Many people have asked me who I am supporting in the three county board races. For me, this decision broke down to several key points:
· A candidate’s honesty and integrity
· The candidates’ sense of judgment,
· Where the candidate stands in the massive TSPLOST tax, and finally
· Is the candidate willing to put in the time to do the job correctly?
County Board Post 1. This race was the easiest to decide. I am supporting Chuck Oddo for post 1. We have an incumbent that showed his true lack of character when he was arrested for smoking Marijuana in his car. I won’t get into all the gory details but Commissioner Horgan made an incredibly bad decision to smoke an illegal substance, in his car, which had expired tags. County Commissioners are not above the law. Commissioner Horgan took an oath to uphold the laws of our county. It is an embarrassment that he can willfully and knowingly break the law and still serve this county. To top it off, Commissioner Horgan is still trying to dodge the TSPLOST issue by saying that he has yet to decide whether or not he supports the tax. This shows a decided lack of character on his part.
On the other hand, Chuck Oddo is a good man of good character. He does not support the TSPLOST. He is a local businessman with an impeccable reputation. As I said, this was easy. Oddo for Post one.
I am supporting David Barlow for Post 2. Again, character was a major part of why I am supporting Mr. Barlow. He is a God fearing, hard fighting man of the people. I know that he will always vote for what he believes is right, regardless of the pressure from those outside his office. He has been attending board meetings for quite some time and seemed to have a better grasp of issues than his opponents. He is against the TSPLOST, as is one of his opponents (Sheila Huddleston). This is where Mr. Barlow’s character contrasts Jack Smith’s. Jack also hedged on the TSPLOST question, during the debates. He, like Horgan, stated he hadn’t decided yet. I look forward to his statement once he decides. Barlow for Post 2.
I am supporting Randy Ogino for post 3. Randy has stood for transparency in government, and against the TSPLOST. Randy was probably the most knowledgeable of all the candidates in the forum. He attends all the county board meetings and has stood up and represented us at these meetings time and time again. He has often been the sole voice of reason. He is passionate about our county government, and I believe he deserves to officially represent us. Ogino for Post 3.
Above all, I urge everyone to look at the issues and decide for themselves. We get to vote for each County Board Post once every four years. Please exercise your right to vote on July 31st.
George Dienhart
Peachtree City Council Post 2
