months, which is
right in line with the state’s
recommendations. The
staff does an excellent job
of following GASB guide
lines and every year we get
clean audits on the handling
of county finances. Peach
County’s pension programs
are fully funded. The next of
BOC will have a good basis
to keep Peach County mov
ing forward.
Peach County has made
significant improvements in
Public Safety. Courthouse
security is continually up
grading under the direction
of Sheriff Deese. We now
have fulltime security, secu
rity cameras, secured doors
and limited building access
points. The Peach County
jail underwent an extensive
remodeling and expansion
providing more space and
security for our inmates and
staff. The BOC has been very
consistent with the mainte
nance and replacement of
patrol vehicles ensuring that
deputies arrived safely and
on time to their next call.
Most of the county now
has an ISO of four, meaning
lower insurance rates for
our citizens. This is all made
possible through a team
effort, beginning with the
citizens, and ending with
our public safety employees
working on the front lines.
We have added a new fire
station at Powersville and a
new Public Safety Complex
/ fire station on Highway34i
housing Emergency Man
agement, EMS, and Fire. A
third fire station will break
ground later this year in
the Clopine Lake Road
area. Every year we pro
vide lifesaving equipment
to fire and EMS. All Peach
County ambulances are now
equipped with equipment
that transmits data directly
to the hospital, so doctors
are prepared to attend the
patient immediately upon
arrival. Peach county has
now added over 20 Tornado
Warning sirens throughout.
Upgrades to our 911 system
now allow your location to
be tracked to your cell phone
in case of emergency. Cur
rent systems added to 911
can now broadcast all types
of public safety alerts by
phone or text message that
provide information vital to
your safety.
While many communities
have lost their hospital,
Peach County is fortunate
to have kept its hospital
open, but also to get a new
facility due to a partner
ship between Peach County
and Navicent Health. I am
excited for the future of
medicine in Peach County.
The hospital can provide
lifesaving care, x-rays, blood
screening, rehab, and many
other services that we use to
have to travel outside of the
county for.
Peach has also improved
its recreational facilities and
North Peach Park has dou
bled in size. We have added
baseball fields specifically for
T-ball, tennis courts, play
ground equipment, picnic
pavilions, walking trails and
splash pads. North Peach
Park is source of pride for
many in our community. I
love see people utilizing the
facilities and adding their
own gardens and monu
ments. We look forward to
improving both of our parks.
Peach has nearly com
pleted the paving of all our
dirt roads except for three
mentioned earlier. I look
forward to completing these
roads, developing plans for
new resurfacing projects,
and improving stormwater
throughout the county.
We are also excited about
the economic progress the
county is making. Pure
Flavor green houses and
distribution center are
now fully operational. The
new Buc-ee Travel Center
opening on Russell Parkway
should be a kick start to the
I-75 corridor, while provid
ing full and part time jobs
to middle Georgia. For the
first time ever, Peach County
now has a fully funded and
staffed Economic Develop
ment team promoting Peach
County, growing jobs, and
the tax base.
As your commissioner, I
have always worked to en
sure Peach County managed
its resources well and was
not too intrusive on your
finances. I always return
phone calls and emails.
Feel free to contact me if
you have an issue that you
need my help with. I can be
reached at 478-396-5803
or by email at roy-lewis@
peachcounty.net
Terrence Fannin
Terrence Fannin says though
he is not originally from
Byron, however he fell in love
with this vibrant city. “I fell
in love with Byron while I
was working as a realtor and
showing houses here.”
1. Major issues?
One of the major issues is
flooding in our area. When
ever there is heavy rainfall,
it floods and washes out the
roadways. Some citizens can’t
leave their homes and some
even have to file an insurance
claim due to damages caused
to their personal property. An
other issue I would like to ad
dress has to do with projects
being completed in a timely
manner. It has taken some of
these projects up to five years
to be completed and that is
too long. There also needs to
be more transparency in our
community.
2. Why should you be
elected?
Being a new-comer in the
community, I am excited to
listen to the concerns of the
citizens and pay close atten
tion to those in the commu
nity that have wanted these
issues addressed in the past.
I will bring new ideas for
growth to our community that
will promote business oppor
tunities and revenue for our
county.
3. Changes you’d like?
I would like to see a recre
ation center for our youth and
see change in the promptness
in regards to projects getting
done without straining the
budget. We need a plan for
health and safety prepared
ness.
Betty Hill
Betty Hill, incumbent Post 3
is being challenged by Barbara
Sessiet, who did not respond.
As a commissioner for the
past three years she says
working together they have
improved working relation
ships between the county, Fort
Valley and Byron.
Other accomplishments she
listed: The completion of the
water and sewage project to
Southwest Peach.
• Improved waste manage
ment.
• New industries to Peach
County with jobs.
• First Buc-ee’s in Georgia.
• Positive state recognition
from GDOT.
• Soon to be new fire station
on Norwood Springs road.
• Plans to build animal
shelter.
• Soon to complete S. Peach
Park new entrance, and to add
new playground equipment
and other upgrades to the
park.
(BOE candidates next week.)