Newspaper Page Text
October 29, 2008
Reporter
PAGE 15B
Debate
Zapareo Glover at Dairy
Queen. In 2006, Milam’s
office had reached a plea
agreement with
Rounsoville of less than a
year in a detention center
and probation after being
caught with a stolen car in
Forsyth. Milam said it was
an unfair question because
the kid was only 18 at the
time and they had no idea
he would do what he did.
This time, said Milam, he’s
promised Glover he will
make sure he stays in
prison a long, long time.
He said Glover has shown
great grace rather than
vengefulness toward the
assailant.
On his performance:
Milam said his office is
doing a very good job. He
said his door is always
open and that he will meet
with anyone.
On sharing deputies
with other counties:
Milam and Martin both
agreed it is a good idea for
deputies from the different
counties the meet in High
Falls (Lamar, Monroe and
Butts) to be deputized in
the other counties.
On technology: Milam
said his office has lots and
lots of computers, and that
they use a top-line prose
cuting software system to
track cases.
On his candidacy:
Milam asked voters to
remember above all that
being DA is not an hon
orary position, but a real
job that requires study,
days in training and days
in court sessions. “You
have to go the extra mile,”
sid Milam. “I have the
drive and desire to do
that.”
Here are Martin’s com
ments:
On why she’s running:
Martin said she’s always
dreamed of being DA but
couldn’t run because her
husband was a defense
lawyer. Before he died he
told her to follow her
dreams, and she said that’s
what she’s doing.
On plea bargains:
People complain about plea
bargaining but sometimes
it’s necessary because it’s
imposible to try all the
cases, said Martin.
On the workload:
Martin aimed to shoot
down any doubts that she
couldn’t handle the job.
She said she’s a workaholic
who’s managed a law
office, has worked in courts
all over Georgia and said
she’s been to Atlanta five of
the last 11 days for court.
“I don’t think it will be
that difficult of a job,” said
Martin.
On her assistants:
Martin said she’d let her
assistant district attorneys
work across county lines
rather than having them
be assigned to only one
county. She said she can
not say who she would hire
as her assistants but said
one person who’s interest
ed is George Hartwig, who
lost the GOP primary
against Milam. “He’s a
damn good prosecutor,”
said Martin. Hartwig was
in attendance at the
debate. Martin said anyone
who works in her office
will have to earn their pay
and said it may be diffi
cult.
On facing Milam: Asked
if she and Milam had ever
faced off in court, Martin
said she defended a client
in a child molestation case
and won on all counts,
though the defendant was
found guilty of a misdeme-
naor.
On her candidacy: “If
you’re looking for a breath
of fresh air in politics I am
it,” said Martin. She said
she isn’t planning to criti
cize what Milam has done,
saying he’s been on the job
eight years and his record
speaks for itself. “If you
like him, re-elect him,”
said Martin. Martin said
whatever she says, she
thinks.
“If it comes up, it comes
out,” said Martin. “I’m hon
est.”
Board of
Education
Judy Pettigrew, Robert
Lee Watson and Sonya
Williams square off In the
race for District 4 on the
board of education. District
4 encompasses northern
Monroe County including
High Falls and Blount.
Pettigrew is retired from
the Butts County school
system where he helped
the system get its accredi
tation. She is currently a
part-time probation officer.
Asked about how she
would deal with bad teach
ers, she said when she
was in schools it was hard
to fire one if you didn’t do
it in those first years.
Pettigrew said the board
shouldn’t be hiring and fir
ing but should leave that
up to the administrators.
Asked about the school
system’s 33 percent
increase the past seven
years, Pettigrew said
schools have to have the
money to run the schools,
but said she can’t speak to
the budget the school
board has because she’s
not there.
Robert Lee Watson is a
Monroe County native who
moved back home after
spending 40 years in
Chicago. He is currently a
substitute teacher.
Watson said he’d like to
see the school board get
more people involved in
the schools by holding
meetings in different parts
of the county. Asked about
the budget, he said he was
n’t quite ready to address
that subject. About the
new district lines, he said
no children should have
pass one elementary school
on their way from their
home to another one.
An employee in the
Monroe County Building
Department, Sonya
Williams said she has spe
cial insight into the impor
tance of the school system
because she moved to
Monroe from Clayton
County to get her kids into
the school system. She said
the board should be a link
between parents and
teachers and principals.
Asked about the new
school district lines, she
said her kids already have
long bus rides and she
thinks kids should go to
the school that is closest to
their home so kids are not
sleepy when they get to
school.
Incumbent Tammy
Fletcher is squaring off
against Clete Sanders in
the race for District 6 on
the board of education.
District 6 covers the south
ern end of the county
including Bolingbroke and
Smarr.
Fletcher works in the fed
Sanders
asset to the board. My work experience will be benefi
cial in financial and transportation matters. My civic
duties tie me closely to the education process and seek
ing academic excellence.
Vision: My vision for the school system is continued
success while setting and achieving even higher goals in
all areas.
Most important issues: school budget, maintain
high quality of teachers and staff, out of county students,
classroom size, growth, discipline, transportation
eral court system and her
husband Jim is the phar
macist at CVS in Forsyth.
Fletcher said she’s proud of
the county’s world class
school system but said
they can improve. She said
new superintendent
Anthony Pack is doing a
wonderful job.
Asked about failing
teachers, Fletcher said she
thinks first administrators
should use encouragement
to try to improve perform
ance. However, she said
the county has mostly
great teachers because so
many people want to teach
here. “We get to pick and
choose,” said Fletcher.
Asked about the rapid
growth in the school sys
tem’s budget, Fletcher said
the school board works
hard to stay ahead of the
population growth, noting
that some classrooms
exceed the class-size maxi
mum. She said the budget
is the hardest thing the
board has to do and said
85 percent of it goes to pay
salaries. She said the
schools want to remain
competitive and said they
have one of the lowest
property tax rates in
Middle Georgia.
About the new school dis
trict lines, Fletcher said
she doesn’t want kids pass
ing one school on their way
to their assigned school.
But she said it’s also
important that each school
is representative of the
community’s population.
Ansley Hunt asked about
girls being kicked off of
cheerleading teams for get
ting pregnant when boys
participating in teen preg
nancies aren’t punished.
Fletcher agreed it was a
problem and said everyone
should be treated the
same.
Clete Sanders is a Mary
Persons and Georgia
Southern graduate who
owns a trucking business.
His wife is a teacher in the
school system. He said he’s
proud of the school sys
tem’s test scores but said
the schools should compare
themselves to the best in
the state.
Asked about teachers not
performing, he said teach
ers have to be accountable
and if they’re not getting
the job done, the board has
an obligation to the tax
payers to replace them. He
added that it’s a very small
number, because Monroe
County is blessed to have
strong teachers with a very
low turnover rate.
Asked about the budget
increases, Sanders said it
has gone up and said he
supported the SPLOST
sales tax to get revenue
from people coming
through.
Asked whether they’d
support drug testing for
Mary Persons athletes, all
school board candidates
said they thought it was a
good idea. Questioner Gina
Herring said she under
stands that is done in
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