On Debate Moderation, Middle Schools, and Marbles: The Coweta Commission Race

Recently, I had the honor of moderating the Coweta County Republican Candidate Forum for Post 3 of the Coweta County Commission. I appreciate the time and effort of all the candidates and the great discussion we had in our one hour. You can see more about that forum here.  https://thecitizen.com/2026/04/21/commission-candidates-define-themselves-and-clash-over-ryan-controversy-at-newnan-coweta-chamber-forum/

Some expressed surprise that I chose to focus on issues related to the concerns expressed by Coweta voters and not address the concerns related to Candidate Tim Ryan during his time as a teacher in the Coweta County School System.

I took the position that my job was to get the facts for the voters and let them decide. I did reference coverage in this paper as well as the other local Coweta paper for more information.

A few days later there was another forum where the moderators did choose to address allegations that Mr. Ryan was in the “Frost orbit” within the Coweta County Republican party, based on nearby reporting. As a member and regular attendee of the Coweta County Republican Party, I never saw Mr. Ryan as a prominent insider with the previous leadership. 

In fact, when I questioned a current board member, I was told that Ryan was on the rules committee which was entrusted to make sure all processes were fair transparent and above board related to the change in leadership. 

What was curious in this forum, however, was that the moderators chose this issue instead of the elephant in the room, the multiple allegations of misconduct by a teacher against Mr. Ryan in the school board forum. I would argue that this was an issue Coweta voters would care about in our schools. https://thecitizen.com/2026/04/06/what-voters-should-know-about-coweta-county-commission-candidate-tim-ryans-record/

School board member Larry Robertson is a candidate for reelection and was not asked what he knew about these allegations and what the CCSS BOE did about it, or will do, now that the allegations are public. How many more “problem teachers” do we have in Coweta schools? School Board member Dees is also up for reelection but is unopposed and thus not in the forum. 

Would any of the candidates hold Superintendent Evan Horton to account for this situation would have been a great question as the superintendent not the board run the schools. In the short time I have lived in Coweta County, there have been CCSS staff who have been entangled with the police on a number of different issues. 

Now, to be fair, I give Superintendent Horton credit for how he handled the situation of the East Coweta principal who was subsequently exonerated, and to be honest there is a material difference between allegations and convictions. My point isn’t to attack Superintendent Horton on this issue but rather to question how connections to the Frosts supersedes these issues. 

It is strange that the moderators choose to probe connections to fringe and discredited political figures in the county commission race and not go anywhere near the explosive allegations of misconduct by a middle school who was allegedly exposed, transferred, and exposed again. 

People suggest that Mr. Ryan was given the option to resign or be fired, I don’t know if that’s true. However, a reasonable person would ask whether the school board had any idea that this issue existed. I have been told by a credible source that one current member denied any knowledge and blamed Superintendent Horton. 

None of this is meant to exonerate or defend Mr. Ryan. As the husband of a teacher and someone regularly involved with school issues, there is definite “smoke” in this issue and at least bad choices, if not more. At the forum, I gave my marble to a different candidate in the straw poll partly due to my concerns about judgement, although Mr. Ryan won the straw poll with 40%.

In politics these days, it seems some would rather focus on personal destruction rather than win an honest debate, while accepting that others may hold a different position. However, I do believe that it is my job, even as an opinion columnist, to get the public all the information, express my opinion, and then let them decide.