Nearly 200 people on Aug. 18 heard from the three candidate’s who will be featured in the upcoming special election to fill the unexpired term of the recently deceased Fayette County Commissioner Pota Coston.
The meeting room at the Fayetteville Library was full for the forum that gave candidates for the District 5 seat an opportunity to meet a cross-section of the community. It was significant that a show of hands from the audience indicated that nearly all in the room were residents of District 5.
All long-time Fayette residents, candidates for the September special election include Charles Rousseau, Angela Bean and Peyton Riley.
Questions at the forum came from the moderators and the audience.
Candidates were asked about how county political races should be decided, by district voting or at-large voting, and what they see as the commission’s strategy for a favorable outcome for the community.
Bean in her response said the issue of the voting method, whether district or at-large, “is in the hands of the (federal) judge now. Which ever way we go, that’s the law. And I will live by the law and support it.”
Rousseau in his response said, “I believe in the concept of district voting. It is in the hands of the judges now. I will work this position as a district but it represents the entire county and I will fight to represent the entire county.”
Riley noted the importance in remembering the “main thing.”
“The main thing is, for this election, it’s district voting. I can give you my opinion but what I really want to tell you is that it is district voting, it’s going to be district voting,” said Riley. “I’m going to abide by what the judges say, and it’s going to be district voting and I will represent District 5 and the whole county.”
Another question asked what the candidates would do to support local businesses and promote economic development.
Riley said he is running to “create a larger tax base, increase property values and create opportunities for our youth to come back to this county.“
Riley said the county should look at transportation issues such as commute times and keep the education system as excellent as it is. Other issues included attracting the right businesses, such as Pinewood Atlanta Studios and supporting existing businesses such as Piedmont Fayette Hospital, he said.
Rousseau said he supports businesses in the community, yet the business base should be grown. The community must come together to attract and promote additional businesses by a variety of marketing methods. That effort also includes working with existing businesses, Rousseau said.
Bean in her comments said it is incumbent upon commissioners to maintain the business-friendly county that already exists. She noted the loss of Millennials, the need to attract high-paying, high-tech jobs and to explore ways to obtain the high-speed Internet capability that exists in some communities.
Refer to the Aug. 26 edition of The Citizen for expanded coverage of the forum.
Rousseau, 54, is retired. He is a 22-year resident of Fayette County and former member of county library board, school board construction committee and race relations committee. He served in numerous positions within Fulton County government.
Rousseau made an unsuccessful bid for a commission seat in 2006. That race was referenced in the district voting lawsuit brought by the NAACP.
Bean, 58, is an independent contractor and graphic artist. Bean has a long involvement with the Fayette Issues Tea Party and the Fayette County Republican Party. She distinguished herself by gender, noting that a female viewpoint is need on the male-dominated commission board.
Riley, 48, listed his occupation as financial services. He has lived in Fayette since 1999 and has children who graduated from Sandy Creek High School and who currently attend Sandy Creek and Cleveland Elementary School.
Early voting for the Sept. 15 election will begin on Aug. 24.
Responding to questions about the lack of party affiliation noted by the candidates on their qualifying forms, Fayette County Elections Supervisor Tom Sawyer said party affiliations are not required to be listed for special elections and will not be listed on the Sept. 15 ballot.
The forum was sponsored by the Fayette County NAACP and the Fayette Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Fayette County Democratic Committee, Fayette County Republican Party and the Fayette County Issues Tea Party.
