With less than

two weeks to go before the Nov. 7 General Election, local politicians

are gearing up to get their message to the public.

In eastern

Coweta County, voters will choose a county commissioner, a state representative

and, in Senoia, two City Council members.

During the

last month, voters have had three forums to hear the different candidates

give their visions for the future.

This week,

The Coweta Citizen Review will focus on the Senoia Council candidates

and next week, we'll provide you the issues and positions in the County

Commission and state representative races.

Senoia voters

will go to the polls Nov. 7 and replace councilmen Kyle Frank and Judy

Belisle, who are not seeking reelection.

Voters will

choose between Sonny Duke, Pam Youngblood, Darren Ratajski and Ken Gordon.

The top two vote getters will join the City Council in January.

Lifelong Senoia

resident Sonny Duke is seeking elective office for the first time. Duke

said he has seen the town decline and grow and believes the town is now

at a crossroads.

"We've

got to deal with the sewer and water problems," he said.

Duke believes

residents need to connect with the city sewer service if the city decides

to start its dormant water plant back in operation.

He also believes

that zoning issues need to be handled with kid gloves.

"This

is a touchy subject for me. I know we have to have rules, but you should

have a choice as to what you're going to do with your property,"

he said.

Although not

exactly a municipal matter, Duke said he is from the old school and believes

discipline needs to be restored in the schools.

Pam Youngblood

is currently chairman of the city's Planning Commission and believes her

experience makes her an ideal candidate for council. She has lived in

the city for more than four years and is involved in her husband's electrical

business.

Youngblood

is in favor of opening the city's water plant and said it would be a useful

backup to the water the city is currently buying from the county.

She was heavily

involved in rewriting the city's zoning ordinances as a member of the

Planning Commission and believes the city should work on preserving the

historical flavor of the town.

Ken Gordon

served one term on the Senoia City Council and owns his own fence company.

He vows that residents will always know where they stand with him on issues.

"I vote

my conscience," he said.

Gordon has

always been a big proponent of opening the city's water plant and did

quite a bit of research during his tenure on the council concerning municipal

sewer systems.

"I want

to make sure our sewer system is installed properly," he said.

Other issues

that Gordon sees as key are reopening the bridge on Bridge Street and

repairing the fractious relationship between the city and county.

Darren Ratajski

is a civil engineer and said his experience will help the city during

its building of the sewer system and analyzing whether to open the water

plant.

He also favors

keeping the historic flavor of the city, especially in new zoning matters.