be posed to the candidates on Tuesday night, with a request to turn their questions in to the Chamber prior to the forum. There was no disclosure on who had complained of the questions, or how they had even been disclosed prior to the event. Fair questions for those seeking office, that the public was seeking answers from the candidates related to the Gordon County School Board races, including ‘Do you feel district-level administration should live in Gordon County?,’ ‘Given that all things are equal after an interview process for the hiring of staff positions, should a local candidate have preference over those from outside the community?,’ and ‘What are your thoughts on extending a contract and handing out a large raise for the superintendent before the expiration of the current contract?’ were cut from the Gazette’s offering of questions. It’s unclear if any of the other questions from the other two schools were removed.

 

The normal execution of the forum was also changed at the last minute and was different from years past: the modified questions for each race that were to be asked by the students were placed in buckets and passed around to the students to draw from. Each school got to ask each candidate a single question, for three total questions per candidate, then the slip of paper the question was printed on was placed back into the bucket. The next candidate for the same race then took questions that students pulled out of the same bucket but didn’t necessarily get the same question as their opponent since questioning was handled with a grab-bag approach. In some instances, one candidate answered the same question rephrased in different ways multiple times.

 

Below are the questions and answers for local candidates running for the Gordon County Board of Education Post 3 race, comprising of incumbent Dana Stewart ( R) and her opponent, Larry Knudsen (R ); and Gordon County Commission District 2 race comprising of incumbent Chad Steward (R ) and opponent Ricky Lee Smith (R ) and Gordon County Commission District 4 race comprising of David MacKnight (R ) and Kurt Sutherland (R ). In the Saturday, April 30, 2022 e-edition, the Gordon Gazette will cover the state and federal races that were represented at the forum.

 

Gordon County Board of Education Post 3

 

LARRY KNUDSEN (Republican):

Gordon County Schools are on their way to reaching capacity. Do you think this is an issue and what do you suggest would alleviate it? “Obviously we need a vision for the future that includes the growth that’s coming into the county, including the new subdivisions that have been approved at Sonoraville and other areas. So you need a good plan. One of my critical elements that I bring is (experience in) development and budgets, including structures and new support staff.”

​

What are your thoughts on retaining teachers in the school systems: “My wife is a teacher and I understand the difficulties and challenges within teaching; and the pandemic added even more difficulty. I believe we need to develop programs that demonstrate appreciation for not only all of our staff but also give them some type of incentive to stay, because we need really good teachers for our students.”

 

What are some things the County School Board is currently doing well and what are some things they can be doing better? “I think there are a number of things, based upon statistics, that our school boards are doing well but I don’t know that they are as good as representing the stakeholders (of the system) – the students, the parents and the teachers – representing their voices and what they’re interested in, so I would work towards expanding that and trying to solicit more information (from the stakeholders). I’m a big believer in getting feedback from people; I’ve done that my whole career. I think everyone in this room should be participating; without a collaborative effort, how can you come up with the best decisions?”

 

DANA STEWART (Republican, Incumbent):

Are you satisfied with the current offering of Advanced Placement classes at both Gordon Central and Sonoraville High School and would you support more classes to give our students who are serious about furthering their education an edge when applying for college? “Absolutely. I support Advanced Placement classes for our schools. Whatever we can do for you all as the children who are the center of the table, when I’m a Board member, you are at the center of the table. We do what is best for you. So absolutely. We have already put into place Advance Placement classes and we hope to expand that in the future. We are always looking to do what’s best for you guys. We want you to be able to, when you leave high school, to have an opportunity to go to college, go to a trade school, whatever your goal would be, we are there to support it.”

 

What are some things the County School Board is currently doing well and what are some things they can be doing better? “Gordon County Schools are doing really well right now. We’ve had some major accomplishments; we just went through a pandemic, which is unprecedented and we have never had to do that before and our teachers came through that and we were able to do virtual learning and continue to provide education even when we couldn’t be face-to-face. Our graduation rate is 97 percent; our high school nutrition has been able to provide free lunch and free breakfast for our students; we have gotten grants farm-to-table; we are just doing an excellent job at Gordon County Schools. Some things we can improve on; I think we can always improve on communication. It is very important that the schools communicate with the parents, that we communicate with stakeholders and that we keep parents involved in their children’s education.”

 

Gordon County Schools are on their way to reaching capacity. Do you think this is an issue and what do you suggest would alleviate it? “We actually just talked a little about this last night at our budget meeting that we had. So, right now I think Red Bud Middle is pretty near capacity, but we do have room at our elementary schools and our high schools to be able to accommodate should we get an influx of this new development that is coming onboard soon. That will be something that we really look at and really have to plan to make sure we continue to provide that quality education and that we can continue to accommodate the students who want to come here, because we want students to come to Gordon County Schools.”

 

Gordon County Board of Commissioners District 2:

 

RICKY LEE SMITH (Republican):

How could we fix the traffic issues caused by Bojangles? “I think they’ve served enough product that they can make an improvement on their drive-thru. Also, it’s the Hwy. 53 area that’s a concern for me and always has been; the design, the features, the whole street. Here recently we had a child injured in an accident; we had a school event at one of the larger churches in the area, a place with no sidewalks. There are just a lot of fundamental features that are wrong with the design features in that area. The access outside the perimeters of the main road needs improvement. The access road (design) in other counties, you see they have other design features that go parking lot to parking lot, business to business, things like that to achieve the goal.”

 

With unprecedented sudden growth already happening in Gordon County, how does local government work to accommodate that growth and keep us with that change and are you ready for those challenges? “I’m always up for a challenge; I thrive on challenge. Road improvements and things like that are something that has to be done in a long range plan. We do have traffic issues in various places, and we have to be prepared for whatever the growth is in a particular area. It takes a long-range plan to make something happen. Like the new bypass, it’s been in the works for quite a number of years and I don’t like some of the design features; we are going to need to eventually add traffic lights in places.”

 

How should the county handle the infrastructure needs and growth, especially the roads with the growth we’re seeing at this time and expected over the next few years with more than 11 million square feet of industry and warehousing coming to the community? “The County does have a comprehensive plan in place but we need to continually update it to make sure it’s providing the outcomes we want in our neighborhoods and communities. Once again, it takes long range planning to make those things happen. Being someone who’s always been in the construction industry, I do have a background in roads and bridge construction projects, sewer and water and I know that we have some SPLOST funds that we’re using for those purposes and if it’s something we need to add to, we can.”

 

CHAD STEWARD (Republican, Incumbent):

With unprecedented sudden growth already happening in Gordon County, how does local government work to accommodate that change and keep us with that change and are you ready for those challenges? “One of the things that we’ll probably have to do planning for that growth and as you can see, we are booming, Gordon County is doing great. We’re at 100 percent Freeport, the relationship with have with the Chamber and City of Calhoun, work with business and industry – it is booming. One of the most important things coming up soon with be our SPLOST to be past. In the next six to 12 months we’ll be in SPLOST negotiations, and that is going to rely heavily on infrastructure. So that’s one of the things we work with other cities; we work with Fairmount, we work at the City of Resaca and heavily with the City of Calhoun in those SPLOST negotiations and we are going to have to prepare ourselves with that infrastructure to handle all the new business and industry and the 3,500 homes planning to be built. We are ready for that challenge. I’ve been in one ESPLOST negotiation and I’ve also been through another SPLOST with the County, so I have the experience and know-how to work with the other cities in those types of situations.”

 

The lack of entertainment within our county has been a point of discussion among citizens. What are your thoughts on this and how can the county bring in more entertainment business? “When I was growing up, we had cruising, we had a movie theater and we had a skating rink. We don’t really have anything for kids to do anymore and I understand that. I asked my niece “Where are all the kids at?” and she told me they stay at home, talk on their phones or Facetime. That’s what you guys do. One of the things that’s going to give us an advantage is the growth; it is the business and industry, it is the 3,500 homes being built here. Population is the key; when you have the population that puts you over certain marks, then you can progressively look and obtain entertainment and more restaurants. That’s why we have a hard time competing with Bartow; their (population) is around 100,000, we’re in the 50’s. Whitfield, they’re at 100,000. So when you have a certain population, you can aggressively attract entertainment and restaurants; things that we all want and as we grow, we can work with the City of Calhoun and Chamber of Commerce to attract those things that you all want and give us a better quality of life in Gordon County.

 

What is your knowledge of the Gordon County Comprehensive Plan and if you are familiar, share one or two of the most important parts that would be beneficial to bring improvements to Gordon County in the next few years? “I am familiar with the plan and that’s one of the things that’ll have to change over time as we grow. We have to have controlled growth. You may have certain things that arise that come up with your Comprehensive Plan that you didn’t really think about or you didn’t really plan on it to come into fruition. So you may have to go back and rethink some of that Comprehensive Plan when you see that, maybe things were overlooked and you see mistakes that happened. It’s a changing plan that has to change over time and you will change that plan as you grow. You will adjust that plan as growth continues.

 

Gordon County Board of Commissioners District 4

 

DAVID MACKNIGHT (Republican):

How should the county handle infrastructure needs, especially rods, with the growth we are seeing at this time and expected over the next few years with more than 11 million square feet of warehousing and industry coming to the community? “One of the things that hasn’t been mentioned is the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that was passed in Congress. I know Dalton has already locked in $5.5 million and Cartersville $14 million of that. Georgia got $11 billion dollars; we need our share to help roads. There’s money there; we need to get our share. We need somebody to write grants for that; currently we have nobody for that. We rely on an outside service to write grants for Federal money.”

 

What is your knowledge of the Gordon County Comprehensive Plan and if you are familiar, share one or two of the most important parts that would be beneficial to bring improvements to Gordon County in the next few years? “The last time the Gordon County Comprehensive Plan was updated was 2018; prior to that was 2015. So it’s due (for update). It should be probably revised more than every six years with the growth going on today. They are currently using the expanded suburban area map to locate areas for growth, which is a great part of the plan. This will show you where subdivisions can be applied for but it does need some updating, though. It is critical for our growth.”

 

With unprecedented sudden growth already happening in Gordon County, how does local government work to accommodate that change and keep us with that change and are you ready for those challenges? “I’m ready for the challenge; 31 years at Home Depot. In retail, that’s almost like dog years; seven years for every one year in retail. There is considerable growth that’s coming that has to be addressed; it’s already here. We can’t deny that. What we’ve got to do is work with the City. Everybody has to be involved. We have the opportunity to really shape the future of this county. It’s at a crossroads and I’m more than ready of this challenge. I am on the number end of business; I have a degree in accounting and have ran Home Depots for 31 years.”

 

KURT SUTHERLAND (Republican):

What is the role of local government in the lives of Gordon County citizens? “The role of government in the lives of Gordon County citizens is the life of the Gordon County citizens. Everything that Gordon County citizens depend on is our local government to make the right decisions and to look at things and if they’re leading in the wrong direction or is going to cause problems in a neighborhood or in a community, that’s when the commissioners need to do a broad look at everything and see if it is going to be beneficial to what the county is being asked to do. So, government, with the citizens of Gordon County, is everything because that’s what the community of Gordon County depends on is the government to make the right decisions for them. That’s why everybody that’s running for office is here tonight, to have an ear to listen and do the right thing.”

 

With unprecedented sudden growth already happening in Gordon County, how does local government work to accommodate that change and keep us with that change and are you ready for those challenges? “I’m ready for it, because in running the 4-H program over the years and going to 4-H camp with 60 4-Her’s, boys and girls, for all those years…tested. I’m ready. Growing up on a farm, running my own family business now and farming, I’m ready for the challenge. The way we’ve got to look at everything and fix that is, you look at when somebody is coming to build a new subdivision, you’ve got to look at the area. Does that area need that subdivision? There’s a lot of space on the other side of this county that can be utilized. We don’t need to pack all the subdivisions in. I’m for growth, yes we have to have houses but we’ve got to have what is called controlled growth. We need to look at other places where this growth can take place. And we are going to have to do that, because you’ve heard everybody talk about all the buildings that’s being built, all the subdivisions that’s already being built. We know we’re already growing and we want people to live in Gordon County and work in Gordon County and send their schools to Gordon County.”

​

What are some things the County Commission is currently doing well and what are some things they can be doing better? “I think they’re doing a good job in keeping our teachers and safety and making this county a good place to live and work. They’re working with the folks that are coming in to build these subdivisions. They’re not telling them ‘No’ and shutting their doors. They’re working with all these contractors and giving them a chance and giving them ideas. That’s a good thing that they’re doing because they know that there’s a need. And they’re working on a way to fix it. I want to be a part of that way so we can try to fix it. Some of the things we are doing a good job on but can do better on is our intersections in the county need work. And everybody knows that. If you go out on some of our side roads, there’s a lot of traffic. Dews Pond, some places on Red Bud and even the new intersection, but there’s things that need to be addressed that will handle that situation. I’ve been in a lot of counties and we do have better dirt roads than gravel. I am proud of our roads but we need some fixed.”