If some local candidates were the only people to vote in the July 31 general primary, a regional transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) on that ballot would meet a crushing defeat in Whitfield County.
Republican and nonpartisan candidates who are in contested races on July 31 spoke Tuesday night at a forum hosted by the Whitfield County Republican Party.
Whitfield County Republican Party Chairwoman Dianne Putnam said party members wanted to know each candidate’s stand on the TSPLOST, which would fund projects across the 15-county Northwest Georgia area if approved by a majority of voters in that area, and the education SPLOST, which will also be on the primary ballot. The 1 percent ESPLOST would be for five years, bringing in up to $105 million to fund renovations in Whitfield County Schools and Dalton Public Schools, among other things.
Almost all of the candidates at the forum opposed the TSPLOST.
Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Mike Babb said the question put him in a difficult spot. Babb was a member of the five-person committee that developed the project list for the region, but he said he voted against the TSPLOST in early voting.
“Whitfield County will be a donor county. We will pay $160 million in taxes but only get $140 million in projects,” he said.
Babb said he believes the tax is unpopular across Northwest Georgia.
“I think it will be a miracle if it passes in this region,” he said.
Businesswoman Lynn Laughter, who is challenging Whitfield County Board of Commissioners District 4 member Greg Jones in the Republican primary, said she believes the state does need a plan to address transportation problems. But she said she opposes the TSPLOST.
“I feel like they (the General Assembly) are blackmailing us to put it in,” she said, referring to the fact that the law that called for the tax gives more state transportation matching funds to regions that approve the TSPLOST than regions that don’t, and more funds to regions that vote on it than those that don’t. All regions are voting on it.
Businessman Steve Tarvin, who is challenging state Rep. Jay Neal for the District 2 seat, said he opposes the tax.
“I don’t see this as a local tax. I don’t think we will get back all the money,” he said.
Neal was the only candidate at the forum who did not unequivocally oppose the tax.
“I’m leaning towards voting no. But I’m not going to guarantee that. There are days when I think I will vote yes and days when I think I will vote no,” he said.
The ESPLOST fared better, with most candidates saying they support it and none outright opposing it.
“Education is a tremendous economic development tool,” said Babb.
Dalton businessman Dennis Mock, who is seeking the state House District 4 seat, said he will likely vote for the measure.
“I still want to read more about it,” he said.
Susan Miller and Jodi Stuckey, who are challenging incumbent Melica Kendrick in the Republican primary for Whitfield County clerk of Superior Court, pointed to what they said are financial issues in the clerk’s office. Miller said revenues have dropped by $225,000 since Kendrick took office six years ago even as total spending has climbed to about $1.4 million from $817,000.
Kendrick said revenues have dropped because of the economic downturn and its impact on fees. She pointed to a number of cost-saving measures she has introduced, ranging from cutting office supply costs in half to new software.
“We have always been in the black in our budget,” she said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Greg Jones, who is running for re-election for the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners, speaks at a GOP forum Tuesday night as his opponent, Lynn Laughter, listens. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)
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Mike Babb, center, who is running for re-election as chairman of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners, speaks at a GOP forum Tuesday night as his primary opponent, Ron Ownby, listens. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen
Discussion
July 11, 2012
Candidates oppose regional transportation tax
- Local News
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Police and Fire Games: Dalton firefighter snags second place
Mason Martin, back right, cheers on his mother, Serena Martin, an officer with the Dalton Police Department, as she pushes a patrol car as part of an obstacle course to determine the “Toughest Overall” during the Georgia Police and Fire Games on Monday at the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Department’s firing range. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)
A seasoned Dalton firefighter placed second in the Toughest Overall Competitor event at the Police and Fire Games in Dalton on Monday.
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