June 2020 Voting Guide

It's been a crazy year, but as always, I still do my own research before voting, and I wouldn't want to let an election go by without sharing my thoughts for anyone interested! 

I do have to start with a disclaimer, though I am an officer of a local political party affiliate, these thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone. I encourage everyone to do their own research and make their own decisions before voting. An informed vote is a powerful vote.

For the second time around, I have tried to interview as many candidates as possible before making my decisions. More than finding out about positions on particular issues, I wanted to know the individuals, and in particular their ideas on the proper role of government in the community and the lives of the people.

I am choosing to cast my ballot in the Republican primary, as the county-level races on the Democrat ballot are uncontested in the primary. However, for fun, I also looked at the "party questions" on the Democrat ballot.

Republican Primary

County Commissioner District 1

• Sonja Gibson
• Eric K. Maxwell (Incumbent)

    I attended a millage rate hearing for the county commission last fall, and I asked them not to raise the property tax. Maxwell was the one out of four who voted against the rising property tax. This gives him points, for me. I don’t necessarily agree with his intention to deliberately limit commercial growth, but he does seem to recognize that people will be struggling economically, and the county government needs to tighten its own belt in order to not tax people out of living here.

    In Mrs. Gibson’s interview with the Fayette GOP, she mentioned wanting to develop a cultural center. She emphasizes that she wants growth, and that seems to mean more programs to make people happy. She says that we need to have more growth in order to keep taxes low, otherwise we won’t have the population to support our needs.

    Now, I am a fan of arts and culture, with a long involvement in the theatre community in Fayette and beyond. But we don’t need the county to help us make art. For example, we have the award-winning Legacy Theatre in Tyrone. We have many excellent singing and dancing schools, including the Lisa Kelly Voice Academy and the Georgia Academy of Dance. We don’t need the county to entertain our kids for us: We have scouting programs for girls and boys, sporting programs, church programs, and more. These things are best provided by local entrepreneurs and enthusiasts responding to demand, not by spending of tax money.

    In this race, I will go with Eric Maxwell.

County Commissioner District 2

• Lee Hearn
• Randy C. Ognio (Incumbent)

    I had pleasant conversations with both Ognio and Hearn. Both managed to say things that I liked to hear. Unfortunately, Hearn has made a number of statements, most publicly in his campaign, that have proven to be verifiably untrue. He has claimed endorsements that were never given. He claimed, very specifically, that the 2016 budget was a “deficit budget”, based on a decrease in general fund balance. As I read this very same budget, however, revenues still exceed expenditures. In addition, this decrease in fund balance follows years of increase in balance of the same fund.

    Also, in our conversation, especially towards the end, Mr. Hearn seemed very eager to know whether I thought he could win. I do believe that there is such a thing as “wanting the job too much”, especially when it comes to political office. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Mr. Hearn wants the job too much. In contrast, while Mr. Ognio is not exactly ambivalent, he did seem much more ready to accept the will of the voters in this election.

    As I don't live in this district, I can't vote in this race, but if I could I would support Randy Ognio.

County Commissioner District 5

1. Charles W. Oddo (Incumbent)
2. Ann Wittenberg
3. William “Bill” Yarde

    Ann Wittenberg was the first candidate I spoke with in this race. She told me that she decided, very last minute, to get into the race because she didn’t want an unchallenged race. She seems to be very strong on minimalist government, and she talked a lot about the problems in her neighborhood that she has helped and organized to solve without getting “the law” involved. She talked about voluntary efforts for neighborhood cleanup, and helping neighbors treat neglected animals better without calling animal control on them. She has a very strong dislike of taxes, which sits well with me.

    I also managed to speak with Charles Oddo, the incumbent. We also spent a good bit of time talking about taxes. He said that as a manager for his brothers’ CPA business, his family spends a lot of time trying to help people keep their money in their own wallets, and out of tax coffers. He also said that he is very much aware that when they vote for expenditures on the county commission, that is not his own money he is dealing with. He mentioned one instance which I remember well, where it was proposed that the county should start implementing HOA-style restrictions against parking on grass in residential lots. He strongly opposed the rule, and the expense it would bring. I remembered it as one of the first issues where our newly-formed LP Fayette spoke out in opposition.

    I didn’t manage to speak with William “Bill” Yarde, but according to his website, he seems to envision a very active role for the government. His website talks about creating more recreational facilities, even a major amusement park. He talks about increased housing for retirees and baby boomers. While I am not absolutely opposed to either of these ideas, I would rather see them addressed by the private sector than by the county commission. My view is that the county should allow the market to respond to the wants and needs of the people, instead of trying to “steer” those needs.

    In this race, I believe that either Oddo or Wittenberg would be a decent choice. I respect Wittenberg’s motivation of wanting to make sure that the race had a good challenge: I don’t believe that elected officials should ever be able to rest easy in their offices. I will probably vote for Wittenberg, in order to have a new voice on the commission, but I would not be disappointed with Oddo.

County Board of Education District 3

• Scott Hollowell (Incumbent)
• Marion Key
• Cornelius M. Sullivan Jr.

    I managed to speak with all three candidates in this race. I have met Mr. Hollowell before at School Board meetings, where I have asked for the Board to reduce its spending and taxes, and to not build the new, incredibly expensive middle school at Stagecoach road. Every plea I have made, he has voted the opposite way. He sees the Superintendent's salary (one of the largest in the state) and the spending (again disproportionately large compared to other counties, and growing by millions of dollars every year) as "investment". Instead, I see the fact that parents and grandparents in the county have less money to spend directly on their own children's well being.

    I had a very pleasant video chat with Neal Sullivan. He believes that the School Board is squandering the good will of the county by spending tax money on building a new middle school without the express opinion of the voters. I agree. He also believes that his experience as a financial controller for a large corporation will be helpful for reigning in the school system budget. He is involved with and supports both public and private schools.

    I also had a very pleasant video chat with Marion Key. She has served on the school board before, and boasted of strong cost-cutting. She also opposed the building of the Stagecoach Road school as an immense waste of taxpayer money. Where Sullivan says that he would approve of the new school building if the question was put to the voters, Key believes that the project is simply a bad idea.

    Again, this is not my district, so I can't vote here. But if I were, I would be torn between Key and Sullivan. I lean towards Key because she may put up a more stubborn opposition to higher spending. Given the make-up of the rest of the school board, that stubbornness will be needed. But I would not be disappointed with Sullivan either. I would not support Hollowell, as he has not shown any interest in reigning in spending.

Republican Party Questions

1. Should Georgia lawmakers expand educational options by allowing a student’s state education dollars to follow the school that best fits their needs, whether that is public, private, magnet, charter, virtual, or homeschool?
• Answer: Yes, absolutely. If this money is being collected for the benefit of the students, as is the justification, then it should follow the student to the educational choice that is best for them, as selected by the parent. Otherwise, we need to drop the pretense that school taxes are “for the children”.
2. Should voting in the Republican Primary be limited to voters who have registered as Republicans?
• Answer: No, not with the system as it is now. As it is, many offices in Fayette and other counties only have Republican candidates. Georgia has the most restrictive, draconian ballot access laws in the nation. The petitioning requirement for third party and independent candidates effectively grants the Republican and Democrat parties a monopoly (or duopoly) on the political process for many political seats in the state, especially for the state legislature. If my only chance to have a vote on my state senator is on the Republican primary, whether I am a Republican or not, I should be able to cast that vote.
3. Should candidates for board of education be required to declare their political party?
• Answer: No. Fayette has a partisan Board of Education. Political party declaration has been meaningless. Three of the four “Republicans” on the Fayette school board have been guilty of reckless, runaway spending every bit as much as the lone Democrat. By requiring a party declaration for this race, it becomes more difficulticult for independent or third party candidates to mount a challenge. Vote for the person, not the party.

Democrat Primary

Public Service Commissioner

• Daniel Blackman
• John Noel

    I didn't have time to any research in this state-level race. The winner of this race will face off against a Libertarian challenger and a Republican incumbent in the fall.

Democratic Party Questions

1. Should Georgians work to stop climate change and listen to the scientific community, which recommends immediate action to combat this serious threat to our planet?
• My Answer: Depends entirely on what you mean. I think that the best way to take care of the environment is to end government ownership of land and free industries to innovate. I realize, however, that the Democrat idea of "action" is generally more collective than individual, and that is where I would find disagreement.
2. Should Georgia enact basic standards to protect our environment from wasteful plastic items that pollute our state?
• My Answer: Free industries to innovate. That will be the best way to eliminate waste.
3. Should every eligible Georgian be allowed to register to vote on Election Day to make sure everyone can exercise their right to vote?
• My Answer: Yes. But at the same time, we need to clear “junk data” out of the voting system.
4. Should Georgia take partisanship out of the redistricting process and have an independent commission draw district lines instead of politicians?
• Yes, particularly if the only information available to the commission is where people are located, and no other details of race, income, voting preference, etc.
5. Should our criminal justice system end the discriminatory cash bail system that allows the wealthy to buy their way out of jail while disadvantaging lower-income Georgians?
• Yes. Nonviolent people should not be kept in cages simply because they cannot pay their way out. Find a better way to hold people accountable.
6. Should every Georgian that has served their sentence for a crime they committed be allowed to have their voting rights restored?
• Yes. If a person has "paid their debts", and is no threat to others, they should have their full constitutional rights restored. That includes voting rights and second amendment rights.

Nonpartisan Primary

Supreme Court of Georgia

• Elizabeth “Beth” Beskin
• Charlie Bethel (Incumbent)

• Hal Moroz
• Sarah Hawkins Warren (Incumbent)

One thing I learned quickly while researching both of these races: Georgia Supreme Court seats, which are supposed to be elected and nonpartisan, are all too often both appointed and partisan. It is not uncommon for a sitting justice to announce their retirement with such timing that the governor can make a special appointment rather than waiting for an election. Once an appointee has the "incumbent" label it becomes very difficult to unseat them.

In the case of Bethel and Beskin, the situation is particularly frustrating for the voter wishing to have a say: After Bethel's appointment, the governor and secretary of state tried to cancel the election. Beskin had to sue the state in order for the race to happen.

I plan to vote for the challengers, Elizabeth “Beth” Beskin and Hal Moroz, because I believe elected positions really should be elected.

Magistrate Court

• Christy Dunkelberger (Incumbent)
• Pamela Patterson

• Sheila S. Huddleston
• Kathy Brown Valencia (Incumbent)

• Natalie Ashman
• James A. White (Incumbent)

Three contested races for magistrate court is somewhat remarkable. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to track down any of these candidates for an interview. The incumbents all seem to be more experienced than their challengers, for what that is worth. Patterson does boast having experience with both the prosecution and defense side of criminal practice, including public defense, which is an important and thankless job. I may vote a mix of incumbents and challengers, but use your own best judgement.