Oconee County Board Of Commissioner Candidates Asked About Power Of Commission Chairman During Election Forum

Robert Wyatt of 1090 Apalachee Trace in the Lane Creek subdivision in the west of the county, asked the first question at the Oconee County Election Forum on Thursday night, and he found discord among the three candidates for the open seat on the Board of Commissioners in their answers.

Wyatt noted that there has been disagreement on the Commission about the county’s organizational chart and wanted the three candidates to indicate where they stood on the issue.

Candidates Ben Bridges and Chuck Horton said they wanted a power-sharing arrangement consistent with the vote of the commissioners in 2009, while Marcus Wiedower said the unanimous decision of the four voting members had been “unilaterial” and has left the county “in confusing waters.”

Many of the questions that followed were critical of the Commission as a whole, focusing on decisions about Mars Hill Road, the Animal Control Board, spending on sewer projects, and other matters.

One questioner even accused the three members of the current Board of being a “rubber stamp” for initiatives of Chairman Melvin Davis.

About 100 people were in the audience at the Community Center in Veterans Park, where they also heard Oconee County School Superintendent Dr. Jason Branch explain the Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax on the November ballot.

They also listened as representatives of the grocery and restaurant industries talked about the advantage of the two Sunday Sales referenda on the ballot and to an opponent criticize the initiative on religious grounds.

For more information about the Forum, as well as the complete video of the session, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Wendy Jackson asks a question of the candidates.