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Commissioner Jeff Moran and challenger Wade Niles will face off for the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners District 4 seat.
By Jake Cantrell & Matt Aiken / The Nugget -------- What are the most pressing issues facing the county? How should we deal with growth in the area? And just how concerned should we be about the long anticipated aquatic center? These are a few of the questions posed to Commissioner Jeff Moran and challenger Wade Niles as they face off for the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners District 4 seat. Both are running for the Republican nomination. Early voting for the primary begins May 2 and voting day is May 24.
Q: What led you to run for the board of commissioners?
Moran:
I have a service heart. I retired from the military after serving for 26 years, I have served the youth of this community as the Senior Army Instructor to the High School’s JROTC program for the past seven years, and I have been serving the residents of this County as County Commissioner for the last 3 years. I ran because this is where I plan to retire and live the rest of my life with my wife in our little slice of heaven. When I ran three years ago, I said that the next 4-8 years will be pivotal on how this County develops. I wanted a seat at the table because we will only get one chance to get this right. I saw first-hand what uncontrolled development did to Forsyth County (Which 25 years ago, looked a lot like Lumpkin County looks now) and vowed to do my best to effectively manage the growth that is creeping up Highway 400.
Niles:
For the past couple of years. I have been paying some attention to their activities and it seems like they are not focused on any sort of agenda. Everything gets bogged down and tangled up. Example, the basketball court went from basic to outlandish with eight baskets on what was supposed to be a "babysitter" for little kids. I don't know if it got built, I have not seen it driving through the park. The dialog with this project was all over the map as was the budget.
Q: What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
Moran:
I have held the position for the past three years and have learned a lot. After election, I was surprised to find that there is a big learning curve when first taking this position. You think you know a lot until you start taking County Commissioner training and find out all the intricacies of County Government. After a year and a half of training I was recognized as a certified Georgia County Commissioner. I believe that two, four year terms, is the perfect amount of time to serve. The first four years is receiving training, developing relationships, and rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. Should I be reelected, the second four is focused on completing unfinished projects and setting the stage for a successful transfer to my successor. Over the past three years I have done my best to represent the citizens of district 4 and I am humbled and honored to do it.
Niles:
I do not know what qualifications the current five members have; however, I feel that my list of qualifications could probably stand up to all five of them combined. Between college, "Small Business Management", years in supervision and quality control, and more years operating my own business's, experience counts. The county is supposed to be run like a business. All I see is fires getting beat down but not extinguished. Every year, they are back demanding attention. It is like reinventing the wheel every year. Yes, these are the cans getting kicked down the road and never dealt with year after year. Where is the Farmer's Market after all these years? A mess. We have got to do better.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing the county? How would you address it if elected?
Moran:
Without sounding redundant, our biggest challenge for the next several years will be growth. It can’t be understated. We have seen development and interest to develop in areas that we could not have predicted. If we turn a blind eye and allow anything to be built anywhere, deep pocketed developers will gladly take advantage of it at the expense of our current residents. Residents that have made it known that they want Lumpkin County to preserve its rural character. To address this, we are making a big first step by updating our land use code that was written back when mass development wasn’t a realistic threat at our doorstep. If successful, any commercial or industrial growth will be in focused areas preserving the scenic landscape of our beautiful county.
Niles:
Growth. The county is not prepared. Zoning is a mess and I do not see anything on the horizon that deals with it. Meetings are going on, but they are dancing around the issues. A lot of fluff and no substance. The infrastructure is not ready for growth. None of it.
Q: Where do you feel the aquatic center should be on the list of priorities that the county is currently facing?
Moran:
The community deserves a recreational place to swim that would replace the old pool that was in disrepair and shut down for construction of our County library. We have been working hard to truly make this a community pool with collaboration between the County, School System, and UNG. We were set to break ground when COVID hit and prices for steel on other construction costs skyrocketed. We are working on the current plan, a scaled back plan, and an alternate plan. The aquatic center is one of the Board’s high priority projects, but being good stewards of our tax payer’s money is a higher priority. In the end I think we will have an aquatic center that we can be proud of as a community but also afford to build, maintain, and operate.
Niles:
Firstly, let me say that the county had absolutely no business being involved with the proposed Aquatic center. What a pie in the sky scheme that was. The county would have taken a beating financially. Again, poor planning. The community deserves a summertime swimming facility similar to the previous pools that we have had in the past. Snack bar, locker room, office. And a club to run it.
Q: How do you feel future growth in Lumpkin County should be handled?
Moran:
Smartly. When I ran for this position three years ago, I ran on the effective management of our inevitable growth. Since then, we have implemented the overlay district of the gateway corridor which creates strict development standards to the Highway 60/400 area. This is where we anticipate and will focus commercial growth. This will allow for our section of 400 to develop while not looking like it does in Dawson County. It will have Dark Sky lighting, access roads to keep traffic off of 400, sidewalks and pedestrian paths, landscape screening, and specific architectural design. In addition to the overlay district of the Gateway corridor, we are currently revising our land use code which would cover the rest of the County. I feel the final product will be a good solution for a delicate balance between protecting resident’s investments by preserving what we all love about Lumpkin County while also protecting people’s property rights and keeping government overreach in check.
Niles:
Very tightly controlled. Zoning is much needed to eliminate all these variances that keep coming up on bad ideas, like shooting ranges and ATV parks. District four especially should be kept to low density/agriculture venues.
Q: How would you describe the state of the county?
Moran:
At the risk of sounding too positive, I feel we are really in a good spot and that the state of the county is excellent. We have become a destination County where people from all over the State come to Lumpkin County and the City of Dahlonega, spend money while contributing to our tax base, and leave. We benefit through SPLOST and TSPLOST every time people visit Lumpkin County and spend money. The Agro tourism industry with our Wineries is booming, our Wedding Venues are booked, and Dahlonega’s city square is always bustling. We have the best school system in the State and residents are proud of where they live. We operate under a balanced budget, provide excellent services to our citizens and haven’t raised, instead lowered property taxes over the past 3 years.
Niles:
Perilous. Just about no controls, budgets out of control. Example: the jail medical situation. Approximately $60,000 increase being asked for. The question I read is "where is the money coming from?" Answer, it should have already been anticipated and in the budget as a line item. Again, poor planning. Too much emphasis is being put on partnerships. Even in college we were told "bad idea" most of the time when it comes to partnerships. The county's record at partnerships is dismal. Recycling is the best example. The commissioners have lost in excess of $300,000 in just the last four years or so with the recycling program. How is that even possible? This commission is so far in the hole, I do not believe they can just say "No" and shut the recycling down to stop losses without opening pandora's box. And, additionally the county should be taking care of the city's recycling, not as a partner, but rather as the town being the customer. Enough of all this petty rivalry between the city and county. The town is in the county, period.
Q: How would you describe the state of the board of commissioners?
Moran:
We have definitely faced some challenging times with the tragic loss of Dr. David Miller and the retirement of Stan Kelly. We are fortunate to now have Tucker Green and Alan Ours filling those huge voids. We are a board of varying opinions and this is good. It forces us to talk through things, listen to the other opinions and come up with the best decision for the residents of Lumpkin County. Some things may appear to be happening slowly but the pace of government is slow by design. One of the reasons I seek reelection for my second and final term (I believe in term limits) is to see through some of the projects and issues we have taken on instead of kicking the can down the road. I can honestly say that the current board of commissioners makes a great effort to transparently represent the residents of this county.
Niles:
I find them to be gullible. They are easily swept up into pie in the sky ideas, all, in the idea of growing capital at all costs. The growth is coming on 400, 60, and Long Branch continuing out 52/115 hwy. We need to define carrying capacities of the infrastructure and build to that projection, instead of running around solving emergencies everywhere that have no continuity. I might add that as various situations are obvious, how they came to be are not. There are the "whys and because ofs", to every scenario. These things are not known to me, but they are there just the same. Just saying something is bad, without knowing the history of the situation is not so good either. But the destination is all important. That is planning. Where are we trying to get to? There can be many paths to take, but the destination does not change. Where do we want to be? Those comprehensive plans that the city/county have provide no destination. Only how glorious it will be. And having said that, I am not confident that these regional commissions are doing any better with their recommendations. I am skeptical of outsiders.