Brooks Candidate Comparison in their own words – Town Council, Post 1 Edition

Who should you vote for in the Town of Brooks next election? In this feature, you’ll find the differences between our candidates in their own words as they answer questions from The Citizen. Candidates were given exactly one week to reply to our questions. 

The uncontested candidate Bishop William Watts was invited to respond to an identical set of 4 questions as the opposed candidates about candidate differentiation, challenges, planning, and budget.

Each answer appears exactly as submitted, up to a 250-word limit, and has been lightly formatted for readability.

Personal contact details and website links have been removed from candidates’ submissions. Answers were truncated to ensure the 250-word limit. 

Early voting in Fayette County is ongoing.

Bishop William Watts answered these questions.

Q1. Why do you feel that you would be a better choice than your opponent? (In your case, please share your experience/bio)

Having spent all but the first 18 months of my formative years on Bankstown Road, I’ve been a resident of unincorporated Brooks for almost my entire life, and so when I was presented with the chance to purchase the old Kenyon Bradford Banks House (otherwise known as the Grinch House) in downtown Brooks I jumped at the opportunity. 

I’m running for Brooks Town Council Post One as I will bring a younger face to the table, for I believe that a government is strongest when it has a multitude of perspectives and experiences to pull from. My goal is to ensure that the Brooks of tomorrow will be the Brooks I love today.

2. What is/are Brooks’ biggest challenge/s currently?

There are two challenges that Brooks faces which are foremost in my mind when looking at the future of our community. Firstly, Brooks faces the challenge of being a rural community in a largely suburban county whose identity could easily be lost by overdevelopment. To help combat this, I will continue to push for us to maintain the 5 acre minimum that has helped keep Brooks more rural than other cities in the area. 

The second challenge is the preservation of our historic architecture to help maintain the roots of our community, and this is a challenge I have labored to address for the past two years with my efforts to establish a National Historic District that encompasses the downtown area of Brooks. A National Historic District is an honorary designation which puts no restrictions upon the rights of property owners while at the same time giving them access to exclusive tax rebates and grants to restore their historic properties. In addition, there are grants available for the town government that can be used for the upcoming restoration of Brooks Chapel, saving the town thousands of dollars in repair costs.

3. What would you like to see Brooks do differently, should you win this race? What is your plan?

I would like to see Brooks maintain the same course that it has. The current leadership has done a wonderful job thus far in preserving our rural identity, and I will continue to push for those same policies that have prevented Brooks from becoming overdeveloped thus far.

4. Do you approve of how the budget is being managed in Brooks? How is it, or is it not, fiscally sound?

The town of Brooks has one of the best managed municipal budgets in the Piedmont Region, thanks in no small part to our diligent finance officer. While our coffers are modest, we get a lot of bang for our buck with the projects the town undertakes. recent examples being the Liberty Tech Access Road and the expansion of our sidewalk system, which have improved traffic issues and pedestrian safety tremendously.