Senoia’s three candidates for the Post 4 council seat offered differen visions for the city’s future during Tuesday night’s candidate forum.
The Senoia Optimist Club hurriedly organized a forum, and it ran like clockwork. Residents were out the city’s municipal meeting room in just over an hour and left with more information on each candidate.
Incumbent Bobby Graham stressed his experience on the City Council and was pleased with the progress of the city, but said there was still work to do to make the city more complete.
Graham said he was in favor of possibly creating an industrial park in the city to add to the city’s tax base.
“It would also take some of the tax burden off citizens,” he added.
Graham also favored continued annexation by the city, but added the city needed to be smart about any annexations and favored continue working with the entertainment industry to grow more opportunities, but not lose something vital to Senoia.
“Nobody wants to lose the small town feel,” he said.
Graham thanked the audience for his nine years of service on the council, and said everybody he served with had a true heart and he hopes he’s part of the additional opportunties headed the city’s way.
Political newcomer Doris Chappell told the crowd that she had spent here entire life in Senoia, but decided to run for the council post because she was concerned the city was losing its small-town feel.
Chappell said she wants to see the local economy prosper, and believes the city’s taxes, millage rate, water and sewer costs are too high, especially for the city’s senior citizens.
The candidates were united in their opposition to open containers of alcohol on the street, and Chappell used the question to address an issue that arose when she qualified to run for election.
Section 6-17 (a) of the city’s ordinance states no member of the mayor and council shall hold any interest, directly or indirectly, in any establishment licensed by the city to sell, distribute, or otherwise deal in alcoholic beverages. Any member holding or having a beneficial interest in any alcohol license issued by the city at the time of that person’s election or appointment to office shall divest himself or herself thereof within 60 days. The ordinance says a member shall be deemed to have or hold a beneficial interest if the license is issued in the name of the person’s spouse, child, parent or sibling, or in a partnership or corporation in which such person owns more than ten percent controlling interest.
Chappell owns an alcohol license in the city, and has no plans of divesting her interest if elected.
“I think its unconstitutional,” she told the crowd.
Chappel believes the ordinance harms a business owner’s ability to run for office and offer their business experience the the council.
Don Rehman, who ran for the council in 2011 and mayor in 2013, told the crowd that he has no intention of going anywhere and that he would continue to run as long as God kept him on the earth.
He doesn’t like the direction the city is headed and wants citizens to take back the government from a group that he believes wants to city’s population to expand to upwards of 50,000.
Rehman said a local businessman has the government in “his back pocket” and believes the city is already in trouble because of “an ugly wall surrounding the crown jewel of Senoia.”
Rehman also complained about obtaining information from the city’s staff. He also advocated the city purchase a home in each of the city’s subdivision for a police officer to live and increase the police presence in the city.
The polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday at the senior center on Howard Road.
