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VENT
www.MyMCR.net/vent
Political preference does
not have anything to do
with what kind of person
you are or your job as
board member. Also, just
because a person declines
to tell you their political
preference doesn’t mean
they voted for Hillary. A
persons political prefer
ence is their business and
is not yours, votes: 15
Is that Elmer Fudd or Bar
ney Fife on the front page
of The Reporter? If that
isn t the best argument for
gun control, I don t know
what is! votes: 12
John Ambrose said it best
at the BOE debate: ‘ Ya’II
have been there too long.
Things need to change.
I couldn’t agree more,
votes: 11
WILL the assault weapon
give away come with a
background check? Naw,
just march right in and out
with a gun. In awe of such
a stupid question, votes:
10
Will the assault weapon
give away come with a
background check? We
don’t need this rhetoric
in our community. Give
something that creates
unity, not decisiveness,
votes: 10
So, Mr. Head is interested
in the school board be
cause of the impact it has
on local businesses? How
convenient! votes: 10
Thank you Katie Whitley
for being so amazing! You
have brought so much to
our town. Simply Dance is
the best! votes: 9
Former graduates who
end up in jail are responsi
ble for their own behavior
that lands them there.
Perfect or imperfect, that
is not the school systems
fault, votes: 9
TSPLOST, SPLOST TAXES.
Emami is right. I’m tired of
the taxes. People living on
fixed incomes are having a
hard time and taxes keep
going up locally. Trump
cuts taxes and county
people keep raising them.
TIRED OF TAXES, votes: 8
After reading the story
about the BOE debate, I
have one conclusion: Nolen
voted for Hillary, votes: 8
The MCR will NOT allow
me, a gay man, to defend
himself against a homo-
phobic vent. Whos silenc
ing who?? votes: 8
It’s obvious someone is
loading the vent with anti-
Will comments and then
getting his/her friends to
like the posts. The wording
is the giveaway, votes: 7
Culloden govt, has a
snake in the grass, votes: 7
So taking your kids on a
3-week-long vacation
helps with their schooling?
OK! votes: 7
People in Monroe County
are so Party divided. It
used to be ONE nation
under GOD. NOW It’s
NO nation under SATAN!
votes: 6
We, the true Christian
community, want to thank
God for Will Davis taking
a stand to expose sins of
the old B.O.E. members
who paid Superintendent,
A. PACK to leave after
he was caught exposing
himself. Why wasn t this
mentioned during the de
bate. Amnesia? votes: 6
The school board nor the
superintendent hasn t
made a good school
system. It’s the teachers,
parapros, secretaries, and
parent coordinators. The
ones that get paid next
to nothing. Can assure
you they could not do it
without them? votes: 6
Exporter
Page 3A
Howard, Bearden vie for city council
Former mayor
wants to help
economic
development
By Diane Glidewell
news's'mymcr.net
John T. Howard II said
he had no intention of
getting back into local
politics any time soon,
but the untimely death
of city council member
Dexter King made him
start thinking other
wise. Howard decided to
become a candidate to
serve the rest of King’s
term on council, which
extends through Dec. 31,
2019.
“I was concerned
about who would take
his place. He pushed
through a lot of things
I was passionate about,
like the Boys & Girls
Club,” said Howard. “A
good friend of mine is
gone, and I feel someone
needs to take his place.”
Howard was elected
mayor of Forsyth in Nov.
2011 and held that office
from Jan. 2012 until
Dec. 2015. He said that
he and King grew up in
the same Forsyth neigh
borhood and had been
friends since childhood,
having a great deal of
respect for each other
and having many of
the same goals for their
hometown.
“I will be forever
grateful for the role he
played,” said Howard.
Howard said he feels
he left the city in good
shape financially when
his term as mayor ended
and that the city has
gained momentum since
then and is growing. He
is proud of his role in
moving Forsyth to a city
manager structure of
government and in char
tering the city’s Conven
tion & Visitor’s Bureau.
When he left office
he told Eric Wilson,
the new mayor, that he
would “support him and
stay out of his business.”
After a year, he accepted
a request to serve on the
CVB board of directors
and has done so since
Jan. 2017, serving as vice
chair. He is proud of the
way the CVB has “put
Forsyth on the map,”
including ads in South
ern Living and Atlanta
Magazine, and the way it
has worked to improve
the city economically.
“I’ve learned a lot about
how to make the city
grow [from serving on
the CVB board],” said
Howard.
Howard is a Mary Per
sons graduate. He served
in the U.S. Air Force
from 1990-93, attended
Fort Valley State Uni
versity, and then served
in the U.S. Army from
1995-98. He worked
with the Forsyth Police
Department and then
moved into a technol
ogy career in 2005. He
now owns the T. Howard
Agency at 40 N. Harris
Street, offering financial
services including life,
health, disability and
retirement insurance. He
and his wife, Tara, have
a son who is a rising ju
nior at Fort Valley State
University. His daughter
passed away from cancer
while he was serving as
Forsyth’s mayor.
Bearden wants Forsyth to get most for its money
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
After following Forsyth
city government closely
for many years, Ronald
Bearden has decided
to run for a seat on city
council. He has lived in
Forsyth since 1993, mov
ing here from Barnes-
ville, where he graduated
from Gordon Military
Academy and earned his
Associate degree from
Gordon College. In 1984
he completed his Bach
elor’s at Tift College.
Bearden’s move to
Forsyth came after he
married Becky Zellner
Smith, whose father had
a business on the square
and whose mother was a
long-time local teacher.
After retiring from a ca
reer in construction, he
started a second career
in commercial sales for
Lowe’s, working out of
the Zebulon Road store.
He retired from Lowe’s
in January 2016 and has
been traveling and enjoy
ing life, including his six
grandchildren. But he
feels there are things he
would like to see the city
accomplish and that he
can help the city move in
the right direction by be
ing part of city council.
Bearden researched
Forsyth’s project on
Railroad Avenue, which
began about 2006, for
months and spoke to
council about his find
ings and questions a
number of times. He
said the final results on
Railroad Ave. are good,
but the city could have
done it for a lot less
than the $750,000 it
spent. He feels there are
many areas, especially
in the city’s infrastruc
ture, where the money
could have been better
spent.
“We need new sewer
lines throughout the
city. There are a lot of
leaks around town,”
said Bearden. “We
need to put money into
infrastructure when pos
sible.”
He said that perhaps
the biggest mistake the
city made was buying
the cable and that he
fought it from the time
of purchase.
“It was losing for
years,” said Bearden.
“The city shouldn’t be in
a private business.”
He said the present
council has done much
better controlling spend
ing than the councils he
watched in the past. He
was against privatizing
garbage pick-up and
has had problems with
Advanced Disposal since
it took over the city’s
garbage service.
Bearden feels like he
can help the city with
knowledge he gained
working in construction.
For example, he can offer
better understanding
of bids for repairs on
the American Legion
building, give insight in
evaluating sites for the
new city hall, and work
through the Housing
Authority to help low-
income homeowners
qualify for grants for
repairs.
“There are a great num
ber of homeowners here
who are low income,”
said Bearden. “Once you
complete home repairs,
it gives an individual
pride and helps the com
munity. It is one of the
programs I would love to
work with.”
He said he will be talk
ing to as many Forsyth
residents as he possibly
can, knocking on a lot of
doors so that he can let
people know where he
stands. He has already
enjoyed the opportu
nity of hearing concerns
from people and relaying
them to the city admin
istration. He invites all
citizens to contact him
and talk with him about
their city.
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DEADLINE: 5 PM • Thursday • May 17, 2018
PUBLICATION DATE: Wednesday, May 23, 2018