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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 14. 2020
Continued From 1A
Tucker
my sister and I spent time
going from foster home to
foster home. When I was 14,
I was adopted by Steve Lowe
which was the youth minister
at Talking Rock First Baptist
Church. Steve and Wendy
raised me like I was their
own son and showed me
what right looked like and
made sure there were conse
quences for bad decisions.
Upon graduation in 2001 and
in the wake of the 9/11 terror
attacks, I joined the US
Army. While in the Army, as
a tank commander, I de
ployed three times to Iraq in
support of Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Upon being honor
ably discharged I joined the
Savannah Chatham Metro
Police Department
(SCMPD). I have been in law
enforcement for almost 14
years and throughout that
time I have served on many
specialized units to include
traffic unit, crime suppres
sion unit, K-9 unit and SWAT
team leader. Throughout my
career I’ve worked closely
with the DEA, FBI and US
Marshals Fugitive Task Force
as we located and appre
hended some of our state’s
most violent criminals.
In 2015, I returned home
to serve our community and
took a position with the Pick
ens County Sheriff’s Office
as the only F1EAT and K9
unit in the entire state. While
at the sheriff’s office, I was
promoted ahead of my peers
to the rank of lieutenant in
charge of the Uniformed Pa
trol Division until December
2017 when I resigned to take
a position with a Fortune 500
company and work directly
with the US Army’s elite
75th Ranger Regiment. Iam
currently employed by Lock
heed Martin as a logistics
management analyst and a
reserve deputy with the Eff
ingham County Sheriffs Of
fice. I have the education,
training and experience to
progress our agency and pro
tect the community we all
love. With a Bachelors of
Science in Criminal Justice I
have the knowledge to ad
dress the wasteful spending
and repair the broken budget.
As we enter into uncertain
times in our community
there’s no room for waste. I
truly know the value of a dol
lar, especially your tax dol
lars. Since becoming a law
enforcement officer, I have
graduated college with hon
ors and attended 1,676 hours
of advanced law enforcement
training.
• What are the main rea
sons you want to be/con
tinue to be sheriff?
The reasons why I want to
be the next sheriff of our
community are really simple.
I have sat back long enough
and observed the comiption,
mismanagement and inability
to tackle complex issues that
have been plaguing our com
munity for decades. I want to
aggressively attack the grow
ing drug epidemic, balance
the broken budget, protect
our children and give allow
citizens their voices back, not
just the select few.
COVID-19 and resulting
business restrictions have
had severe impacts on the
economy. What are your
plans for next year’s budget
in light of these unprece
dented changes to our econ
omy?
COVID-19 has drastically
impacted our community and
state. My goal is to eliminate
all wasteful spending by en
suring every single one of
your tax dollars are spent
wisely. Since 2009 the cur
rent sheriff has been 1.7 mil
lion dollars over budget. In
2019 alone they were $470
thousand dollars over budget.
At what point do we hold our
elected officials accountable
for overspending? Over
spending will eventually lead
to increased millage rates that
will affect us all. Including,
many families affected by the
COVID crisis, as well as
those on a fixed income that
are already struggling to
make ends meet. My goal is
to ensure we work together
with community partners to
ensure no family goes with
out. I will personally donate
10 percent of my salary, as
well as 50 percent of the pro
ceeds from JeepFest back
into the families that are se
verely impacted by this pan
demic within our community.
High turnover rate has
been an issue in the sher
iff’s office. Do you feel cur
rent staff levels are
adequate? What will you
do to help retain high qual
ity officers?
Over the last five years,
the sheriff’s office has lost
115 deputies. The agency is
allotted 94 sworn and civilian
employees. Losing valuable
experienced deputies is not
only detrimental, but costly
to the agency. It costs approx
imately $35,000 to train a
new deputy. My goal is to
hire and retain only the best
candidates available. I would
place a priority on recruiting
by expanding the search area
to include all military bases
on the east coast. Through
community involvement, we
will identify and mentor our
local men and women who
love our community and pos
sess a passion for service to
their community. By recreat
ing the structure of the
agency, it will allow me the
ability to put more deputies
on the streets at a time. Cur
rently, the agency is ex
tremely top heavy while the
patrol officers have to work
extended shifts, long hours
with mandatory overtime and
little time for family. If a shift
is short, I will ensure that the
salaried command staff will
lead by example and work a
shift to eliminate unsafe con
ditions for our deputies.
The sheriff’s office operates
numerous programs, initia
tives, and events, many of
which have been well-re
ceived by the community.
How far does the role of the
sheriff’s office extended,
and how do these programs
fit into that role?
The sheriff’s office oper
ates many programs within
our community. My goal is to
continue all of them as long
as it is a justified need and
can be funded without de
pleting the budget. I would
like to create a position called
CSR (Community Service
Representative). This em
ployee will be my direct line
to the community. They will
conduct neighborhood meet
ings and identify needs in
every part of our community.
My goal is to build a better
relationship with every citi
zen in our community by
building trust and giving
them a voice. Our commu
nity is the best asset we have
in fighting crime and the drug
issues.
Do you have any specific
crime prevention/public
safety goals or initiatives?
What are some key areas of
need the sheriff’s office you
feel need attention in the
coming years?
One of the first changes I
will implement, is creating a
qualified and highly trained
Crime Suppression Unit.
This unit will solely focus on
the crime and drug issues in
our community. I have spo
ken with a local business and
they have agreed to donate
two fully trained K9s to our
community when I’m
elected. One of the K9s will
be a dual-purpose dog that
will be able to track wanted
suspects, locate illegal drugs
and apprehend violent sus
pects if necessary. The sec
ond K9 will be a search and
rescue dog. Many times, we
have situations where a citi
zen goes missing and time is
of the essence. With a search
and rescue K9 we will be
able to locate them rapidly
and possibly save a life. Over
the next year, I want to hire
or train a grant writer that can
locate and apply for appropri
ate grants that will offset the
cost to tax payers while help
ing us get much needed
equipment at little to no cost
to tax payers.
Lastly, I have the knowl
edge, training, education and
vast real-world law enforce
ment experience to make our
agency one of the best in the
state. Under my leadership,
our citizens will not have to
ever worry about their consti
tutional rights being taken
from them. In 2001, I raised
my right hand and swore to
defend our country against all
enemies both foreign and do
mestic as I enlisted into the
US Army. I have lived a life
of service to both my country
and my community so I
humbly ask for your vote for
sheriff so I can continue serv
ing a community I truly love.
Website
tuckerforsheriff.org
Continued From 1A
Finley
for 15 years.
What is the top or main
reason you decided to seek
such a low-paid and time
consuming job?
I want to continue serving
students, teachers, and par
ents. Because of my teaching
background, I am uniquely
qualified to make decisions
from the viewpoint of all
stakeholders.
COVID-19 and resulting
business restrictions have
had severe impacts on the
economy. How do you think
this will impact future
school system budgets, and
what are your plans for
next year’s budget?
Thanks to conservative
spending of previous boards
and superintendents in con
junction with our chief finan
cial officer, we have a robust
reserve to get us through next
year. The third year is the
question mark. Between now
and then the board will have
to consider what we can do to
“ride out the storm.” While
each department already op
erates from the mindset of
saving money and being the
best stewards possible of our
resources, I plan to support
the superintendent as he di
rects each department head to
revisit their budgets and de
termine what additional cuts
can be made now in prepara
tion for our lean third year
and possibly beyond.
High turnover rate among
top administrators has
been an issue in our sys
tem’s past and has been
linked to poor test scores,
among other problems.
With the recent hiring of a
new superintendent, how
will we build and maintain
consistent leadership?
We can have consistent
leadership by choosing a
qualified superintendent,
supporting him or her, and al
lowing that person to do their
job. In order to maintain con
sistent leadership, all board
members must remember
that the superintendent has
the education and experience
to lead our school system and
that the board is not to inter
fere in day-to-day operations
or to micromanage the super
intendent. I will continue to
uphold the highest ethical
standards.
What do you feel is the role
of the board to balance the
needs of teachers and the
needs of students, plus ac
commodating the desires of
parents?
The board should investi
gate what strategies other
systems around the country
are using based on the latest
available research and ana
lyze the data. From that in
formation, utilize the best
strategies and adapt them, if
necessary, to the needs of our
students, remembering that
one size does not fit all. Par
ents are a great resource.
They are able to make helpful
suggestions, because they
know their child better than
anyone else. When all is said
and done, we need to rely on
the professional opinions of
our classroom teachers. They
know what educational
strategies work best with
their students.
What criteria do you be
lieve is the best yardstick to
judge a school system?
While test scores can give
us good data, they are not the
only source of data regarding
educational progress. This
can be determined by work
samples and verbal feedback
as well. No matter where a
student scores on an arbitrary
scale, I believe the primary
yardstick should be: “Did my
student make progress this
year?” Most of my students
did pass their standardized
testing; however, even the
ones who did not “pass”
often times scored two and
three grade levels higher than
their scores the year before.
Those were the students of
whom I was most proud.
How do you feel Pickens
schools stack up against
other systems?
From the data I have seen
the last few years, the Pick
ens County School System is
close to the top, but there is
room for improvement. I in
tend to make us the # 1 school
system in our region by sup
porting the superintendent as
he provides our teachers with
the resources they need to
challenge our students to
reach for the stars.
What areas do you feel
could be improved within
the system?
The area we need to focus
on the most is teacher
morale. When Dr. Wilson be
came superintendent, our
teachers had either worked
for him or knew of him. Be
cause he had worked 20 plus
years in our system, they
knew he was a caring and
supportive administrator. I
believe Dr. Townsend also
has these qualities; however,
the teachers are cautiously
optimistic and will need time
to once again feel secure in
their jobs.
Continued From 1A
Pence
more at PHS. Alex has also
been a dual enrollment stu
dent at Chattahoochee Tech
nical College for the last
three years, where he is
working towards an associ
ate’s degree with welding as
his focus.
I have a Bachelor's of Fire
Administration. I have
worked and volunteered in
Pickens County and Tate
VFD; however, my career led
me to DeKalb County. Addi
tionally, I am a partner in a
real estate investment busi
ness, as well as a home im
provement company. I teach
classes for both government
and industry first responders
from across the nation in tac
tical decision making, inci
dent command, and technical
response.
I have volunteered in
many educational settings
and within our community. I
have volunteered to coach
numerous sports teams,
worked countless number of
hours in concession stands,
and taught at the high school
for the CTAE program. I re
cently served as the
PCMS/PJHS president of the
school advisory committee. I
have also served as the vice
chair of the board at North
Georgia Christian Academy.
What is the top or main
reason you decided to seek
such a low-paid and time
consuming job?
Well, after 20 years in the
fire service, I am used to fill
ing a role that is low-paid,
high-risk, and very time con
suming. But here I am 20
years later still enjoying serv
ing the citizens that I am
sworn to protect while not
being compensated at a high
rate. It is evident that I am
truly a community servant at
heart. Like the fire depart
ment, the role that the school
board plays in our commu
nity is about more than
money. It is about the better
ment of our kids and our
community. I believe that
well-educated children who
have vast opportunities
throughout the k-12 system
lead to a strong foundation
that will support and assist in
building the economy of
Pickens County. Having two
children currently in Pickens
County Schools has given me
a perspective that I believe is
currently missing on the
board. As a board member, I
believe I will offer a different
perspective—that of a parent.
COVID-19 and resulting
business restrictions have
had severe impacts on the
economy. How do you think
this will impact future
school system budgets, and
what are your plans for
next year’s budget?
There is no doubt that the
downturn in the state’s econ
omy will have a severe im
pact on the system’s budget.
With the House and Senate
Appropriation Chairs issuing
a joint memo in April in
structing all agencies to plan
for a 14% decrease, Pickens
stands to see a decrease of
over $3 million assuming
that percentage holds through
the budget process under the
gold dome. We could look to
decisions made during past
recessions for guidance, but
the truth of the matter is that
we are living in unprece
dented times. While the U.S.
Congress is considering addi
tional stimulus packages, we
must plan for the worst-case
scenario while praying for re
lief. The budget must focus
on the mission of the Pickens
County School System,
“With high expectations, we
will educate our students in a
safe and fiscally responsible
environment.”
Overall, board members
must remember that the
board itself should not create
the budget; instead, the board
has budget oversight and ap
proval. The board must en
sure that we have a qualified
superintendent in place that is
willing to have the difficult
conversations and make dif
ficult decisions while focus
ing on educating our
students. With the right peo
ple in place at the leadership
level, frivolous expenses that
the board allowed to occur
during previous administra
tions will not continue and
the tough decisions will be
made.
High turnover rate among
top administrators has
been an issue in our sys
tem’s past and has been
linked to poor test scores,
among other problems.
With the recent hiring of a
new superintendent, how
will we build and maintain
consistent leadership?
We must have a superin
tendent that is focused on the
mission of the system—edu
cating our children. Now that
Dr. Townsend has been se
lected, it is important the
board supports him and
maintains open dialogue. The
board’s support of the super
intendent does not mean that
I will always vote in favor of
his recommendations. How
ever, there must be a mutual
respect between system lead
ership and board members to
ensure that there is always a
good working professional
relationship with the students
as the center. Expectations
from both the board and the
superintendent must be
clearly set. From an outsider
looking in, a solid working
professional relationship be
tween board members and
prior administration has not
been evident.
Additionally, Dr.
Townsend must assess and
ensure that we have a strong
team at all levels. A great su
perintendent must be a leader
who supports the team in
order for them to in turn sup
port him but more impor
tantly to support of the
mission of the system. He
must ensure that not only are
the right people on the bus
but those people are in the
right seats. He will have dif
ficult conversations and
make difficult decisions to
build a team that will stay to
gether.
What do you feel is the role
of the board to balance the
needs of teachers and the
needs of students, plus ac
commodating the desires of
parents?
Being the only part of the
school system that is elected,
a board member serves as the
voice of the voters, which in
cludes parents, teachers, and
students. I recognize that no
decision concerning the poli
cies and rules will make all
teachers, students, parents
and community groups
happy. There will be local
controversies that require a
vote by the board that have
two very distinct sets of sup
porters. When you cast your
vote for me, you are entrust
ing that I will utilize my be
liefs, morals, ethics, and
knowledge of the situation to
make the best decision for
our students. I do not take
this responsibility lightly.
What criteria do you be
lieve is the best yardstick to
judge a school system?
How do you feel Pickens
schools stacks up against
other systems? What areas
do you feel could be im
proved within the system?
There must be more than
one metric that goes into the
a “yardstick” of judging a
school system. Some form of
standardized testing has been
the bedrock of measuring
school systems for many
years. However, this metric
becomes problematic be
cause no matter how hard a
teacher tries to avoid it, the
teacher will start to teach to
the test when that test deter
mines job performance. We
have witnessed this with our
kids even when they had
teachers that were really phe
nomenal. Many hours were
wasted in review for the test
or making sure the kids knew
how to take the test. Stan
dardized tests are often too
narrow of a measure of the
whole child’s education.
While standardized tests have
evolved since many of us
were in school, the tests do
not seem to be measuring the
child’s preparation to thrive
in today’s workforce after
graduation. Therefore, are
standardized tests really the
best measure of the system?
As long as those that control
the funding require standard
ized testing, we will be re
quired to continue them to
ensure the financial stability
of the system.
However, that does not
mean that we cannot use
other metrics to determine
the success of our kids.In
stead, we must find a way to
measure based on perform
ance-based testing also. We
must engage the community
as well as the teachers to en
sure that students have access
to real-world scenarios in
order to demonstrate a work
ing knowledge of the lessons
they have received.
Vote Right Vote Reeves
Elect Daniel Reeves for
Tax Commissioner
dreevesfortc@gmail.com