Trio of candidates seek Smyrna's vacated Ward 5 council seat

Editor's note: Smyrna’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8 is just five days away. Early voting is ongoing at the through Friday, Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

In the 2007 election, less than 3,000 of 29,000 registered Smyrna voters bothered to go to the polls. For the past two elections combined, less than 7,000 casted their ballot for mayor in Smyrna.

Will the presence of a record 19 candidates on the ballot help send more to the polls this year? Most observers say yes, as it has been and at times in the Jonquil City.

Oh, and residents will also vote on whether they want the choice to buy alcohol in stores on Sundays. The law would go into effect on Jan.1 if the referendum passes.

Longtime is facing a pair of challengers in and , while four of the seven council seats are being vied for.

The council positions pay $17,100 per year and , Ward 6, and , Ward 3, are running unopposed. So is , Ward 2, who is set to take the seat of , who is not seeking re-election.

On Tuesday, we asked questions involving the Ward 7 race and Wednesday we took a peek at the Ward 1 race.

Earlier Thursday we posted about Ward 4 and now let’s see how folks feel about the Ward 5 candidates - Mike Hyde, Jason Saliba and Susan Dease Wilkinson.

Hopefully voters and candidates can use this forum to intelligently and respectfully discuss the issues at hand heading into next week’s election.

So, with Election Day rapidly approaching, who are you going to vote for in Ward 5 and why? The candidates have been actively campaigning, knocking on doors and each have introduced themselves on Patch.

What have you heard from the candidates about code enforcement and business revitalization along South Cobb Drive?

What about traffic concerns at the Windy Hill corridor? Have you heard much from the candidates about what to expect at the City-owned Hickory Lake apartments property?

With having its charter recently renewed and Georgia Highlands College considering opening a campus in Smyrna, do you know how important education is to the candidates?

Do you want your candidate to provide more open forums and town hall meetings? Let us know what you think and let’s get the conversation started.