Election day

is next Tuesday in Fayetteville, but only one of the three City Council

seats is being contested.

Incumbent Walt

White faces a challenge from Lee Hunt for his seat, while Larry Dell and

Al Hovey-King are unopposed and will return to office.

Walt White

After being

unopposed for the past two elections, White found himself out on the campaign

trail last weekend, putting up signs and reminding folks to get out and

vote.

White came

on board in 1989's regular election, served a pair of two-year terms,

and is now finishing up his second four-year term. He currently serves

as mayor pro-tempore, presiding over council meetings when Mayor Kenneth

Steele is absent.

With all of

the council members having been involved in Fayetteville government for

most of the past decade, he feels that the experience and knowledge gained

"It's

a very professional group," he said. "We all treat it as a business,

and you get your best bang for the dollar."

White is running

on his record, which he says is one of a "fiscal conservative. Less

government is better government, but where we need it, I'm not afraid

to put it in place."

White said

that he wants to continue the quality of life he and other citizens have

grown accustomed to. "It still feels like a small town, even though

it's grown dramatically," he said. "When you get off the highway

down here, after being up near Atlanta, it feels like a different part

of Georgia."

As part of

his effort to preserve that quality of life, White places a high priority

on getting the state and federal dollars that Fayetteville citizens pay

in taxes back here for necessary improvements and services whenever possible,

especially in the area of transportation.

"When

you're working with the state, they dole out the money as they see fit,"

he said, although he added that relationships with people at the Capitol

have improved over time as the council has gained experience.

Other areas

of importance are public safety and water. It is paramount to make certain

that city resources are at the correct level, White said. "They [citizens]

expect it, they demand it, they deserve it."

This requires

constantly looking ahead and anticipating what the city's needs will be,

he added.

"You've

got to stay ahead of the curve or it's going to be on top of you,"

he said. "We always try to look ahead 15 or 20 years so we don't

get caught. A lot of cities wait too long and then have to catch up."

He likes the

type of planning that the city is now undertaking with regard to the proposed

south side master plan. "I like knowing that what we decide will

be done years down the road," he said, adding that the process will

be a slow one and completion of that area is years away.

"I feel

like [council has] done an excellent job," he said. "We've got

the city going in the right direction. This group knows what it's doing,

and has got the direction and the leadership."

Lee Hunt

A resident

of Fayetteville for two years, Hunt qualified in the final hour for the

Post 3 race against White. He stressed that he has no personal agenda

in running against White for that particular post (all seats are at-large

and elected citywide).

Hunt is a member

of the Libertarian Party and is running on a platform that combats overregulation

and other government intrusion in people's lives, according to previous

press statements.

"Several

years ago I came to the realization that neither the Republicans nor the

Democrats were interested in pursuing an agenda which would return power

and authority to you and me, the taxpaying citizens," he said. "The

Republicans and the Democrats continue to vote for and actively support

policies which make government bigger and less accountable and responsive.

These laws and policies take away your rights as guaranteed by both the

U.S. and Georgia constitutions."

Hunt's general

political philosophy is one that emphasizes less government and more support

of local business, according to his press statement. As for specific Fayetteville

issues, he says that he wants to see "quality business and residential

growth" and work closely with the state to improve traffic flow through

the city. He is opposed to additional multifamily residential construction

in areas not already zoned for it.

He submitted

a letter to The Citizen earlier this week which is printed in its entirety

on the editorial pages of this edition. In it, he outlined his intentions

to not seek any contributions in the wake of the events of Sept. 11.

"There

is really a single issue for the voters to decide," he wrote. "That

issue is the increasing power of government to control our lives and circumvent

our personal rights and responsibilities."

Hunt stated

in his letter that he opposes the creation of the city's proposed historic

district because it violates basic property rights of individuals. He

added that all city ordinances should be "reasonable and necessary"

or else they are a waste of time and money to enforce.

"I realize

every dollar government gets from you and me is taken by subtle force,

and government has a responsibility to see that not one dollar is spent

in a wasteful manner," he said. "I will be a watchdog for your

money, not a lapdog."

Larry Dell

A special recall

election in 1988 led to Dell's initial entry into council service. He

has held his seat in Post 4 ever since.