The 2016 Political Forum, sponsored by the Habersham County Farm Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, was held Tuesday evening at North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville. Local candidates had the opportunity to address a crowd of almost 250 citizens, who submitted questions for the candidates. Former State Senator John Foster of Cornelia moderated the event held in the Clegg Center, which seemed more like a spring family picnic than an angry electorate demanding their voices be heard.
What the Forum lacked in aggressive attacks, as frequently observed in many 2016 nationally televised debates, it made up for in civility. Despite differences between candidates running for the same office, both audience and potential public servants addressed local issues in reasonable positive decorum. Foster, who has moderated the event for many years, began the evening by reminding participants to be respectful, and to assure them, he might be reading the questions, but that he didn’t write them.
Clerk of Court challenger vows not to accept personal payment for processing passports
Some of the more poignant moments came when there seemed to be underlying political rifts and issues between some candidates. Joan Jones, asking to be elected as Clerk of Superior Court, repeated several times during her responses that, “I will not accept personal payment for U.S. passports. This service (uses) county equipment, facilities, paper, postage, a county employee and yet, my opponent personally benefits from this county action and I will not benefit from this county source.”
David Wall, Superior Clerk of Court incumbent, did not respond to Jones’ comments and some in the crowd did not really understand what the exact issue was about. It could be that many people renew their passport at the post office, or mail it in, and were not aware that it could be submitted at the Clerk’s office for processing. Someone up close, turned their head backward and whispered, “You can do that in the Clerk’s office?”
District 5 County Commission candidates spar over old county courthouse and roads
In another instance, during the question and answer period for Habersham County Commissioners, Districts 1 and 5, Ed Nichols, Locke Arnold and Dale Green sparred over what to do with the old courthouse, whether to renovate it, sell it, or simply bulldoze the outdated structure.
The trio also appeared to have some disagreement over the need to pave all 500+ miles of roads in Habersham County. About 20% of the roads are gravel and dirt surfaced, and there were equal arguments over the cost to maintain gravel roads, as opposed to long term asphalt. At one point, in a tense discussion over the costs of building and renovation projects, maintaining roads, and funding of Habersham Medical Center, candidate Arnold stood and firmly demanded into the microphone, “We have to get our butts into gear.” No one objected.
Sheriff says he can’t rule out future use of no-knock warrants: Opponents say there are better options.
Perhaps the most poignant, and serious, moment of the evening came when Joey Terrell, Tonya Elrod and Chad Mealor were invited upfront to discuss why each wished to be elected Sherriff of Habersham County. The question from an audience member, read by Senator Foster, was simply, “Will you support the use of No-knock Warrants in Habersham County?”
Foster directed the question first to Chad Mealor, a long-time Habersham resident and twenty-five year sheriff’s deputy in neighboring Hall County, who said: “No. We’ve seen it get us into trouble in Atlanta and we’ve seen it get us into trouble up here,” Mealor said. “There’s other means that you can go in there safely for both the agency and the home occupant.”
The attention slid toward Tonya Elrod, a long-time former Habersham deputy, who responded, “No. You have no idea sometimes who’s in those houses.” She added, “You never know what’s waiting on the other side of that door. It’s something I believe you can sit and wait out. You can use other resources to do. So, no, I believe there are other ways, there are safer ways to do it without putting everybody at risk.”
Every pair of eyes in the crowded auditorium moved to the right, to look at Sheriff Joey Terrell, the incumbent. Sheriff Terrell, probably recalling in his own mind the horrific events of the botched No-knock Warrant drug raid in 2014, which resulted in a critically injured toddler and costly insurance settlement.
The Sheriff paused, looked down, drew a deep breath, lowered his voice into the microphone, and quietly admitted, “Do we ever want anything like that to happen again? No. But can I sit here and tell you that we will never, ever use a no- knock warrant again? I don’t know that I can do that. But is the process different on how you do it? Absolutely. Do you look at things a whole lot tighter when you do it? Absolutely.” Terrell continued, “Do we go ask for no-knock search warrants anymore? No, we don’t do that anymore but I can’t honestly tell you that we will never ever ask for one.”
There was a collective sigh, barely audible, from the audience.
State Court Judge candidates disagree over where office should be housed
Wolf Bar-B-Q provided sandwiches for the audience and candidates throughout the evening, giving the event a picnic feel, and helping the crowd seem harmonious in the lobby. But when the forum for State Court Judge began, things heated up.
Steve Campbell, incumbent for State Court Judge, and his opponent, attorney Robb Kiker, engaged in a little spit-for-spat over where the office of the State Court Judge and his staff ought to be located. Kiker began the discussion by suggesting the State Court Judge, a part-time position, ought to be officed at the courthouse. Campbell, like other State Court Judges before him, also works as a practicing attorney, when he is not serving as a judge. Leaning forward toward the mic, Campbell asked rhetorically, “Let me ask all of you sitting here, how would it be if someone needed legal representation, and was directed to the courthouse, where their lawyer was also the judge…in his office, there in the courthouse? Acting as their lawyer and the judge? How would that be?” Raised eyebrows and head-shaking floated across the faces of just about everyone still left in the room.
Senator Foster pulled the event to a close, all the barbecue was consumed, and aggressive applause concluded the Habersham Political Forum of 2016.
Editor’s Note: Now Habersham will post a recording of the 2016 Political Forum, in its entirety, here on our website. Please check back for that and our videotaped Candidate Profiles in May.
