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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 29. 2009 — PAGE 3A
Meet the Candidates
A look at who is on the Madison County municpal ballots Tuesday
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews. com
While 2009 is considered
an “off’ election year for
most major political races,
voters will get to have their
say in four local municipal
races on the ballot Tuesday,
including the mayor’s seats in
Danielsville and Comer.
Here is a brief look at those
seeking seats at city council
tables on Nov. 3:
DANIELSVILLE
Glenn Cross
Glenn Cross has served as
mayor of Danielsville for the
past 12 years and is a long
time resident, having lived in
the town since 1971.
He and his wife, Joan, have
three grown children and eight
grandchildren.
Cross is proud of
Danielsville’s progress over
the last decade - particularly
that the town has not raised
its tax rate.
“That was part of the plat
form I ran on in 1997,” Cross
said. “I wanted to build up
Danielsville with a few busi
nesses, while keeping the
small-town charm.”
“I think I’ve helped achieve
that,” he added.
He says he feels Danielsville
is a progressive town, which
holds on to its small-town
feel.
“We want to continue to
keep taxes down, welcome
businesses, and offer services
such as water and garbage
pickup as efficiently as pos
sible without an additional tax
burden on our citizens,” he
said.
Cross noted that there are a
lot of senior citizens on fixed
incomes and that unemploy
ment is high, another reason
to strive to keep costs down.
“I’ve been a working mayor
all these 12 years,” he said,
adding that he tries to call
back anyone who calls him
with a problem and work to
get it settled as quickly as
possible, as well as helping
with things such as limb pick
up after a storm and checking
on senior citizens.
Philip Croya
Philip Croya is relatively
new to political office, having
just won a seat at Danielsville’s
council table in March, but
feels he’s ready to make a run
for mayor.
“I want to move (the city)
forward from last year,”
Croya said, referring to the
arrest of former long-time
city clerk Michelle Dills, who
pled guilty last September to
felony theft.
“I’m ready to step up to the
plate and help that happen,”
he said, adding that he wants
to see the city prosper.
Croya and his wife, Janet,
have one son, 6-year old
Keegan. Croya is the assis
tant transportation director for
Madison County Schools.
“I like (living in) Danielsville
because I know everyone and
everyone knows me,” he said.
“The citizens of Danielsville
are great people.”
COMER
Billy Burroughs
Billy Burroughs has served
as Comer’s mayor for the past
eight years and is a lifelong
resident of the small town.
He is married to Lori
Burroughs and has two chil
dren. Burroughs says he can
identify with those who are
struggling in a tough econo
my because he was recently
laid off from his maintenance
job.
Burroughs said since he is
around Comer more during
the day now, he tries to help
out by spending more time
with city workers.
Burroughs said he is proud
to have been mayor during
the city’s downtown project,
and hopes to continue to serve
as mayor as Comer works on
the next phase - the travel
museum.
He says he’d also like over
see more improvements on
the town’s infrastructure.
“We have improved water
quality over the last four
years, but there are sewer and
water lines that still need fix
ing up,” he said.
“I just enjoy helping people
out,” Burroughs added.
David McMickle
David McMickle is a new
comer to political office and a
relative newcomer to Comer,
having lived in the town for
the past two years.
McMickle and his wife,
Beth, have three children
Glenn Cross
incumbent
Danielsville mayor
Philip Croya
challenger
Danielsville mayor
between them. The two are
still newlyweds, having mar
ried in May of this year.
While he has never held
an elected office, McMickle
does feel he brings some
experience in dealing with
government, having served as
chairman of the Royal Oaks
Homeowners’ Organization.
“That sparked an interest (in
politics),” he said.
McMickle, who served in
the Army for 20 years, said
he made the decision to retire
and move to the area in order
to be close to his sons, who
live nearby in Hull.
He said he did a lot of
research on the area before
deciding to settle in Comer.
“I saw changes that could
be made in Comer,” he said of
his decision to seek the office
of mayor. “I’d like for govern
ment to listen to the people of
Comer, not just to friends.”
“(The mayor) has to rep
resent the people of Comer,”
McMickle added. “We’ve got
to get rid of personal agendas
and get back to doing what’s
best for Comer.”
McMickle teaches a junior
ROTC program at Clarke
Central High School.
“I just want to do a good
job,” McMickle said. “I’m not
trying to change Comer, I just
want to make it better.”
HULL
Paige Phillips
Paige Phillips has lived in
Hull for the past 14 years and
works for the Watkinsville
Post Office. This is her first
run for a political office. She
says Mayor Paul Elkins, who
is her neighbor, had asked her
about running several years
ago, but at the time she felt
she was too busy with chil
dren and work to take on the
Paige Phillips
candidate
Hull City Council
responsibility.
Phillips and her husband
Nathan, have two children,
Ben, 20, who’s in college and
Katie Jane, 14. With the kids
a little older now, Phillips said
she’s ready to offer her ser
vices as a council member.
“I just think it would be
good to get a different opinion
in there - I see Hull continu
ing to grow,” she said. “I’m
not moving, Hull is home to
me and my family.”
Phillips said she’s known
for a while that Hull has had a
hard time filling vacant coun
cil seats and she feels it’s time
for her to do her part.
“I want to help work to
make Hull a better place,”
she said.
Paul Cook
Current council mem
ber Paul Cook could not be
reached for input for this
article.
COLBERT
Ellyn Trinrud
This is Ellyn Trinrud’s
second attempt for a seat at
Colbert’s council table. She
ran and lost her bid for a vacat
ed council seat in March.
She and husband Carl moved
to Colbert 11 years ago.
Billy Burroughs
incumbent
Danielsville mayor
Ellyn Trinrud
candiate
Colbert City Council
“For almost 11 years I have
attended council meetings and
become a known supporter of
those who care for and over
see our city,” she said. “They
have always known they can
ask for help and I am ready
to pitch in. I’m ready to sit
on the other side of the coun
cil table and work hard for
Colbert.”
“As we lose our mayor of 40
years, it will take the work of
many to cover all that he took
on himself,” she added. “I am
very aware of this and believe
my enthusiasm will set us in
forward motion.”
Trinrud said she intends to
seek out resources that pro
mote economic opportunities
for Colbert.
“I believe to really honor
Colbert’s past, we need to
plan and protect its future,”
she said.
Tim Wyatt
Tim Wyatt has lived in
Colbert for the past nine
years. He and wife, Cheri,
have two kids, Samantha, 16,
and Michael, 11.
Wyatt works as a driver for
McLane Southeast and also
serves as fire chief for Colbert
Volunteer Fire Department.
Wyatt said he’s never sought
David McMickle
challenger
Comer mayor
Tim Wyatt
candidate
Colbert City Council
political office, but has had
several people ask him to run
for city council in the past,
and he decided the time was
right to do it.
“I really love Colbert, so I
figure I can do more to help
out in my community,” Wyatt
said.
Reginald Hunter
Reginald Hunter has never
sought political office before
either, but says he decided to
run for city council because
he likes helping people and
he likes Colbert, which has
been his home for the past 25
years.
Hunter is a minister and
also works for the Athens -
Clarke county fire marshal’s
office. He and wife, Veronica,
have four children and five
grandchildren.
Hunter says he doesn’t want
to change the city’s rich heri
tage and atmosphere, but that
he feels there are things that
can be done to improve the
city as a whole, such as imple
menting a sewer system.
“I like the community here
and have always felt safe,”
Hunter said. “Colbert is a
great place to raise a family.”
No photo was available for
Hunter.
Hull resident notifies BOC about dirty water
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Melissa Atkinson of
Windsor Heights Subdivision
behind Ingles is tired of see
ing her child bathe in water
the color of tea. Sheets and
clothes have been ruined
and her tub and toilet have
been stained by dark county
water.
“This is what it looks like
when it comes out of the
tap,” Atkinson told commis
sioners, placing a jar of mud-
colored water on the BOC’s
meeting table.
Commissioner Mike
Youngblood opened the jar
and sniffed. Others watched
as the sediment sank to
the bottom of the jar. All
appeared disturbed by the
dark water.
“I think it’s some type of
algae,” said commissioner
Bruce Scogin, noting that he
didn’t feel it was an iron-
content problem.
Atkinson said the problem
started after Madison County
took over maintenance of the
Hull water lines around her
house about five years ago.
The lines used to be main
tained by the Athens-Clarke
Unified government. She said
the murky water has been an
on-again, off-again problem,
but that it’s getting worse.
Atkinson said she has
repeatedly sought help from
the county’s water mainte
nance director, whom she
said has been friendly but
unable to solve the ongoing
problem. She asked commis
sioners for help correcting the
problem and she also asked
the board to fund water test
ing by an independent agency
at her house and other homes
with water quality problems
in the subdivision.
Youngblood suggested that
there may be a break in the
water line in or near the subdi
vision. He said that he, BOC
chairman Anthony Dove and
industrial authority executive
director Marvin White will
meet on the matter and try to
correct the problem.
The Madison County
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