On Hogansville City Council, incumbents Bobby Joe Frazier and Charlie Frank Martin face opposition from Derek Hay and Scott Worthy, respectively.
Candidates took time to answer a survey from LaGrange Daily News. Here are their responses.
— Name: Bobby Joe Frazier
Address: 210 Taliaferro Drive
Age: 56
Education: attended business school
Employment: Georgia Department of Labor
Political experience: eight years
Family: father of two daughters, two granddaughters and one grandson
Why did you decide to run for office again?
Because Hogansville still needs to grow, more improvement is needed and more customer service to the people we serve.
How have you been campaigning?
I’m always campaigning! I talk to people, whenever, wherever I see them about my campaign agenda.
What has surprised you about the campaign and the issues you’ve heard about from voters?
The people of Hogansville think they are paying too much for their utilities. But in actuality, we have average costs.
What do you consider the biggest issue to be facing your city?
Increasing the city’s capacity to handle a larger volume of sewage.
How do you plan to contribute to resolving that issue?
I have attended several meetings that offer options to resolve this issue. I will work with others to solve this issue.
Are there any changes you’d like to see in the way the city operates?
I would like the city to try to reduce our daily cost of operation.
Four years from now (when you may be completing your term of office) what shape would you like to see the city in: physically, financially, other?
Physically, I would like to see paved streets, better water pressure and sidewalks on the west side of Hogansville. Financially, I would like for the city to have three times more money in the reserve.
Finally, in 50 words or less, feel free to address any issue not addressed in these questions. The city would be better served by some of its citizens if they would stop being so negative about everything. If you have an idea, bring it forward and we will see what opportunities it may bring. When you find yourself around a person that is always negative or never has anything positive to say, you may need to distance yourself from that person. Positive thoughts bring forth positive results.
— Name: Derrek Hay
Address: 107 Brazell St.
Age: no answer given
Education: West Ga Technical College
Employment, political experience, family: no answers given
Why did you decide to run for office?
I want to be an employee of the citizens of Hogansville and not considered a politician. I decided to run for city council because of the lack of the city council to protect the community against the most serious threat it has ever faced, that being the Turkey Run landfill located 150 feet from the drinking water of Hogansville and LaGrange, and also to try to find a way to lower utility bills. To work for the people of Hogansville not Meriwether County or the landfill bunch. To work toward fixing city problems right the first time and give employees the tools to get the job done right, not put a Band-Aid on it.
How have you been campaigning?
I have been talking, sharing my views with the citizens and listening to what they have to say about the issues that face the city of Hogansville, such as $135,852 in billed late fees last year with a population a little over 3,000 people. Something is definitely wrong, people are worrying about their water being safe with the landfill on it.
What has surprised you about the campaign and the issues you’ve heard about from voters?
I have listened to the people of Hogansville tell me how they felt they have no representation in the city council and the mayor how they catered to the landfill and Meriwether County when they should have been working for the citizens of Hogansville, how we had an ambulance service (American Medical Response) that was a vital importance to the people, in a city-owned building that had to move because of it was condemned four times while they were in it and had to move on account of it, while they were down in the mill village giving citations and threats of court action against people with buildings considered to be repaired or torn down. To harass certain people such as a drink machine on a porch and make ordinances then find out it would affect them then change it again to benefit only them.
What do you consider the biggest issue to be facing your city?
The biggest issues that Hogansville with lots to choose from is safe drinking water, outrageous utility bills on the poor people, a nation’s economy that has to be strong not collapsing, companies going out of business at a alarming rate, unemployment at a all time high. In order for Hogansville to grow in the right way we need leaders in Washington that work for America, and I feel that’s something we don’t have now. We need companies that pay more than $8 an hour so the people can have a better quality of life. We need Wal-Mart, Home Depot, auto parts, restaurants and other necessary stores and American-owned businesses.
No answers were given for the following questions:
How do you plan to contribute to resolving that issue?
Are there any changes you’d like to see in the way the city operates?
Four years from now (when you may be completing your term of office) what shape would you like to see the city in: physically, financially, other?
Finally, in 50 words or less, feel free to address any issue not addressed in these questions.
— Charlie Frank Martin
Martin chose not to participate in the survey.
— Name: Scott Worthy
Address: 403 Taliafero Drive
Age: 37
Education: no answer given
Employment: broker for Prestige Realty Express Inc.
Political experience: no political experience
Family: wife Michelle, two daughters
Why did you decide to run for office again if?
I felt a need for change. I felt strongly that I could work for all of Hogansville’s citizens
How have you been campaigning?
Door to door and word of mouth
What has surprised you about the campaign and the issues you’ve heard about from voters?
I have heard lots of issues from citizens and I will work hard to work with every citizen and be fair and honest in handling any concerns citizens have.
What do you consider to be the biggest issue to be facing your city?
Our debt I believe is one of the biggest issues and we must act now in order to pay this debt down and start having a plan to pay it off in the coming years.
How do you plan to contribute to resolving that issue?
I plan on having an open mind and talking to developers and try to allow growth in our city so we can have more jobs available to our people.
Are there any changes you’d like to see in the way the city operates?
I would like to take a look at every department and every aspect of the city to make sure we are running the best we can and make suggestions on things that we need to change. If we are doing a great job let’s also give praise to them.
Four years from now (when you may be completing your term of office) what shape would you like to see the city in: physically, financially, other?
I would like to see that we have reduced our debt, created more jobs and that we have made our neighborhoods better.
Finally, in 50 words or less, feel free to address any issue not addressed in these questions. No answer given.
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