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  • Murray County Clerk of Superior Court Connie Gallman Reed, seated, listens as challenger Donna Flood address the Murray Tea Party forum Thursday. Charles Oliver/The Daily Citizen

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October 5, 2012

Candidates face off at Murray Tea Party forum

From Staff Reports

CHATSWORTH — There were no fireworks, but about 100 Murray County voters got a chance to see candidates on the Nov. 6 general election ballot up close Thursday night.

Democratic and Republican candidates for sheriff, tax commissioner and clerk of Superior Court took questions at a forum hosted by the Murray Tea Party at the Charles “Judy” Poag Senior Center.

Incumbent Sheriff Howard Ensley, a Democrat, and Republican Gary Langford, a 38-year veteran of law enforcement, were the first candidates to take questions.

Ensley, who has served as sheriff since 1989 and in law enforcement since 1973, said the sheriff’s office has had numerous accomplishments during his tenure as sheriff. In the past few years, for instance, he said it has added a detective to focus on child abuse cases.

“We are proud that we are active and making a top priority of addressing crimes such as child abuse and elder abuse,” he said.

Langford said he would be a more hands-on sheriff if elected.

“I’ve worked third shifts, evening shifts, midnight shifts. I would come out on weekends, check with the deputies to see if they needed anything, check with the citizens,” he said.

Both incumbent Tax Commissioner Charlotte Keener, a Democrat, and her Republican challenger, Kay Leonard McCurdy, emphasized their experience.

Keener is currently serving her sixth straight term as tax commissioner. She said she has grown the office from two full-time and one part-time employees to eight full-time employees, as well as upgraded its computer and records systems.

“The thing I’m most proud of is that taxes are collected,” she said.

Pointing to a collection rate of more than 96 percent, she said that generally the only time that taxes aren’t fully collected is when a property owner declares bankruptcy.

McCurdy said she has worked in retail, bookkeeping and technology most of working life.

“The tax commissioner is a servant to the citizens of Murray County. Each person should be treated with respect and with dignity,” she said.

McCurdy said she would bring transparency to the office and promised to upgrade its website.

Incumbent Clerk of Superior Court Connie Gallman Reed, a Democrat, pointed to her four years as clerk as well as her 19 years of experience in magistrate and Superior courts, her degree in court reporting and her implementation of new computer systems in the clerk’s office.

Donna Flood, the Republican candidate for clerk of Superior Court, said she had 24 years at Shaw Industries in accounting, record keeping and customer service. She would seek to upgrade the computer system.

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