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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 14. 2021 — PAGE 3A
Meet the Candidates
Madison County BOC — District 3
Melanie Dove
Frank May
Marilyn Walton
•Please provide a brief
summary of your edu
cational/work/public ser
vice background.
I have held many high
ly demanding leadership
jobs, including work in real
estate, tourism, retail and
customer service, restau
rants and catering, office
manager, school nutrition
director and owner of
multiple businesses. The
most rewarding work has
always been in helping
people.
•What makes you the
best choice for this posi
tion?
I have lived in Madison
County all of my adult life.
Growing up, we lived right
on the Clarke/Madison
line. I graduated from
Prince Avenue Christian
School, then went on to
graduate from Athens
Technical College with a
degree in retail and mar
keting management. I have
seen the struggles of life
and the joys of working
hard in life, to get to where
you want to be.
We may all care about
the same issues, but at the
end of the day, I can get the
job done most effective
ly and efficiendy. I have
experience in government
paperwork on a local, state
and federal level. I have
experience in state and
federal grant paperwork.
I won multiple regional
awards year after year in
school in math and prob
lem solving. I enjoy chal
lenges and I enjoy solving
problems. I care about the
future of our great county
and I have a determined
mindset to get things done.
I also have the greatest
connection with the people
of Hull, because I own and
manage retail businesses
in Hull. So. I see a great
number of people on a
daily or weekly basis. I
never meet a stranger and
have a very approachable
personality. I am the most
reachable person there is.
Just come visit me, call
me or message me. I am
here for the residents and
business owners’ voices to
be heard.
•What are three concerns
you have for Madison
County? And if elect
ed, what will you do to
address those concerns?
Everything really goes
hand in hand as far as the
concerns I have. I believe
the biggest concern I have
for our county is infra
structure. Businesses need
sewer, schools need more
MELANIE DOVE
space and funding, parks
and rec need funding,
homeowners need better
internet, police, fire and
EMS need more funding,
roads need repair, and the
list goes on.
In order to fund all of the
projects that need attention,
we need revenues. I do not
want to keep increasing
homeowners, landown
ers and business owners’
property taxes. Rather, I
would like to generate tax
revenues from sales taxes.
The Hull district is the
supreme location to cap
italize on revenues from
travelers, without making
our citizens pay anything
extra. In order to get those
revenues, we need com
mercial businesses to build
on Hwy. 29 and Hwy. 72.
However, we need sewer,
good broadband internet,
etc. in order for businesses
to operate.
The counties around us
are doing a great job of
generating revenues and
keeping property owners’
taxes at a minimum. We
can take their lead and cap
italize on what they have
already started. I am all
for agriculture and keep
ing the county like home,
but there needs to be
some zoning put in place
for commercial areas. We
need a long-term plan to
keep our agriculture going
and small areas set aside
along major roadways for
commercial use.
I will work very hard to
budget properly and assist
in getting grants from the
state and federal govern
ment so we can develop
our sewer systems, water
lines, broadband internet
and roads. All of our pub
lic services can benefit
from the revenues gener
ated and growth we can
achieve. These are all the
vital infrastructures we
need to help our devel
oping county succeed for
future generations. Put me
to work and see what I can
do! I appreciate all of the
loyal supporters that have
encouraged me thus far.
Tuesday, Nov. 2 is when I
need your vote!
•Please provide a brief
summary of your educa
tional/work/public ser
vice background.
I am a loving father,
a devoted husband, and
a proud public-school
teacher. Above even these
things, I am a follower
of Christ, and have been
lucky enough to have been
instilled with unwavering,
conservative convictions
by my parents, who like
wise imparted upon me
a servant’s disposition.
These are the same values,
and the same lessons, my
beautiful wife Missy and
I are instilling in our own
two children today: prov
en values, conservative
values - values that work,
rooted in Christian char
ity, hard work, personal
responsibility, a love of
country, and doing things
the right way, always. I
was born and raised here
in Madison County, bleed
Raider red and gray, and
feel a deep-seated con
nection with the wonder
ful people who call the
hard clay and rolling hills
of Georgia’s Piedmont
home. It is because of
our conservative values,
and a strong desire to see
Madison County grow and
prosper while maintaining
who we are and where we
came from, that I decid
ed to enter the race for
District 3 Commissioner.
•What makes you the
best choice for this posi
tion?
Only one candidate in
this race has the expe
rience, the temperament,
and the cultivated rela
tionships that it takes to
help lead District 3. As
a teacher, and especial
ly as one who has been
responsible for teaching
children with special
needs, I have made a liv
ing solving problems on
the fly and working with
others to achieve difficult
goals. “Teaching is learn
ing,” as the saying goes,
and I always take every
opportunity to learn as
much as possible before
making decisions, in my
home, for my family, and
in the classroom. I will
do the same for the citi
zens of Madison County.
I will approach business
and policy decisions
with common sense and
a sense of responsibility
for the wellbeing of our
community. I’m running
to serve this great county
and will do so honestly
and responsibly. I am the
only candidate in this race
who will put the county’s
needs above my own. And
I am the only candidate
in this race with a proven
Interviews with city candidates will
be published in the Oct. 21 issue of
The Madison County Journal
IRON PIN
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FRANK MAY
track record of doing so.
•What are three con
cerns you have for
Madison County? And
if elected, what will you
do to address those con
cerns?
Road maintenance is an
area of concern for me. I
will work to ensure that
roads are improved and
maintained throughout the
county. As a bus driver at
the high school and Hull-
Sanford, I have driven
many poorly maintained
roads in the county. Some
are virtually impassable
when a heavy rain comes.
Our county continues to
grow and our road main
tenance must be able to
keep up with this growth.
Internet access is anoth
er area of concern for me.
I will work to ensure that
broadband internet access
is available throughout
the county to improve
students’ ability to work
remotely if necessary.
Available internet access
will help businesses thrive
as well... A century ago,
this country made a com
mitment to spreading tele
phone service — then, the
next big thing — across
the entire nation, includ
ing in rural areas. It’s high
time to pursue the same
thing for rural broadband.
Our county cannot com
pete for jobs, for wealth,
and for a better standard
of living without it.
Increased job oppor
tunities for residents is
a third area of concern.
So many workers in the
county are unemployed,
underemployed, or must
leave the county for work.
Increasing job opportuni
ties will improve the live
lihood of many residents.
We live in a beautiful,
friendly, rural community.
I will work to maintain
our small-town way of life
while improving upon the
lives and livelihoods of
our citizens.
Please provide a sum
mary of your educational/
work/public service back
ground.
I attended Clayton State
University in Morrow to
study computer support.
After a long career with
Marta Transportation as
a customer service agent,
I found a passion in the
medical field of dialysis as
an administrative assistant
where I have been working
for the past seven years.
I was elected as a council
member in the City of Hull
in 2019 and still currently
serve. In 2021,1 received a
Certificate of Recognition
from the University of
Georgia Carl Vinson
Institute of Government for
my dedicated hours of gov
ernment training, which
helped me to become a
more knowledgeable elect
ed official.
During my tenure in
public service. I have been
exposed to legislating
and making tough deci
sions for the benefit of the
community. I know how
important and beneficial it
is to build alliances with
all facets of government;
from our first responders
to our water departments.
Being in public service has
taught me patience to bring
about positive changes. It’s
often needed because of
the magnitude and compli
cated nature of a situation
could be. By my husband
being a mayor, I have been
able to see and learn first
hand how he deals with his
constituents in a positive
manner and uses resources
effectively and efficiently. I
know how important it is to
undertake comprehensive
planning and uses of devel
opment controls.
My public service has
allowed me to coordinate
and participate in pro
grams such as the City
of Hull’s Food Distribution
Program which distributed
over 10,000 lbs. of food in
the community. During the
beginning of the pandemic,
I personally packed over
100 Covid-19 care pack
ages for the community,
which was passed out by the
Boy Scouts, Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority and neighbors and
friends of the community.
As a council member, I
was proud to participate in
Hull’s first-annual Summer
Reading Enrichment Fair
MARILYN WALTON
where we provided free
hot dogs, chips, ice cream,
storytelling and games
put on by the Danielsville
Library and have given
away over 100 book bags
with materials to the com
munity including several to
Hull Sanford Elementary
School.
What makes you the
best choice for this posi
tion?
I recognize that everyone
needs each other. What oth
ers do affects you positively
or negatively whether you
realize it or not. I see every
one as equally deserving
of opportunity as everyone
else. Dividing society into
different kinds of people
is dangerous. The reality
is that people in a society
are more similar than they
are different. Most peo
ple want to feel secure, to
enjoy life, to feel needed,
and to be able to contrib
ute to society. Focusing on
the differences only fos
ters unhealthy competition,
negative stereotyping, ani
mosity, and an “us” versus
“them” mentality. I want
to focus on similarities
instead. I want to enhance
unity and encourage deci
sions and behaviors that
promote the common good
and raise the standard of
living in District 3 and in
Madison County overall.
My mindset is “We’re all
in this together; if the soci
ety succeeds, we all suc
ceed; if the society fails,
we all fail.” This leads to
less organizational failure
and to greater wealth for
individuals. I recognize
that some people may be
in impoverished condi
tions through no fault of
their own. It is not good to
stigmatize such people as
lacking ability, being lazy,
or simply looking for a
handout. Most people who
are in poverty work for a
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