UPDATED: Vet runs for Cobb Commission pushing lower taxes, more business

Air Force master sergeant and teacher Dr. Michael Rhett is making a second try to join the Cobb County Commission this July, on a platform of lower taxes and economic revitalization.

"I think it's important that we unite all of south Cobb County so we can work together to build a more cohesive plan to empowe our economic future," said the 55-year-old fitness instructor.

A post at Dobbins Air Reserve Base brought Rhett to Cobb in 1992, where he still works in personnel and training. In 2004, he earned a doctorate in education from the University of Georgia. He’s also a vocational education teacher at the Fulton County Department of Housing and Community Development. He teaches life skills like personal finance and resume writing to female abuse survivors. 

Rhett volunteers with several civic organizations including the Cobb SPLOST Oversight Committee, the American Legion and the NAACP. He was appointed by Powder Springs Mayor Pat Vaughan to the Powder Springs Economic Development Taskforce and serves as the secretary of the Austell Community Taskforce.

The biggest issues in the South Cobb District 4 race, he said, are lower taxes and economic revitalization. 

“Do both of those,” he said, “they work hand in hand.”  Declining proprety values in Cobb have driven down the county's tax take, he noted, which has "hit needed government services."

His pitch is to expand the tax base to avoid piling on residential property taxes. “We have to have a self-generating mechanism to get companies to come here,” he said. 

He outlined his plan in a recent blog post on South Cobb Patch.

But he added that South Cobb must attract a diversity of businesses or end up like countless rural towns that die when their key industry leaves. He suggested information processing or retail as good matches.

"It's important that we build a foundation to not be left out or left behind," he said.

Rhett has suggested looking into a Business Improvement District or a Tax Allocation District for South Cobb. Both setups involve businesses choosing to levy some extra tax on themselves that they then spend on local infrastructure upgrades of their choice.

"I think it's time for a fresh pair of eyes on our economic challenges... We should encourage and develop a climate where businesses are willing to relocate to South Cobb."

His first disclosure of campaign contributions is due to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission on July 9.

Rhett ran for the same seat in 2008, but placed third of five in the primary.

He said he ran four years ago because he "was concerned about the direction we were going. Four years later, I don't really see much difference."

This time, he faces five other Democrats including incumbent Woody Thompson in the July 31 primary. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two will go to an Aug. 21 runoff.

Patch is profiling each of the District 4 candidates this week.

What do you think of Dr. Michael Rhett's chances of winning the Cobb District 4 Commissioner seat? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.